2012 Daktronics NCAA Division II Football All-America Team
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ZULLI, WESTBROOKS HIGHLIGHT 2012 DAKTRONICS ALL-AMERICA SQUAD
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Shippensburg junior quarterback Zach Zulli and West Texas A&M junior defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks highlight the 2012 Daktronics All America squad released Tuesday morning by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America.
Zulli, a 2012 Harlon Hill finalist, quarterbacked NCAA Division II's top-ranked offense to its first playoff win in 21 seasons and re-authored the Shippensburg record book.
The 6-2, 188-pounder from Schwenksville, Pa. needed just two full seasons at signal caller to break three career marks while break seven school season standards and snapping six single game records.
Zulli set a NCAA Division II marks as the all-time record holder for points and touchdowns responsible for in a season with 344 and 57, respectively. Both marks were previously set by two-time Harlon Hill awardee Dusty Bonner of Valdosta State (Ga.) in 2000.
Zulli leads all divisions of college football with 54 touchdown passes while passing for 4,747 yards.
Westbrooks spearheaded the top pass rush in NCAA Division II while leading West Texas A&M to its deepest playoff run in school history as the Buffs rolled to the national semifinals.
The 6-4, 275-pound defensive lineman from San Leandro, Cailf. earned the Lone Star Conference's J.V. Sykes Defensive Player of the Year honors finishing the season with 19.5 sacks and 28 tackles for loss.
Westbrooks also accounted for 60 total tackles with 19 quarterback hurries while forcing three fumbles.
Zulli is joined on the first team by the other two Harlon Hill finalists in backfield mates Michael Hill of Missouri Western and Bloomsburg (Pa.)'s Franklyn Quiteh.
Hill, a senior running back from St. Joseph, Mo., ranked second in the nation in rushing yards per game with 154.9 yards per game while setting a Missouri Western single season record with 2,118 yards with 16 touchdowns.
Quiteh, a junior running back from Tobyhanna, Pa., led NCAA Division II in rushing yards per game with 176.8 while running for 2,121 yards and 24 touchdowns. He rushed for 100 yards in every game in 2012 to extend his current run of 100-yard rushing performances to 17. Quiteh rushed for 200-or-more yards four times this fall.
The top two statistical receiving threats in NCAA Division II also gained first-team honors in Merrimack's Isaiah Voegeli and Saginaw Valley State's Jeff Janis.
Voegeli, a senior from Hyannis, Mass., led the nation with 150 receiving yards per game while posting seven games of 100 yards or more including performances of 10 catches for 269 yards against St. Anselm and 17 receptions for 264 yards at Pace. He finished the season with 108 receptions for 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Janis, a junior from Tawas, Mich., ranked second with 148.7 receiving yards per game posting 100-or-more yards in seven contests including top performances at Lake Erie (12 rec., 300 yards) and against Michigan Tech (18 rec., 226 yards). Janis finished the year with 106 receptions for 1,635 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Colorado Mines senior David Pawelek garnered top honors at the tight end position after posting 85 receptions for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns.
West Texas A&M's Manase Foketi was the top vote getter on the offensive line heading a first-team front unit including Brian Clarke of Bloomsburg (Pa.), Garth Heikkinen of Minnesota-Duluth, Ryan Jensen of Colorado State-Pueblo and Ryan Schraeder of Valdosta State (Ga.).
St. Augustine's Tyron Laughinghouse garnered return specialist honors after leading the nation in kickoff return and ranking ninth in punt return average. The senior from Greenville, N.C. returned three kicks for scores and took one punt back for another TD.
West Texas A&M's Sergio Castillo, Jr. connected on 20-of-23 field goals including a two from 50-or-more yards out and was perfect in 16 attempts of less than 40 yards to earn top place kicking honors.
Joining Westbrooks on the first-team defensive line is California (Pa.)'s B.J. Stevens (60 tackles, 22.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks) and Shippensburg (Pa.)'s Jake Metz (76 tackles, 19.0 TFL, 11.5 sacks).
Chadron State (Neb.)'s Kevin Lindholm, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, tops the linebacker corps finishing with 122 tackles with 20.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
He is joined by Super Region 2 Defensive Player of the Year Cory Johnson of Catawba (N.C.). Johnson boasted 138 tackles including five tackles for loss and a sack while forcing three fumbles.
