Photo by Caleb Williams, d3photography.com; UW-Platteville athletics |
UW-Platteville defensive end Justin Blazek and UW-La Crosse quarterback Keyser Helterbrand lead the D3football.com 2023 All-Region 6 team. Blazek was named Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row, while Helterbrand was named the Region 6 Offensive Player of the Year.
UW-La Crosse coach Matt Janus, who led the Eagles to an 11-2 record and the national quarterfinals, is the Region 6 Coach of the Year. It was the first trip to the quarterfinals since 1996 for the program.
NCAA Division III realigned Division III football into six regions in 2021. Region 6 includes the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Northwest Conference, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Blazek registered 17 tackles for loss and 8½ sacks from his defensive end position. A senior from Naperville, Illinois, he posted 60 tackles, 35 solo, while breaking up six passes and posting two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. In addition, Blazek was given the ball a number of times in short yardage situations, as he ran for four touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass.
A senior from Hudson, Wisconsin, Helterbrand was a dual threat, leading the Eagles in passing and rushing. He threw for 2,981 yards and 35 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. He averaged 229.3 yards per game and completed 71.9% of his passes. Helterbrand also ran for 901 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
The teams, selected in balloting by Region 6 sports information directors and D3football.com staff, were chosen from 189 nominations by full Division III member schools. A total of 80 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.
2022 D3football.com All-Region 6 Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Keyser Helterbrand, QB, UW-La Crosse
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Blazek, DE, UW-Platteville
Coach of the Year: Matt Janus, UW-La Crosse
First Team Offense | ||||
Pos. | Player | School | Yr. | Hometown |
QB | Keyser Helterbrand | UW-La Crosse | Sr. | Hudson, Wis. |
RB | Tamir Thomas | UW-Whitewater | Jr. | Menomonee Falls, Wis. |
RB | Jordan Embry | St. Olaf | Sr. | Birmingham, Ala. |
WR | Jake Breitbach | Gustavus Adolphus | Sr. | Golden Valley, Minn. |
WR | Jake Studer | UW-La Crosse | Jr. | Eyota, Minn. |
TE | Alex Larson | St. John’s | Sr. | Woodbury, Minn. |
T | Mike Bertoia | UW-La Crosse | Sr. | Lake Zurich, Ill. |
G | Alex Pethan | UW-Whitewater | So. | Oak Creek, Wis. |
C | John Pekar | UW-Whitewater | Jr. | Franklin, Wis. |
G | Joe Jaeger | St. John’s | Sr. | Lakeville, Minn. |
T | Christian Diederich | Minnesota-Morris | Sr. | Murdock, Minn. |
K | Michael Stack | UW-La Crosse | So. | Oshkosh, Wis. |
RET | Quintral Clay | Greenville | Fr. | Hayti, Mo. |
First Team Defense | ||||
DE | Justin Blazek | UW-Platteville | Sr. | Naperville, Ill. |
DT | Collin Thompson | Concordia-Moorhead | Sr. | Thatcher, Ariz. |
DT | Jax Lee | Redlands | Jr. | Richland, Wash. |
DE | Nico Golla | Pacific Lutheran | Sr. | Puyallup, Wash. |
LB | Carson DeKam | Gustavus Adolphus | Sr. | Owatonna, Minn. |
LB | Sam Smith | UW-Platteville | Sr. | Pewaukee, Wis. |
LB | Joey Antonietti | UW-Whitewater | So. | La Grange, Ill. |
CB | Egon Hein | UW-Whitewater | Sr. | St. Charles, Ill. |
S | Matt Jung | Bethel | Fr. | Neenah, Wis. |
S | Jacob O’Connell | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | Sr. | Bakersfield, Calif. |
