UMAC announces 2019 football postseason awards
Photos by Greenville, Martin Luther, Minnesota Morris Athletics and Communications
ST. PAUL, Minn.---For the second-straight season, Martin Luther College rolled through its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) football schedule with a perfect 8-0 record. Following this impressive feat, the Knights highlight the postseason awards taking two of the top five honors and leading with 18 total and eight First Team all-conference selections, it was announced Thursday.
The Knights' dual-threat running back Joshuah Kren was tabbed as the Most Valuable Offensive Player, while defensive back Ian Paulsen earned Most Valuable Defensive Player. Greenville University had a remarkable turnaround season to finish as the UMAC runner-up earning Robbie Schomaker Coach of the Year from his peers. The Panthers' Anthony Esquivel was selected Most Valuable Lineman after posting top defensive numbers from the line. University of Minnesota Morris senior Drew Shipley earned the Most Valuable Special Teams Player distinction for a tremendous effort punting.
En route to a UMAC title again this fall, the Knights relied heavily on the run game averaging 374.5 rushing yards per game (ypg) and 512.6 ypg of total offense against UMAC teams. Kren was a significant part of the Knights' success ranking third in the UMAC for rushing with 117.0 ypg, 936 total rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged a conference-best 8.9 yards per carry and had a long run of 81 yards. What made Kren even more dangerous was his impact receiving, though. He averaged 59.1 ypg but had just 12 total receptions with six going for touchdowns.
All together, Kren led the UMAC in conference play in all-purpose yards with 176.1 ypg for a total of 1409 yards. He tallied a UMAC-leading 104 total points with 17 total touchdowns averaging 13.0 points per game (ppg). His 11.6 ppg in overall games this season ranks 13th in NCAA Division III. The junior was twice named the UMAC Offensive Player of the Week including for his final regular season performance Saturday against Crown College where he scored three touchdowns and tallied 284 all-purpose yards.
As good as Kren and the Knight offense were this fall, they were equally as strong on the defensive side of the ball thanks in large part to the contributions of Paulsen's versatile play. In his first complete, healthy season on defense, Paulsen helped the Knights lead the conference in total points allowed (12.8 ppg), total offense allowed (191.0 ypg), rushing defense (48.5 ypg) and pass defense (142.5 ypg). The senior tallied two of the team's leading 19 interceptions in conference games. He also had six pass breakups and finished with 46 total tackles against UMAC teams including 29 solo and 6.5 tackles for a loss. Paulsen also recorded a safety and a blocked kick on two separate plays in a win over the University of Northwestern.
While Paulsen dominated in coverage, Greenville's Esquivel led the UMAC on the defensive line and helped turnaround a spectacular season for the Panthers. The junior lineman anchored a defense that was third in total defense (315.9 ypg) and second in run defense (101.1 ypg). He led the UMAC in tackles for a loss (TFL) with 17.0 to boast a remarkable 2.13 TFL in conference play. Of those, 8.5 went for sacks totaling 54 yards lost. Esquivel averaged just over one sack a game against UMAC teams. He also finished with 55 total tackles including 30 solo tackles in league play and added three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Esquivel twice was named UMAC Defensive Player of the Week which included his 12-tackle, 3.5-sack performance in a win over the College of St. Scholastica.
Esquivel and Panther defense were a key part to the successful turnaround of a Greenville squad that improved to 7-1 in the UMAC after finishing 3-5 in 2018. Schomaker's Panthers placed second in the UMAC and were 8-2 overall with a solid win over Kalamazoo University in non-conference play. The only conference loss for the Panthers came against Martin Luther which helped lead Schomaker to his second-career Coach of the Year honor and first since 2013. His team finished third in conference games for scoring with 32.5 ppg and second in points allowed (20.0 ppg). The Panthers recorded 40-plus points in three UMAC games this season and shutout two conference opponents.
The final honor on Special Teams goes to Shipley who ends his impressive career with the Cougars earning the top honor for his specialty and his second-career All-UMAC First Team selection. In conference games, Shipley led all UMAC punters with 2,107 total yards and 41.3 yards per punt. He also tallied 51 total punts, a long of 70 yards and six inside the 50-yard line against UMAC teams. Shipley recorded 14 punts inside the 20-yard line and had six touchbacks.
Martin Luther led the all-conference nods with eight First Team selections and 10 Second Team honors. MacMurray College finished with seven First Team honors and nine total, while Northwestern tallied eight Second Team honors for a total of 10 selections. Each UMAC team had at least four honorees between the two squads recognized.