Seton Hill (W. Va.) sophomore Tyler Zimmer (121 tackles, 23.5 TFL, 12 sacks) and New Mexico Highlands senior Jordan Campbell (104 tackles, 23 TFL, 12 sacks) fill out the linebacker position.
Northwest Missouri senior Nate DeJong (39 tackles, 7 interceptions, 9 pass breakups) and California (Pa.) senior Rontez Miles (75 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 pass breakups) are the first-team safeties while St. Cloud State (Minn.) junior Jack Moro (49 tackles, 11 interceptions, 6 pass breakups) and New Mexico Highlands senior Abdul Kenneh (67 tackles, 6 interceptions, 16 pass breakups) earned top accolades at cornerback.
Colorado Mines Taylor Accardi was named the first-team punter after setting NCAA Division II career (46.1 yards per punt) and single season (51.1 yards per punt) marks. The senior from Littleton, Colo. placed 15 of his 49 points inside the 20-yard line and blasted 26 punts for 50-or-more yards.
The Ron Lenz National Player of the Year award was named for long time South Dakota State sports information director Ron Lenz in 2008. Lenz was instrumental in the foundation of the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America program.
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable displays systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. The team is voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA).
Ron Lenz Players of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
Zach Zulli, QB, Shippensburg (Pa.)
Defensive Player of the Year
Ethan Westbrooks, DL, West Texas A&M
Offense
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First Team
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| Pos |
Player |
School |
Class |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| TE |
David Pawelek |
Colorado Mines |
Sr. |
6-3 |
230 |
Smithson Valley, Texas |
| OL |
Manase Foketi |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
6-5 |
320 |
Hesperia, Calif. |
| OL |
Brian Clarke |
Bloomsburg (Pa.) |
Jr. |
6-3 |
290 |
Hanover, Pa. |
| OL |
Garth Heikkinen |
Minnesota Duluth |
Sr. |
6-4 |
315 |
Duluth, Minn. |
| OL |
Ryan Jensen |
Colorado State-Pueblo |
Sr. |
6-6 |
300 |
Fort Morgon, Colo. |
| OL |
Ryan Schraeder |
Valdosta State (Ga.) |
Sr. |
6-7 |
305 |
Wichita, Kan. |
| WR |
Jeff Janis |
Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) |
Jr. |
6-3 |
215 |
Tawas, Mich. |
| WR |
Isaiah Voegeli |
Merrimack (Mass.) |
Sr. |
6-0 |
185 |
Hyannis, Mass. |
| QB |
Zach Zulli |
Shippensburg (Pa.) |
Jr. |
6-2 |
188 |
Schwensville, Pa. |
| RB |
Michael Hill |
Missouri Western |
Sr. |
5-11 |
205 |
St. Joseph, Mo. |
| RB |
Franklyn Quiteh |
Bloomsburg (Pa.) |
Jr. |
5-10 |
203 |
Tobyhanna, Pa. |
| RS |
Tyron Laughinghouse |
Saint Augustine's (N.C.) |
Sr. |
6-3 |
175 |
Greenville, N.C. |
| PK |
Sergio Castillo, Jr. |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
5-11 |
175 |
LaJoya, Texas |
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Second Team
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| Pos |
Player |
School |
Class |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| TE |
Adam Schlitz |
Emporia State (Kan.) |
Sr. |
6-4 |
256 |
Ponca City, Okla. |
| OL |
Markus Lawrence |
Winston-Salem State (N.C.) |
Sr. |
6-4 |
290 |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| OL |
Ken Van Heule |
Midwestern State (Texas) |
