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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: IIAC Deputy Commissioner: Dan Hammes November 17, 2016 (319)-930-0782

Coe’s Heitland, Stepleton and Coach Staker Earn Top IIAC Football Honors ALL-IOWA CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TEAM ANNOUNCED

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The 2016 All-Iowa Conference Football Team as voted by the league's nine head coaches:

2016 All-Iowa Conference Football Offensive MVP – Trevor Heitland, Sr., RB, Defensive MVP – Dylan Stepleton, Sr., DB, Coe College Coach of the Year – Tyler Staker, Coe College First Team - Defense School Year Pos. Hometown / High School Zach Matter ! Senior DB Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny Dylan Stepleton % Coe College Senior DB Tipton, Iowa / Wilton Nebraska Wesleyan Grand Island, Neb. / Grand Island Central Riley Shoemaker Senior DB University Catholic Michael Joseph ! University of Dubuque Junior DB Chicago, Ill. / Oswego Corbin Blythe ! Central College Senior DL Williamsburg, Iowa / Williamsburg Robbie Peters Coe College Junior DL Mt Vernon, Iowa / Mt. Vernon Drew Heitland Coe College Junior DL Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy Isaac Frazier ! Senior DL Marion, Iowa / Marion Jessie Peterson Central College Senior LB Coralville, Iowa / Iowa City West Calvin Harridge ^ # Senior LB Morrison, Ill. / Morrison Nebraska Wesleyan Preston Franzen Senior LB Gothenburg, Neb. / Gothenburg University Tony Anstoetter Junior LB Farley, Iowa / Beckman First Team - Offense School Year Pos. Hometown/High School Cole Tanner Central College Senior OL Greenfield, Iowa / Orient-Macksburg Dalton Kuehl # Coe College Sophomore OL Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Jefferson James Ostlie % @ Senior OL Decorah, Iowa / Decorah Nebraska Wesleyan Garret McCarthy Senior OL Norfolk, Neb. / Norfolk Catholic University Patrick Cusak ! University of Dubuque Senior OL Davis Junction, Ill. / Stillman Valley Riley Gray Central College Senior QB West Des Moines, Iowa / Waukee Conor Feckley University of Dubuque Junior QB Anchorage, Alaska, West Anchorage Trevor Heitland Coe College Senior RB Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy Nebraska Wesleyan Joel Wiedel Senior RB Fremont, Neb. / Archbishop Bergan University Mitchell Boerm Central College Senior TE Traer, Iowa / North Tama Sam Markham ^ ! Central College Senior WR Atlantic, Iowa / Atlantic Najee Toomer University of Dubuque Senior WR Maywood, Ill. / Walther Lutheran First Team - Specialist School Year Pos. Hometown/High School Zack Martinelli Central College Senior RS Elburn, Ill. / Kaneland Jake Pisarik Wartburg College Junior P Mt. Vernon, Iowa / Mt. Vernon Tyler Stolen & % ^ ! Senior PK Sioux City, Iowa / Bishop Heelan Second Team - Defense School Year Pos. Hometown/High School Austin Troendle Coe College Senior DB Waukon, Iowa / Waukon Ricky Humes Luther College Senior DB San Clemente, Calif. / San Clemente Derek Trotter University of Dubuque Junior DB Tripoli, Iowa / Wapsie Valley Sawyer Anderson Wartburg College Senior DB New Hampton, Iowa / New Hampton Wes Wheat Central College Senior DL Phoenix, Ariz. / Phoenix Christian Nebraska Wesleyan Tyler Sorensen Junior DL Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln Northeast University Jake Stearns Simpson College Senior DL Knoxville, Iowa / Knowville Dalton Ciavarelli Wartburg College Senior DL Clarksville, Iowa / Clarksville Drew Carlson % @ Central College Senior LB Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny