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WIAC Football All-Conference and Awards Announced

11/19/2018, 10:15am CST
By WIAC

WIAC Football Awards Announced

From the WIAC -- 

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Cole Wilber and Harry Henschler, and UW-Stevens Point’s Christian Almonte were named the Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year, respectively, to headline the individuals chosen to the 2018 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Football Team by the league coaches. In addition, UW-Whitewater head coach Kevin Bullis was tabbed the George Chryst Coach of the Year. 

Wilber leads the WIAC with a 159.8 passing efficiency, while ranking third with 230.8 yards of total offense per contest and fourth with 215.0 passing yards per game. His 20 touchdown passes are second in the conference and he threw a season-high four touchdown passes against UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 13. Wilber produced a season-best 255 passing yards against UW-Oshkosh on Oct. 6. 

Henschler collected first team honors for the second consecutive season and has spearheaded a Warhawk defense that tops the league in total defense at 227.8 yards per game and scoring defense at 7.1 points per contest. He ranks fourth in the WIAC with seven quarterback sacks and fifth with 12.5 tackles for loss. Henschler is fourth on the team with 34 tackles and recorded a season-high six tackles against UW-Oshkosh on Oct. 6. 

Almonte was also a first team honoree in 2015 ranks second in the conference with 25.3 yards per kick return. He returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns, including a 97-yard return against UW-La Crosse on Oct. 13, which is the third-longest in school history. Almonte also had a 93-yard kick return for a touchdown against UW-Stout on Oct. 20.

Repeat selections on the first team from a season ago included:  UW-Oshkosh’s Derrick Jennings Jr., Dom Todarello, Alex Wendorf and Cole Yoder; UW-Stout’s Caleb Adams; and UW-Whitewater’s Famus Hasty and Bryce Leszczynski. Todarello also received Special Teams Player of the Year honors. 

In 2016, UW-Stout’s Drew Pearson was the Special Teams Player of the Year, while UW-Whitewater’s Nate Trewyn collected first team recognition. 

Bullis received the coaching award for the second time in his career (2016) after leading the Warhawks to an undefeated regular season and the 36th conference championship in program history. UW-Whitewater also secured a spot in the NCAA Division III Championship for the 15th time. The Coach of the Year Award is named after George Chryst, who was the head coach at UW-Platteville from 1979-92, compiling a 79-60-2 record. He also served as the school’s athletics director from 1981-92. 

An All-Sportsmanship Team was chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school. 

First Team – Offense
Name, School, Year, Position, Hometown (High School)

Steve Herra, Stevens Point, Senior, Tight End, Rockford, Ill. (Boylan)
Caleb Adams, Stout, Senior, Offensive Line, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
Quinn Meinerz, Whitewater, Sophomore, Offensive Line, Hartford, Wis. (Union)
Levi Ross, River Falls, Junior, Offensive Line, St. Francis, Minn.
Alex Wendorf, Oshkosh, Senior, Offensive Line, Watertown, Wis.
Nate Trewyn, Whitewater, Senior, Center, Janesville, Wis. (Milton)
Cole Wilber, Whitewater, Senior, Quarterback, Mission Viejo, Calif. (Dana Hills)
Keyshawn Carpenter, Stout, Senior, Running Back, Evergreen Park, Ill.
Alex Peete, Whitewater, Sophomore, Running Back, Ringwood, Ill. (Johnsburg)
Trent Monson, River Falls, Senior, Wide Receiver, Big Lake, Minn.
JT Parish, Whitewater, Sophomore, Wide Receiver, Cambridge, Wis.
Cole Spieker, La Crosse, Junior, Wide Receiver, Brainerd, Minn.
Dom Todarello, Oshkosh, Senior, All-Purpose Back, Hartland, Wis. (Arrowhead) 

