CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The 2016 All-Iowa Conference Football Team as voted by the league's head coaches: 
 

2016 All-Iowa Conference Football
Offensive MVP – Trevor Heitland, Sr., RB, Coe College
Defensive MVP – Dylan Stepleton, Sr., DB, Coe College
Coach of the Year – Tyler Staker, Coe College
First Team - Defense	School	Year	Position	Hometown / High School
Zach Matter !	Central College	Senior	DB	Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny
Dylan Stepleton %	Coe College	Senior	DB	Tipton, Iowa / Wilton
Riley Shoemaker	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Senior	DB	Grand Island, Neb. / G.I. Central Catholic
Michael Joseph !	University of Dubuque	Junior	DB	Chicago, Ill. / Oswego
Corbin Blythe !	Central College	Senior	DL	Williamsburg, Iowa / Williamsburg
Robbie Peters	Coe College	Junior	DL	Mt Vernon, Iowa / Mt. Vernon
Drew Heitland	Coe College	Junior	DL	Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy
Isaac Frazier !	Simpson College	Senior	DL	Marion, Iowa / Marion
Jessie Peterson	Central College	Senior	LB	Coralville, Iowa / Iowa City West
Calvin Harridge ^ #	Loras College	Senior	LB	Morrison, Ill. / Morrison
Preston Franzen	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Senior	LB	Gothenburg, Neb. / Gothenburg
Tony Anstoetter	Wartburg College	Junior	LB	Farley, Iowa / Beckman
First Team - Offense	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Cole Tanner	Central College	Senior	OL	Greenfield, Iowa / Orient-Macksburg
Dalton Kuehl #	Coe College	Sophomore	OL	Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Jefferson
James Ostlie % @	Luther College	Senior	OL	Decorah, Iowa / Decorah
Garret McCarthy	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Senior	OL	Norfolk, Neb. / Norfolk Catholic
Patrick Cusak !	University of Dubuque	Senior	OL	Davis Junction, Ill. / Stillman Valley
Riley Gray	Central College	Senior	QB	West Des Moines, Iowa / Waukee
Conor Feckley	University of Dubuque	Junior	QB	Anchorage, Alaska, West Anchorage
Trevor Heitland	Coe College	Senior	RB	Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy
Joel Wiedel	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Senior	RB	Fremont, Neb. / Archbishop Bergan
Mitchell Boerm	Central College	Senior	TE	Traer, Iowa / North Tama
Sam Markham ^ !	Central College	Senior	WR	Atlantic, Iowa / Atlantic
Najee Toomer	University of Dubuque	Senior	WR	Maywood, Ill. / Walther Lutheran
First Team - Specialists	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Zack Martinelli	Central College	Senior	RS	Elburn, Ill. / Kaneland
Jake Pisarik	Wartburg College	Junior	P	Mt. Vernon, Iowa / Mt. Vernon
Tyler Stolen & % ^ !	Buena Vista University	Senior	PK	Sioux City, Iowa / Bishop Heelan
Second Team - Defense	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Austin Troendle	Coe College	Senior	DB	Waukon, Iowa / Waukon
Ricky Humes	Luther College	Senior	DB	San Clemente, Calif. / San Clemente
Derek Trotter	University of Dubuque	Junior	DB	Tripoli, Iowa / Wapsie Valley
Sawyer Anderson	Wartburg College	Senior	DB	New Hampton, Iowa / New Hampton
Wes Wheat	Central College	Senior	DL	Phoenix, Ariz. / Phoenix Christian
Tyler Sorensen	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Junior	DL	Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln Northeast
Jake Stearns	Simpson College	Senior	DL	Knoxville, Iowa / Knowville
Dalton Ciavarelli	Wartburg College	Senior	DL	Clarksville, Iowa / Clarksville
Drew Carlson % @	Central College	Senior	LB	Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny
Sam Norgaard	Central College	Senior	LB	Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley
