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| Photos by Doug Sasse and Caleb Williams, d3photography.com |
Wartburg linebacker Owen Grover and North Central quarterback Luke Lehnen lead the D3football.com 2023 All-Region 5 team. Lehnen was named Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year, while Grover was named the Region 5 Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row.
North Park coach Kyle Rooker, who led the Vikings to a 5-5 record, which is the first time the program has won five games since 1968, is the Region 5 Coach of the Year. It’s his first selection as a D3football.com regional Coach of the Year.
NCAA Division III realigned Division III football into six regions in 2021. Region 5 includes the American Rivers Conference, the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, the Midwest Conference and the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Lehnen, a junior from Chatham, Illinois, is a first-team All-Region selection for the first time in his football career. Lehnen was a second-team D3baseball.com All-Region selection as an outfielder for the Cardinals in 2021. He has thrown just 46 incomplete passes on the season, while throwing 43 touchdowns for the Cardinals, passing for 3,006 yards with a 231.2 QB rating, tops in Division III. In addition, Lehnen has run for 714 yards and 11 touchdowns on 86 carries in 2023. No. 1 North Central travels to No. 3 Wartburg for a national semifinal game on Saturday.
Grover is an All-Region selection for the third time. The senior linebacker from Dyersville, Iowa, has recorded 102 tackles, 52 solo, for the Knights, who take on North Central on Saturday, Dec. 10, in the national semifinals. Grover has five tackles for loss, four sacks, and four passes broken up on the season, as well as forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass.
The teams, selected in balloting by Region 5 sports information directors and D3football.com staff, were chosen from 155 nominations by full Division III member schools. A total of 76 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 50.
2023 D3football.com All-Region 5 Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Luke Lehnen, QB, North Central
Defensive Player of the Year: Owen Grover, LB, Wartburg
Coach of the Year: Kyle Rooker, North Park
| First Team Offense | ||||
| Pos. | Player | School | Yr. | Hometown |
| QB | Luke Lehnen | North Central | Jr. | Chatham, Ill. |
| RB | Hunter Clasen | Wartburg | Sr. | Springbrook, Iowa |
| RB | Giovanni Weeks | Wheaton | Sr. | Kent City, Mich. |
| WR | DeAngelo Hardy | North Central | Sr. | Lake Villa, Ill. |
| WR | Ben Bonga | Wheaton | Jr. | Brentwood, Tenn. |
| TE | Jamari Jenkins | Dubuque | Jr. | Evanston, Ill. |
| T | Jeske Maples | North Central | Jr. | Moweaqua, Ill. |
| G | Sam Pryor | North Central | Jr. | Sugar Grove, Ill. |
| C | Jarod Thornton | North Central | Sr. | Homewood, Ill. |
| G | Matt Kickel | Aurora | Sr. | Bolingbrook, Ill. |
| T | Tucker Kinney | Wartburg | Sr. | DeWitt, Iowa |
| K | Matthew Hylek | Aurora | Sr. | Hobart, Ind. |
| RET | James Mautino | Aurora | Sr. | Spring Valley, Ill. |
| First Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Martin Egbo | North Central | Sr. | Coraopolis, Pa. |
| DT | Riley Konrardy | Wartburg | Sr. | LaMotte, Iowa |
| DT | Jaylen Jordan | Aurora | Jr. | Frankfort, Ill. |
| DE | Brian Pritt | Benedictine | Jr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| LB | Owen Grover | Wartburg | Sr. | Dyersville, Iowa |
| LB | Marcellus Romious | Aurora | Sr. | Belleville, Ill. |
