Great West FB Conference
All-Great West Football Conference Teams Announced
GWFC Media Relations
Dec 2, 2005, 05:50

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (Dec. 2) -- UC Davis quarterback Jon Grant and Cal Poly running back James Noble and defensive end Chris Gocong earned top honors as the 2005 All-Great West Football Conference honors were announced Friday.

Selected by the conferencešs six head coaches, Grant and Noble shared Great West Offensive Player of the Year honors while Gocong earned the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Grant, a junior, completed 259 of 450 passes (57.6 percent) for 2,873 yards and 14 touchdowns, all conference highs, in leading UC Davis to a share of the 2005 Great West title. Grant also led the conference in total offense (273.3 yards per game).

Noble, a redshirt freshman, has rushed for 1,493 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games, averaging 7.2 yards per carry and 149.3 yards per game, fourth best in Division I-AA. Noble has cracked the 100-yard mark eight times, including a pair of 200-yard performances.

Gocong has recorded 22.0 sacks, best in Division I-AA, and his 28.0 tackles for lost yardage is No. 2. The 2004 Buck Buchanan Award runner-up has 87 tackles this season, including 44 solo stops, and 14 quarterback hurries, including seven against Idaho State.

Other specialty awards went to South Dakota State sophomore placekicker Parker Douglass as Special Teams Player of the Year, Noble as Freshman of the Year and Rich Ellerson of Cal Poly as Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Douglass led the conference in scoring with 9.9 points per game, making 42 of 43 extra-point kicks and 19 of 26 field goals. Ellerson guided the Mustangs to their third straight winning season, second Great West title and their first-ever Division I-AA playoff berth. Cal Poly has won 26 of its last 35 games under Ellerson, who has a 34-22 mark in five seasons with the Mustangs.

The first team includes 14 players from Cal Poly, eight from UC Davis, four from North Dakota State, three from Northern Colorado and two from South Dakota State. The first team also includes 10 seniors, 10 juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.

Six players are repeat first-team selections. They are Grant, Gocong, offensive lineman Tim Popowski of North Dakota State, running back Kyle Steffes of North Dakota State, running back Andre Wilson of Northern Colorado and safety Reed Doughty of Northern Colorado.

Four other first-team selections from a year ago are on the second unit in 2005, including Southern Utah wide receiver Jerome Eason, South Dakota State running back Anthony Watson, UC Davis tight end Daniel Fells and North Dakota State defensive back Craig Dahl.

Three players who were second-team all-conference a year ago and moved up to the first team this fall are Cal Poly offensive lineman Beau Finato, Mustang wide receiver Jonah Russell and UC Davis inside linebacker Dan Elbanna.

And four other players are repeat second-team selections -- South Dakota State offensive linemen Paul Keizer and Taylor Murray, Southern Utah outside linebacker Steve Smith and South Dakota State defensive back Hank McCall.

2005 ALL-GREAT WEST FOOTBALL CONFERENCE TEAMS

Co-Offensive Players of the Year:

Jon Grant, QB (UC Davis)

James Noble, RB (Cal Poly)

Defensive Player of the Year:

Chris Gocong, DE (Cal Poly)

Special Teams Player of the Year:

Parker Douglass, PK (South Dakota State)

Freshman of the Year:

James Noble, RB (Cal Poly)

Coach of the Year:

Rich Ellerson (Cal Poly)

FIRST TEAM

Offense

C Stephen Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-1 270 Fr. Arroyo Grande, CA

OL *Tim Popowski . . . . .North Dakota State 6-2 310 Sr. Brookings, SD

OL Mitch Erickson . . . .South Dakota State 6-6 290 So. Hutchinson, MN

OL **Beau Finato . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-0 255 Sr. Palo Alto, CA

OL Nate Safe . . . . . . . .North Dakota State 6-5 308 So. Cannon Falls, MN

TE A.J. Cooper . . . . . . .North Dakota State 6-1 239 Sr. Phoenix, AZ

WR Ramses Barden . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-6 210 Fr. Altadena, CA

WR Tony Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-1 188 Jr. Elk Grove, CA

WR **Jonah Russell . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-0 195 Sr. Folsom, CA

QB *Jon Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-2 198 Jr. Pacific Grove, CA

QB Anthony Garnett . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-1 210 Sr. Seaside, CA

RB *Kyle Steffes . . . . . .North Dakota State 5-11 204 So. Dickinson, ND

RB James Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 5-6 180 Fr. Barstow, CA

RB *Andre Wilson . . . . . .Northern Colorado 6-1 190 Jr. Denver, CO

Defense

DL *Chris Gocong . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-3 265 Sr. Santa Barbara, CA

DL Chris White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-3 273 Jr. Bakersfield, CA

DL James Amos . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-3 245 So. Galt, CA

DL John Faletoese . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-2 260 Fr. Carmichael, CA

