BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College football team has a strong showing in the 2015 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Postseason Awards released Tuesday afternoon. Head Coach Peter Haugen highlights the awards as he was named Co-Coach-of-the-Year, while five Gusties were named First Team All-Conference, three were named Second Team and four earned Honorable Mention.
First Team members from Gustavus include Mitch Hendricks (Sr., Bemidji, Minn.), Gabriel Boyce (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.), Matthew Boyce (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.), Scott Newby (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) and Nick Frandsen (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.); Second Team members include Casey Decker (So., Mapleton, Minn.), Joe Theiler (Jr., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Brendan Boche (So., Lakeville, Minn.); and student-athletes earning Honorable Mention include Jake Douglas (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.), Marcus Kelly (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.), Isaac Kotila (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) and Kyle Krzmarzick (Sr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.).
Augsburg senior quarterback Ayrton Scott was named the Jim Christopherson MIAC MVP, while St. Thomas’ Ryan Winter was honored as the best defensive player with the Mike Stam Award.
In his seventh season at the helm of the Gustie football program, Peter Haugen earns Co-Coach-of-the-Year honors along with St. Thomas Head Coach Glenn Caruso. Haugen becomes the first Gustavus coach to earn the award since 1987 when Dennis Raarup was named Coach-of-the-Year after going undefeated in the MIAC. Haugen directed the 2015 Gusties to a 7-3 overall record and a third place finish in the league at 5-3. The seven wins are the most by Gustavus since 2001 and the third place finish in the league is the best since 2002. After posting a combined record of 13-27 in his first four seasons at Gustavus, Haugen has since turned the program around by going 19-11 in the past three seasons.
Mitch Hendricks earns his second All-MIAC nomination as the league’s top passer. Hendricks finished his senior season with a 167.9 quarterback efficiency, completed 240-of-353 passes for a 68-percent completion rate (11th/NCAA), 3,069 yards (9th/NCAA) and 33 touchdowns (7th/NCAA) compared to seven interceptions. The Bemidji High School product averaged 306.9 passing yards per game (9th/NCAA) and threw for more than 200 yards in all but one game this season. He also threw for more than 300 yards in six games this year and completed a touchdown through the air in every game. Hendricks finished his career as arguably the greatest quarterback in the 99-season history of Gustavus football. He holds single game passing records for yards (504 vs. Augsburg – 2014), completions (33 vs. Augsburg – 2014) and touchdowns (7 vs. Augsburg – 2014). During a single season, Hendricks is the record holder for passing yards (3,403 – 2014), attempts (405 – 2014), completions (271 – 2014), touchdowns (35 – 2014), 200-plus-yard games (10 – 2014) and completion percentage (68.0 – 2015). Among the all-time ranks at Gustavus, Hendricks holds career records in completions (699), touchdowns (77), 200-plus-yard games (24) and completion percentage (65.6). Hendricks finished his three-year career at Gustavus with 8,410 passing yards, just 87 yards shy of the program record.
Of Hendricks’ 240 completions this season, the Boyce twins caught 145 – both of which earn a spot on the All-MIAC First Team for the second season. Matthew finished his senior season as the league’s top receiver with 77 receptions (7.7 per game, 11th/NCAA) for 1,318 yards (131.8 per game, 3rd/NCAA) and 16 touchdowns (8th/NCAA). After four seasons wearing the winged helmet, Matthew holds single season receiving records for yards (1,318 – 2015), touchdowns (17 – 2014) and 100-plus-yard games (9 – 2015). Matthew finished his career as the program leader in receiving yards (3,295) and touchdowns (35). His 219 career receptions were just four shy of breaking the all-time record.
Gabriel was the team’s slot receiver and made a living off catching passes on short crossing routes. Gabriel recorded 68 receptions for 670 yards and seven touchdowns this season. The Division II transfer also returned five punts for 79 yards with a long of 57. He finished his senior season with 780 all-purpose yards.
Scott Newby etches his name on the All-Conference list for the first time in his four-year career. Newby blocked for a record-setting offense that finished with 428 points (42.8 per game) and 58 touchdowns – both program records for a single season. Newby and his offensive line mates proved to be a strong force against the pass rush as they allowed only 10 sacks this season. Newby was a two-year starter for the Gusties, starting in all 20 games the past two seasons.
Senior captain Nick Frandsen led Gustavus’s defensive secondary as he earns All-Conference honors for the first time. The Totino-Grace High School product finished his senior season with 47 total tackles (27 solo) and 4.5 tackles-for-loss. His three interceptions for 109 yards, nine pass breakups and 12 passes defended were all team highs. After four seasons at Gustavus, Frandsen started in 33 games with 103 total tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, five interceptions, 22 pass breakups and 27 passes defended.
Both in their second season on the team, defensive end Casey Decker and kicker Brendan Boche were named Second Team All-MIAC, along with junior Joe Theiler. Decker led the Gusties with seven tackles-for-loss, accounting for 64 yards, and posted 29 total tackles (9 solo), 3.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries. Decker also served as the team’s punter. The Maple River High School product punted 24 times for 830 yards and an average of 34.6 yards.
Boche was clutch in his place-kicking role as he made 55-of-58 extra points, which is a Gustavus single season record, and made 3-of-7 field goals with a long of 29 yards. Boche played an integral role in Gustavus’s comeback victory over Concordia on Nov. 7 as he executed a perfect onside kick, which was recovered by the Gusties and set up the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of play. His nine extra points against Carleton on Oct. 3 also set a single game record.
Theiler started all 10 games this season at right guard and was part of an offensive line that paved the way for a high-flying aerial attack. Theiler and his line mates allowed only 10 sacks this season and blocked for playmakers, accumulating 4,662 total yards of offense on 708 plays for an average of 6.6 yards per play.
Jake Douglas, Marcus Kelly, Isaac Kotila and Kyle Krzmarzick round out the long list of postseason honors for the Gusties as all four were named Honorable Mention. Douglas was the team’s top tight end and finished his senior season with 23 catches for 354 yards and three touchdowns. The highlight game of Douglas’ career came on Oct. 10 at home against St. Olaf as the Montevideo, Minn. native hauled in nine catches for 172 yards and three scores. All three marks proved to be the best by a Gustavus tight end in more than three decades and earned him a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week. Douglas finished his career with 37 receptions for 503 yards and six touchdowns.
After earning First Team honors last season, Kelly was no slouch this season centering a record-setting offense. The East Ridge High School product started all 10 games this season on an offense that averaged 42.8 points per game, 319.7 passing yards per game and 466.2 total yards per game. Kelly played in 37 games during his four seasons, starting in 32 and was also named Gustavus’s representative on the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.
Kotila joins Douglas and Kelly on the Honorable Mention list after starting all 10 games on the defensive line after playing on the offensive side last season. The Maple Lake High School product made 27 tackles (9 solo) this season with 5.5 tackles-for-loss and a team-best 4.5 sacks. He also added one pass breakup, one pass defended and one blocked kick.
In his final season wearing the Black and Gold, Krzmarzick earned Honorable Mention after leading the team in tackles with 71 total (20 solo). The Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s High School product also made three tackles-for-loss, one sack, one pass breakup and one pass defended. Krzmarzick finished his career with 122 total tackles (49 solo), including eight tackles-for-loss.
