Photo Credits: Doug Witte, Grand Valley State University
Release courtesy of the Harlon Hill web site (Click her for Harlon Hill web site)
FLORENCE, Ala. -- A field of 24 candidates has
been trimmed to nine national finalists in regional voting for the
Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player
of the Year.
The finalists were selected by the NCAA Division II sports
information directors in regional voting and will now be placed on
the national ballot where all 148 of the division's SIDs will
select the award's 24th winner.
The top two players from each of Division II's Super Regionals
advance to the national ballot, but three players advanced from
Region 3 due to a tie in the voting.
The list of 2009 finalists is comprised of six quarterbacks and
three running backs.
Eight of the finalists helped lead their teams into the NCAA
Division II playoffs this season and two of this weekend's second
round playoff matchups will have Hill finalists facing each
other.
Advancing from Super Regional 1 are junior quarterback Zach Amedro
of West Liberty (W.V.) University and senior quarterback Trevor
Harris of Edinboro (Pa.) University. Their teams meet Saturday in
West Liberty, W.V. in the second round of the playoffs.
Super Regional 2 is represented by senior quarterbacks Harrison
Beck of the University of North Alabama and Nick Graziano of
Arkansas Tech University. The Lions and Wonder Boys also face each
other Saturday at noon in Florence.
The top vote getters in Super Regional 3 were Wayne State
(Mich.) University senior running back Joique Bell,
Grand Valley State (Mich.) University senior quarterback
Brad Iciek and University of Minnesota-Duluth junior
running back Isaac Odim. Grand Valley State and Minnesota-Duluth
are both hosting second round playoff games Saturday and could
possibly meet in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Advancing from Super Regional 4 are Northwest Missouri State
senior running back LaRon Council and Midwestern (Texas) State
University junior quarterback Zack Eskridge. Northwest Missouri
State is hosting a second round playoff game Saturday, while
Midwestern State lost
Iciek is a finalist for the third straight year
and becomes just the third student-athlete in the 24-year history
of the award to do so. Texas A&M Kingsville's Johnny Bailey was
a four-time finalists from 1986-89 and was a three-time winner of
the Hill Trophy. Jimmy Terwilliger of East Stroudsburg was also a
three-time finalist from 2004-06 and won the award as a junior.
Iciek finished fifth in the 2008 balloting, while Edinboro's
Harris was also a finalist and finished eighth.
National voting will conclude on November 29 and the top three
finishers will be invited to the Shoals
for the presentation banquet. The winner of the 2009 award, which
is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be
announced at the 24th annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation
Banquet on Friday, December 11 at the Florence Conference Center at
6:30 p.m. This year’s Hill Trophy Banquet will also include
the tenth induction into the Division II Football Hall of Fame.
Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight and can be
purchased by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256)
764-4661.
The NCAA Division II Championship Game is scheduled for December
12 at Florence’s Braly Municipal Stadium at noon.
The Hill Trophy is sponsored by the City of Florence, Ala.,
Florence-Lauderdale Tourism, Opti-Net, the Marriott Shoals Hotel
and Spa and Herff Jones.
There were 32 candidates initially nominated by the sports
information directors at their respective schools and those
nominations were then reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory
Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates.
Amedro, a junior from Moundsville, W.V., ranks second nationally
in passing yards per game this season with a 367.3 average. He has
completed 287 of 449 pass attempts and has thrown for 41
touchdowns, while being picked off just 11 times.
His 26 completions per game ranks fifth nationally and he is third
in total offense (367.3) and fourth in passing efficiency (164.7).
He has led the Hilltoppers to a 10-1 record and No. 1 seed in Super
Regional One.
Beck, a senior from Clearwater, Fla., has thrown for 3,201 yards
and 29 touchdowns this season and has added three scores on the
ground. He has completed 244 of 418 passes, with just eight
interceptions. He ranks ninth nationally in passing yards per game
(291.0) and 15th in completions per game (22.1). He has led North
Alabama to a 10-1 record and a No. 1 seed in Super Regional
Two.
Bell, a senior from Benton Harbor, Mich., leads
Division II in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards in 2009. He
picked up 2,084 yards on the ground for a 189.4 average per game.
His 32 total touchdowns give him 192 points for the year and an
average of 17.4 points per game. He has added another 293 receiving
yards and 15 yards on kickoff returns for 2,392 all-purpose yards
and a 217.45 average.
Council, a senior from Kansas City, Mo., has rushed for 1,202
yards on 212 carries and has 16 rushing touchdowns this season. He
averages 109.3 rushing yards and 8.73 points per game. He also has
271 receiving yards and averages 133.9 all-purpose yards per game.
