PITTSBURG, Kan. – West Liberty’s record-setting duo of Ryan Travis and Zach Amedro led a six-man contingent of Hilltoppers named to the 23rd annual Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team.
The Don Hansen All-America team honors the memory of long-time small-college football chronicler Don Hansen, who passed away on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, who followed the sport for more than three decades as founder and publisher of the Don Hansen Football Gazette, selected his first NCAA Division II All-America team in 1988 and added All-Region selections following the 2003 season.
Travis and Amedro are repeat selections. Travis, who led the nation in receiving and receiving yards, is the first-team tight end for the second straight season while Amedro, who completed more passes for more yards than any player in NCAA Division II history over the course of his career, was a second-team pick this season after earning first-team laurels a year ago.
Joining the Hilltoppers’ pitch-and-catch duo on the 2010 Don Hansen All-America Team are junior offensive tackle Larry Wriedt, a second-team honoree; senior linebacker Clay Beeler, a third-team selection; senior tailback Kevon Calhoun, an honorable mention choice; and senior center Nick Madia, another honorable mention selection.
The Don Hansen All-America teams are voted on by an elite nationwide panel of small-college football observers. The All-Region teams, which were announced earlier this month, serve as a national ballot. A total of 167 players representing 77 of the nation’s 150 NCAA Division II football-playing schools were honored on this year’s All-America teams.
Following are capsule summaries on West Liberty’s six Don Hansen All-Americans.
Zach Amedro: The 6-0, 200-pound senior from Moundsville, W.Va. set NCAA Division II career records for passing yards (14,733) and pass completions (1,079) as a 2-time Harlon Hill Trophy runner-up. As a senior, he completed 329-of-485 passes for 4,058 yards and an NCAA Division II season-high 38 TDs with just 8 interceptions, becoming only the second NCAA Division II quarterback ever to average more than 400 passing yards a game for an entire season. Along with his career marks for passing yards and completions, the four-year starter also set all-time NCAA Division II records for career passing yards per game (334.8), career 300-yard passing games (30), career 300-yard total offense games (29), consecutive 300-yard passing games (14), consecutive 300-yard total offense games (14) and ranks No. 2 in career total offense (14,598), career total offense per game (331.8 ypg.) and career TD passes (126).
Ryan Travis: The 6-3, 235-pound tight end from Massillon, Ohio was the only college football player in the country to catch at least 10 passes in every game this fall and finished with 126 catches for 1,402 yards and 15 TDs. Travis’s 126 catches and 12.6 average per game each rank No. 2 all-time on the NCAA Division II single-season receiving list while the 15 TD catches ties the NCAA Division II single-season record for tight ends. His 285 career catches are the fifth-highest total for any NCAA Division II receiver in history and he leaves West Liberty as the school’s career leader in catches, receiving yards (3,228) and receiving touchdowns (34).
Larry Wriedt: The 6-7, 320-pound junior from Sacramento, Calif. emerged as one of the most dependable members of an improving offensive line as the Hilltoppers caught fire down the stretch. In his first season at West Liberty after transferring in from a California junior college over the summer, Wriedt earned the starting right tackle job in preseason camp and was a first-team All-WVIAC selection after starting all 10 games.
Clay Beeler: The 6-3, 225-pound senior from Waverly, Ohio was a 3-time All-WVIAC selection and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. Beeler led the WVIAC with 9.1 tackles per game and was charted with 9 tackles-for-loss, a pair of quarterback sacks, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble during the 2010 campaign. One of the top five tacklers in West Liberty football history, Beeler’s career-high 18-tackle day at Seton Hill was tops in the WVIAC this season and ranked among the top 10 nationally. He was an honorable mention selection on last year’s Don Hansen All-America Team.
Kevon Calhoun: The 5-11, 195-pound senior from Rockville, Md. missed two games due to injury but still led the WVIAC in rushing (136.0 ypg.), touchdowns (18), rushing touchdowns (17), scoring (13.5 ppg.), and all-purpose yards (193.4 ypg.). His 13.5 ppg. scoring average led the nation while he ranked No. 3 in all-purpose yards and No. 5 in rushing. Calhoun also posted two of the top six single-game rushing performances in school history. The second-leading rusher in West Liberty history, Calhoun holds the school’s single-season and career touchdown records. He also earned honorable mention on last year’s Don Hansen All-America Team.
