All-MEC Honors for Eight Hilltopper Gridders
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Eight West Liberty University football players were named to the Spring 2021 All-Mountain East Conference Team on Thursday afternoon when the MEC coaches released the results of their post-season balloting.
Running back Quincy Wimbish and punter/kicker Owen Rozanc were first-team selections while H-Back Kyle Ritz, offensive tackle Francisco Pedrozo, defensive end David Gilcreast, linebacker Clay McDonald and the defensive back tandem of Koty Hudson and Jason Mitchell all earned second-team laurels in the abbreviated spring season.
Notre Dame running back Tabyus Taylor was voted MEC Offensive Player of the Year while Frostburg State lineman Zach Strand was the MEC Defensive Player of the Year. UNC Pembroke's Jai'Veon Smalls (Offensive) and Dante Bowling (Defensive) swept the MEC Freshman of the Year awards. Notre Dame first-year head coach Mickey Mental was the MEC Coach of the Year.
Following are brief capsules on West Liberty’s All-MEC honorees:
QUINCY WIMBISH, a 6-0, 200-pound senior from Carson, Calif., led the Hilltoppers in rushing and ranked No. 3 in the MEC with 350 yards on 80 carries. He had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games against Alderson Broaddus and Wheeling, the first WLU back to top 100 yards in consecutive games since 2017.
OWEN ROZANC, a 5-10, 175-pound junior from Sheffield Lake, Ohio, is a two-time All-MEC selection, having earned second-team honors as a freshman. The two-time MEC Special Teams Player of the Week led the league in punting at 42.6 yards per punt and was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts.
KYLE RITZ, a 6-3, 230-pound senior from New Martinsville, W.Va., caught at least one pass in every game and was regarded as one of the top blocking tight ends in the conference.
FRANCISCO PEDROZO, a 6-7, 310-pound junior from Canton, Ohio, was West Liberty's top vote-getters on an improving offensive line that averaged nearly 200 rushing yards a game over the Hilltoppers' final three outings.
DAVID GILCREAST, a 6-3, 210-pound junior from Akron, Ohio, was one of the leading playmakers on an opportunistic WLU defense with 6.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 quarterback sacks - both team-highs!
CLAY McDONALD, a 6-3, 235-pound senior from Wheeling, W.Va., is a repeat All-MEC selection after earning second-team honors in 2019. McDonald ranked second on the team with 25 tackles, highlighted by a team season-high 11 stops against Wheeling.
KOTY HUDSON, a 6-0, 190-pound senior from Follansbee, W.Va., was the Hilltoppers' leading tackler with 28 stops from his free safety spot, including a team-high 18 solo tackles.
JASON MITCHELL, a 5-10, 175-pound freshman from Springdale, Md., emerged as an impact performer in his debut season, leading the team with two interceptions and ranking third on the squad with 21 total tackles in just four games.
FOOTBALL
Spring 2021 All-Mountain East Conference Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Tabyus Taylor (Notre Dame)
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Jai'Veon Smalls (UNC Pembroke)
Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Strand (Frostburg State)
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Dante Bowling (UNC Pembroke)
Coach of the Year: Mickey Mental (Notre Dame)
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Pos. Name School
QB Josh Jones UNC Pembroke
QB Guy Myers Charleston
RB Tyreik McAllister Charleston
RB Tabyus Taylor Notre Dame
RB QUINCY WIMBISH WEST LIBERTY
WR Kyle Belack Frostburg State
WR Devanaire Conliffe Notre Dame
WR Marquis McCoy Charleston
TE Zaire Mitchell Notre Dame
FB Nate Forte Frostburg State
OL Gottlieb Ayedze Frostburg State
OL Nick Beans Notre Dame
OL Jimmy Burchett Notre Dame
OL Greg Gaines Frostburg State
OL Brandon Nicholson Notre Dame
Defense
DL Savion Davis Notre Dame
DL BJ Faniran Charleston
DL Noah Harris Lyles Notre Dame
DL Carl Igweh Frostburg State
DL Jack Kosko Notre Dame
DL Zach Strand Frostburg State
LB Jake Broschart Frostburg State
LB Dustin Crouser W.Va. State
LB Keon Freeman Charleston
LB Guam Lee Notre Dame
LB Nate Moore Notre Dame
DB Kei Beckham Charleston
DB Tavon Hooks Notre Dame
DB Devin Jones UNC Pembroke
DB Ibrahim Sesay W.Va. State
DB Bryce Shepphert Notre Dame
Special Teams
P OWEN ROZANC WEST LIBERTY
K Tanner Harding Notre Dame
RET Devin Jones UNC Pembroke
SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB Chris Brimm Notre Dame
RB Sy Alli Wheeling
RB Joe Early UNC Pembroke
RB Dante Jones W.Va. State
RB Dymier Still Alderson Broaddus
WR Trey Dixon UNC Pembroke
WR Zay Huff Glenville State
WR Ryan LaFollette Wheeling
WR Jai'Veon Smalls UNC Pembroke
TE Will Hall Frostburg State
HB KYLE RITZ WEST LIBERTY
OL Gage Baldwin UNC Pembroke
OL Michael Kyle Notre Dame
OL Elbert Munn Charleston
OL Tariq Parkings Charleston
OL FRANCISCO PEDROZO WEST LIBERTY
OL Adam Riegler Notre Dame
Defense
DL DAVID GILCREAST WEST LIBERTY
DL Eliah Goodman Charleston
DL Ben Jaramillo UNC Pembroke
DL Masanka Kanku UNC Pembroke
DL Kendell Robinson W.Va. State
LB Dylan Culpen Frostburg State
LB Dalton Hoover Wheeling
LB CLAY MCDONALD WEST LIBERTY
LB Michael Perry Charleston
LB Kenjae Rose Charleston
LB Dylan Spaeth Notre Dame
DB Reggie Collins Charleston
DB KOTY HUDSON WEST LIBERTY
DB JASON MITCHELL WEST LIBERTY
DB Tyleeke Smith Alderson Broaddus
DB Rich White Wheeling
DB DeVonte Whitt Charleston
Special Teams
P Dominic Buttazzoni Notre Dame
K Tim McCutcheon Charleston
RET Andre Allen Notre Dame
HONORABLE MENTION
QB: Graham Walker (FROST)
HB: Brady Kolb (WU)
WR: Shammond Hicks (UNCP), Barry Hill (WVSU), Malik Morris (FROST)
TE: Tristan Ballard (WU)
OL: Brandon Dillard (FROST), Aaron Hess (WU), Zach Lyons (AB), Donnie McCollister (UC) Ian Pomeroy (GSC), Cade Raudebaugh (WU), Andres Sagastume (WVSU)
DL: Jordan Gardener (WU), Ellis Lilly (GSC), Brandon Munoz (WU), Rudy Ngougni (NDC)
LB: Ryan Gorman (WU), Sawyer Koons (AB), Ryan Shelton (FROST), Jason Simon (WU)
DB: Dante Bowling (UNCP), Jermichael Isom (WU), Dane Lynch (GSC), Ron Salter (NDC), Josiah Wright (WU)
P: Shawn Bliss (FROST)
K: Dayne Koontz (FROST)
RET: Chris Canady (WU)