Football | 2/1/2011 3:11:58 PM
LIBERTY, Mo. – West Liberty senior standouts Ryan Travis, Zach Amedro and Clay Beeler have been named to the 11th annual D2Football.com NCAA Division II All-America Team.
Travis was a first-team selection at tight end while Amedro was the second-team quarterback and Beeler headed up the second-team linebackers.
The D2Football.com All-America Team is composed of 25-man first- and second-team units (11 offense, 11 defense, 3 special teams) and a 50-man honorable mention list. It was selected by the website's staff with the help of nationwide input from NCAA Division II coaches and sports information directors.
Central Missouri QB Eric Czerniewski, who edged Amedro for the 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, was chosen as the Offensive Player of the Year while Northwest Missouri defensive back Ryan Jones was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Minnesota-Duluth's Bob Neilson was selected as Coach of the Year after leading UMD to the national championship.
Travis was the lone first-team representative from the West Virginia Conference. The Shepherd duo of running back Tommy Addison and defensive back Keon Robinson joined Amedro and Beeler as second-team honorees, along with Concord wide receiver Thomas Mayo.
Here are capsule summaries for West Liberty's three D2Football.com All-Americans.
Ryan Travis: The 6-3, 235-pound tight end from Massillon, Ohio is a consensus first-team NCAA Division II All-America for the second straight year. The only college football player in the country to catch at least 10 passes in every game this fall, Travis also was a Daktronics and Don Hansen All-America pick. He led the nation with 126 catches for 1,402 yards despite playing just a 10-game schedule. Travis's 126 catches and 12.6 average per game each rank No. 2 all-time on the NCAA Division II single-season receiving list while his 15 TD catches tied the NCAA Division II single-season record for tight ends. His 285 career catches are the fifth-highest total for any NCAA Division II receiver in history. The converted running back is West Liberty's career leader in catches (285), receiving yards (3,228) and receiving touchdowns (34).
Zach Amedro: The 6-0, 200-pound senior from Moundsville, W.Va. completed more passes (1,079) for more yards (14,733) than any quarterback in NCAA Division II history. A 2-time Harlon Hill Trophy runner-up, Amedro also earned multiple All-America honors in each of his last two seasons. He completed 329-of-485 passes for 4,058 yards and an NCAA Division II regular-season best 38 TDs with just 8 interceptions this fall, becoming only the second NCAA Division II quarterback ever to average more than 400 passing yards a game for an entire season. Along with his career marks for passing yards and completions, the four-year starter also set NCAA Division II career records for passing yards per game (334.8), 300-yard passing games (30), 300-yard total offense games (29), consecutive 300-yard passing games (14) and consecutive 300-yard total offense games (14). He ranks No. 2 all-time in total offense (14,598), total offense per game (331.8 ypg.) and touchdown passes (126).
Clay Beeler: The 6-3, 225-pound senior from Waverly, Ohio was a 3-time All-WVIAC selection and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year this fall. A 3-time All-Region pick, Beeler was a third-team selection on the Don Hansen All-America Team as a senior. Beeler led the WVIAC with 9.1 tackles per game and was charted with 9 tackles-for-loss, a pair of quarterback sacks, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble during the 2010 campaign. One of the top five tacklers in West Liberty football history, Beeler's career-high 18-tackle day at Seton Hill was tops in the WVIAC this season and ranked among the top 10 nationally.
The D2Football.com website has been providing coverage and insight about the NCAA Division II football scene for more than a decade and is the nation's most popular site for Division II football information. The website attracts more than 3 million visitors a year.
2010 D2Football.com All-America Team
FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB Eric Czerniewski 6-0, 190, Sr. Central Missouri
RB Phil Milbrath 5-9, 200, Sr. Michigan Tech
RB Franklyn Quiteh 5-10, 197, Fr. Bloomsburg
WR Edmund Gates 6-1, 200, Sr. Abilene Christian
WR Jamorris Warren 6-1, 195, Sr. Central Missouri
TE RYAN TRAVIS 6-3, 245, SR. WEST LIBERTY
OL Cameron Bradfield 6-5, 295, Sr. Grand Valley
OL Taylor Boggs 6-3, 303, Sr. Humboldt State
OL Brandon Fusco 6-5, 305, Sr. Slippery Rock
OL Amini Silatolu 6-3, 320, Jr. Midwestern State
OL Trevis Turner 6-7, 330, Sr. Abilene Christian
Defense
DL Armonty Bryant 6-6, 245, So. East Central
DL Malcolm Jenkins 6-5, 235, Sr. Elizabeth City
DL Marc Schiechl 6-3, 260, Sr. Colorado Mines
DL Brandon Williams 6-3, 325, So. Missouri Southern
LB Larry Dean 6-0, 216, Sr. Valdosta State
LB Kiel Fechtelkotter 6-0, 220, Sr. Minnesota-Duluth
LB Matt Freed 6-0, 215, Sr. East Stroudsburg
DB Stevie Harden 5-8, 167, Sr. Valdosta State
DB Ryan Jones 5-11, 195, Sr. Northwest Missouri
DB Ron Parker 6-1, 210, Sr. Newberry
DB Craig Ray 6-1, 206, Sr. Indianapolis
Special Teams
AP Anthony Stewart 5-9, 190, Sr. Central Missouri
PK Steve Ivanisevic 5-11, 195, Sr. Washburn
Punt Ronnie Partridge 5-10, 183, Jr. Stillman
SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB ZACH AMEDRO 6-0, 200, SR. WEST LIBERTY
RB Tommy Addison 5-9, 180, Jr. Shepherd
RB Isaac Odim 6-0, 215, Sr. Minnesota Duluth
WR Thomas Mayo 6-2, 184, Jr. Concord
WR Fred Williams 6-0, 195, Sr. St. Cloud
TE DeMarco Cosby 6-3, 240, Sr. Central Missouri
OL Tyler Hendrickson 6-8, 320, Jr. Concordia-St. Paul
OL Orion Matthies 6-7, 330, Sr. Nebraska-Kearney
OL David Mims 6-9, 330, Sr. Virginia Union
OL Chandler Reardon 6-1, 265, Sr. Lenoir-Rhyne
OL Kyle Thornton 6-4, 345, Sr. North Alabama
Defense
DL Courtney Harris 6-3, 260, Sr. North Alabama
DL Derrin Nettles 6-4, 305, Sr. Morehouse
DL Cedric Thornton 6-4, 297, Sr. Southern Arkansas
DL Aston Whiteside 6-2, 270, Jr. Abilene Christian
LB CLAY BEELER 6-1, 225, SR. WEST LIBERTY
LB Adam Bighill 5-10, 222, Sr. Central Washington
LB Travis Brisco 6-1, 240, Sr. Urbana
DB Tae Evans 6-0, 205, Sr. West Texas A&M
DB Keon Robinson 5-11, 185, So. Shepherd
DB Caleb Singleton 6-4, 205, Sr. Western Oregon
DB Garrett Williams 5-9, 190, Sr. Delta State
Special Teams
AP Alfonso Hoggard 5-2, 150, Sr. Clarion
PK Gareth Rowlands 6-1, 215, Sr. Tusculum
Punt Derek Jambon 5-9, 180, Jr. Arkansas-Monticello
