Scroll down the release to view 2017 GLIAC Football All-Conference Teams
The 2017 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Football postseason awards have been announced after voting conducted by the league's coaches.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Travis Tarnowski - Ashland
Ashland senior quarterback Travis Tarnowski ended the regular season with a GLIAC-leading 2,600 passing yards and a GLIAC-high-tying 26 touchdown passes, and was second in the conference in passing efficiency (155.6) and completion percentage (60.3). During the season, he became Ashland's all-time leader in passing yards (10,877) and total offense yards (11,263), and extended his program record for career touchdown passes (106).
OFFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Jake Mayon - Northern Michigan
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Dominic Giunta - Ashland
Ashland senior offensive lineman Dominic Giunta is the anchor of an Eagle offensive line which has paved the way for the Eagles to average 35.4 points and 424.9 yards per game. Through the first 10 games of 2017, his blocking grade was 88 percent with 90 knockdowns and just four missed assignments. The best AU center since All-American Vince Cashdollar, Giunta has allowed just one sack in his Eagle career.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Zach Sieler - Ferris State
A returning All-American, Ferris State University junior defensive end Zach Sieler was a dominant force up front for one of the nation's top defensive units this season. He compiled a squad-high 16.5 tackles for loss along with six sacks while earning GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year laurels for the second-straight season. In addition, he ranked third on the squad with 51 total stops, including 23 unassisted tackles, despite being double-teamed most of the year. Sieler also finished with two fumble recoveries, two pass breakups, a blocked kick and a forced fumble while starting all 10 games and helping lead FSU to its fourth-straight NCAA Playoff appearance. He earned All-GLIAC First Team recognition for the second-straight year.
DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Tavierre Thomas - Ferris State
Ferris State University senior cornerback Tavierre Thomas helped lead the nationally-ranked Bulldogs to a fourth-straight NCAA Playoff appearance with a strong performance on the back end for one of the nation's top defensive units this season. Thomas tallied three interceptions and had a team-high 13 passs breakups while ranking among the league leaders. He also compiled 47 total tackles, which ranked fourth on the GLIAC's top unit, and produced two tackles for loss along with 36 unassisted stops while starting all 10 contests after garnering All-America accolades as a junior. He earned All-GLIAC First Team recognition for the second-straight year.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Chad Gailliard - Saginaw Valley
Saginaw Valley's Chad Gailliard led the GLIAC with his 84.9 receiving yards per game in his first season for the Cardinals. He reeled-in 42 catches for a league-leading 934 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 22.2 yards per receptions as well, which also led the league. Gailliard had over 100 yards receiving in four games, including 229 yards in the team's victory at NMU on Oct. 21. That marked the most yards by any GLIAC receiver in the 2017 campaign.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Lee Owens - Ashland
Ashland head coach Lee Owens guided Ashland to its second outright GLIAC championship and third overall in six years in 2017, as well as his fifth NCAA Division II postseason appearance. The Eagles' 10-1 record marks the third time Owens has won double-digit games at AU, and he is 108-45 (.706) in his 14th season at the helm. This is his fourth GLIAC Coach of the Year award (2005, 2012 and 2015).
2017 All-GLIAC Football First Team | ||||
Name | School | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown/Previous |
Travis Tarnowski | Ashland | Sr. | QB | Broadview Heights, Ohio / North Royalton |
Jake Mayon | Northern Michigan | Jr. | RB | Plainfield, Ill. / East |