Sr. |
6-4 |
315 |
Hurst, Texas |
| OL |
Macon Allan |
Missouri Western |
Sr. |
6-4 |
310 |
King City, Mo. |
| OL |
Dan Matha |
Indiana (Pa.) |
Sr. |
6-7 |
310 |
Erie, Pa. |
| OL |
Kevin Day |
Carson-Newman (Tenn.) |
Sr. |
6-0 |
270 |
Soddy-Daisy, Tenn. |
| WR |
Chris Bowden |
Wingate (N.C.) |
Sr. |
6-3 |
215 |
Forsyth, Ga. |
| WR |
Trevor Harman |
Shippensburg (Pa.) |
So. |
6-3 |
206 |
Mechanicsburg, Pa. |
| QB |
Taylor Housewright |
Ashland (Ohio) |
Sr. |
6-2 |
208 |
Ashland, Ohio |
| RB |
Harvie Tuck |
Indiana (Pa.) |
Sr. |
5-9 |
215 |
Akron, Ohio |
| RB |
Derrick Washington |
Tuskegee (Ala.) |
Sr. |
6-0 |
215 |
Raymore, Mo. |
| RS |
John Brown |
Pittsburg State (Kan.) |
Jr. |
5-11 |
205 |
Homestead, Fla. |
| PK |
Ryne Smith |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
5-8 |
180 |
Madison, Miss. |
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Defense
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First Team
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| Pos |
Player |
School |
Class |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| DL |
Ethan Westbrooks |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
6-4 |
275 |
San Leandro, Calif. |
| DL |
B.J. Stevens |
California (Pa.) |
Jr. |
6-2 |
245 |
Monroeville, Pa. |
| DL |
Jake Metz |
Shippensburg (Pa.) |
Jr. |
6-7 |
247 |
Harleysville, Pa. |
| LB |
Kevin Lindholm |
Chadron State (Neb.) |
Sr. |
6-2 |
220 |
Eads, Colo. |
| LB |
Cory Johnson |
Catawba (N.C.) |
Sr. |
5-10 |
240 |
Fayetteville, N.C. |
| LB |
Tyler Zimmer |
Seton Hill (W. Va.) |
So. |
6-2 |
235 |
Harrison City, Pa. |
| LB |
Jordan Campbell |
New Mexico Highlands |
Sr. |
6-0 |
230 |
Corona, Calif. |
| S |
Nate DeJong |
Northwest Missouri |
Sr. |
6-2 |
210 |
Rock Rapids, Iowa |
| S |
Rontez Miles |
California (Pa.) |
Sr. |
6-1 |
210 |
Braddock, Pa. |
| CB |
Jack Moro |
St. Cloud State (Minn.) |
Jr. |
5-11 |
190 |
Brookfield, Wisc. |
| CB |
Abdul Kenneh |
New Mexico Highlands |
Sr. |
6-1 |
170 |
London, England |
| P |
Taylor Accardi |
Colorado Mines |
Sr. |
6-2 |
205 |
Littleton, Colo. |
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Second Team
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| Pos |
Player |
School |
Class |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| DL |
Brandon Williams |
Missouri Southern |
Jr. |
6-3 |
325 |
Kirkwood, Mo. |
| DL |
David Bass |
Missouri Western |
Sr. |
6-5 |
275 |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| DL |
Ridge Wilson |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
6-4 |
256 |
Louisville, Ky. |
| LB |
Darius Wilson |
Central State (Ohio) |
Sr. |
6-1 |
236 |
Matteson, Ill. |
| LB |
Collin DeBuysere |
Northwest Missouri |
Sr. |
6-4 |
230 |
Geneseo, Ill. |
| LB |
Nate Dreiling |
Pittsburg State (Kan.) |
Jr. |
6-4 |
229 |
Hutchinson, Kan. |
| LB |
Maxie Graham |
Henderson State (Ark.) |
Sr. |
5-11 |
204 |
Jackson, Miss. |
| S |
Trelan Taylor |
Chadron State (Neb.) |
Jr. |
5-10 |
195 |
San Diego, Calif. |
| S |
Johnny Franco |
Indiana (Pa.) |
Sr. |
5-10 |
205 |
Altoona, Pa. |
| CB |
C.J. Roberts |
Colorado State-Pueblo |
So. |
6-0 |
180 |
Boynton Beach, Fla. |
| CB |
Brandon Dixon |
Northwest Missouri |
Jr. |
6-0 |
195 |
Margate, Fla. |
| P |
Randy Weich |
Wayne State (Neb.) |
Sr. |
6-2 |
250 |
Pierce, Neb. |
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