Ryan Leonard	Coe College	Senior	LB	Center Junction, Iowa / Midland
LeDevin Smith	University of Dubuque	Junior	LB	Downers Grove, Ill. / Downers Grove South
Second Team - Offense	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Michael Davidson	Buena Vista University	Senior	OL	Schaller, Iowa / Ridge View
Zak Ranshaw	Coe College	Junior	OL	Iowa City, Iowa / Iowa City West
Jacob Brunner	Luther College	Senior	OL	Stockton, Ill. / Stockton
Dustin Ihns @	Simpson College	Senior	OL	Tipton, Iowa / Tipton
Quincy Griffith @	Wartburg College	Senior	OL	Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny
Gavin Glenn	Coe College	Senior	QB	Adel, Iowa / ADM
Matt Sacia	Wartburg College	Sophomore	QB	Eldridge, Iowa / North Scott
Zach Minch @	Loras College	Senior	RB	Davenport, Iowa / Iowa Central CC
Christian Moore	Luther College	Senior	RB	Kendall, Wis. / Royall
Dylan Schultz @	University of Dubuque	Senior	TE	Lynn Center, Ill. / Orion
Jalen Henningsen * !	Buena Vista University	Senior	WR	Alta, Iowa / Alta-Aurelia
Riley Brockway	Wartburg College	Junior	WR	Postville, Iowa / Postville
Second Team - Specialists	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Riley Brockway	Wartburg College	Junior	RS	Postville, Iowa / Postville
Tyler Stolen & % ^ !	Buena Vista University	Senior	P	Sioux City, Iowa / Bishop Heelan
Kramer Rath	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Senior	PK	Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln Southwest
Honorable Mention	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Mason Frost	Buena Vista University	Junior	DL	Boone, Iowa / Boone
Collin Erickson	Central College	Sophomore	DB	Gilber, Ariz. / Dobson
Josh Brunk	Central College	Junior	OL	West Des Moines, Iowa / Valley
Andrew Netolicky	Coe College	Senior	DL	Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie
Nick Elsbury #	Coe College	Senior	LB	Byron, Ill. / Byron
BJ Weepie	Coe College	Junior	OL	Fairbank, Iowa / Wapsie Valley
Jacob Langenberg	Coe College	Junior	OL	Maquoketa, Iowa / Maquoketa
Brandon Abbas	Coe College	Senior	PK	Aplington, Iowa / Aplington Parkersburg
Bryan Hermann	Loras College	Senior	DB	Tinley Park, Ill. / Tinley Park
Mitch Powers	Loras College	Senior	DL	Dubuque, Iowa / Dubuque Senior
Joe Pagura #	Loras College	Senior	OL	Fitchburg, Wis. / Verona Area
Walter Ollie	Loras College	Sophomore	RS	Pearl City, Ill. / Eastland-Pearl City
Jeremy Peters	Loras College	Senior	P	Clinton, Iowa / Prince of Peace
Luke Pulliam ^ #	Luther College	Junior	DB	Tracy, Calif. / Tracy
Brady Letney	Luther College	Junior	QB	Bettendorf, Iowa / Pleasant Valley
Ryan Schneider	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Senior	WR	Ceresco, Neb. / Raymond Central
Ryan Lehr	Simpson College	Freshman	DB	Indianola, Iowa / Indianola
Jordan Beem % ^ !	Simpson College	Senior	RB	Altoona, Iowa / Southeast Polk
Nathan Hawkins	Simpson College	Junior	P	Solon, Iowa / Solon
Ryan Sarver	Simpson College	Sophomore	LB	Albia, Iowa / Albia
Daniel Pike	University of Dubuque	Junior	DL	Monticello, Iowa / Monticello
Greg Smith @	University of Dubuque	Senior	OL	Greenfield, Iowa / Nodaway Valley
Maurece Herrion #	University of Dubuque	Sophomore	RB	Elgin, Ill. / Larkin
Connor O'Malley	University of Dubuque	Sophomore	P	Pewaukee, Wis. Pewaukee
Previous Honors
! - 2015 First Team All-Conference
@ - 2015 Second Team All-Conference
# - 2015 Honorable Mention
$ - 2014 First Team All-Conference
% - 2014 Second Team All-Conference
^ - 2014 Honorable Mention
& - 2013 First Team All-Conference
*- 2013 Second Team All-Conference
~ - 2013 Honorable Mention

