KCAC

[Football] Football Falcons Place 15 on All-KCAC Squad

WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons boast 15 All-KCAC selections, with a trio of second-team honorees and 12 honorable-mention picks, the league released today (Apr. 16)."I am very happy for our all-conference selections," said Friends football head coach Dion Meneley. "This is a good group of guys that has worked very hard for this recognition. We have many other players that are deserving of all conference honors; however, if we want more individual accolades we have to be in the conference championship conversation.  I believe that increases in individual recognition will come with team success."Second team selections David Akao (JR/Wichita, Kan.), LBAkao paced the Falcon defense with 68 tackles on the season and was fourth in the KCAC in tackles per game (9.7). He was also second on the team in sacks (two) and tackles for loss (six).Robert Garcia (SR/Wichita, Kan.), DLGarcia ranked third on the Falcons in tackles for loss (five) and fourth in overall tackles (35). He also recovered two fumbles.Bobby Schmidt (JR/Sapulpa, Okla. ), K (Second Team), P (Honorable-Mention)A dual All-KCAC pick as a kicker and punter, Schmidt finished atop the KCAC leaderboard in field goals per game (one) and was tied for first in the league and in the NAIA in extra point percentage, hitting all 23 of his extra tries this season. He was the KCAC Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 12) after converting all eight of his extra points in the Falcons' 56-21 homecoming victory over Sterling College while averaging 60 yards on nine kickoffs along with a 32.8 average on four punts. He also averaged 33.5 yards on 29 punts overall this season.Honorable-Mention Selections Dan Dawdy (SR/Haysville, Kan.), QB Dawdy made his mark as a senior for the Falcons, finishing third in the KCAC in total offense per game (169.1) and passing yards per game (172.6).  He also had a touchdown/interception ratio of 12-6 and a 108.7 passing efficiency.Juan Salazar (SR/Vernon, Texas), RB Salazar rushed for 102.2 yards per game along with three touchdowns on the ground for the Falcons. He also maintained a solid 4.9 yards per carry over 104 rushing attempts on the season.Cade Nagy (SO/Broken Arrow, Okla. )Nagy anchored the Falcon receiving corps this past season, leading the team in receptions (37), receiving yards (453) and yards per catch (12.2). He also caught two touchdowns and was fourth in the KCAC in receptions per game (4.6).Brock Johnston (SR/Claremore, Okla.), Jacob Kerby (SR/Kanopolis, Kan.) Johnston and Kerby, a pair of senior offensive lineman, helped open the holes for the Falcons to rank fourth in the KCAC and 15th in the NAIA in rushing offense per game (195.6).Kevin McKenzie (SR/Keota, Okla.) McKenzie finished tied for fifth on the Falcons in tackles (28) and had a pair of fumble recoveries.  He also had two tackles for loss and one sack on the season.Adam Brown (JR/Wichita, Kan. )Brown was tied for fifth with McKenzie in tackles (28) while ranking fourth on the team with four tackles for loss.Jason Weah (JR/Madison, Wis. ) Weah made plays all over the field at linebacker for the Falcons, making 58 stops that was good for third on the team along with three tackles for loss.  He also earned KCAC Defensive Player of the Week back on Sept. 21 for his clutch stops in the Falcons' 17-7 victory at Tabor College.Jagger Blubaugh (SO/Wichita, Kan. ) Blubaugh paired with Weah to give the Falcons stellar play at linebacker this past season.  Blubaugh recorded a team-high seven tackles for loss and was second on the team with 61 tackles. He also had a team-high 2.5 sacks and had one interception.Christian Ryan (SR/Grapevine, Texas)Ryan paced the Falcons and was tied for fourth in the KCAC with three interceptions on the season. He also made 26 tackles, with two being for loss.Drake Damon (SR/Goddard, Kan. ) Damon picked off one pass for the Falcons along with 23 tackles. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss on the season.