First Team – Defense

Charlie Brookshaw, Eau Claire, Senior, Defensive Line, Prescott, Wis.
Harry Henschler, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Line, Janesville, Wis. (Craig)
Matt Kahn, Oshkosh, Senior, Defensive Line, Vernon Hills, Ill.
David O’Gorman, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Line, Watertown, Wis.
Derrick Jennings Jr., Oshkosh, Senior, Linebacker, DeForest, Wis.
Bryce Leszczynski, Whitewater, Senior, Linebacker, Milwaukee, Wis. (Pius XI)
Elijah McGeehan, La Crosse, Senior, Linebacker, St. Paul, Minn. (Tartan)
Sam Romanski, Eau Claire, Junior, Linebacker, Wausau, Wis. (East)
Scott Skornicka, Oshkosh, Senior, Linebacker, Two Rivers, Wis.
Bailey Breunig, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Back, Prairie du Sac, Wis. (Sauk Prairie)
Famus Hasty, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Back, Naperville, Ill. (Neuqua Valley)
AJ Plewa, Oshkosh, Senior, Defensive Back, South Milwaukee, Wis.
Cole Yoder, Oshkosh, Senior, Defensive Back, Oshkosh, Wis. (West)

First Team – Special Teams

Drew Pearson, Stout, Senior, Place Kicker, Wausau, Wis. (West)
Shawn Magee, Stout, Senior, Punter, Rice Lake, Wis.
Christian Almonte, Stevens Point, Senior, Return Specialist, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Justin Prostinak, Whitewater, Junior, Special Teams Player, Milwaukee, Wis. (Lake Country Lutheran) 

Second Team – Offense

Tyler Seymour, Stout, Freshman, Tight End, Duluth, Minn. (East)
Connor Berry, La Crosse, Freshman, Offensive Line, Marshfield, Wis.
Jalen Burks, Stevens Point, Junior, Offensive Line, Milwaukee, Wis. (Riverside)
Kyle Gannon, Whitewater, Sophomore, Offensive Line, Waukesha, Wis. (West)
Matthew Saager, Whitewater, Junior, Offensive Line, Lodi, Wis.
Hank Westemeyer, Platteville, Junior, Offensive Line, Johnston, Iowa
Bailey Roux, Stout, Sophomore, Center, Rice Lake, Wis.
Ben Beckman, River Falls, Junior, Quarterback, Blaine, Minn.
Brian Kulaga, Eau Claire, Senior, Running Back, Riverside, Ill. (Riverside-Brookfield)
Sean Studer, Platteville, Senior, Running Back, Manhattan, Ill. (Lincoln Way Central)
Christian Almonte, Stevens Point, Senior, Wide Receiver, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Levy Hamer, Stout, Freshman, Wide Receiver, Chicago, Ill. (St. Laurence)
Alex Herink, River Falls, Junior, Wide Receiver, Hudson, Wis.
Tim Jansen, Platteville, Senior, Wide Receiver, Pingree Grove, Ill. (Hampshire)
Ryan Wisniewski, Whitewater, Sophomore, All-Purpose Back, Sparta, Wis.

Second Team – Defense

Clay Becker, Platteville, Senior, Defensive Line, Monticello, Ill.
Jordan Brand, Whitewater, Junior, Defensive Line, Chicago, Ill. (St. Rita)
Ryan Flathers, La Crosse, Junior, Defensive Line, Lewiston, Minn. (Lewiston-Altura)
Zachary Zillmer, La Crosse, Junior, Defensive Line, Black River Falls, Wis.
Jacob Erbs, Whitewater, Junior, Linebacker, Reedsburg, Wis.
Ryan Strick, Stevens Point, Senior, Linebacker, Naperville, Ill. (Waubonsie Valley)
Luke Wilz, Stout, Junior, Linebacker, Manawa, Wis.
Colton Nieman, La Crosse, Senior, Defensive Back, Vesper, Wis. (Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln)
Garrett Purdy, Whitewater, Junior, Defensive Back, Naperville, Ill. (Central)
Tyler Reinhardt, Platteville, Junior, Defensive Back, Slinger, Wis.
Nate Tranel, Whitewater, Junior, Defensive Back, Lancaster, Wis.
Levi Wolf, Stout, Senior, Defensive Back, Elmwood, Wis. 

