December 8, 2015
D3football.com All-North Region
BLUFFTON, Ohio - For the first time since 1999, the Bluffton University football team has two all-region selections in senior Ryan Aelker (New Bavaria/Holgate) and sophomore Micah Roberson (Ada). Aelker is the first two-time D3football.com All-North Region honoree since Justin Crosier in 2010-11. After earning second team recognition as a junior, Aelker became the only first team selection from Bluffton in the 11 years that D3football.com has recognized All-Region players. As a first team honoree, Aelker is now eligible for All-American honors which will be announced on Friday, Dec. 18, at the Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va. Roberson capped off his second season by being named Third Team All-North Region by D3football.com.
The teams, selected in balloting by North Region sports information directors and D3football.com staff, were chosen from 228 nominations by Division III member schools. A total of 76 players were chosen.
With all eyes on him and with 10 offensive coordinators scheming to keep Aelker away from the ball, all the senior did was go out and lead the nation in sacks for the second straight season while adding the most tackles-for-loss in NCAA Division III to his resume. His school record 13 sacks from 2014 stood for just one season as Aelker dropped opposing quarterbacks for an NCAA-best 15.5 sacks this season. He broke his school record of 22 TFL's with 24 TFL's as a senior, giving him the top two single-season marks in both sacks and TFL's at Bluffton. Aelker led the conference with three forced fumbles in addition to topping the conference leaderboard in sacks and TFL's. His 60 tackles were second for the Beavers and he stuffed the stat sheet with an interception, four breakups, two quarterback hurries and a blocked kick. It marks the third straight year that Coach Dorrel has directed the player who has topped the NCAA in sacks. Hanover's Jake Stillwell led the nation with 15 sacks in 2013 when Coach Dorrel was the defensive coordinator and line coach for the Panthers. For the second straight season, senior end Aelker blitzed his way to HCAC Defensive Player of the Year acclaim. He is the only defensive player in Bluffton University history to be named the HCAC Player of the Year and now he has accomplished that feat twice!
Aelker expanded his repertoire as a senior and he gave Bluffton's offense another weapon at tight end. He caught two passes, both for touchdowns as Bluffton took advantage of the former high school quarterback's versatility and athletic ability. He will leave Bluffton as the most decorated defensive player in school history. In addition to his back-to-back HCAC Defensive Player of the Year awards, Aelker tops Bluffton's career lists with 35 sacks for 214 yards, 60 TFL's for 286 yards, eight forced fumbles and 11 quarterback hurries. He finished his career with 165 tackles (110 solos), two interceptions, 11 breakups, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick. Aelker was a Second Team All-HCAC selection as a sophomore before earning First Team All-HCAC honors the past two season. He was a three-time HCAC Defensive Player of the Week, once as a sophomore and twice this season. Aelker is the first player to earn HCAC Defensive MVP honors twice since Matt Lawless from MSJ in 2004 and 2006 and is the only the second player to win the award consecutively following Hanover linebacker Kevin O'Donohue in 1995-96.
The Bluffton record books also saw their share of adjustments on the offensive side of the ledger thanks to the outlandish numbers Micah Roberson put up. The sophomore needed just over six games to knock Eric Metz and Jack Tomlinson out of the top spot for reception in a single season. Roberson's 10 catches at Manchester gave him 70 and eight more than the previous mark of 62 receptions. He went on to haul in an even 100 for the season, tying him for #1 in the nation with 10.0 receptions per game. His 1,096 receiving yards also surpassed the previous school record of 1,063 set by Eric Metz in 1999. Roberson equaled Donovan's Brown's school record of 10 receiving touchdowns. He was named the HCAC Offensive Player of the Week after hauling in 10 catches for 143 yards and two touchdown's in Bluffton's 28-20 win at Manchester when he broke the season receptions record. Roberson sits at 19th in the nation with his 1,096 receiving yards. With two years of eligibility left, Roberson is closing in on two major career marks. He has 155 receptions, just eight away from the all-time mark of 163 currently held by Eric Metz. His 1,637 career receiving yards are fourth all-time with Eric Metz also topping that list with 2,677 career receiving yards. Roberson needs eight touchdowns to overtake Andy Nowlin's school mark of 20 touchdown catches. He also established a new single-season record at Bluffton with six games of at least 100 yards receiving this year.
The Beavers put together their sixth straight victory over Defiance, equaling the run from 1985-1990 that was the second-most consecutive Bluffton victories in the series. The Beavers won 11 straight from 1955 through 1965. Bluffton wrapped up its season at 6-4 (5-3 HCAC) for the second year in a row under Head Coach Denny Dorrel. The 22 victories put up by the senior class were the most since the 2001 seniors went 24-16. The 2015 seniors were also the third straight class to go undefeated in the Bluffton-Defiance rivalry. Bluffton's second straight six-win season under Head Coach Denny Dorrel marked the first time the Beavers have had consecutive winning seasons since 2000-01!
-BEAVERS-