GPAC

[Football] All-GPAC List Recognizes Five Football Players

Doane Football found five players on the 2020 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) All-Conference list announced on Wednesday. Riley Heithoff (SR/Raymond, Neb.) received First Team honors, Cole Bruns (SR/Bloomfield, Neb.), Cooper Bates (JR/Wilber, Neb.), and Joaquim Robinson (SR/Kearney, Neb.) were recognized on the Second Team, with Cedric Gooch Jr. (JR/Wylie, Tex.) named to the honorable mention list.Heithoff, a linebacker, was the team leader on defense this season, leading the GPAC with 9.4 tackles per game which also ranked 16th in the NAIA for teams that played this fall. He tied for the conference lead with 1.9 tackles for loss per game and was tied for second in the GPAC with 0.9 sacks per game.Bruns helped anchor the offensive line that produced 157.4 rushing yards per game on the year, ranking 22nd in the NAIA. The Tigers ranked 5th in the GPAC this year in rushing and 4th-best in sacks against.Bates, a safety, was limited to five games this year, posting two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He finished fifth on the team with 43 tackles and added 4.0 tackles for loss.Robinson tied for 7th on the team and tied for the lead among defensive lineman in tackles with 28. More than one-third of his tackles (10.0) were tackles for loss. He added 3.0 sacks on the year. He was third in the GPAC with 1.4 tackles for loss per game.Gooch, a cornerback, had a team-leading three interceptions on the season, which tied for third-most in the GPAC. He added 27 tackles, tied for ninth on the team, and a team-high six pass break-ups.Doane finished the year with a 2-5 overall and conference record as the final two games of the season were cancelled.