Titans Place Three Players On All-WIAC Second Team
UW-Stevens Point's Paul Schmitt and UW-Eau Claire's Darrell Souhrada were named the 2001 WIAC Co-Players of the Year, headlining the All-Conference Football Team, which was recently selected by the conference coaches. UW-Stevens Point head coach John Miech was named the 2001 George Chryst Coach of the Year.
Schmitt, a senior defensive lineman, helped to Pointers to a share of the 2001 WIAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs this weekend against Bethel (Minn.). He tied a Stevens Point single-season record with 11 sacks, matching the mark of Tom Finco in 1987. Eight of his 11 sacks came in the final four games of the season. He also had 12 tackles for loss over those final four games and 18 for the season. Schmitt entered the season with a total of 4.5 sacks over his first three seasons combined. He was an All-WIAC First Team selection last season.
Eau Claire senior tailback Darrell Souhrada led the Blugolds to a share of the 2001 WIAC Championship. The three-time All-WIAC First Team selection became the WIAC's all-time leading rusher and all-time scoring leader this season. He surpassed Lee Weigel's (Eau Claire) career rushing mark and Ted Pretasky's (La Crosse) career scoring and TD marks. He also went over the 1,000-yard mark for the second season in succession as he pushed his school career rushing record to 4,373 yards with a season total of 1,038 yards, despite missing the first three games of the season with an injury.
Pointers joining Schmitt on the First Team included Dillon Maney, Heath Novitzke, Paul Steffeck, Nick Van Cuyk, Ricardo Vega and Jason Wagner.
Vega, a senior kicker, was eight-for-ten on field goal attempts this season and kicked the winning field goal against Eau Claire to send the Pointers to the NCAA playoffs. His longest field goal was from 42 yards and he was four-of-five on attempts over 30 yards.
Steffeck, Van Cuyk and Wagner, all senior offensive linemen, spearheaded a Pointer offense that ranked second in the league with 403.7 yards per game of total offense and 217.6 rushing yards per contest. The Pointers also ranked third with 27.1 points per game. Steffeck earned All-WIAC First Team honors last season and Honorable Mention honors in 1999, while Wagner was a First Team selection in 1999.
Novitzke and Maney joined Schmitt to lead a Pointer defense that topped the league in rushing defense with 91.6 yards per game and ranked third in total defense with 326.2 yards per contest. Novitzke, a senior linebacker, was one of four unanimous selections on the defensive side. He registered a team-leading 74 tackles and also had eight tackles for loss and four sacks. Novitzke was an Honorable Mention selection in 1999.
Maney, a junior defensive back, was second on the squad in tackles with 64 and also intercepted six passes on the season, including three in last weekend's clash with Eau Claire. His six interceptions ranked second in the league. Maney was also a First Team selection last season.
Austin Crow, Chad Crutchley, Brad Gawronski, Jay Hoyord, Brad Newton and Bob Schmidt also received First Team honors for Eau Claire.
Crutchley, a junior all-purpose back, ranked third in the league with 1,065 all-purpose yards. He amassed 580 receiving yards, 287 kickoff return yards and 198 punt return yards on the season with four touchdowns. Crutchley was a First Team selection last season.
Schmidt, a senior, was an unanimous selection as an offensive lineman for the second consecutive season, while Newton, a junior tight end, caught a team-leading 35 passes for 474 yards and two touchdowns.
Hoyord, a senior defensive back, was also an unanimous selection. He ranked second in the league with 102 tackles and six interceptions. Hoyord was an All-WIAC Second Team selection the past two seasons.
Crow, a sophomore defensive lineman, led the league with 20 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He also ranked second in the league with 12 sacks.
Gawronski, a junior linebacker, ranked second on the squad with five interceptions and also added 72 tackles. He was an All-WIAC Second Team selection last season and an Honorable Mention honoree in 1999.
La Crosse had four players earn First Team accolades. Matt Rizzo, a senior wide receiver, ranked second in the league with 965 receiving yards and third with 77 receptions. He also tallied seven touchdowns on the season.
Jeremy Unertl, a senior, was an unanimous selection at defensive back after accumulating 72 tackles and five interceptions. He was a Honorable Mention selection last season.
Mike Kraemer, a senior defensive lineman, led the Eagles with 12 tackles for loss and added 52 tackles and five sacks.
Scott Baranczyk, a senior linebacker, ranked second on the squad with 81 tackles, including seven for loss. He added two sacks on the season.
