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| By Russ DeHoedt, d3photography.com; IWU athletics |
Franklin quarterback Chase Burton and Illinois Wesleyan linebacker Jordan Hassan lead the D3football.com 2017 All-North Region team. Burton was named North Region Offensive Player of the Year, while Hassan was named the North Region Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2017 D3football.com All-Region teams are presented by the City of Salem, hosts of Stagg Bowl XLV, to be played on Friday, Dec. 15, in Salem, Virginia. Tickets are on sale now for Stagg Bowl XLV at Ticketmaster and the Salem Civic Center. Call 540-375-3004 to charge by phone or purchase online through Ticketmaster.
Mount Union coach Vince Kehres, who has led the Purple Raiders to the national semifinals with a 13-0 record, including three playoff wins and the national quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs, is the North Region Coach of the Year. He was D3football.com national Coach of the Year in 2015.
Burton, a senior from Corydon, Indiana, led the Grizzlies to the NCAA playoffs, completing 69 percent of his passes, while throwing for 42 touchdowns against four interceptions. He threw for 3,636 yards in the regular season, including a season-high 464 vs. Rose-Hulman, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s defending champion. He was the HCAC’s offensive player of the year.
Hassan, a senior from Wheaton, Illinois, helped the Titans win a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship, recording 92 tackles, 70 of them solo. He had 11 tackles for loss and five and a half sacks in the regular season, including three tackles for loss among 14 total tackles in a 14-10 win at Wheaton. He was the CCIW’s defensive player of the year.
The teams, selected in balloting by North Region sports information directors and D3football.com staff, were chosen from 217 nominations by Division III member schools. A total of 75 players were chosen. Players nominated for All-Region are eligible to be considered for D3football.com All-America honors, which will be announced the evening of Dec. 15, in D3football.com’s pregame coverage for Stagg Bowl XLV.
D3football.com 2017 All-North Region Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Chase Burton, QB, Franklin
Defensive Player of the Year: Jordan Hassan, LB, Illinois Wesleyan
Coach of the Year: Vince Kehres, Mount Union
| First Team Offense | ||||
| Pos. | Player | School | Yr. | Hometown |
| QB | Chase Burton | Franklin | Sr. | Corydon, Ind. |
| RB | Austin Breunig | North Central (Ill.) | Sr. | Sandwich, Ill. |
| RB | Roger Walker | Marietta | Sr. | Palm Bay, Fla. |
| WR | Justin Hill | Mount Union | So. | Circleville, Ohio |
| WR | Demetrius Magee | Heidelberg | Sr. | Rochester Hills, Ohio |
| TE | Zach Lindquist | Wheaton (Ill.) | Sr. | Mahtomedi, Minn. |
| T | Brock Riggs | Heidelberg | Sr. | Tiffin, Ohio |
| G | Justin Fairfield | Hope | Sr. | N. Muskegon, Mich. |
| C | Cole Parrish | Mount Union | Sr. | Creedmore, N.C. |
| G | Mitchell Watts | Trine | Sr | Goshen, Ind. |
| T | Joe Fehrle | North Central (Ill.) | Sr. | Rockford, Ill. |
| K | Cameron Cook | Adrian | Sr. | Linden, Mich. |
| RET | Dakota Nelson | Manchester | Sr. | Fairland, Ind. |
| First Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Chase Greenlee | Wheaton (Ill.) | Sr. | Columbus, Ohio |
| DT | Austin Crow | Heidelberg | Sr. | Westerville, Ohio |
| DT | Michael Vidal | Mount Union | Sr. | Miami, Fla. |
| DE | Elijah Berry | Mount Union | Sr. | Dublin, Ohio |
| LB | Jordan Hassan | Illinois Wesleyan | Sr. | Wheaton, Ill. |
| LB | Mason McKenrick | John Carroll | Sr. | Mentor, Ohio |
