Galesburg, IL – The Prairie Fire is well represented on the 2012 All-Midwest Conference football team.
Knox has a total of seven All-MWC selections. Four players were named to the first team, one to the second team, and two are on the honorable mention squad.
The all-conference first team offensive players are running back Derek Mortensen (Crystal Lake, IL, Crystal Lake South) and offensive lineman Jordan Willits (Aledo, IL, Mercer County), both juniors. The first team defensive players are senior linebacker Mike Hendrick (Smithton, IL, Freeburg) and senior Mike Schroeder (Glenview, IL, Glenbrook South) on special teams.
In addition, junior tight end Neal Moon (Kahoka, MO, Clark County R-1) is an All-MWC second team pick. Senior offensive lineman Mike Carr (Niles, IL, Niles Notre Dame) and senior defensive lineman Lloyd Scott (Chicago, IL, Mount Carmel) were named honorable mention all-conference.
The team has also announced its 2012 football awards. Mortensen was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player and the Tom Dean Award recipient (MVP of the Monmouth College game). Hendrick won the Most Valuable Defensive Player and Most Valuable Senior awards. Schroeder was named the Most Valuable Player on Special Teams.
Mortensen, a Midwest Conference honorable mention selection last season as a sophomore, set or tied 10 new school records during the 2012 season after rushing for 1362 yards and 17 touchdowns. He led the Midwest Conference in rushing yards and was second in rushing yards per game (136.2, #11 in NCAA Division III), rushing touchdowns, scoring (104 points, 10.4 per game -- #14 in NCAA Division III), and all-purpose yards (1373, 137.3 per game).
Willits, a dominating offensive lineman, was an All-MWC second team selection a year ago. He is the first Knox offensive lineman to be selected to the first team in 15 years. The last to accomplish the honor were Matt Schreier and Kris Nelson in 1997. Willits helped pave the way for Mortensen and the Prairie Fire's strong rushing attack in 2012. Knox was in the upper half of the conference with an average of 201.6 yards per game on the ground and 26 touchdowns.
Carr, a first-time all-conference selection, was the Prairie Fire’s center and a key member of an offensive line that also helped Knox set a school record for points in a season.
The Prairie Fire scored 311 points for an average of 31.1 per game, the third-highest scoring offense in the league. That included a 63-point outburst in a win at home against Lawrence University on November 3 – the most points scored in a game since the 1919 team put up a record 75. The 1919 squad, which went undefeated with an 8-0 record, also held the previous all-time high for points in a season with 295.
The new records Mortensen set in 2012 were rushing touchdowns in a game (6), total touchdowns in a game (6), rushing touchdowns in a season (17), total touchdowns in a season (17), career rushing touchdowns (30), points in a game (38), and rushing yards in a season (1362). He tied the records for most points in a season (104), most games over 100 yards in a season (seven), and most games over 200 yards in a season (two).
Mortensen and everyone else that had the football did a good job of taking care of it. The Prairie Fire had just eight fumbles and lost five of them. Those break the previous all-time low marks of 10 fumbles and six lost in 1997.
Moon was named all-conference for the first time in his career after a fine season catching the football and blocking on the offensive line. He had 22 receptions for 268 yards, an average of 12.2 yards per catch, and five touchdowns. Moon was second among the Knox receivers in touchdowns and third in reception yards.
Hendrick received All-MWC first team defense accolades for the second straight season. The All-American led all NCAA Division III defensive players with 157 total tackles in 2011 as well as tackles per game with 15.7 to earn a statistical championship plaque from the NCAA. Hendrick finished 2012 with 133 total tackles, which led the Midwest Conference and ranked third in the nation, while his average of 13.3 tackles per game was fifth in the country. He also had 5.0 sacks (#11 MWC), 11.0 tackles for a loss (tied #9 MWC), and three forced fumbles (tied #2 MWC).
In addition, Hendrick broke two school records and tied another for tackles during his senior season, including two that he already held. He's #1 in Knox football history with 200 solo tackles in a career and 81 solo tackles in a season. Hendrick, in 2012, topped his own all-time mark of 75 solo tackles in a season, which he set in 2011. He also tied the record he previously set in 2010 for solo tackles in a game with 14 in the 2012 season finale against Monmouth College. Other records he owns are total tackles in a game (26) and total tackles in a season (157). Hendrick finished his career with 373 total tackles, which is second all-time behind Tracy Rodgers (453).
Schroeder had a record-breaking season on special teams and served as a valuable member of the Prairie Fire defense in the secondary. He was second on the team with 74 tackles and his 7.4 tackles per game ranked #16 in the Midwest Conference.
Schroeder garnered all-conference recognition for the first time after setting six new Knox football records on special teams. He’s the all-time leader with 1039 kickoff return yards in a season, 2272 career kickoff return yards, 225 kickoff return yards in a game (Eureka College), nine kickoff returns in a game (Eureka College), 46 kickoff returns in a season (2012), and 110 kickoff returns in a career. Schroeder led the conference in kickoff return yardage (1039), which included a 79-yard touchdown return in week one against Eureka College, and he ranked second in the league (#83 the country) with an average of 22.6 yards per kick return.
The Prairie Fire led the MWC with an average of 21.6 yards per kickoff return, which was #33 in NCAA Division III. Schroeder also was ninth in the league with an average of 105.8 all-purpose yards per game.
Scott, a first-time all-conference selection, caused problems for opposing offenses from his defensive line position. He concluded his final season with 38 tackles, including nine for a loss (tied #13 MWC), 5.5 sacks (#10 MWC), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
The conference’s three individual awards went to senior running back Al Mitchell of Lake Forest College, senior defensive lineman Josh Zank of Carroll University, and Lake Forest coach Jim Catanzaro.
Mitchell was named the 2012 Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Zank the 2012 Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and Catanzaro the 2012 Midwest Conference Coach of the Year.
Catanzaro is the first Lake Forest coach to win the award since 2002, when Knox athletic director and outgoing football coach Chad Eisele received the honor after leading the Foresters to the Midwest Conference championship that year.
The link to the 2012 All-Midwest Conference football team is http://www.midwestconference.org/news/2012/11/14/FB_1114121742.aspx
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