Mt. St. Joseph’s Wellendorf, Lawless named HCAC’s top players
November 17, 2004
Franklin , Ind. – The College of Mount St. Joseph’s Andy Wellendorf (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) has been selected the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference offensive most valuable player and teammate Matt Lawless (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) has been selected the defensive most valuable player. The duo led the Lions to their first HCAC championship.
Joining Wellendorf and Lawless with special recognition from the conference is Franklin’s Danny Sears (Whiteland, Ind./Whiteland) for special teams most valuable player, Mount St. Joseph head coach Rod Huber for coach of the year and Bluffton University’s Ryan Christy (Snellville, Ga./South Gwinnett) for freshman of the year.
Wellendorf, a junior wide receiver, finished the regular season with 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns on 55 receptions. All three are new school records. He had 532 yards and nine touchdowns on 31 receptions in six conference games. Wellendorf was the freshman of the year in 2002 and a first-team all-HCAC selection as a sophomore.
Lawless, a sophomore defensive lineman, helped lead one of the nation’s top defenses. He registered a team-high 85 tackles including 11.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. He also added two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and three blocked kicks. Lawless finished eighth in conference play with 52 tackles. Mount St. Joseph ’s defense limited opponents to 228.2 total yards per game and just 54.2 yards rushing per contest. The Lions only allowed 11.6 points per game during the regular season.
Sears, a sophomore for the Grizzlies, was the top returner in the conference. He posted a 14.5 yard average on punt returns and 22.1 yard average on kick returns. Sears returned a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same quarter against Olivet this season. He had 13 punt returns for 188 yards and 23 kick returns for 509 yards with a long return of 93 yards. Sears also led Franklin with 40 receptions for 479 yards and three touchdowns and he had 24 rushes for 159 yards and a touchdown.
Christy, a freshman defensive back, led the Beavers to a 5-5 overall record and 3-3 mark in the conference. He tallied 57 tackles, including 18 solo tackles, and had six pass break ups with two interceptions. Chrisy also recovered a fumble for the Beavers. Bluffton was ranked second in the conference in both scoring and rushing defense and fourth in total defense.
Huber guided the Lions to their first undefeated season in school history (10-0) and led the Mount to their first HCAC championship and NCAA Division III playoff appearance. The Lions completed the conference schedule with a 6-0 record and are ranked 14th in the latest American Football Coaches Association Poll. Huber is in his fifth season at the Mount and has posted a 23-27 overall record. He was also named HCAC coach of the year in 2002.
The first-team, second-team, and honorable mention all-HCAC selections have also been announced. The recipients follow:
Offensive Most Valuable Player: Andy Wellendorf, College of Mount St. Joseph
Defensive Most Valuable Player: Matt Lawless, College of Mount St. Joseph
Special Teams Most Valuable Player: Danny Sears, Franklin College
Freshman of the Year: Ryan Christy, Bluffton University
Coach of the Year: Rod Huber, College of Mount St. Joseph
First Team All-Conference
Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
Wyatt Gayer |
Anderson |
DE |
JR |
Justin Helman |
Anderson |
LB |
SR |
Pete Needler |
Anderson |
OL |
JR |
Chris McKee |
Anderson |
QB |
SO |
Hyman Smith |
Anderson |
WR |
JR |
Scott Steiner |
Bluffton |
LB |
SR |
Jeremy Anderson |
Bluffton |
DB |
SO |
Seth Burkholder |
Bluffton |
P/K |
JR |
Rashid Morton |
Bluffton |
DL |
JR |
Blake Stambaugh |
Defiance |
P |
JR |
Joe Cronkhite |
Defiance |
LB |
SR |
Jason Brown |
Defiance |
WR |
SR |
Ben McKenney |
Franklin |
OL |
JR |
Clayton Darlage |
Franklin |
LB |
JR |
Joliba Brogan |
Franklin |
RB |
SR |
Lance Drake |
Franklin |
DL |
SO |
Adam Stevenson |
Hanover |
RB |
SR |
Michael Creeden |
Hanover |
LB |
SR |
Brian Michitti |
Hanover |
DB |
SR |
Tad Brittingham |
Hanover |
LB |
SR |
Brian Fox |
Hanover |
OL |
SR |
Aaron Welty |
Hanover |
OL |
JR |
B.J. Edwards |
Manchester |
DB |
SR |
Brandon Tugmon |
Manchester |
WR |
JR |
Mike Lovell |
Mt. St. Joseph |
RB |
SO |
Adam Sayer |
Mt. St. Joseph |
OL |
SR |
Andrew Ackerman |
Mt. St. Joseph |
LB |
JR |
Ty Blair |
Mt. St. Joseph |
DB |
JR |
Mike Holzinger |
Mt. St. Joseph |
DL |
SR |
Chris Hafertepen |
Mt. St. Joseph |
OL |
SR |
Eric Schneider |
Mt. St. Joseph |
DL |
SR |
Second Team All-Conference
Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
Ryan Alspaugh |
Anderson |
WR |
SR |
Denny Kimmel |
Anderson |
RB |
SO |
Isaac Shepherd |
Anderson |
DL |
JR |
Andy Tabler |
Bluffton |
DL |
SR |
Ben Dodds |
Bluffton |
RB |
JR |
Matt Chiles |
Bluffton |
DB |
SR |
Ben Haas |
Defiance |
OL |
SR |
Steven Brancheau |
Defiance |
LB |
SO |
Mike Haydon |
Defiance |
DB |
SO |
Kris Zajac |
Defiance |
DB |
JR |
Brian Nay |
Franklin |
SE |
JR |
Derjaun Strons |
Franklin |
DB |
SO |
Kyle Blackman |
Franklin |
DL |
SO |
David Blount |
Hanover |
DE |
SO |
Adam Baker |
Hanover |
DL |
SR |
Mike Russell |
Hanover |
WB |
JR |
Kris Hueber |
Manchester |
LB |
SR |
Zack Smith |
Manchester |
LB |
SO |
Ryan Sons |
Manchester |
LB |
JR |
Jared Markham |
Manchester |
LB |
SO |
P.J. Volker |
Mt. St. Joseph |
LB |
JR |
Neil Nieberding |
Mt. St. Joseph |
OL |
SR |
Brooks Klosterman |
Mt. St. Joseph |
LB |
SR |
Honorable Mention All-Conference
Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
Darrow Hill |
Anderson |
DL |
JR |
Sam Calobrace |
Anderson |
OL |
JR |
Robert Baker |
Anderson |
DB |
FR |
Mark Gable |
Bluffton |
TE |
SR |
Bryan Lloyd |
Bluffton |
DL |
JR |
James Fay |
Bluffton |
OL |
SO |
Richard Palmer |
Defiance |
DL |
SO |
Tyler Haines |
Defiance |
LB |
SO |
Nate Fitton |
Defiance |
QB |
FR |
Joe Neeley |
Franklin |
DB |
SR |
Zach Durrett |
Franklin |
LB |
SR |
Andy Clark |
Franklin |
QB |
FR |
Jason Allen |
Hanover |
LB |
SO |
Adam Goodman |
Hanover |
DB |
SR |
Sam Kent |
Manchester |
DL |
FR |
A.J. Martzall |
Manchester |
OL |
SR |
Joe DeCraene |
Manchester |
QB |
SO |
Bryan Hamrock |
Mt. St. Joseph |
QB |
SR |
Tom Hornsby |
Mt. St. Joseph |
RB |
SO |