St. Paul, Minn. – Following its best season in the last five years, the Gustavus Adolphus football team saw six of its players named to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) All-Conference First Team by the league’s coaches as a part of the 2013 MIAC Football awards. Three players earned their way on to each the Offensive and Defensive First Teams, while two more were recognized as Second Team selections on defense.
Those honored as First Team selections on offense include senior running back Jeffrey Dubose (St. Paul, Minn.), senior center David Gschneidner (Edina, Minn.) and senior offensive guard Lyle Opdahl (Norwood Young America, Minn.). On defense, those awarded First Team honors include senior defensive tackle Donte Green (Minneapolis, Minn.), senior linebacker Joe Haas (Mission, Kan.), and junior cornerback Zach Dilger (South St. Paul, Minn.).
Senior cornerback Torey Asao (Chaska, Minn.) and junior linebacker Anthony Boyce (Excelsior, Minn.) were also named to the Defensive Second Team.
Bethel quarterback Erik Peterson was named the 2013 Jim Christopherson MIAC Most Valuable Player, and Concordia defensive end Nate Adams was honored with the 2013 MIAC Mike Stam Award. Bethel Head Coach Steve Johnson was voted the 2013 MIAC Football Coach-of-the-Year after leading the Royals to a perfect 10-0 (8-0 MIAC) regular season record. This is the sixth time in his 24-plus years at Bethel being named the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year.
Becoming the all-time single-season rushing leader in the history of the Gustavus football program, Jeffrey Dubose earns his second First Team All-MIAC distinction. Dubose rushed 265 times (2nd/MIAC) for 1,459 yards (2nd/MIAC) and 24 touchdowns (1st/MIAC) on the season, all of which were school records. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry (2nd/MIAC) and finished just one yard shy of Hamline running back Austin Duncan, who led the league with 1,460 yards. Dubose also broke the single-game rushing yards record on Nov. 9th when he ran for 264 yards on 32 carries (8.2 ypc) in a 34-19 win over Carleton. The senior tied single-game school records on two other occasions as well. Dubose tied the single-game rushing attempts record with 37 in a 19-16 loss to Augsburg on Sept. 21st before scoring a record-tying five touchdowns in a 52-7 win over Hamline two weeks later.
A dynamic duo at center and left guard, David Gschneidner and Lyle Opdahl played integral roles in paving the way for Dubose, who became just the eighth Gustavus player to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a season. Both Gschneidner and Opdahl started all 10 games for the Gusties this season, and were part of the first offensive line to start every game of the season as a unit since the 2006 season. Gustavus allowed just 11 sacks all season, which ranked fourth in the MIAC behind St. Thomas, Bethel, and Augsburg. Opdahl earns his first All-MIAC First Team Honor after receiving Second Team recognition in 2010, while Gschneidner is recognized by the conference for the first time in his career.
Anchoring the middle of Gustavus’ defensive front, Donte Green makes his first All-MIAC First Team showing and second straight appearance in the MIAC’s post-season awards after being named to the All-MIAC Second Team a year ago. Battling through injuries throughout the year, Green started all 10 games for the Gusties, recording 29 tackles (10 solo). The senior posted five tackles for losses of 11 total yards and two sacks that combined for losses of 10 yards. He also forced a fumble in the win over Carleton, a game in which he recorded two tackles for losses as well.
Gustavus’s leading tackler for the third consecutive season, Joe Haas makes his first appearance on the All-MIAC First Team Defense. Like Green, Haas was a member of the Second Team last season. The senior finished his 2013 campaign with 60 tackles (32 solo), seven of which were for losses. Haas also forced a team- and league-best four fumbles this season with one recovery. He also intercepted a pass and broke up four more on the year. Over the past three seasons, Haas started in 30 straight games.
The secondary’s shut down cornerback, Zach Dilger earns All-MIAC honors for the first time in his tenure wearing the winged helmet. The junior recorded 38 total tackles, 30 of which were solo. Consistently matched up with the opposition’s best receiver, he also intercepted three passes that led to 33 return yards and broke up 12 passes, which ranked second in the MIAC.
Torey Asao and Anthony Boyce were also honored with Second Team distinction on defense. Asao started all 10 games, recording 41 tackles (30 solo), including six that went for losses. The senior also intercepted four passes (4th/MIAC) and broke up six more. Boyce started nine games, registering 37 tackles (18 solo), including four for losses. He also recorded a sack, an interception, and broke up five passes.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the eighth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for football. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. This season, Joe Haas was honored on the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team.
Gustavus finished the season 6-4 overall and 4-4 in league play to rank fifth in the MIAC, its best finish in the last five seasons.