Nine Lights honored by the Frontier

Nine Montana State University-Northern Lights were honored for outstanding success this season on the football field, while a former Havre Blue Pony garnered one of the Frontier Conference's highest honors.

On Wednesday night, the Frontier Conference released its 2010 All-Conference teams and postseason awards, and nine Lights were selected all conference, while former Havre High and current Carroll College quarterback Gary Wagner shared the league's offensive MVP with Rocky Mountain College QB Kasey Peters.

The Lights, who went 3-7 this season, had four players earn Frontier First-Team honors on defense.

Headlining the list was junior linebacker Landry See, who led the Frontier with 128 total tackles. See was second in the NAIA in that category, while also totaling four sacks, and is now a three-time all-conference performer.

Joining see on the first team were defensive ends Will Andrews and Travis Hjort. Andrews finished his junior campaign with 69 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, which was second in the Frontier, and four sacks. He was also an all-american and all-conference performer in 2007 before a leg injury sidelined him for much of the last two years. Hjort, who returned to the Lights this fall after three years away from football, finished second in the league in sacks with 10 and also had 10 tackles for loss. Senior safety Casey Varner was also selected to the first team after totaling five interceptions, including a school-record tying three in one game back in September. Varner was also ninth in the Frontier in tackles with 76.

Junior safety Seth Wildung earned second-team honors for the first time in his career. Wildung tied Varner for second in the Frontier with five picks and also finished among the Top 20 in the league in tackles.

Northern didn't have any first-team offensive selections, but senior wide receiver Matt Stuart and sophomore running back Stephen Silva were selected to the second team as were offensive linemen Jorge Magana and Matt Cervenka.

Stuart finished his final season at MSU-N with 40 catches for 649 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 16.1 yard per catch, second-best in the conference. Stuart is a two-time all-conference performer, but this was his first time being selected at wide receiver. Silva had a breakout season after being selected all conference as a kick returner last year. He totaled 750 yards on 150 carries this season and also had a strong year catching passes out of the backfield. Cervenka and Magana were stout newcomers to Northern's offensive line and helped lead the way for a Northern team which finished fourth in the Frontier in total offense, after the Lights finished last in that category a season ago.

Conference champion Carroll led the way with 17 players selected to the all-conference team, including Wagner and defensive player of the year Thomas Dolan. The senior linebacker from Billings is now a two-time defensive player of the year, sharing the honor in 2009 with UM-Western's Chad Schirra.

Carroll head coach Mike Van Diest and Rocky head coach Brian Armstrong shared coach of the year honors for the season.

2010 Frontier All Conference

Offense

First Team

Gary Wagner, Carroll College, QB, 6-2, 195, Sr., Havre, Mont.; Kasey Peters, Rocky Mountain College; QB, 6-3, 220, Sr., Newport Beach, Calif.; John Camino, Carroll College, RB, 6-1, 230, Sr., Buffalo, Wyo.; Kevin Sampson, Oregon University, RB, 5-9, 176, Jr., Seattle, Wash.; Bubba Bartlett, Carroll College, TE, 6-1, 246, Sr., Rathdrum, Idaho; Corey Peterson, Carroll College, WR, 5-8, Sr., Helena, Mont.; Nathan Barnett, Rocky Mountain College, WR, 5-10, 180, Sr., Dana Point, Calif.; A.J. Tolbert, Rocky Mountain College, WR, 6-4, 220, Jr., Compton, Calif.; Andy Fjeseth, Carroll College, OL, 6-2, 282, Sr., Dillon, Mont.; Connor Goudreau, Carroll College, OL, 6-5, 280, So., Campbell, Calif.; Zach Zosel, Carroll College, OL, 6-3, 280, Jr., Eugene, Ore.; Brody, Eastern Oregon University, OL, 6-5, 272, Sr., Prosser, Wash.; Dima Vasilevskiy, Rocky Mountain College, OL, 6-4, 290, Jr., Venice, Fla.