Nick Madia: The 6-1, 300-pound senior from Valencia, Calif. earned his second consecutive All-Region spot after anchoring the West Liberty offensive line from the center position for the second straight year. A two-time first-team All-WVIAC selection, Madia started every game at center for the Hilltoppers over the past two seasons.
2010 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team
FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB Eric Czerniewski 6-0 190 SR Central Missouri Montgomery City, Mo.
FB Bobby Humphries 6-3 250 SR Shepherd Frederick, Md.
RB Phil Milbrath 5-9 200 SR Michigan Tech Norway, Mich.
RB Franklyn Quiteh 5-10 197 FR Bloomsburg Tobyhanna, Penn.
WR Thomas Mayo 6-2 184 JR Concord Reston, Va.
WR Jamorris Warren 6-1 195 SR Central Missouri Belle, Glade, Fla.
WR Fred Williams 6-0 195 SR St. Cloud State Milwaukee, Wis.
TE RYAN TRAVIS 6-3 235 SR West Liberty Massillon, Ohio
C Brian Fusco 6-5 305 SR Slippery Rock Cranberry Twp., Penn.
OG Dennis Bergland 6-2 310 SR Nebraska-Omaha Plattsmouth, Neb.
OG Kyle Thornton 6-4 345 SR North Alabama Dallas, Tex.
OT Cameron Bradfield 6-5 295 SR Grand Valley State Grand Rapids, Mich.
OT Michael Tribue 6-3 260 SR Carson-Newman Antioch, Tenn.
PK Gareth Rowlands 6-1 215 SR Tusculum Benllech, N.C.
AP Josh Renel 5-8 187 JR Wayne State (Mich.) Rochester Hills, Mich.
Defense
DE Malcolm Jenkins 6-5 235 SR Elizabeth City State Florence, N.J.
DE Marc Schiechl 6-3 260 SR Colorado Mines Lakewood, Colo.
DG/DT Jim Kuntz 6-2 250 SR Minnesota Duluth Oshkosh, Wis.
DG/DT Derrin Nettles 6-4 304 SR Morehouse Montgomery, Ala.
LB Larry Dean 6-0 216 SR Valdosta State Tifton, Ga.
LB Nate Dreiling 6-4 220 FR Pittsburg State Hutchinson, Kan.
LB Matt Freed 5-10 210 JR East Stroudsburg Souderton
CB Stevie Harden 5-8 155 SR Valdosta State Valdosta, Ga.
CB Ryan Jones 5-11 195 SR NW Missouri State Liberty, Mo.
S Cody Eich 6-1 205 JR Minnesota Duluth Farmington, Minn.
S Ron Parker 6-1 210 SR Newberry St. Helena Island, S.C.
P Ronnie Partridge 5-10 185 JR Stillman Ridge Springs, S.C.
RS Garrett Tidwell 5-10 180 SR Angelo State Boyd, Tex.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB ZACH AMEDRO 6-0 200 SR West Liberty Moundsville, W.Va.
FB Tim Schmalz 6-1 235 SR Michigan Tech Shawno, Wis.
RB Isaac Odim 6-0 215 SR Minnesota Duluth Rochester, Minn.
RB Akeem Satterfield 6-1 210 SO Slippery Rock Erie, Penn.
WR Edmund Gates 6-1 200 SR Abilene Christian Vernon, Tex.
WR Joe Hastings 6-0 185 SR Washburn Wichita, Kan.
WR Justin Johnson 5-11 185 SR Fort Lewis San Diego, Calif.
TE DeMarco Crosby 6-3 240 SR Central Missouri Kansas City, Mo.
OC Matt Webber 6-0 275 JR Abilene Christian Paradise, Tex.
OG Pat Casey 6-0 300 SR Bloomsburg Matamoras, Penn.
OG Matt Desotell 6-3 300 SR Michigan Tech Green Bay, Wisc.
OT Chandler Rearden 6-1 265 SR Lenoir-Rhyne Greenwood, S.C.