Sam Norgaard Central College Senior LB Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley Ryan Leonard Coe College Senior LB Center Junction, Iowa / Midland LeDevin Smith University of Dubuque Junior LB Downers Grove, Ill. / Downers Grove South Second Team - Offense School Year Pos. Hometown/High School Michael Davidson Buena Vista University Senior OL Schaller, Iowa / Ridge View Zak Ranshaw Coe College Junior OL Iowa City, Iowa / Iowa City West Jacob Brunner Luther College Senior OL Stockton, Ill. / Stockton Dustin Ihns @ Simpson College Senior OL Tipton, Iowa / Tipton Quincy Griffith @ Wartburg College Senior OL Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny Gavin Glenn Coe College Senior QB Adel, Iowa / ADM Matt Sacia Wartburg College Sophomore QB Eldridge, Iowa / North Scott Zach Minch @ Loras College Senior RB Davenport, Iowa / Iowa Central CC Christian Moore Luther College Senior RB Kendall, Wis. / Royall Dylan Schultz @ University of Dubuque Senior TE Lynn Center, Ill. / Orion Jalen Henningsen * ! Buena Vista University Senior WR Alta, Iowa / Alta-Aurelia Riley Brockway Wartburg College Junior WR Postville, Iowa / Postville Second Team - School Year Pos. Hometown/High School Specialists Riley Brockway Wartburg College Junior RS Postville, Iowa / Postville Tyler Stolen & % ^ ! Buena Vista University Senior P Sioux City, Iowa / Bishop Heelan Nebraska Wesleyan Kramer Rath Senior PK Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln Southwest University Honorable Mention School Year Pos. Hometown/High School Mason Frost Buena Vista University Junior DL Boone, Iowa / Boone Collin Erickson Central College Sophomore DB Gilber, Ariz. / Dobson Josh Brunk Central College Junior OL West Des Moines, Iowa / Valley Andrew Netolicky Coe College Senior DL Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie Nick Elsbury # Coe College Senior LB Byron, Ill. / Byron BJ Weepie Coe College Junior OL Fairbank, Iowa / Wapsie Valley Jacob Langenberg Coe College Junior OL Maquoketa, Iowa / Maquoketa Brandon Abbas Coe College Senior PK Aplington, Iowa / Aplington Parkersburg Bryan Hermann Loras College Senior DB Tinley Park, Ill. / Tinley Park Mitch Powers Loras College Senior DL Dubuque, Iowa / Dubuque Senior Joe Pagura # Loras College Senior OL Fitchburg, Wis. / Verona Area Walter Ollie Loras College Sophomore RS Pearl City, Ill. / Eastland-Pearl City Jeremy Peters Loras College Senior P Clinton, Iowa / Prince of Peace Luke Pulliam ^ # Luther College Junior DB Tracy, Calif. / Tracy Brady Letney Luther College Junior QB Bettendorf, Iowa / Pleasant Valley Nebraska Wesleyan Ryan Schneider Senior WR Ceresco, Neb. / Raymond Central University Ryan Lehr Simpson College Freshman DB Indianola, Iowa / Indianola Jordan Beem % ^ ! Simpson College Senior RB Altoona, Iowa / Southeast Polk Nathan Hawkins Simpson College Junior P Solon, Iowa / Solon Ryan Sarver Simpson College Sophomore LB Albia, Iowa / Albia Daniel Pike University of Dubuque Junior DL Monticello, Iowa / Monticello Greg Smith @ University of Dubuque Senior OL Greenfield, Iowa / Nodaway Valley Maurece Herrion # University of Dubuque Sophomore RB Elgin, Ill. / Larkin Connor O'Malley University of Dubuque Sophomore P Pewaukee, Wis. Pewaukee Previous Honors ! - 2015 First Team All-Conference @ - 2015 Second Team All-Conference # - 2015 Honorable Mention $ - 2014 First Team All-Conference % - 2014 Second Team All-Conference ^ - 2014 Honorable Mention & - 2013 First Team All-Conference *- 2013 Second Team All-Conference ~ - 2013 Honorable Mention