DL Mike Ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-2 244 Jr. Fairfield, CA

OLB Justin Peek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-1 220 Jr. Oakhurst, CA

OLB Ben Reece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 5-9 205 Sr. Paso Robles, CA

ILB Kyle Shotwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-1 235 Jr. Goleta, CA

ILB **Dan Elbanna . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 5-11 215 Sr. Walnut Creek, CA

DB *Reed Doughty . . . . .Northern Colorado 6-1 210 Sr. Johnstown, CO

DB Courtney Brown . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-2 205 Jr. Oakland, CA

DB Aaron Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 5-10 193 Sr. Garden Grove, CA

DB Kenny Chicoine . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-1 205 Jr. Huntington Beach, CA

DB Jonathan Barsi . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-0 195 Jr. Los Altos, CA

Special Teams

P **Tim Chicoine . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-1 185 So. Huntington Beach, CA

PK Parker Douglass . . .South Dakota State 5-8 170 So. Columbus, NE

RS Patrick Ealy . . . . . . .Northern Colorado 5-8 181 Fr. Denver, CO

SECOND TEAM

Offense

C Matt Sens . . . . . . . . .Northern Colorado 6-4 285 Jr. Greeley, CO

OL **Paul Keizer . . . . . .South Dakota State 6-4 291 Sr. Hull, IA

OL Brett Gauld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-4 300 Sr. Solvang, CA

OL **Taylor Murray . . . .South Dakota State 6-3 295 Jr. Cambridge, MN

OL Elliott Vallejo . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-8 295 Jr. Salinas, CA

TE *Daniel Fells . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-4 252 Sr. Fullerton, CA

WR Josh Davis . . . . . . .South Dakota State 6-0 174 Sr. Omaha, NE

WR Blaise Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 6-2 190 Sr. Santa Maria, CA

WR *Jerome Eason . . . . . . . .Southern Utah 6-3 215 Sr. Lancaster, CA

QB Nick Hager . . . . . . . .Northern Colorado 6-0 180 Sr. Fort Collins, CO

RB Adam Martinez . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-2 225 Sr. Paso Robles, CA

RB *Anthony Watson . .South Dakota State 5-10 221 Jr. Worthington, MN

RB Cory Koenig . . . . . .South Dakota State 5-10 195 So. Underwood, IA

Defense

DL Rodney Thompson .North Dakota State 6-3 307 Sr. Minneapolis, MN

DL Justin Frick . . . . . . .North Dakota State 6-3 292 Jr. Yankton, SD

DL Matt Chachere . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cal Poly 6-0 235 Sr. Modesto, CA

DL Gabe Koenigsfeld . .South Dakota State 6-4 249 Sr. Marble Rock, IA

OLB **Steve Smith . . . . . . . . .Southern Utah 6-0 215 Sr. Salt Lake City, UT

OLB Kole Zimmerman . . .North Dakota State 5-11 221 Sr. Windom, MN

ILB Joe Mays . . . . . . . . .North Dakota State 5-11 242 So. Chicago, IL

ILB Billy Ray Kirch . . . .South Dakota State 6-1 219 Sr. Blaine, MN

DB *Craig Dahl . . . . . . .North Dakota State 6-1 207 Jr. Mankato, MN

DB Nevan Bergan . . . . . . . . . . . . .UC Davis 5-11 170 Jr. San Diego, CA

DB **Hank McCall . . . . .South Dakota State 5-11 195 Sr. Algona, IA

DB Brad Kofoed . . . . . . . . . .Southern Utah 6-0 175 Jr. Salt Lake City, UT

Special Teams

P Mike Dragosavich, . .North Dakota State 6-5 190 So. Oak Lawn, IL

PK Emmanuel Benjamin . . . . . . . .UC Davis 5-10 195 So. Modesto, CA

RS Shamen Washington North Dakota State 5-6 140 So. St. Petersburg, FL

HONORABLE MENTION

Cal Poly: None.

North Dakota State: None.

Northern Colorado: **Shaun Farner (OL), Jake Gable (OL), Paul Sweitzer (TE), Andy Birkel (WR), Cory Sleeth (WR), Jake Carlson (DL), Kurt Hout (DL), Jake Duren (ILB), Greg Gebhardt (DB), *Justin Zaitz (PK).

South Dakota State: Mitch Pontrelli (DL), Andrew Hoogeveen (OLB), *Neal Bainbridge (P), JaRon Harris (RS).

Southern Utah: Joey Hew Len (WR), Matt Roan (OL), Mike Knight (OL), **Levi Erickson (DL), Jason

Ripley (DL), Derek Hood (DL), John King (DB), **Brandon Perkins (P/PK).

UC Davis: Nolan de Graaff (OLB), Adam Cook (DB).

* denotes first-team All-Great West Football Conference selection in 2004

** denotes second-team All-Great West Football Conference selection in 2004