 
The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today its major football awards and the 54-member All-Iowa Conference team for the 2016 season. Coe College senior running back Trevor Heitland (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) has been selected as the IIAC Football Offensive Most Valuable Player. On the defensive side of the ball Coe College defensive back Dylan Stepleton (Sr., Tipton, Iowa / Tipton) has been named the IIAC Football Defensive Most Valuable Player. Coe College head coach Tyler Staker earned the honor of IIAC Football Coach of the Year and the Iowa Conference Championship at 8-0 in league play.

Heitland was a major force on offense, racking up league highs of 1,619 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns and 108 points. The shifty Heitland ranked second nationally with that rushing-yardage total and led the nation in all-purpose yardage with an average of 217.60 yards per game. Heitland was the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week four times this season, including last week when he rushed for a career-high 238 yards against Simpson. That made him just the third Coe runner to go over 1,500 in a season; the other two — Fred Jackson and Carey Bender — are considered two of the best players in conference history. He is Coe’s first Offensive MVP since QB Brad Boyle won in 2010.
 
Stepleton led the conference with eight interceptions for an average of 0.8 per game. That mark was good for a tie for second nationally in interceptions. Two of Stapleton’s pick-offs resulted in touchdowns. He was twice the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week; first when he tied the school record with three interceptions against Loras and again when he had nine solo tackles and blocked a crucial game-tying FG attempt in the closing seconds against Central. Stepleton was second team all-conference in 2014. Stepleton follows Frank Weymiller in 2012 as the last Coe player to win the Defensive Player of the Year.
 
The Staker name is a familiar one to Coe followers. Tyler took over for his dad, Steve, at the end of last year. He made his rookie season one to remember by leading the Kohawks to their 11th unbeaten record in school history. Tyler Staker is a 2006 graduate of Coe with a degree in business. He was a four-year letterman and a two-time captain — also twice an all-conference selection — for the Kohawks as a defensive back.
 
Coe teammate and OL Dalton Kuehl (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa) joined Heitland on the all-conference first-team offense. Kuehl and his line mates powered the Coe running attack to a league-high 424 points. Coe averaged 273 yards per game on the ground (second in conference) and 502 yards in total offense (also second in conference).
 
Central College placed a league-high five players on the first-team offense. Cole Tanner (Sr., Greenfield, Iowa) was recognized as one of the best offensive linemen in the league, helping the Dutch to league highs of 538 yards of total offense and 314 passing yards per game. QB Riley Gray (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa) passed for an average of almost 248 yards per game in an offense that shuffled quarterbacks at times. He also proved his dual-threat capability by running for 615 yards. TE Mitchell Boerm (Sr., Traer, Iowa) helped both Tanner and Gray in his blocking and pass receiving. Boerm had 24 catches for 383 yards and two touchdowns, and helped power the Central offensive line as well. WR Sam Markham (Sr., Atlantic, Iowa) was a very dangerous threat on the outside. He led the conference with 105 receptions and 1,215 yards. Markham also made the first team in 2015. Zack Martinelli (Sr., Elburn, Ill.) was voted the league’s best return specialist. He averaged 11 yards per punt return and took one back for a touchdown, and averaged 22 yards on 23 kick returns.
 
Dubuque took three spots on the first-team offense. OL Patrick Cusak (Sr., Davis Junction, Ill.) led a unit that generated 39.8 points per contest. Cusak is a first-team choice for the second year in a row. QB Conor Feckley (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) put up some dizzying numbers behind center. He was the only conference signal-caller to go over 3,000 yards for the season and had a league-high 37 touchdowns. He threw only eight interceptions in 390 attempts. WR Najee Toomer (Sr., Maywood, Ill.) was one of the league’s best deep threats, averaging 17.7 yards per catch and leading all receivers with 13 TDs.
 
Playing in the Iowa Conference for the first year, Nebraska Wesleyan put two players on the first-team offense. OL Garrett McCarthy (Sr., Norfolk, Neb.) helped move an offense that averaged almost 27 points per game. He was one of five best friends to RB Joel Wiedel (Sr., Fremont, Neb.), who rushed for almost 90 yards per game and was voted first team. Wiedel was hurt and participated in only one play this past Saturday or his numbers would have been even better. Wiedel scored 11 times to go with his 896 rushing yards and 316 receiving yards.
 
Luther College OL James Ostlie (Sr., Decorah, Iowa) was voted to the first team after earning second-team honors in both 2014 and 2015. Ostlie’s line moved Luther’s run-oriented offense to a league-high average of 298.5 yards per game.
 
