RICHARDSON, Texas -- Southwest Region champion Northwest Missouri had just one first-team selection, but the Bearcats were among six squads that totaled four or more honorees on the 2005 Daktronics Division II All-Southwest Region Football Team that was announced Wednesday.
Northwest, which has posted three straight playoff wins away from home to move into Saturday’s NCAA Division II semifinals against North Alabama, was represented on the all-region first team by defensive lineman Dave Tollefson, while the Bearcats added quarterback Josh Lamberson, running back Xavier Omon and wide receiver Andre Rector on the second team.
Regional runner-up Pittsburg State led all teams with six total honorees, while Tarleton State had five and Texas A&M-Kingsville, Washburn, West Texas A&M and NWMSU added four apiece.
Altogether, 18 of the 35 football teams in the Southwest Region were represented on the first- or second-team, with a total of 50 players named in the voting by sports information directors at member institutions. Each of the 25 first-team players now advances to the NCAA Division II All-America ballot, joining first-team picks from the Northeast, Northwest and Southeast regions.
Lone Star Conference champion West Texas A&M had a regionhigh four first-team picks -- quarterback Dalton Bell, offensive lineman Pat McCoy, wide receiver Tonae Martin and safety Keon Gaither -- while Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association champion Washburn was one of three teams to get three first-teamers.
The first team featured 15 players from LSC member institutions, six from MIAA teams and four from Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schools. The second team was comprised of 10 MIAA players, eight LSC standouts, six RMAC student-athletes and one player from independent Missouri-Rolla.
There were eight repeat first team all-region picks. WTAMU’s McCoy, Tarleton’s Sam Skidmore and PSU’s Chad Weeks all repeated along the offensive line, while PSU’s Germaine Race was the top vote-getter at running back for a second consecutive season.
Other repeat first-teamers were linebackers Deandrae Fillmore from TAMUK and Adam McGurk from Adams State, plus Abilene Christian safety Danieal Manning and ASC punter Jeff Williams.
Pitt State defensive lineman Ryan Meredith and Chadron State running back Danny Woodhead, both first-teamers a year ago, were voted to this year’s second team.
Tarleton running back Derrick Ross, Nebraska-Kearney receiver Richie Ross, Colorado Mines all-purpose back Justin Gallas and Abilene Christian defensive lineman Clayton Farrell each made their way to the first team this season after being second-team picks last year. CSM offensive lineman Traviss Yenne and NWMSU running back Xavier Omon both repeated as second-team selections.
The All-Southwest Region team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., and regulated by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSida). Daktronics, with headquarters in Brookings, S.D., is an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.
2005 Daktronics Division II All-Southwest Region Team
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Offensive Line
Rayshaun Hollings, Southeastern Oklahoma (6-3, 280, Jr.)
*Pat McCoy, West Texas A&M (6-6, 335, Sr.)
Sam Skidmore, Tarleton State (6-4, 315, Sr.)
Randy Sue’, Washburn (6-1, 301, Sr.)
Chad Weeks, Pittsburg State (6-3, 329, Sr.)
Tight End
Justin Carter, Angelo State (6-5, 255, Jr.)
Wide Receiver
Tonae Martin, West Texas A&M (6-4, 210, Sr.)
*Richie Ross, Nebraska-Kearney (6-4, 205, Sr.)
Running Back
*Germaine Race, Pittsburg State (5-11, 225, Jr.)
Derrick Ross, Tarleton State (6-0, 238, Sr.)
Quarterback
Dalton Bell, West Texas A&M (6-3, 205, Jr.)
All-Purpose Back
Justin Gallas, Colorado Mines (6-1, 185, Sr.)
Place Kicker
Paul Williams, Tarleton State (5-10, 200, Jr.)
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive Line
*Clayton Farrell, Abilene Christian (6-4, 275, Sr.)
Wilbert Martin, Texas A&M-Kingsville (6-3, 310, Sr.)
Dave Tollefson, Northwest Missouri (6-4, 270, Sr.)
Linebacker
*Deandrae Fillmore, Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-9, 220, Sr.)
Grant Gould, Washburn (6-3, 237, Sr.)
J.D. Hearn, Texas A&M-Commerce (6-1, 227, Sr.)
Adam McGurk, Adams State (6-1, 215, Sr.)
Cornerback
Stephen McCoy, Texas A&M-Kingsville (6-1, 185, Jr.)
*Fletcher Terrell, Washburn (6-1, 190, Jr.)
Safety
Keon Gaither, West Texas A&M (6-0, 200, Jr.)
*Danieal Manning, Abilene Christian (6-0, 205, Jr.)
Punter
Jeff Williams, Adams State (6-4, 225, Sr.)
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Offensive Line
Robert Acuna, Eastern New Mexico (6-0, 307, Sr.)
Darryl Grace, Central Missouri State (6-2, 308, Sr.)
Jeff Penney, Midwestern State (6-0, 290, Sr.)
James Poynter, Nebraska-Kearney (6-2, 300, Sr.)
Travis Yenne, Colorado Mines (6-4, 285, Sr.)
Tight End
Brandon Twito, Pittsburg State (6-7, 270, Sr.)
Wide Receiver
Ashton Gronewold, Missouri-Rolla (5-11, 175, So.)
Andre Rector, Northwest Missouri (5-11, 190, Jr.)
Running Back
Xavier Omon, Northwest Missouri (6-0, 210, Sr.)
Danny Woodhead, Chadron State (5-9, 195, So.)
Quarterback
Josh Lamberson, Northwest Missouri (6-1, 205, Sr.)
All-Purpose Back
Fletcher Terrell, Washburn (6-1, 190, Jr.)
Place Kicker
Nathan Alleman, Pittsburg State (6-3, 185, Jr.)
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Ryan Meredith, Pittsburg State (6-2, 237, Jr.)
Tywain Myles, Tarleton State (6-2, 290, So.)
Ernesto Villasenor, Adams State (6-0, 320, Sr.)
Linebacker
Marcus Brown, Abilene Christian (5-11, 235, Jr.)
Jared Heath, Colorado Mines (6-0, 220, Sr.)
Josh Lattimer, Pittsburg State (5-11, 231, Sr.)
Erick Smith, Tarleton State (6-0, 240, Jr.)
Cornerback
Byrone Bell, Nebraska-Kearney (5-11, 185, Sr.)
Corey White, Eastern New Mexico (6-0, 165, Sr.)
Safety
Norman Dawson, Southeastern Oklahoma (6-3, 205, Sr.)
Kendall Ricketts, Central Missouri State (5-10, 182, So.)
Punter
Richard Hammond, Texas A&M-Kingsville (6-2, 207, Sr.)
* denotes top vote-getter at a position where multiple players were selected