Shipley is among a group of just five players to have earned either First or Second Team honors three times in their career which includes St. Scholastica quarterback Zach Edwards who is the only player to be named First Team each of the last three seasons. The others in that company of three total honors include Demtrius Curry (MacMurray), Corben Edwards (MacMurray) and Tristan Pankow (Martin Luther).
There are 23 other players who have been selected to one of the two teams twice in their careers with Carrington Cunningham and Austin DeNoyer standing out as the only two to be tabbed First Team in back-to-back seasons. The remaining 21 players include Sebastian Alvarado (Crown), Payton Bowdry (Northwestern), Clayton Bristol (Westminster College), Brock Bullar (Greenville), Sam Fitch (Greenville), Derek Gulrud (Martin Luther), George Harris (Greenville), Joe Herrewig (Martin Luther), Seth Johnson (Northwestern), Gavin Jordan (Greenville), Matthew Leathers (Crown), Eddie Lee (St. Scholastica), Marcos Luna (Minnesota Morris), Trevor Lundberg (Northwestern), George Obitz (Northwestern), Aaron Owczarzak (Martin Luther), Sam Poole (Westminster), Evan Pruitt (Northwestern), Mike Radue (Martin Luther), Caleb Sieben (Northwestern) and Jordan Wilkins (MacMurray).
Crown also won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
*Most Valuable Offensive Player: Joshuah Kren, Jr., Martin Luther
#Most Valuable Defensive Player: Ian Paulsen, Sr., Martin Luther
^Most Valuable Special Teams Player: Drew Shipley, Sr., Minnesota Morris
%Most Valuable Lineman: Anthony Esquivel, Jr., Greenville
Coach of the Year: Robbie Schomaker, Greenville
2019 UMAC All-Conference First Team Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
Team |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| QB |
Zach Edwards |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley |
| QB |
Bobby Tedesco |
MacMurray |
Jr. |
Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg |
| RB |
Austin DeNoyer |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Lake Mills, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran |
| RB |
Paul Garrett |
Greenville |
Fy. |
Goodwater, Ala./Clay Central |
| RB* |
Joshuah Kren |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran |
| WR |
Mitchell Adrian |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Altoona, Wis./Altoona |
| WR |
Demetrius Curry |
MacMurray |
Sr. |
Hanford, Calif./Hanford |
| WR |
Kyler Henson |
Greenville |
Sr. |
Tyler, Texas/Lufkin |
| TE |
Tanner Sussenbach |
MacMurray |
So. |
Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County |
| OL |
Kenny Couch |
MacMurray |
So. |
Fredericktown, Ill./Fredericktown |
| OL |
Carrington Cunningham |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran |
| OL |
Sam Fitch |
Greenville |
Jr. |
Belleville, Ill./Althoff Catholic |
| OL |
Matthew Leathers |
Crown |
Sr. |
Austin, Texas/Hutto |
| OL |
Andrew Owczarzak |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Bay City, Mich./Michigan Lutheran Seminary |
2019 UMAC All-Conference First Team Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
Team |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| DL |
Joe Duffy |
Crown |
Sr. |
Mound, Minn./Mound Westonka |
| DL% |
Anthony Esquivel |
Greenville |
Jr. |
Rowland Heights, Calif./John A. Rowland |
| DL |
Adam Farag |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Windom, Minn./Windom |
| DL |
Kobe Kaminski |
Westminster |
Jr. |
Fulton, Mo./Fulton |
| DL |
Jacob Schmidt |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Ixonia, Wis./Luther Prep |
| LB |
Marcos Luna |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle |
| LB |
Tristan Pankow |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Bay City, Mich./Michigan Lutheran Seminary |
| LB |
Eric Soderberg |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids |
| LB |
Ahmad Washington |
MacMurray |
Jr. |
Peoria, Ill./Peoria richwood |
| DB |
Brock Bullar |
Greenville |
Sr. |
Du Quoin, Ill./Du Quoin |
| DB |
Jacquese Goins |
MacMurray |
Sr. |
Hiram, Ga./Hiram |
| DB |
Yannick Kabamba |
Northwestern |
So. |
Los Angeles, Calif./Norwalk |
| DB# |
Ian Paulsen |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Ixonia, Wis./Luther Prep |
| DB |
Cody Ricketts |
Crown |
Sr. |
Milton, Fla./Pace |
2019 UMAC All-Conference First Team Special Teams
| Pos. |
Name |
Team |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| K |
Tim Branneky |
Westminster |
So. |
St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North |
| KR |
