Sports Network All-America
12/19/2011 3:34:00 PM | Football
Four players from Sam Houston State University's No. 1 ranked football team have been selected to the 2011 Sports Network NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America squad.
Bearkat offensive linemen Chris Crockett and Travis Watson and safety Darnell Taylor are first team selections. Running back Tim Flanders is a second team honoree.
All four players have been key performers for Sam Houston as the Bearkats have rolled to a 14-0 record and a spot in the NCAA Division I National Championship game in Frisco Jan. 7
Crockett and Watson, seniors from Converse Judson and Norman, Okla., respectively, were the leaders of the Bearkat offensive line. Sam Houston led the Southland Conference and ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense this year with 267.4 yards per game. Both players were first team All-Southland conference performers during the 2011 season.
Taylor, a junior from Mesquite, is the leading tackler for the Bearkat defense that sports national rankings of No. 1 in rushing defense, No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 4 in total defense. Taylor is the 2011 Southland Conference "Defensive Player of the Year" and a first team all-league selection. He has totaled 118 tackles in 14 games including nine for losses.
Flanders, a sophomore from Midwest City, Okla., is the 2011 Southland Conference "Player of the Year" and the league's leading rusher this season with 277 carries for 1,560 yards and 22 touchdowns. In 24 games as a Bearkat, Flanders has set 12 Sam Houston records.
Thirteen FCS conferences had players represented on the three teams. The Big Sky Conference and Southern Conference led with 14 selections each, while the Missouri Valley Football Conference had 10.
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries selected the All-America based only on the regular season.
FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington, Sr., Chris Lum, Lehigh, Sr.; RB - Shakir Bell, Indiana State, So.; Terrance West, Towson, Fr.; FB - Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, Jr.; WR - Aaron Mellette, Elon, Jr.; Nicholas Edwards, Eastern Washington, Jr.; Ryan Spadola, Lehigh, Jr.; TE - Colin Anderson, Furman, Jr.; OT - Chris Crockett, Sam Houston State, Sr.; Brett Moore, Georgia Southern, Sr.; OG - Gino Gradkowski, Delaware, Sr.; Nate Page, Wofford, Sr.; C - Travis Watson, Sam Houston State, Sr.; PK - Zach Brown, Portland State, Sr.; KR - Kevin Fogg, Liberty, Jr.
FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE: DE - Adrian Hamilton, Prairie View A&M, Sr.; Andrew Schaetzke, Georgetown, Sr.; DT - Ronnie Cameron, Old Dominion, Sr.; Brent Russell, Georgia Southern, Jr.; LB - Wes Dothard, Chattanooga, So.; Matt Evans, New Hampshire, Jr.; L.J. Fort, Northern Iowa, Sr.; Caleb McSurdy, Montana, Sr.; CB - Bryce Robertson, Bucknell, Sr.; Marcus Williams, North Dakota State, So.; S - Kejuan Riley, Alabama State, Jr.; Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston State, Jr.; P - David Harrington, Idaho State, Sr.; C.J. Estelle, UT Martin, Sr.
SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington, Sr., or Chris Lum, Lehigh, Sr.; RB - Tim Flanders, Sam Houston State, So.; Jonathan Grimes, William & Mary, Sr.; FB - Jake Romanelli, Cal Poly, Sr.; WR - Tim Benford, Tennessee Tech, Sr.; Brian Quick, Appalachian State, Sr.; Rodrick Rumble, Idaho State, Jr.; TE - Kyle Juszczyk, Harvard, Jr.; OT - Paul Cornick, North Dakota State, Sr.; Blake Matthews, Norfolk State, Jr.; OG - D.J. Hall, Texas State, Sr.; J.C. Oram, Weber State, Sr.; C - Bryan Boemer, Southern Illinois, Sr.; PK - Tyler Sievertsen, Northern Iowa, So.; KR - Laron Scott, Georgia Southern, Sr.
SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE: DE - Ryan Davis, Bethune-Cookman, Sr.; Willie Jefferson, Stephen F. Austin, So.; DT - Ben Boothby, Northern Iowa, Sr.; Zach Minter, Montana State, Jr.; LB - Seth Allison, Central Arkansas, Jr.; Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State, Jr.; Blake Pfeifer, SE Missouri State, So.; Keith Pough, Howard, Jr.; CB - Trumaine Johnson, Montana, Sr.; Josh Norman, Coastal Carolina, Sr.; S - Justin Bethel, Presbyterian, Sr.; Alex Sewall, Indiana State, Sr.; P - Jonathan Plisco, Old Dominion, Jr.; PR - Darius Carey, McNeese State, Jr.