Tom Stetzer, Matt Kent and Brad Abraham earned First Team honors for Platteville. Stetzer, a sophomore quarterback, was an offensive machine for the Pioneers this season. He led the league with 3,130 passing yards and 3,284 yards in total offense. His 17 touchdown passes were the second-highest total in the league.
Stetzer established four new single game conference records this season including: 534 yards of total offense against Oshkosh, 71 passing attempts against Stout, 80 plays and 41 pass completions against Eau Claire and 41 pass completions against La Crosse. Stetzer also set a conference single season record with 237 completions this season.
Matt Kent, a sophomore wide receiver, helped the Pioneers lead the conference in total offense with 408.5 yards per game and passing offense with 358.8 yards per contest. He led the league with 996 receiving yards and 1,166 all-purpose yards.
Abraham led the league in punting with 40.7 yards per kick on 43 attempts. He was an Honorable Mention selection last season and a First Team honoree in 1998.
Stout placed three players on the First Team. Eric Baker, a senior fullback, registered 230 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the season. He was an All-WIAC Second Team selection last season.
Tony Beckham and Jamie Spielman helped the Blue Devil defense lead the league in total defense for the second consecutive season. The Blue Devils allowed 276.7 yards per game. Beckham, a senior defensive back, registered 43 tackles and one interception this season. He earned All-WIAC First Team honors last season after being named Honorable Mention in 1999.
Spielman, a junior linebacker, led the team with 53 tackles, including eight for loss. He also had three sacks. Spielman was a Second Team performer the last two seasons.
Whitewater also landed three players on the First Team. Steve Tenhagen, a senior wide receiver, led the league in scoring with 98 points. He was third in the league with 91.4 receiving yards per game and ranked fourth with 6.50 receptions per contest. Tenhagen established new Warhawk records with 65 receptions and 16 touchdown catches in a season. He was a Second Team performer last season.
Peter Katz and Brent Lahman joined Tenhagen on the First Team. Katz, a senior defensive tackle, registered 78 tackles with five sacks during the 2001 campaign. He was an All-WIAC Second Team performer last season and a First Team selection in 1999.
Lahman, senior offensive lineman, helped the Warhawk offense lead the league with 30.6 points per game. The Warhawks also ranked third in the league with 175.1 rushing yards per game and 369.6 yards per contest of total offense.
River Falls' Taylor Hall and Nick Basham were also named to the First Team. Hall, a senior running back, ranked second in the league with 83.1 rushing yards per game. He also added six touchdowns during the 2001 season. The Falcon offense led the league with 270.8 rushing yards per contest.
Basham, a senior defensive lineman, led the league with 13 sacks and ranked second with 20 tackles for loss. He was an All-WIAC Second Team selection last season.
Named to the Second Team Offense were: Eau Claire's Jeremy Bergeron (Sr., WR), Mike Bestul (Jr., OL) and Brian Rasmussen (Sr., QB); La Crosse's Kevin Landherr (Sr., C) and Bryan Morris (Jr., Punter); Oshkosh's David Gaulke (Sr., Kicker) and Steve Wagner (Jr., WR); Platteville's Jason Leonard (So., WR); Stevens Point's Lance Gast (Sr., All-Purpose), Ryan Petersen (Sr., OL) and Jason VanderVelden (So., FB); Stout's Luke Bundgaard (So., RB), Clint Greenebaum (So., OL) and Brian Johnson (Sr., TE); Whitewater's Jeff Krauss (Jr., OL) and Chad Wurth (So., RB).
Named to the Second Team Defense were: La Crosse's Jason Ott (Sr., LB) and Brian Portilia (Sr., DB); Oshkosh's Rick Lewandowski (Sr., DL); Platteville's Tony Lewis (Sr., DB); River Falls' Mike Hayward (Sr., LB), Jeremy Larson (Sr., DL) and Matt Palas (Sr., DB); Stevens Point's Nick Haffele (So., LB) and Doug Mittelstaedt (Jr., DL); Stout's Joe Kersten (So., DL), Eric Moe (Jr., DB), Matt Mueller (So., DL) and Mark Ralph (Jr., LB).
Stevens Point head coach John Miech was named the George Chryst Coach of the Year by his peers, marking the second time in four seasons that he has won the honor. He also won the award in 1999. Miech ranks seventh on the WIAC all-time wins list with an overall record of 92-45-2 in 14 seasons.