The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today its major football awards and the 54- member All-Iowa Conference team for the 2016 season. Coe College senior running back Trevor Heitland (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) has been selected as the IIAC Football Offensive Most Valuable Player. On the defensive side of the ball Coe College defensive back Dylan Stepleton (Sr., Tipton, Iowa / Tipton) has been named the IIAC Football Defensive Most Valuable Player. Coe College head coach Tyler Staker earned the honor of IIAC Football Coach of the Year and the Iowa Conference Championship at 7-0 in league play.

Heitland was a major force on offense, racking up league highs of 1,619 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns and 108 points. The shifty Heitland ranked second nationally with that rushing-yardage total and led the nation in all-purpose yardage with an average of 217.60 yards per game. Heitland was the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week four times this season, including last week when he rushed for a career-high 238 yards against Simpson. That made him just the third Coe runner to go over 1,500 in a season; the other two — Fred Jackson and Carey Bender — are considered two of the best players in conference history. He is Coe’s first Offensive MVP since QB Brad Boyle won in 2010.

Stepleton led the conference with eight interceptions for an average of 0.8 per game. That mark was good for a tie for second nationally in interceptions. Two of Stapleton’s pick-offs resulted in touchdowns. He was twice the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week; first when he tied the school record with three interceptions against Loras and again when he had nine solo tackles and blocked a crucial game-tying FG attempt in the closing seconds against Central. Stepleton was second team all-conference in 2014. Stepleton follows Frank Weymiller in 2012 as the last Coe player to win the Defensive Player of the Year.

The Staker name is a familiar one to Coe followers. Tyler took over for his dad, Steve, at the end of last year. He made his rookie season one to remember by leading the Kohawks to their 11th unbeaten record in school history. Tyler Staker is a 2006 graduate of Coe with a degree in business. He was a four-year letterman and a two-time captain — also twice an all-conference selection — for the Kohawks as a defensive back.

Coe teammate and OL Dalton Kuehl (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa) joined Heitland on the all-conference first- team offense. Kuehl and his line mates powered the Coe running attack to a league-high 424 points. Coe averaged 273 yards per game on the ground (second in conference) and 502 yards in total offense (also second in conference).

Central College placed a league-high five players on the first-team offense. Cole Tanner (Sr., Greenfield, Iowa) was recognized as one of the best offensive linemen in the league, helping the Dutch to league highs of 538 yards of total offense and 314 passing yards per game. QB Riley Gray (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa) passed for an average of almost 248 yards per game in an offense that shuffled quarterbacks at times. He also proved his dual-threat capability by running for 615 yards. TE Mitchell Boerm (Sr., Traer, Iowa) helped both Tanner and Gray in his blocking and pass receiving. Boerm had 24 catches for 383 yards and two touchdowns, and helped power the Central offensive line as well. WR Sam Markham (Sr., Atlantic, Iowa) was a very dangerous threat on the outside. He led the conference with 105 receptions and 1,215 yards. Markham also made the first team in 2015. Zack Martinelli (Sr., Elburn, Ill.) was voted the league’s best return specialist. He averaged 11 yards per punt return and took one back for a touchdown, and averaged 22 yards on 23 kick returns.

Dubuque took three spots on the first-team offense. OL Patrick Cusak (Sr., Davis Junction, Ill.) led a unit that generated 39.8 points per contest. Cusak is a first-team choice for the second year in a row. QB Conor Feckley (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) put up some dizzying numbers behind center. He was the only conference signal-caller to go over 3,000 yards for the season and had a league-high 37 touchdowns. He threw only eight interceptions in 390 attempts. WR Najee Toomer (Sr., Maywood, Ill.) was one of the league’s best deep threats, averaging 17.7 yards per catch and leading all receivers with 13 TDs.

Playing in the Iowa Conference for the first year, Nebraska Wesleyan put two players on the first-team offense. OL Garrett McCarthy (Sr., Norfolk, Neb.) helped move an offense that averaged almost 27 points per game. He was one of five best friends to RB Joel Wiedel (Sr., Fremont, Neb.), who rushed for almost 90 yards per game and was voted first team. Wiedel was hurt and participated in only one play this past Saturday or his numbers would have been even better. Wiedel scored 11 times to go with his 896 rushing yards and 316 receiving yards.

Luther College OL James Ostlie (Sr., Decorah, Iowa) was voted to the first team after earning second-team honors in both 2014 and 2015. Ostlie’s line moved Luther’s run-oriented offense to a league-high average of 298.5 yards per game.

