November 15, 2007

Football Has Fourteen on All-RMAC Team

Two First Team Choices; Sleeth, Carnahan Honored Twice

      Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney football team has placed 14 players on the 2007 All-RMAC team. The league's head coaches voted on the team in a meeting held in Colorado Springs this past weekend.

      Despite ranking second in the RMAC in scoring offense (33.9 ppg) and total offense (388.9 ypg), and ranking in the top four in most defensive categories, UNK  (6-4, 5-3 RMAC) had only two-first-team selections.

      Senior Cory Sleeth (Westminster, Colo.) earned first-team honors at kick return while team co-captain and sophomore Jack Hiett (Arvada, Colo.) was picked as a first-team center.

      Last year, Sleeth was a second-team pick at wide receiver with Hiett being the Offensive Freshman of the Year.

      Selected to the second team were senior running back Jake Richards (Littleton, Colo.), senior receiver Tyler McNitt (Kearney), Sleeth (as a receiver), senior linebackers Nick Oberle (O'Neill) senior defensive tackle Zach Cerise (Fremont), junior defensive end Nate Reicks (McCook), junior receiver Eric Myrick (Jacksonville, Fla.) and junior kicker Geoff Carnahan (Kearney Catholic).

      Those earning honorable mention were senior linebacker Kirk Peterson (Nelson), junior linebacker Cheikh Fall (Boys Town), junior safety Brice Wiltgen (Kearney Catholic), Carnahan (as a punter), sophomore offensive linemen Kyle Davison (Kearney) and redshirt freshman offensive linemen Orion Matthies (Overton).

      Oberle earns All-RMAC honors for a third straight year (H.M. in 2005 & 2006) while Cerise, Davison, Fall and Peterson make the team for the second year. All others received their first All-RMAC recognition.

      Of note statistically, Sleeth averaged 30.9 on kickoffs this year, bringing back one 95 yards for a score vs. Nebraska-Omaha. Carnahan made 11 of 13 field goals and 40 of 41 PAT's this year. Of his 11 made threes, one went 52 yards and another 55 yards.

      Richards ranked third in the RMAC in rushing (78.9 pg), going for 789 yards and seven TD's. Myrick led the RMAC in TD catches (eight), despite missing basically the last three games with injury.

      Both Myrick (61.2) and Sleeth (60.1) were among the RMAC leaders in receiving yards per game while McNitt scored seven TD's in 31 touches.

      Defensively, Fall tied for fifth in the league in tackles (86) with Oberle ranking fifth among all RMAC linebackers in tackles (64). Both Reicks (38 tackles; 10.5 TFL) and Peterson (36 tackles; 5.5 TFL) were among the RMAC tackle leaders before each suffered season ending injuries vs. Chadron State.

      Finally on offense, QB Dennis Havrilla (Concord, Calif.) led the RMAC in passing TD's (19), was second in passing efficiency (137.6) and ranked third in yards per game  (192.8). He also ran for 247 yards and four TD's; his season total in rushing yards is the fourth most by a UNK signal caller.

      For all this, he didn't receive any all-RMAC honors.

     Go to www.rmacsports.org to see the complete team.