He has led the Bearcats to a 10-1 record and the No. 2 seed in
Super Regional Four.
Eskridge, a junior from Rowlett, Texas, leads Division II in
passing efficiency in 2009 with a 180.75 rating. He threw for 3,295
yards and 29 touchdowns this season, completing 236 of 330 pass
attempts with only six interceptions. He completed 71.5 percent of
his passes. He is also 12th nationally in passing yards per game
(274.6) and 16th in total offense (286.9). He led Midwestern State
to a 9-3 record this season.
Graziano, a senior from Moraga, Calif., is third nationally in
passing yards per game at 352.8, third in completions per game at
26.7 and second in total offense at 390.9. He has completed 294 of
475 pass attempts for 3,881 yards and 35 touchdowns, while throwing
just 10 interceptions. His 419 rushing yards give him an even 4,300
yards of total offense. He has led Arkansas Tech to a 9-2 record
and a first round playoff win over UNC-Pembroke.
Harris, a senior from Waldo, Ohio, is a Hill finalist for the
second straight year. He has thrown for 2,674 yards and 19
touchdowns this season, averaging 243 passing yards per contest. He
has completed 219 of 326 pass attempts with just seven
interceptions. He averages 19.9 completions per game and 275.2
yards of total offense. He has led Edinboro to a 9-3 record and
into the second round of the playoffs.
Iciek, a senior from Grandville, Mich., is a Hill
finalist for the third time, finishing seventh in 2007 and fifth in
2008. He is the third highest rated passer in Division II this
season with a 174.1 rating. He has thrown for 2,369 yards and 26
touchdowns with only two interceptions. He has also rushed for six
scores. He has led the Lakers to a 10-1 record and a No. 2 seed in
Super Regional Three.
Odim, a junior from Rochester, Minn., ranks second nationally in
scoring, third in rushing and fifth in all- purpose yards. He has
carried the ball 224 times and picked up 1,639 yards for a 149.0
per game average. He has scored 29 total touchdowns for 174 points
and a 15.8 average per game. Odim added 189 receiving yards and 292
on kickoff returns for 2,120 all-purpose yards and a 192.7 average.
He has led Minnesota-Duluth to a 10-1 record and a No. 1 seed in
Super Regional One.
The initial Harlon Hill Trophy was won by North Dakota State
quarterback Jeff Bentrim in 1986, followed by Texas
A&M-Kingsville running back Johnny Bailey - in 1987, 1988 and
1989. Another North Dakota State quarterback, Chris Simdorn,
claimed the 1990 award, followed by Pittsburg State receiver Ronnie
West in 1991, Pittsburg State running back Ronald Moore in 1992,
New Haven running back Roger Graham in 1993 and Valdosta State
University quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994. North Alabama
linebacker Ronald McKinnon became the first defensive player to win
the award when he claimed the Hill Trophy in 1995.
Truman State University running back Jarrett Anderson won the 1996
award and Bloomsburg University running back Irvin Sigler claimed
the Hill Trophy in 1997 award. Running back Brian Shay of Emporia
State won in 1998, followed by Northern Colorado quarterback Corte
McGuffey in 1999 and Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in
2000 and 2001, and Grand Valley State quarterback Curt Anes
in 2002. The 2003 trophy was awarded to North Alabama
quarterback Will Hall, and Chad Friehauf of the Colorado School of
Mines won the 2004 award. Terwilliger claimed the 2005 Hill Trophy
as a junior. Chadron State's Danny Woodhead won the Hill Trophy in
2006 and 2007, joining Bailey and Bonner as the only multiple
winners of the award. Last season Abilene Christian's Bernard Scott
won the 23rd Hill Trophy.
2009 HARLON HILL TROPHY FINALISTS
SUPER REGIONAL 1 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Zach Amedro QB 6-0 190 JR West Liberty Moundsville, W.V.
Harrison Beck QB 6-2 220 SR North Alabama Clearwater, Fla.
Joique Bell RB 6-1 223 SR Wayne State (Mich.) Benton Harbor,
Mich.
LaRon Council RB 5-10 210 SR Northwest Missouri St. Kansas City,
Mo.
Zack Eskridge QB 6-4 215 JR Midwestern State Rowlett, Texas
Nick Graziano QB 6-1 227 SR Arkansas Tech Moraga, Calif.
Trevor Harris QB 6-2 215 SR Edinboro Waldo, Ohio
Brad Iciek QB 6-1 200 SR Grand Valley State Grandville, Mich.
Isaac Odim RB 6-0 215 JR Minnesota-Duluth Rochester, Minn.