|
NOVAK
AND EIGHT USF TEAMMATES EARN ALL-CONFERENCE
HONORS
For Immediate Release
December 15, 2005
Nine
University of St. Francis football players
were recently selected to the All-Mid-States
Football Association Midwest League team
after a vote by league coaches.
Freshman
tailback Gannon Novak (Providence Catholic
HS/New Lenox, IL) earned first-team
recognition after becoming only the third
player in USF history to rush for over 1,000
yards in a season. Novak finished
his freshman season with 1,021 rushing yards
on 255 attempts for an average of 4.0 yards
per carry. He placed third overall in the
MSFA and second in the Midwest League in
rushing yards. Novak also led the
Fighting Saints in kickoff returns, averaging
25.4 yards on 18 returns. He finished second
in the MSFA in kick returns and was also
second in the league in all-purpose yards
with an average of 141.4 yards per game
(rushing, receiving, returns).
Novak
was second only to USF kicker Nick Heberer
(Washington HS/Washington, IL) in scoring
with seven touchdowns for a total of 42
points. He topped the 100-yard mark in rushing
in five games, with a high of 163 yards
at Iowa Wesleyan on Oct. 29.
Since
joining the MSFA in 2000, Novak is
just the fourth USF player to be voted to
the Midwest League’s first team.
Eight
Fighting Saint players were recognized as
Honorable Mention All-MSFA. The list includes
junior wide receiver Jason Hall (Sycamore
HS/Sycamore, IL), junior offensive lineman
Joe Wail (Oak Forest HS/Oak Forest, IL),
freshman defensive lineman Seth Williams
(DuQuoin HS/DuQuoin, IL), senior linebacker
Allen Turay (Crete-Monee HS/Crete, IL),
freshman linebacker Kevin Sanders (St.
Edward HS/Elgin, IL), freshman defensive
back Clayton Norberg (Newman Central
Catholic HS/Sterling, IL), freshman
defensive back Pat Lenahan (Providence
Catholic HS/Homer Glen, IL) and sophomore
defensive back Rashun Black (Waukegan
HS/Waukegan, IL).
Hall
led USF in receiving yards with 358 on 31
catches for an average of 11.5 yards per
reception. His season ended after just six
games due to a fractured hand. Wail started
at center for the Saints in 2005 after starting
at one of the guard slots the two previous
seasons. Williams led all USF defensive
linemen with 47 tackles in 10 games played.
He was second on the club with seven tackles-for-loss
and had one sack, three pass deflections
and one blocked kick. Turay was the
Saints’ second-leading tackler with
84 stops and led the team with 11 tackles-for-loss.
He shared the team lead with a pair of quarterback
sacks.
Sanders
assumed a starting role in the third game
of the season and finished sixth on the
team with 58 total tackles and three tackles-for-loss.
Norberg led the Saints with 88 tackles,
three interceptions and three pass deflections.
He was the team’s top punt returner
with 15 runbacks for an average of 4.8 yards.
Lenahan was the team’s No. 3
tackler with 84 stops. He shared the team
lead with a pair of fumble recoveries and
also had one interception. Black
started all 11 games at one cornerback spot
and finished the year with 55 tackles and
one interception.
St.
Francis opened its season with back-to-back
home wins over St. Joseph’s (IN) and
Urbana (OH). The Saints were just one spot
shy of being nationally ranked in the NAIA’s
top 25 after those two victories. Injuries,
youth and a rugged MSFA schedule contributed
to a season-ending nine-game losing streak
to put USF at 2-9. USF finished the season
with just one healthy senior and only seven
non-injured juniors.
-30-
|