Second Team – Special Teams

Victor Ponterio, Stevens Point, Freshman, Place Kicker, Melrose, Wis. (Melrose-Mindoro)
Connor Foley, Platteville, Senior, Punter, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Xavier)
Sean Parker, La Crosse, Sophomore, Punter, Portland, Ore. (Westview)
Jake Simuncak, La Crosse, Junior, Return Specialist, South Milwaukee, Wis.
Andrew Rakers, Platteville, Junior, Special Teams Player, Elm Grove, Wis. (Brookfield East) 

Honorable Mention – Offense

Sean Borgerding, Stout, Freshman, Quarterback, Spring Valley, Wis.
Ben Schramski, La Crosse, Senior, Quarterback, Lake City, Minn. (Lincoln)
Sam Altena, River Falls, Freshman, Running Back, New Richmond, Wis.
Rayshawn Graham, Stout, Junior, Running Back, Blue Island, Ill. (Eisenhower)
Riley Kallas, Oshkosh, Junior, Wide Receiver, Winneconne, Wis.
Mitch Overbeck, Stevens Point, Senior, Offensive Line, Brussels, Wis. (Southern Door)
Alex Negoski, Stout, Sophomore, Offensive Line, Evergreen Park, Ill. (Brother Rice)
Ben Wolff, Eau Claire, Senior, Offensive Line, Fond du Lac, Wis. (Winnebago Lutheran Academy)
Nick Broadhurst, Platteville, Junior, Center, Frankfort, Ill. (Lincoln Way North)
Levy Hamer, Stout, Freshman, All-Purpose Back, Chicago, Ill. (St. Laurence) 

Honorable Mention – Defense

Boyd Delebreau, Stevens Point, Senior, Defensive Line, Chilton, Wis.
Justin Hansen, Whitewater, Junior, Defensive Line, Beloit, Wis. (Turner)
Aaron Wisecup, Stout, Junior, Defensive Line, Monticello, Minn.
Joey Leonard, River Falls, Senior, Linebacker, Medford, Wis.
Victor Martinelli, Eau Claire, Sophomore, Linebacker, Milton, Wis.
Ben Mogilevsky, Platteville, Senior, Linebacker, Madison, Wis. (LaFollette)
Rusty Murphy, La Crosse, Sophomore, Linebacker, Cudahy, Wis.
Max Praschak, River Falls, Junior, Linebacker, Somerset, Wis.
Eric Siedenburg, Platteville, Sophomore, Linebacker, Johnston, Iowa
Alex Zacharias, Whitewater, Senior, Linebacker, Stoughton, Wis.
Mitch Dienger, River Falls, Senior, Defensive Back, La Crosse, Wis. (Holmen)
OJ James, Stevens Point, Sophomore, Defensive Back, Milwaukee, Wis. (Wisconsin Lutheran)
Omarri Johnson, Stevens Point, Senior, Defensive Back, Milwaukee, Wis. (Riverside)
Kierre Rhodes, Stout, Junior, Defensive Back, St. Paul, Minn. (Johnson)
Sam Shafer, Stevens Point, Junior, Defensive Back, Prescott, Wis. (River Falls)

Honorable Mention – Special Teams

Wojciech Gasienica, Whitewater, Sophomore, Place Kicker, Norridge, Ill. (Ridgewood)
Turner Geisthardt, Oshkosh, Senior, Punter, Omro, Wis. (Oshkosh North)
Owen Schommer, River Falls, Senior, Punter, Hager City, Wis. (Prescott)
Josh Ringelberg, Whitewater, Junior, Return Specialist, Greendale, Wis.
Cole Spieker, La Crosse, Junior, Special Teams Player, Brainerd, Minn.