Marty Carter | Grand Valley State | Jr. | RB | East Chicago, Ind. |
Andrew Vaughn | Ashland | Jr. | RB | West Salem, Ohio / Black River |
Nick Keizer | Grand Valley State | Sr. | TE | Portage, Mich. / Northern |
Malik Taylor | Ferris State | Jr. | WR | Montrose, Mich. / Hill-McCloy |
Matt Wilcox | Ashland | Sr. | WR | Ada, Ohio |
Brandon Bean | Grand Valley State | Sr. | WR | Lathrup Village, Mich. / Southfield |
Chad Gailliard | Saginaw Valley | R-Fr. | WR | Dearborn, Mich. / Edsel Ford |
Dominic Giunta | Ashland | Sr. | OL | Willoughby, Ohio / South |
Devon Johnson | Ferris State | Jr. | OL | Aurora, Ill. / Waubonsie Valley |
Ben Walling | Grand Valley State | Jr. | OL | Independence, Ky. / Simon Kenton |
John Conner | Ashland | Sr. | OL | Akron, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit |
Nic Sawyer | Ferris State | Jr. | OL | Ann Arbor, Mich. / Saline |
Nick Fish | Grand Valley State | Jr. | OL | Madison, Wis. |
Zach Sieler | Ferris State | Jr. | DL | Pinckney, Mich. |
James Prater Jr. | Ashland | Jr. | DL | Columbus, Ohio / St. Francis DeSales |
Chris Okoye | Ferris State | Sr. | DL | Novi, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central |
Demetrius Farmer | Grand Valley State | Sr. | DL | Dover, Ohio / Ohio Dominican |
Charles Williams | Northwood | Sr. | DL | Plantation, Fla. |
Tavierre Thomas | Ferris State | Sr. | DB | Detroit, Mich. / Allen |
Michael Griffin | Ashland | Sr. | DB | Wakeman, Ohio Norwalk St. Paul / Easter Michigan |
Nick Tripp | Northwood | Sr. | DB | Detroit, Mich. / Crockett |
Dale Irby | Ashland | Sr. | DB | Sandusky, Ohio / Perkins |
DaMario Johnson | Grand Valley State | R-So. | DB | Hammond, Ind. / Morton |
Terrell Porter | Ferris State | Sr. | LB | Detroit, Mich. / Berkley |
Clay Shreve | Ashland | So. | LB | Mogadore, Ohio / Lake |
Collin Schlosser | Grand Valley State | Sr. | LB | Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills Central |
Anthony Pittman | Wayne State | R-Jr. | LB | Birmingham, Mich. / Groves |
Garrett Pougnet | Grand Valley State | Sr. | LB | Fenton, Mich. / Flint Powers |
Aidan Simenc | Ashland | Sr. | PK | Willoughby, Ohio / South |
John Kwiecinski | Northern Michigan | So. | P | Plymouth, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's |
Vashon Nutt | Northwood | Sr. | KR | Northridge, Calif. / Homewood-Flossmor |
2017 All-GLIAC Football Second Team | ||||
Name | School | Year | Pos. | Hometown/Previous |
Bart Williams | Grand Valley State | Jr. | QB | Grand Blanc, Mich. |
Romello Brown | Wayne State | R-Sr. | RB | Westland, Mich. / Livonia Churchill |
JaQuan Hardy | Tiffin | So. | RB | Westlake, Ohio |
Tommy Scott Jr. | Saginaw Valley | So. | RB | Muskegon, Mich. / Catholic Central |
Michael Schweitzer | Ashland | Fr. | TE | Dublin, Ohio / Bishop Watterson |
Tony Shead Jr. | Tiffin | Sr. | WR | South Bend, Ind. / Clay |
Kamaron Green | Ashland | Jr. | WR | Columbus, Ohio / Mifflin |
Keyondre Craig | Ferris State | Jr. | WR | Muskegon, Mich. |
Jacob Wenzlick | Michigan Tech | So. | WR | Meridian, Mich. / Sanford Meridian |
Mason Butler | Tiffin | Sr. | OL | Malvern, Ohio / Minerva |
Jake Daugherty | Ferris State | Sr. | OL | Big Rapids, Mich. |
Jeremy Bell | Michigan Tech | Jr. | OL | Negaunee, Mich. |
Jeremy Marshall | Northwood | Sr. | OL | Algonquin, Ill. / Dundee Crown |
Christian Porter | Saginaw Valley | Sr. | OL | Huber Heights, Ohio / Wayne |
Azell Mitchell | Tiffin | Gr. | OL | Cincinnati, Ohio |
Cody Goldsworthy | Michigan Tech | Jr. | DL | L'Anse, Mich. |
Victor Cave | Tiffin | Jr. | DL | Cincinnati, Ohio / Glen Este |
Keane Belcher | Grand Valley State | Sr. | DL | Grand Rapids, Mich. / Catholic Central |
Austin Utter | Ashland | Sr. | DL | Huron, Ohio / Edison |
Derrick Calloway | Davenport | Jr. | DL | Bradenton, Fla. / Manatee |
Jevonte Alexander | Ferris State | Sr. | DB | Flushing, Mich. / Carman Ainsworth |
Carrington Contee | Tiffin | Jr. | DB | Tracey's Landing, Md. / Southern |
Ryan Verhelst | Saginaw Valley | Jr. | DB | Holland, Mich. / West Ottawa |
Toney Peters | Ashland | Sr. | DB | Dayton, Ohio / Huber Heights Wayne |
James Howard | Wayne State | R-Sr. | DB | Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park Academy |
