January 11, 2006

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . Fifteen Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) football players were named to Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-West Region Team announced on Wednesday.

Central College senior offensive tackle Ryan Johnson (Britt, Iowa/West Hancock) was named the Region’s Offensive Lineman of the Year and was one of three Iowa Conference players on the All-West Region First Team. Loras College senior defensive tackle Ross Dillavou (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) and Simpson College senior defensive end Jason Ripke (Newell, Iowa/Newell-Fonda) were also named to the First Team.

Five IIAC offensive players earned Second Team honors including Central sophomore running back Vance Schuring (Pella, Iowa/Pella), Coe College senior tackler Sean Kennedy (Waterloo, Iowa/Columbus) Coe sophomore wide receiver/running back Neil Suckow (Fredericksburg, Iowa/Fredericksburg), University of Dubuque senior tight end Josh Staley (Boca Raton, Fla./Olympic Heights Community) and Wartburg College senior tackle Jason Ingle (Ollie, Iowa/Pekin Packwood).

Central junior defensive back Brett Doud (Oskaloosa, Iowa/Oskaloosa), Simpson senior linebacker Chris Kern (Algona, Iowa/Algona) and Wartburg senior linebacker Alex Pollock (Aplington, Iowa/Aplington-Parkersburg) were Second Team defensive selections.

Buena Vista University senior wide receiver Jesse Schmidt (Laurens, Iowa/Laurens-Marathon), Coe senior defensive back Tyler Staker (Fredericksburg, Iowa/Fredericksburg), Coe junior kicker Michael Herzberger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) and Luther College junior guard Jon Stavast (St. Paul, Minn./Eden Prairie) were named the All-West Region Third Team.

Additionally, Coe junior quarterback Andy TeKippe (West Union, Iowa/North Fayette), Dubuque senior defensive back Thoni Oriental (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens) and Luther senior defensive back Sam McDonald (Parnell, Iowa/Williamsburg) received honorable mention.

Eleven of the 15 Football Gazette All-West Region selections were also named to the d3football.com All-West Region Team in December. Johnson, Dillavou and Ripke were d3football.com First Team selections. Schuring, Doud, Herzberger, Kennedy, Ingle and Pollock were Second Team selections. Suckow and Staley were Third Team selections.

Ripke (First Team), Kennedy (Second Team) and Suckow (Third Team) were named to Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-West Region Team last year.

The Football Gazette will announce its All-America Team on Thursday, January 12.

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