SPOKANE, Wash. -- Led by Joel Clark, Casey Clifton and John Tully, Whitworth had seventeen football players named to the 2006 All-Northwest Conference team, which was released by the conference today.
Clark (Sr., QB, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) is the Offensive Player of the Year, while Clifton (Jr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University) is the Defensive Player of the Year. Tully earned his second NWC Coach of the Year award, following his selection in 2001. Clark and Clifton repeated history since each was selected as the Greater Spokane League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. The trio led Whitworth to a 10-0 record during the regular season and into the NCAA Division III playoffs, where the Pirates will host Occidental (9-0) on Saturday in the Pine Bowl. Clark has completed 61.4% of his passes (132-215) for 2,151 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In addition, he led the NWC in total offense (252.1 yards per game) and ran for six more touchdowns this year. Michael Allan (Sr., TE, Bellevue, Wash. - Interlake), Steve Silva (Jr., WR, Goleta, Calif. - Coll. of the Canyons) and Steve Honeyman (Sr., OL, Kennewick, Wash. - Kamiakin) were also First Team All-NWC selections on offense.
Allan led the conference in receiving yardage (988 yards, 98.8 per game), yards per catch (21.5) and receiving touchdowns (7). He caught 46 passes, a career high, and is headed to the Hula Bowl in January. Silva caught 45 passes for 641 yards with three touchdowns. He averaged 14.2 yards per catch. Honeyman, a team captain, led the offensive line. He played both tackle and center this season.
Fellow offensive linemen Jon Erlenmeyer (Sr., Moses Lake, Wash. - Moses Lake) and Levi Wyman (Jr., Aiea, Hawaii - Aiea) were honorable mention All-NWC selections. Clifton led a group of five Pirates on the first team defense. Clifton led Whitworth and ranked third in the NWC with 85 total tackles (8.5 per game). He was Whitworth's leading tackler in seven of the ten games. He was also a First Team honoree last year.
Also on the first team were Greg Caster (Jr., LB, Sherwood, Ore. - Sherwood), Justin Rundle (Jr., DE, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane), Jay Tully (Jr., SS, Spokane, Wash. - Mead), and Ryan Marshall (Jr., CB, Salem, Ore. - Sprague). Rundle led the defensive line with 38 tackles, seven tackles for loss (including three sacks) and also intercepted a pass. Caster was second on the team with 63 tackles, including a game-high 13 in the NWC championship clinching win over UPS.
Tully led the conference in interceptions (six) and total passes defended (12). He was third on the team with 57 tackles. Marshall tied Tully for the conference lead in interceptions (six) and added 40 tackles. He is a First Team honoree for the second year in a row. Peter Clark (Jr., DE, Spokane, Wash. - Mead), Phil Entel (Jr., FS, Clarkston, Wash. - Univ. of Idaho) and Peter Ghilardi (Jr., CB, Ridgecrest, Calif. - Moorpark Coll.) were Second Team choices, while Nick Portrey (Sr., LB, Ritzville, Wash. - Ritzville) and Dusty Rasmussen (Sr., DT, Seabeck, Wash. - Klahowya) were Honorable Mention selections.
Clark had 33 tackles, including five for losses of 17 yards. Entel was third in the NWC with five interceptions. Ghilardi had 34 tackles and four pass deflections, including the game-clinching breakup at Linfield. Portrey, a 2006 team captain, had 38 tackles while battling a leg injury. Rasmussen had 22 tackles this fall.
In addition, Cameron Collings (Sr., PK/P, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) was the First Team All-NWC punter. He averaged 37.0 yards per punt this season, with a long of 57 yards. Click here for a complete list of the 2006 All-NWC Football Team. Go to Athletics Home Page > Football > Sports Releases > |