The other first-team specialists in addition to Central’s Martinelli were Buena Vista PK Tyler Stolen (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa) and Wartburg P Jake Pisarik (Jr., Mt. Vernon, Iowa). Stolen became a three-time first- team player after a season in which he led the league with 14 FGs in 16 attempts and had the league’s longest FG of 53 yards. Stolen was first team all-league in 2013, 2015 and 2016, and was second team in 2014. Pisarik punted 39 times for an average of 42.6 yards per punt with several inside the 20 (12), fair caught (10) or touchbacks (4).

On the defensive side of the ball 2016 Defensive MVP Dylan Stepleton of Coe College also garnered first team honors as a defensive back. Coe also placed defensive linemen Robbie Peters (Jr., Mt. Vernon, Iowa) and Drew Heitland (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Heitland and Peters anchored a defensive front that allowed a league-best 362.9-yards per game. Heitland was a common member of opposing backfields with 17 quarterback hurries, three sacks and three forced fumbles (second in IIAC). Peters ranked second in the conference with nine tackles for a loss and added five sacks (third in IIAC).

Central College also had three players selected to first team defense led by 2015 first team selections, DB Zach Matter (Sr., Ankeny, Iowa) and DL Corbin Blythe (Sr., Williamsburg, Iowa). Senior LB Jessie Peterson (Sr., Coralville, Iowa) made his first appearance on the all-conference roster. Matter completed his senior season leading the conference in pass breakups with 16 and tied for fourth with three interceptions. Blythe highlighted his senior campaign with two sacks, three tackles for loss, and tied for fourth in the league with two forced fumbles. Peterson’s senior season at Central concluded with a 9.9 tackles per game average, ranking him second in the conference.

In Nebraska Wesleyan University’s first season as a member of the Iowa Conference two defensive players earned all-conference honors. Defensive back Riley Shoemaker (Sr., Grand Island, Neb.) made his presence known in the secondary with nine pass breakups and two interceptions. Senior teammate, LB Preston Franzen (Sr., Gothenburg, Neb.) ranked third in the league with 97 total tackles and 8.5 of those coming as tackles for loss.

Michael Joseph (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) of the University of Dubuque followed up his 2015 first team selection with another honor in 2016. The Spartan DB ranks third in the conference with four interceptions, one of which he returned the other way for a touchdown. Joseph created frustration amongst league quarterbacks adding 12 pass breakups and one sack.

Simpson college DL Isaac Frazier (Sr., Marion, Iowa) is now a two-time all-conference first team selection (2015). Frazier ended his senior year leading the conference in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (9.5). Frazier didn’t stop there; he also leads the league in forced fumbles with four and recorded 52 tackles.

2014 and 2015 honorable mention selection, Calvin Harridge (Sr., Morrison, Ill.) of Loras College had a banner senior year to garner first team honors in 2016. The LB was the league leader in tackles with 123 and ranked second with three forced fumbles. Harridge added 5.5 tackles for a loss and three quarterback hurries.

Junior LB Tony Anstoetter (Jr., Farley, Iowa) of Wartburg College rounds out the 2016 first team defensive honorees. Anstoetter recorded three interceptions to rank fourth in the league while also breaking up eight passes. In his junior season, he totaled 70 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

The 54-member team includes 16 earning at least their second all-conference honor (first-second team), including Buena Vista punter-placekicker Tyler Stolen, who becomes a four-time honoree (First Team: 2013, 2015-2016; Second Team: 2014). Luther offensive lineman James Ostlie, Central linebacker Drew Carlson, and Buena Vista wide receiver Jalen Henningsen each earned their third all-conference honor. Ostlie moved up to first team in 2016 after being selected second team in 2014-2015. Carlson has now become a three time second team honoree (2014-2016). Henningsen earned his second first team selection (2015-2016) and was named to the 2013 second team.

Central led the team totals with 11 selections – eight on first team and three on second team. The Dutch placed six on offense, four on defense, and one on special teams. Undefeated conference champion Coe was right on Central’s heels with nine selections – five on first team and four on second team. The Kohawks landed five selections on defense and four selections on offense. Wartburg was third with eight selections, just ahead of Dubuque (7) and Nebraska Wesleyan (6). Buena Vista and Luther tied for sixth with four honorees. Simpson with three and Loras with two round out the 2016 team.

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