By Alex Helmbrecht, Sports Information Director
2012 RMAC All-Conference Football Team
Chadron State College linebacker Kevin Lindholm is the 2012 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and he’s joined on the RMAC All-Conference Team by 14 of his teammates, the conference announced Tuesday.
In addition to Lindholm, four other Eagles are first team selections. They are tailback Glen Clinton, offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey, defensive end Keifer Burke, defensive tackle Jan Karlos Medina and safety Trelan Taylor.
The Eagles’ second team selections include quarterback Jonn McLain (Chadron), offensive linemen Brandon Ratcliff (Chillicothe, Ill.) and Jake McCrary (Valentine), linebacker Shea Koch (Custer, S.D.) and kicker Alex Ferdinand (Rapid City, S.D.).
The third team selections are wide receiver Nathan Ross (San Diego), tight end Cody Roes (Chadron), defensive end Tau Ho Ching (American Samoa), cornerback Lane Haller (Gordon), safety Bryce Huebner (Hershey) and both Ross and Taylor were tabbed as kick and punt returners.
Lindholm, a senior from Eads, Colo., is making his third consecutive appearance on the All-Conference First Team. Through 11 games this season, he has 111 tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss. His tackle total is the highest a CSC defender has posted since 1998 and he’s two tackles shy of being on the school’s top 10 list.
Clinton, a junior from Cody, Wyo., and a three-time all-conference choice, has rushed for over 1,300 yards this season and leads the RMAC by averaging 6.3 yards a carry.
Gilkey, a senior from Sandwich, Ill., is the Eagles’ top lineman and helps anchor an offensive line that averages over 400 yards a game.
Burke, a senior from Brady, Neb., and a three-time All-RMAC pick, has a team-high 7.5 sacks and has added 16.5 tackles for loss and 64 total stops.
Medina, a senior from San Juan, Puerto Rico and a two-time All-RMAC selection, has 35 tackles, three tackles for a loss and two sacks this season.
Taylor, a junior from San Diego, finished the season as the RMAC leader in interceptions with seven and he’s the Eagles’ third-leading tackler with 69.
Chadron State, which is ranked 20th in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and were second in the RMAC with an 8-1 mark. The Eagles will host West Texas A&M Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
The RMAC Offensive Player of the Year is CSU-Pueblo quarterback Ross Dausin. The Special Teams Player of the Year is Colorado School of Mines punter Taylor Accardi. The Offensive Freshman of the Year is Western New Mexico quarterback Mitch Glasmann, while Pueblo linebacker Kevin Cuff is the Defensive Freshman of the Year.
CSU-Pueblo head coach, John Wristen, who guided the ThunderWolves to an 11-0 regular season, is the Coach of the Year.