Joe Herrewig |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran Academy |
| KR |
Carson Reese |
MacMurray |
Fy. |
Loami, Ill./New Berlin |
| P^ |
Drew Shipley |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Couer d'Alene, Idaho/Lake City |
| PR |
Caleb Sieben |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Anoka, Minn./Anoka |
2019 UMAC All-Conference Second Team Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
Team |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| QB |
George Harris |
Greenville |
Sr. |
Silverdale, Wash./Klahowya |
| RB |
Payton Bowdry |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Minneapolis, Minn./South |
| RB |
Avory Caruthers |
Crown |
So. |
Barstow, Calif./Barstow |
| WR |
Branden Carlson |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Mayer, Minn./Mayer Lutheran |
| WR |
Eddie Lee |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove |
| WR |
Cole Mistretta |
Crown |
Fy. |
Port St. Lucie, Fla./Centennial |
| WR |
Travion Mosby |
Westminster |
Fy. |
St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood |
| WR |
Evan Pruitt |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Temecula, Calif./Rancho Christian |
| TE |
Trevor Lundberg |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Houston, Minn./Houston |
| TE |
Mike Radue |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran |
| OL |
Sam Boeder |
Martin Luther |
So. |
New Ulm, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| OL |
Sam Glaubitz |
Northwestern |
So. |
River Falls, Wis./River Falls |
| OL |
Derek Gulrud |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Marshall, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran |
| OL |
Sam Poole |
Westminster |
Sr. |
Hartsburg, Mo./Southern Boone |
| OL |
Scott Woker |
Greenville |
Sr. |
Greenville, Ill./Greenville |
2019 UMAC All-Conference Second Team Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
Team |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| DL |
Clayton Bristol |
Westminster |
Sr. |
Fulton, Mo./Fulton |
| DL |
Nate Holz |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Clarksville, Tenn./Luther Prep |
| DL |
Seth Johnson |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian |
| DL |
Matt Menth |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Mayer, Minn./Mayer Lutheran |
| DL |
Jordan Wilkins |
MacMurray |
Jr. |
Chicago, Ill./Schurz |
| LB |
Logan Decker |
Westminster |
So. |
Owensville, Mo./Owensville |
| LB |
Ben Heimann |
Westminster |
So. |
Moberly, Mo./Moberly |
| LB |
Gavin Jordan |
Greenville |
Sr. |
Carterville, Ill./Herrin |
| LB |
George Obitz |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Florence, Ariz./Florence |
| LB |
Ben Riegsecker |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska Lutheran |
| DB |
Sebastian Alvarado |
Crown |
Sr. |
Blaine, Minn./Blaine |
| DB |
Corben Edwards |
MacMurray |
Sr. |
Pleasant Hill, Ill./Pleasant Hill |
| DB |
Jaheem Hampton |
Iowa Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Whigham, Ga./Cairo |
| DB |
Joe Herrewig |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran Academy |
| DB |
Aiden Holien |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Watertown. S.D./Great Plains Lutheran |
2019 UMAC All-Conference Second Team Special Teams
| Pos. |
Name |
Team |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| K |
Blake Mitchell |
Northwestern |
So. |
Watertown, S.D./Watertown |
| K |
Micah Otto |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Mequon, Wis./Luther Prep |
| KR |
Ameer Lee |
Crown |
Fy. |
Groesbeck, Texas/Groesbeck |
| P |
KJ Downey |
Northwestern |
So. |
Blaine, Minn./Blaine |
| P |
Micah Otto |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Mequon, Wis./Luther Prep |
| PR |
Benjamin Hodel |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Lake Mills, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran |
2019 UMAC Football All-Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Crown
Crown – Aaron Oberste, Sr., Princeton, Texas/Chant
Greenville – Daniel Martinez, Jr., Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual
Iowa Wesleyan – Marco Ventura, Jr., Davenport, Iowa/Davenport Central
MacMurray – Ian Leib, Sr., Flora, Ill./Flora
Martin Luther – Alex Quist, Sr., Saint Peter, Minn./Saint Peter
Minnesota Morris – Caleb Kemp, Sr., Wabasso, Minn./Wabasso
Northwestern – Colton Christman, Sr., Kindred, N.D./Kindred
St. Scholastica – Daniel Voxland, Jr., Savage, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels
Westminster – Ben Holt, Jr., Butler, Mo./Butler