Second Team

Stephen Silva, MSU-Northern, RB, 5-9, 180, So., Bakersfield, Calif.; Michael Thomas, Rocky Mountain College, RB, 6-2, 230, Sr., Pullman, Wash.; Dillon Bedford, Eastern Oregon University, TE, 6-4, 227, Jr., Arroyo Grande, Calif.; Kirk Miller, Eastern Oregon University, WR, 6-0, 165, Sr., Kuna, Idaho; Matt Stuart, MSU-Northern, WR, 5-11, 190, Sr., Cut Bank, Mont.; Colton Woods, Montana Western, WR, 5-10, 175, Jr., Polson, Mont.; Jordon Smith, Eastern Oregon University, OL, 6-1, 253, Sr., Couer d'Alene, Idaho; Matt Cervenka, MSU-Northern, OL, 6-5 , 315, Jr., Redding, Calif.; Jorge Magana, MSU-Norther, OL, 6-2, 280, Jr., Oakley, Calif.; Wacey Deegan, Montana Tech, OL, 6-4, 315, Sr., Stanford, Mont.; A.J. Konen, Montana Tech, OL, 6-0, 260, Sr., Butte, Mont.; Bryce Carich, Rocky Mountain College, OL, 6-2, 290, Sr., Costa Mesa, Calif.

Defense

Thomas Dolan, Carroll College, LB, 6-3, 228, Sr., Billings, Mont.; Rhakeem Harris, Carroll College, LB, 6-4, 252, So., Elgin AFB, Fla.; Marc-Avery Airhart, Eastern Oregon University, LB, 6-0, 235, Jr., Renton, Wash.; Landry See, MSU-Northern, LB, 5-11, 210, Jr., Hillsboro, Ore.; Mason Siddick, Carroll College, DL, 6-2, 260, Sr., Kirkland, Wash.; Seth Kimball, Eastern Oregon University, DL, 6-3, 245, Sr., Wenatchee, Wash.; Will Andrews, MSU-Northern, DL, 6-1, 235, Jr., Sandpoint, Idaho; Travis Hjort, MSU-Northern, DL, 6-5, 238, Jr., Libby, Mont.; Brian Strobel, Carroll College, DB, 5-11, 205, So., Kettle Falls, Idaho; Mike Waldenberg, Carroll College, DB, 5-9, 160, Sr., Great Falls, Mont.; Max Hannah, Eastern Oregon University, DB, 5-10, 170, Fr., Ferndale, Wash.; Casey Varner, MSU-Northern, DB, 6-0, 195, Sr.; Baker, Mont.

Second Team

Thomas Robison, Carroll College, LB, 5-11, 204, Jr., Pocatello, Idaho; Howard McDonald, Eastern Oregon University, LB, 5-10, 211, So., Silverdale, Wash.; Weber, Montana Western, LB, 6-0, 210, Sr., Kalispell, Mont.; Trenton Thelen, Rocky Mountain College, LB, 6-2, 235, So., Billings, Mont.; Travis Schmidt, Carroll College, DL, 6-4, 256, Sr., Gillette, Wyo.; Paul Klaboe, Montana Tech, DL, 6-1, 229, Sr., Billings, Mont.; Penisoni Tuafua, Montana Western, DL, 6-0, 255, Jr., Waimanalo, Hawaii; Phil Urlacher, Rocky Mountain College, DL, 6-2, 260, Sr., Pasco, Wash.; Ted Morigeau, Carroll College, DB, 5-10, 195, Jr., Polson, Mont.; Seth Wildung, MSU-Northern, DB, 6-2, 208, Sr., Stanford, Mont.; Jake Stagnoli, Montana Tech, DB, 5-11, 191, Sr., Butte, Mont.; Thomas Ackerman, Rocky Mountain College, DB, 6-1, 195, Jr., Billings, Mont.

Special Teams

First Team

Derek Carothers, Rocky Mountain College, P, 5-10, 170, So., , Calif.; Nick Knell, Eastern Oregon University, PK, 6-0, 183, So., Lander, Wyo.; Jeff Deal, Carroll College, KR, 5-9, 190, Sr., Kennewick, Wash.; Trent Thomas, Montana Tech, PR, 5-8, 175, So., Deer Lodge, Mont.

Second Team

Deryk Van Zee, Montana Western, P, 5-10, 175, Jr., Billings, Mont.; Tom Yaremko, Carroll College, PK, 6-1, 205, So., Happy Valley, Ore., Kedrick Starr, Eastern Oregon University, KR, 5-8, 166, Fr., Meridian, Idaho; Kedrick Starr, Eastern Oregon University, PR, 5-8, 166, Fr., , Idaho.