CB | Devin Williams | Bethel | So. | Fridley, Minn. |
P | Thomas Tabor | Linfield | Sr. | Seattle, Wash. |
LS | Will Hammen | UW-Stout | Jr. | Combined Locks, Wis. |
Second Team Offense | ||||
QB | Kaleb Blaha | UW-River Falls | Jr. | Coon Rapids, Minn. |
RB | Paul Garrett | Greenville | Sr. | Goodwater, Ala. |
RB | Justin Edwards | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | Jr. | East Hampton, Conn. |
WR | Nick VanErp | St. John’s | Sr. | Battle Lake, Minn. |
WR | Dillon Kuk | Whitworth | Sr. | Marysville, Wash. |
TE | Ntense Obono | Carleton | Jr. | Lawrence, Kan. |
T | Alex Klecker | UW-River Falls | Sr. | River Falls, Wis. |
G | Kenny Koerber | Chapman | Sr. | La Mirada, Calif. |
C | Noah Coleman | UW-La Crosse | Sr. | Wilmont, Wis. |
G | Jesus Ambriz | UW-Stout | Sr. | Monee, Ill. |
T | Josh Helling | Bethel | Jr. | Parkers Prairie, Minn. |
K | Thien Hoang | Lewis & Clark | Fr. | Portland, Ore. |
RET | Isaiah Thompson | Augsburg | Jr. | Detroit Lakes, Minn. |
Second Team Defense | ||||
DE | Michael Carey | Carleton | Sr. | Haddonfield, N.J. |
DT | Matt Burba | UW-Whitewater | Jr. | Lake in the Hills, Ill. |
DT | Zach Frank | St. John’s | Jr. | Lino Lakes, Minn. |
DE | Tyler Bacon | UW-Platteville | Sr. | Johnstown, Iowa |
LB | Blake Rybar | Linfield | Sr. | Monroe, Wash. |
LB | Kade Jordan | Chapman | Jr. | Elk Grove, Calif. |
LB | Erik Bjork | St. John’s | Sr. | Mahtomedi, Minn. |
CB | Scott Tinsley | Redlands | Sr. | Capitola, Calif. |
S | Aidan Tyk | UW-Platteville | Sr. | Manhattan, Ill. |
S | Henry Detmer | Carleton | Sr. | River Forest, Ill. |
CB | Chance Sparks | Linfield | Jr. | Hillsboro, Ore. |
P | Owen Tapia | Chapman | Sr. | Eastvale, Calif. |
ST | Adam Fujiwara | Chapman | Sr. | Irvine, Calif. |
Third Team Offense | ||||
QB | Aaron Syverson | St. John’s | Sr. | Minnetonka, Minn. |
QB | Kobe Berghammer | UW-Oshkosh | Sr. | Clayton, Wis. |
RB | Aaron Ellingson | Bethel | Jr. | St. Louis Park, Minn. |
RB | Izayah Boss | Minnesota-Morris | Jr. | Bothell, Wash. |
WR | Charlie Wilson | Hamline | Sr. | Woodbury, Minn. |
WR | Izaiah Jerenz | Puget Sound | Sr. | Lacey, Wash. |
TE | Clayton Schwalbe | UW-Oshkosh | So. | Waukesha, Wis. |
T | Dillon Helle | Whitworth | Jr. | Graham, Wash. |
G | Eric Soares | Pacific | Sr. | Manteca, Calif. |
C | Patton Miller | Whitworth | Jr. | Vacaville, Calif. |
G | Dustin Konvalinka | Greenville | Sr. | Live Oak, Fla. |
T | Andrew Hahn | Augsburg | Jr. | Avon, Minn. |
K | Luke Cool | UW-Stout | Jr. | Franklin, Wis. |
RET | Patrick Corcoran | UW-Stout | Jr. | Mindoro, Wis. |
Third Team Defense | ||||
DE | Chayce Meyer | Minnesota-Morris | So. | Osakis, Minn. |
DT | Drew Hahn | UW-River Falls | Sr. | Elburn, Ill. |
DT | Nick Severson | Linfield | Sr. | Sherwood, Ore. |
DE | Jack Kelly | UW-La Crosse | Sr. | Plover, Wis. |
DE | JT Muñoz | Whitworth | Jr. | Pasco, Wash. |
LB | Isaac Simons | Carleton | Sr. | Oconomowoc, Wis. |
LB | Nash Wylie | George Fox | Sr. | Pine Grove, Calif. |
LB | Colton Ingram | UW-Platteville | Sr. | Byron, Ill. |
CB | Cayden Saxon | St. John’s | Sr. | Minnetonka, Minn. |
S | Cannon Grier | UW-Stout | Sr. | Mesa, Ariz. |
S | Carson Raddatz | UW-Oshkosh | Jr. | Fond du Lac, Wis. |
CB | Dylan Brown | UW-River Falls | Jr. | Mequon, Wis. |
P | Cameron Shirangi | Pomona-Pitzer | Sr. | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. |
ST | Mason Stepanski | UW-Whitewater | So. | Appleton, Wis. |
There was a tie for the final quarterback and defensive end spot.