All-Sportsmanship Team

Jason Dilly, Stout, Senior, Linebacker, Andover, Minn.
Brad Goetsch, Eau Claire, Sophomore, Kicker/Punter, Schofield, Wis. (D.C. Everest)
Dalton Heckel, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Line, Silver Lake, Wis. (Wilmot Union)
Donovan Nathaniel, Platteville, Senior, Defensive Line, Milwaukee, Wis. (Rufus King)
Noah Pulsifer, Stevens Point, Senior, Fullback, Elm Grove, Wis. (Brookfield East)
Bradley Schultz, La Crosse, Senior, Center, Altura, Minn. (Plainview-Elgin-Millville)
Nick Welter, River Falls, Senior, Defensive Line, Janesville, Wis. (Craig)
Jason Wright, Oshkosh, Senior, Offensive Line, Lake in the Hills, Ill. (Huntley) 

Offensive Player of the Year:  Cole Wilber of Whitewater

Defensive Player of the Year:  Harry Henschler of Whitewater

Special Teams Player of the Year:  Christian Almonte of Stevens Point

George Chryst Coach of the Year:  Kevin Bullis of Whitewater

Max Sparger Co-Scholar-Athletes:  Caleb Adams of Stout and Turner Geisthardt of Oshkosh

UW-Stout’s Adams and UW-Oshkosh’s Geisthardt Named Max Sparger Football Co-Scholar-Athletes

University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Caleb Adams and UW-Oshkosh’s Turner Geisthardt have been selected co-recipients of the 2018 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Max Sparger Football Scholar-Athlete Award.

A senior from Rochester, Minn. (Mayo), Adams sustains a 3.71 grade point average and is majoring in supply chain management with a minor in business administration. He was a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation (NFF) William V. Campbell Trophy and is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. Adams has been recognized on UW-Stout’s Dean’s List numerous semesters and received academic scholarships.

A team captain this season, he secured All-WIAC first team recognition for the second straight year. In 2017, Adams received D3football.com All-Region third team honors and was tabbed UW-Stout’s Lineman of the Year.

Adams has volunteered with Special Olympics and Polar Plunge. In addition, he has read bingo numbers for the elderly and helped with a special needs adult group entitled Thrill Seekers.

Geisthardt, a senior from Omro, Wis. (Oshkosh North), is majoring in kinesiology and maintains a 3.94 grade point average. A year ago, Geisthardt was a Google Cloud NCAA Division III Academic All-America® First Team honoree as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. He was a semifinalist for the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy and is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. Geisthardt has been recognized on UW-Oshkosh’s Dean’s List numerous semesters.

A team captain in 2018, Geisthardt secured all-conference honorable mention honors this year after claiming second team recognition the previous three seasons. Geisthardt helped the Titans advance to the national championship game in 2016 and win the WIAC championship in 2015 and 2017 as UW-Oshkosh accumulated a 42-9 record during his career. A season ago, he was named to the D3football.com All-West Region second team. Geisthardt, who was also tabbed All-WIAC First Team as a placekicker in 2017, holds the program record and ranks fourth in WIAC history for career punting yards.

Geisthardt has volunteered for the St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry, Be the Match and Oshkosh Police Department. He has worked for Advocate Aurora Healthcare as a Pre-Op/PACU Nursing Assistant and Winnebago Mental Health Institute as a patient care technician.

Also nominated for this year’s award were: UW-La Crosse’s Austin Mancosky (Grad., Lena, Ill./Lena-Winslow); UW-Platteville’s Ben Mogilevsky (Sr., Madison, Wis./LaFollette); UW-River Falls’ Joey Leonard (Sr., Medford, Wis.); UW-Stevens Point’s Boyd Delebreau (Sr., Chilton, Wis.); and UW-Whitewater’s Bailey Breunig (Sr., Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie).

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference for 22 years from 1971-93. He oversaw the transition of the conference from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger arrived at UW-Stout in 1959 and served the institution in a variety of capacities, including as an assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach and head football coach. He served as UW-Stout's athletics director from 1969-71.

In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average. In addition, he must be in his last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

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