| LB | Charlie Dear | Mount Union | Sr. | Massillon, Ohio |
| CB | Alec Thompson | Rose-Hulman | Sr. | Clermont, Fla. |
| S | Trevor Staley | Illinois Wesleyan | Jr. | Lake Zurich, Ill. |
| S | Fred Hardgrove | Otterbein | So. | Columbus, Ohio |
| CB | Gabe Brown | Mount Union | So. | Plant City, Fla. |
| P | Austin Baker | Heidelberg | Jr. | Clyde, Ohio |
| Second Team Offense | ||||
| QB | Michael Whitley | Lakeland | Sr. | Vidalia, La. |
| RB | Lamar Carswell | Trine | Jr. | Toledo, Ohio |
| RB | Christiaan Williams | Ohio Northern | So. | Sidnay, Ohio |
| WR | Deontez Alexander | Franklin | Sr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| WR | Nick Strausbaugh | Wooster | So. | Fredericksburg, Ohio |
| TE | Danny Disbrow | John Carroll | Jr. | Avon Lake, Ohio |
| T | Matt Fitchet | Mount Union | Sr. | Conneaut, Ohio |
| G | Jon Callaway | Wheaton (Ill.) | Sr. | Wheaton, Ill. |
| C | Parker Young | Rose-Hulman | Sr. | Manhattan, Ill. |
| G | Sam Burck | Franklin | Sr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| T | Caleb Riggleman | Marietta | Jr. | Beverly, W.Va. |
| K | Alex Louthan | Mount Union | Sr. | Loganville, Ga. |
| RET | Jeffery Barnett | Trine | Jr. | Fremont, Ohio |
| Second Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Mike Riley | Rose-Hulman | Jr. | Naperville, Ill. |
| DT | Emonte Logan | North Central (Ill.) | Sr. | Oak Park, Ill. |
| DT | Patrick O’Connell | Wheaton (Ill.) | Sr. | Long Grove, Ill. |
| DE | Chandler Ferko | Wittenberg | Sr. | Plain City, Ohio |
| LB | Zach Schmerge | Ohio Northern | Sr. | Wapakoneta, Ohio |
| LB | Kam Dawtyne | Aurora | Sr. | Milledgeville, Ill. |
| LB | Kaelen Garner | Rose-Hulman | Sr. | Ocean Springs, Miss. |
| CB | Marcus Winters | Trine | Jr. | Toledo, Ohio |
| S | Brian Groves | Mount Union | Sr. | Stow, Ohio |
| S | Brad Brodek | Ohio Wesleyan | Sr. | Parma, Ohio |
| CB | Marcus Smith | Wheaton (Ill.) | Sr. | Menomonie, Wis. |
| P | Bryant Walker | Oberlin | Fr. | South Lyon, Mich. |
| Third Team Offense | ||||
| QB | D’Angelo Fulford | Mount Union | So. | Miramar, Fla. |
| RB | Ike James | Wabash | So. | Lowell, Ind. |
| RB | Sola Olateju | Wheaton (Ill.) | Sr. | North Oaks, Minn. |
| WR | Andrew Kamienski | North Central (Ill.) | Fr. | South Elgin, Ill. |
| WR | Jerron McGaw | Adrian | Jr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| TE | Dylan Buresh | Wabash | Sr. | Holland, Mich. |
| T | Andrew Jones | Wheaton (Ill.) | Jr. | Minooka, Ill. |
| G | Thomas Cunningham | DePauw | Sr. | Elkhart, Ind. |
| C | Eric McDonel | Adrian | Sr. | Titusville, Fla. |
| G | Scott Turner | Wittenberg | Sr. | Fort Thomas, Ky. |
| T | Andrew Hagar | Trine | Sr. | Millersburg, Ind. |
| K | Michael Leshchyshyn | Oberlin | So. | Seattle, Wash. |
| RET | Jared Ruth | Mount Union | Sr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Third Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Dustin Tripp | Alma | Sr. | Byron Center, Mich. |
| DT | Conner Bogard | John Carroll | So. | Cleveland, Ohio |
| DT | Danny Drummond | Benedictine | Sr. | Holland, Mich. |
| DE | Isaac Zickafoose | Bluffton | Jr. | Middlebury, Ind. |
| LB | Tommy Sora | North Central (Ill.) | Sr. | Morton Grove, Ill. |
| LB | Eric Stevenson | Wheaton (Ill.) | Jr. | Lewisville, Texas |
| LB | Chaun Maiava | North Park | Sr. | Tafuna, American Samoa |
| CB | Connor Calvert | Carthage | Jr. | Caledonia, Mich. |
| S | Jarrett Wasson | Heidelberg | Sr. | Tipp City, Ohio |
| S | Curt Williams | Kenyon | Sr. | Chesterland, Ohio |
| CB | John Adams III | Olivet | Fr. | Redford, Mich. |
| P | Sam Blanzy | Albion | Jr. | Grosse Pointe, Mich. |