Brandon Burks | Tiffin | So. | LB | Reynoldsburg, Ohio / Pickerington Central |
Michael Alexander | Saginaw Valley | Jr. | LB | Midland, Mich. |
Bryan Jones | Saginaw Valley | Sr. | LB | Schoolcraft, Mich. |
Jaleel Canty | Ferris State | Sr. | LB | Lansing, Mich. / Everett |
Darryl Williams | Northern Michigan | Sr. | LB | Cooper City, Fla. / St. Thomas Aquinas |
Wyatt Ford | Ferris State | Sr. | PK | Montague, Mich. |
Scott McCormick | Northwood | Sr. | P | Flat Rock, Mich. / Airport |
Dale Irby | Ashland | Sr. | KR | Sandusky, Ohio / Perkins |
2017 All-GLIAC Football Honorable Mention | |||
Ashland | |||
Name | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown/Previous |
Harrison Hoppel | DT | Sr. | Hanoverton, Ohio / Minerva |
Kevin Bourne | FS | Sr. | Newark, Ohio / Catholic / Kent State |
Brandon May | NT | Jr. | Mount Blanchard, Ohio / Liberty Benton |
Matt Murphy | G | Sr. | Parma, Ohio |
Jamie Hence | WR | Sr. | Pickerington, Ohio / North |
Jack Holl | TE | Jr. | Madison, Ohio |
Davenport | |||
Brian Williams | R-So. | DB | Detroit, Mich. / Oak Park |
Deonte Reynolds | So. | DL | Richmond, Calif. / Pinole Valley |
Kye Black | R-So. | LB | Fort Wayne, Ind. / Wayne |
Ferris State | |||
Jahaan Brown | Sr. | RB | East Grand Rapids, Mich. |
Dylan Roney | Sr. | DE | Plymouth, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central |
Marquis Dawsey | Sr. | DE | Bradenton, Fla. / Manatee |
KC Zenner | Sr. | S | Rockford, Mich. |
Kenny James | Sr. | S | Columbia, Mo. / Rock Bridge |
Nick Huckabay | Sr. | LB | Montrose, Mich. / Hill-McCloy |
Grand Valley State | |||
Bryce Young-Walls | RB | R-So. | Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer |
Pete Cender | TE | Jr. | Howell, Mich. |
Kyle Short | DB | Sr. | Rockford, Mich. |
Mike Pettis | DL | R-So. | Battle Creek, Mich. / Central |
Tre Walton | DB | Sr. | Southfield, Mich. |
Nick Dodson | WR | Jr. | Aurora, Ill. / Metea Valley |
Michigan Tech | |||
Spencer Moran | DB | Sr. | Mt. Pleasant, Mich. |
Marvin Wright | LB | So. | Lansing, Mich. / Everett |
Jordan Ferguson | FB | So. | Alpena, Mich. |
Johnny Williams | RB | Sr. | White Lake, Mich. / Holly |
Caymen Berg-Morales | DL | Sr. | Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame |
Travis Tidwell | DB | So. | Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance |
Northern Michigan | |||
Pat Ryan | DB | Sr. | Linden, Mich. |
Abram Cook | DL | So. | Surprise, Ariz. / Valley Vista |
Tanner Kruzel | RB | R-Fr. | Boyne City, Mich. |
John McMullen | DL | Fr. | Kankakee, Ill. |
Ryan Knight | WR | So. | Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Eastern |
Troy Mayon | DB | So. | Plainfield, Ill. / East |
Northwood | |||
Chad Samuels | DB | Jr. | Chase, Mich. / Reed City |
Andre Carter | RB | Sr. | Grand Ledge, Mich. |
Cameron Englund | DT | Sr. | Howell, Mich. |
Travis Wiltjer | DT | So. | Maple City, Mich. / Glen Lake |
Chris Jacobs | LB | So. | Bay City, Mich. / Central |
Joe Garbarino | QB | So. | Warren, Mich. / De La Salle |
Saginaw Valley | |||
Ryan Conklin | QB | So. | Jackson, Mich. / Parma Western |
Jack Jennings | DE | Sr. | Paw Paw, Mich. |
Zack Hadorn | DE | Sr. | Oxford, Mich. |
Tyler Marcus | P | Sr. | South Lyon, Mich |
Justin Whitted | LB | So. | Farmington Hills, Mich. / Harrison |
Trevor Curle | OL | So. | Macomb, Mich. / Utica Eisenhower |
Tiffin | |||
Nick Watson | QB | R-Fr. | Cincinnati, Ohio / La Salle |
Ridge Tarwacki | OL | So. | Edwardsburg, Mich. / Penn |
Daijohn Isbell | DB | Sr. | Long Beach, Calif. / Citrus |
Vinny Jones | DT | Sr. | Dublin, Ohio / Coffman |
Joe Metcalf | K | Fr. | Lewis Center, Ohio / Olentangy Orange |
Austin Jasper | DL | Sr. | Earlville, N.Y. / Sherburne-Earlville |
Wayne State | |||
Israel Helms | T | R-Jr. | Southfield, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's |
Demetrius Stinson | RB/KR | Sr. | Detroit, Mich. / Douglass / Ferris State |
Corey Ester | WR | R-Jr. | Lake Orion, Mich. |
Dustin Carlin | MLB | Sr. | Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stevenson |
Paul Graham | K | R-Sr. | Commerce Twp., Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's |
Darece Roberson Jr. | WR/KR | So. | Muskegon, Mich. / Mona Shores |