Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football Dominates All-MVFC Teams
11/25/2009 | 12:00:00 | Football
Nov. 25, 2009
By Jason Clay
www.SIUSalukis.com
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Southern Illinois dominated the 2009 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams that were announced Wednesday by the league office. Senior running back Deji Karim was named the 2009 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and a combined 16 Salukis were selected to the first, second and honorable mention teams.
Head coach Dale Lennon was also selected as the `Bruce Craddock' Valley Football Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
SIU, who became the first team in MVFC history to go 8-0 in league play, had a league-leading eight players voted to the first team and five to the second team. Three Salukis were named honorable mention.
Lennon, a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, was named this year's top MVFC coach after leading the Salukis to a 10-1 record and the No. 1 ranking in the FCS by the Sports Network. He joins six other previous league coaches to win the Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year award in back-to-back seasons.
Karim becomes the fourth Saluki to be named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and the first since 2004, when Joel Sambursky received the same honor. He was one of two Valley running backs selected to the first team and was also a second team honoree as a return specialist.
The Saluki defense had four first-team honorees. Senior linebacker Brandin Jordan is making his second appearance on the all-conference first team and he wraps up his career having received All-MVFC recognition in all four of his seasons as a Saluki.
Other first-teamers from the defense include senior nose tackle Chris Arthurs and juniors Korey Lindsey and Mike McElroy. This is McElroy's first All-MVFC selection, Arthurs was an honorable mention pick in 2008 and for Lindsey this is his second-straight first team nod. Senior punter Scott Ravanesi, SIU's all-time leader in career punting average, was named to his third-straight All-MVFC first team. Two sophomores on the offensive side of the ball round out SIU's first team picks. Fullback John Goode and left tackle David Pickard helped the Salukis averaged 35.5 points per game this year and led the SIU rushing attack to the fourth-best per game average in the nation.
Center Bryan Boemer was the third sophomore that received all-conference recognition. He was named to the second team along with junior wide receiver Joe Allaria, junior kicker Kyle Dougherty and senior linebacker Chauncey Mixon.
Mixon, a 2007 third team all-American, is making his third appearance on an All-MVFC team. He missed four games this year with a broken jaw, but has since returned to help lead the Salukis into the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
Junior quarterback Chris Dieker was named to the honorable mention team, despite missing the last five games of the season with a broken collarbone. Before being injured in game seven against Youngstown State, Dieker had led the Salukis to a 5-1 record by throwing for 1,272 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Senior strong safety Marty Rodgers and senior tight end Ryan Kernes were the other two Salukis named honorable mention. This is Kernes' third all-conference selection and the second for Rodgers.