The other first-team specialists in addition to Central’s Martinelli were Buena Vista PK Tyler Stolen (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa) and Wartburg P Jake Pisarik (Jr., Mt. Vernon, Iowa). Stolen became a three-time first-team player after a season in which he led the league with 14 FGs in 16 attempts and had the league’s longest FG of 53 yards. Stolen was first team all-league in 2013, 2015 and 2016, and was second team in 2014. Pisarik punted 39 times for an average of 42.6 yards per punt with several inside the 20 (12), fair caught (10) or touchbacks (4).

On the defensive side of the ball 2016 Defensive MVP Dylan Stepleton of Coe College also garnered first team honors as a defensive back. Coe also placed defensive linemen Robbie Peters (Jr., Mt. Vernon, Iowa) and Drew Heitland (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Heitland and Peters anchored a defensive front that allowed a league-best 362.9-yards per game. Heitland was a common member of opposing backfields with 17 quarterback hurries, three sacks and three forced fumbles (second in IIAC). Peters ranked second in the conference with nine tackles for a loss and added five sacks (third in IIAC).
 
Central College also had three players selected to first team defense led by 2015 first team selections, DB Zach Matter (Sr., Ankeny, Iowa) and DL Corbin Blythe (Sr., Williamsburg, Iowa). Senior LB Jessie Peterson (Sr., Coralville, Iowa) made his first appearance on the all-conference roster. Matter completed his senior season leading the conference in pass breakups with 16 and tied for fourth with three interceptions. Blythe highlighted his senior campaign with two sacks, three tackles for loss, and tied for fourth in the league with two forced fumbles. Peterson’s senior season at Central concluded with a 9.9 tackles per game average, ranking him second in the conference.
 
In Nebraska Wesleyan University’s first season as a member of the Iowa Conference two defensive players earned all-conference honors. Defensive back Riley Shoemaker (Sr., Grand Island, Neb.) made his presence known in the secondary with nine pass breakups and two interceptions. Senior teammate, LB Preston Franzen (Sr., Gothenburg, Neb.) ranked third in the league with 97 total tackles and 8.5 of those coming as tackles for loss.
 
Michael Joseph (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) of the University of Dubuque followed up his 2015 first team selection with another honor in 2016. The Spartan DB ranks third in the conference with four interceptions, one of which he returned the other way for a touchdown. Joseph created frustration amongst league quarterbacks adding 12 pass breakups and one sack.
 
Simpson college DL Isaac Frazier (Sr., Marion, Iowa) is now a two-time all-conference first team selection (2015). Frazier ended his senior year leading the conference in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (9.5). Frazier didn’t stop there; he also leads the league in forced fumbles with four and recorded 52 tackles.
 
2014 and 2015 honorable mention selection, Calvin Harridge (Sr., Morrison, Ill.) of Loras College had a banner senior year to garner first team honors in 2016. The LB was the league leader in tackles with 123 and ranked second with three forced fumbles. Harridge added 5.5 tackles for a loss and three quarterback hurries.
 
Junior LB Tony Anstoetter (Jr., Farley, Iowa) of Wartburg College rounds out the 2016 first team defensive honorees. Anstoetter recorded three interceptions to rank fourth in the league while also breaking up eight passes. In his junior season, he totaled 70 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
 
The 54-member team includes 16 earning at least their second all-conference honor (first-second team), including Buena Vista punter-placekicker Tyler Stolen, who becomes a four-time honoree (First Team: 2013, 2015-2016; Second Team: 2014). Luther offensive lineman James Ostlie, Central linebacker Drew Carlson, and Buena Vista wide receiver Jalen Henningsen each earned their third all-conference honor. Ostlie moved up to first team in 2016 after being selected second team in 2014-2015. Carlson has now become a three time second team honoree (2014-2016). Henningsen earned his second first team selection (2015-2016) and was named to the 2013 second team.
 
Central led the team totals with 11 selections – eight on first team and three on second team. The Dutch placed six on offense, four on defense, and one on special teams. Undefeated conference champion Coe was right on Central’s heels with nine selections – five on first team and four on second team. The Kohawks landed five selections on defense and four selections on offense. Wartburg was third with eight selections, just ahead of Dubuque (7) and Nebraska Wesleyan (6). Buena Vista and Luther tied for sixth with four honorees. Simpson with three and Loras with two round out the 2016 team.


 

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