| LB | BJ Adamchik | North Central | Jr. | Raleigh, N.C. |
| CB | Antwain Walker | North Central | Sr. | Oswego, Ill. |
| S | Parker Rochford | Wartburg | Jr. | Edgewood, Iowa |
| S | Julian Bell | North Central | Sr. | Oswego, Ill. |
| CB | Nick Harper | Augustana | Sr. | Hickory Hills, Ill. |
| P | Noah Streveler | Carroll | Sr. | Stevens Point, Wis. |
| ST | Jahari Scott | Illinois Wesleyan | So. | Lake Bluff, Ill. |
| Second Team Offense | ||||
| QB | Nile McLaughlin | Wartburg | Sr. | Eldridge, Iowa |
| RB | Joe Sacco | North Central | Jr. | Bartlett, Ill. |
| RB | Jhe’Quay Cretin | Aurora | Sr. | Houston, Texas |
| WR | Trey Madsen | Aurora | Sr. | Montgomery, Ill. |
| WR | Collin Brunstein | Illinois College | Sr. | Jacksonville, Ill. |
| TE | Thomas Butters | Wartburg | Sr. | Kalona, Iowa |
| T | Noah Theriault | Coe | Jr. | Cedar Park, Texas |
| G | Paul Fay | Wheaton | Sr. | Roscoe, Ill. |
| C | Trevor Gabriele | Wheaton | Sr. | Wheaton, Ill. |
| G | Alex Lahmon | Wartburg | Sr. | Marion, Iowa |
| T | Elijah Nitz | Wheaton | Sr. | Rockford, Ill. |
| K | Jacob Laurent | Carroll | Sr. | Kenosha, Wis. |
| RET | A.J. Jackson | Lake Forest | Sr. | Peoria, Ariz. |
| Second Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Jordan Downing | Wartburg | Sr. | Waverly, Iowa |
| DT | Hunter Olson | Central | Sr. | Peoria, Ariz. |
| DE | Anthony Cikauskas | Monmouth | So. | Oswego, Ill. |
| LB | Jaydin Miller | North Park | Sr. | South Bend, Ind. |
| LB | Sam Barnett | St. Norbert | Jr. | Trempealeau, Wis. |
| LB | Ben Rashid | Dubuque | Sr. | Lodi, Wis. |
| LB | CJ Hangartner | Simpson | So. | Tucson, Ariz. |
| CB | Max Wilson | Wheaton | Jr. | Wheaton, Ill. |
| S | Evan Lischka | Concordia (Wis.) | Sr. | Manitowoc, Wis. |
| S | Cameron Bannister | Central | Sr. | State Center, Iowa |
| CB | Cory Walbert | Illinois College | Jr. | Sherman, Ill. |
| P | Luke Droegemueller | Concordia (Wis.) | Fr. | Cumming, Ga. |
| Third Team Offense | ||||
| QB | Ian Luyando | Aurora | Jr. | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| RB | Thomas Little | Illinois College | Sr. | Walnut Grove, Ga. |
| RB | Ben Bernabei | Eureka | Sr. | Peru, Ill. |
| WR | Reed Worth | Simpson | Sr. | Monroe, Iowa |
| WR | Da’Mani Brown | Loras | Jr. | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| TE | Trevion Green | Wisconsin Lutheran | Sr. | Miami, Fla. |
| T | Kade Tippet | Central | Jr. | Eldridge, Iowa |
| G | Brayden Macdonald | Augustana | Sr. | DeKalb, Ill. |
| C | Derek Brown | Monmouth | Sr. | Pekin, Ill. |
| G | Jalen Cole | Aurora | Sr. | Channahon, Ill. |
| T | Cain Johnson | Augustana | Sr. | Galesburg, Ill. |
| K | Logan Sunvold | Central | Sr. | Monroe, Iowa |
| RET | Joey Lombardi | North Central | Sr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| Third Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Nick Mantas | Carroll | Sr. | Northbrook, Ill. |
| DT | Marquiton Sellers | Concordia (Wis.) | So. | Winnsboro, La. |
| DE | Peter Johanik | Wheaton | So. | West Chicago, Ill. |
| LB | Justice Kaneta | Concordia (Wis.) | Jr. | Brighton, Colo. |
| LB | Charlie Patterson | Illinois College | Sr. | Auburn, Ill. |
| LB | Nate Link | Wartburg | Sr. | Eldridge, Iowa |
| CB | Robbie Peterson | Aurora | Sr. | Sarasota, Fla. |
| S | Jack Shaw | Coe | Sr. | Atkins, Iowa |
| S | Trenton Brail | Lake Forest | Sr. | San Clemente, Calif. |
| S | Ernesto Ramirez | Aurora | Sr. | Minooka, Ill. |
| CB | Dalton Wood | Dubuque | Jr. | Spring Grove, Ill. |
| P | Conner Halla | Dubuque | Jr. | Plainfield, Ill. |