Quintet Earn Football’s Most Prestigious Team Awards
Morehead State football has awarded five individuals with the highest season team awards for the program. The awards include superlatives on offense, defense, special teams, all-around athlete and academics.
The Phil Simms Most Valuable Offensive Player is James Louis. A sophomore running back from Hillside, N.J., Louis became a viable threat in the run game, including three 100+ yard games and was named Second-Team All-Pioneer League. He finished with a team-best 780 yards on 131 carries and also had 114 receiving yards on 13 catches. Louis scored six rushing touchdowns and had a breakout game at Dayton, rushing for a career-high 195 yards and two scores. Louis also had 100+ yard games versus Kentucky Christian and Marist and totaled 409 yards in the final three games.
The Dave Haverdick Defensive MVP is Cooper Krezek. A junior safety from Kansas City, Mo., he ranked among the PFL’s top stoppers. He finished with an even 100 total tackles to lead the team. Krezek was also a disrupter elsewhere, leading the team with eight tackles for loss, six pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. He also forced a fumble and blocked three kicks. Krezek was named Honorable Mention All-PFL.
The John Christopher Special Teams MVP is Jihad McCall. A redshirt freshman defensive back from Jersey City, N.J., McCall was rarely contained on the punt return team. He led the entire FCS in blocked punts, getting his hands on four opponent punts. That figure was one short of the Morehead State record and the FCS single-season record. Defensively, McCall also had 27 total tackles and an interception.
The Appel Academic Award went to Jaxsen Spears. Spears, a sophomore offensive lineman from Plainfield, Ind., helped MSU average 338 yards per contest and played and started in every game while earning Honorable Mention All-PFL. He played center and guard during the season and graded at a solid 82 percent in a highly-stringent grading system. In the classroom, he has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in accounting.
The Mike Gottfried C3 Award went to Preston Toner. A redshirt sophomore linebacker from Murrieta, Calif., Toner posted a 3.66 GPA for the semester and ranked third on the team with 67 total tackles. He also had 3.5 tackles for loss and two fumbles forced. Toner has been involved with many of the team’s campus and community service efforts throughout his time at MSU.
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