OT LARRY WRIEDT 6-7 320 JR West Liberty Sacramento, Calif.
PK Steve Ivanisevic 5-11 195 SR Washburn Darien, Ill.
AP Alfonso Hoggard 5-2 150 JR Clarion Philadelphia, Penn.
Defense
DE Courtney Harris 6-3 230 SR North Alabama Jupiter, Fla.
DE Daniel Webb 6-1 260 SR Emporia State Ft. Collins, Colo.
DT Jacob Crossman 6-3 290 SR Fort Hays State Haysville, Kan.
DT Maurice Harris 6-2 230 SR Mars Hill Hendersonville, N.C.
LB Kiel Fechtelkotter 6-0 220 SR Minnesota Duluth Lake Nebagamon, Wisc.
LB Chad Kilgore 6-1 230 JR NW Missouri State Orrick, Mo.
LB Shawn Loiseau 6-2 240 JR Merrimack Shrewbury, Mass.
CB Tae Evans 6-0 205 SR West Texas A&M Amarillo, Tex.
CB Keon Robinson 5-11 187 SO Shepherd Fairfax Stn., Va.
S Caleb Singleton 6-4 215 SR Western Oregon Salem, Ore.
S Ian Wild 6-0 215 JR Mercyhurst Pittsburgh, Penn.
P Kevin Berg 6-0 185 SR Chadron State Longmont, Colo.
RS L.J. McCray 6-1 200 SO Catawba Charlotte, N.C.
THIRD TEAM
Offense
QB Blake Bolles 6-4 210 SR NW Missouri State Lincoln, Neb.
FB Le’Quan McCorkle 5-11 210 JR Lenoir-Rhyne Sherrills Ford, N.C.
RB Tommy Addison 5-8 180 JR Shepherd Germantown, Md.
RB Jesse Lewis 5-6 173 JR Colorado State-Pueblo Loveland, Colo.
WR O.J. Murdock 6-0 195 SR Fort Hays State Tampa, Fla.
WR David Pressley 5-10 175 SR Newberry Anderson, S.C.
WR Tyson Williams 6-0 205 JR West Texas A&M Aldine, Texas
TE Michael Rodriguez 6-2 190 JR Tusculum Columbia, S.C.
OC Matt Holmes 6-2 300 SR Newberry Johnston, S.C.
OG Joe Bundy 6-6 305 SR Wayne State (Neb.) Madison, S.D.
OG Dan Jordan 6-3 305 SR California (Pa.) Tionesta, Pa.
OT Sam Geldmaker 6-8 290 SR Gannon Bradenton, Fla.
OT Trevis Turner 6-7 330 SR Abilene Christian DeSoto, Texas
PK David Nadeau 6-3 200 JR Minnesota Duluth White Bear Lakes, Minn.
AP Cody Renken 5-8 160 SO Colorado Mines Smithson Valley, Texas
Defense
DE Xavier Brown 6-5 245 SR LIU-C.W. Post Bay Shore, N.Y.
DE Aston Whiteside 6-2 270 JR Abilene Christian Vernon, Texas
DG/DT Roberto Davis 6-3 260 SR NW Missouri State Copperas Cove, Texas
DG/DT Fred Hale 6-2 241 SR Mercyhurst Mentor, Ohio
LB Robbie Aurich 6-1 230 SR Minnesota Duluth Spring Lake, Mich.
LB Shad Baichtal 5-11 175 SR West Texas A&M Mission Viejo, Calif.
LB CLAY BEELER 6-1 225 SR West Liberty Waverly, Ohio
CB Chad Daniel 5-11 180 SR North Alabama Sipsey, Ala.
CB Darnell Evans 5-8 181 FR Shaw Madison, N.J.
S Nick Sipes 5-11 225 SR Clarion Curwensville, Pa.
S Garrett Williams 5-9 190 SR Delta State Leland, Miss.
P George Shamblen 6-0 205 JR Angelo State San Angelo, Texas
RS Demario Barber 5-9 165 JR Fort Valley State Ashburn, Ga.
Honorable Mention
RB KEVON CALHOUN 5-11 195 SR West Liberty Rockville, Md.
OC NICK MADIA 6-1 300 SR West Liberty Valencia, Calif.
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