The 2022 ICCAC Football All-Conference team, All-Region selections and special awards were announced on Monday after the conclusion of the NJCAA regular season.
Twenty-six players were selected by the three head coaches to represent the ICCAC on the All-Conference team -- the top players at each position in the three-team conference.
Leading the way was Iowa Western with 12 selections to the All-Conference list, including seven of the 11 players on defense.
The Reivers finished the regular season as the best defense in the country allowing just 11.5 points per game as a team. After excluding returns and safeties, the defense specifically allowed just 94 points in 10 games. The dominant unit was led by defensive end, Jackson Filer.
A second-time All-Conference selection, Filer became the Reivers all-time leader in sacks earlier in the season and leads the NJCAA in that category with 14.5. He picked up sacks in eight of their 10 games and had six games of a sack and a half or more. His season high, four, came at Independence. He had a three sack game in the Region 11 Championship against Iowa Central.
In addition to the sack numbers, Filer also disrupted the run game -- he collected 26 tackles for a loss accounting for just under half of his 53 total tackles. Peripherally, he forced two fumbles, recovered one and batted down four passes. The Dowling Catholic High School product was also named the 2022 ICCAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Filer's success also came because of his teammates on the line. Quientrail Jamison-Travis and Anterio Thompson joined him on the All-Conference team. Travis was an All-Conference performer last season as well, and in 2022 he recorded 40 tackles, six sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. Impressively, he blocked two kicks.
Thompson also had six sacks along with 20 other tackles.
Three of the four defensive backs came from Iowa Western. The Reiver pass defense was seventh in the country allowing 134.6 yards per game. Jamorri Colson, Will Lee and Dylan Reyes were all picked as All-Conference DBs in 2022. Lee was the top tackler of the three with 24 --- Reyes led the team this season with four interceptions and Colson had the most pass breakups with eight.
Rounding out the Reiver selections on defense was linebacker Rashion Hodge. Hodge led the team in tackles with 60 and was disruptive all-around. He had a sack, 5.5 TFLs, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and three pass breakups.
Offensively, Iowa Western placed running back Bryant Williams and offensive lineman Trevor Brock. Williams led the conference in rushing with 605 yards on 144 carries with four touchdowns.
Three of the four special team slots were filled by Reivers as well. Kicker Sam Wilber made nine field goals and 29 extra points. Punter Ty Nissen leads the country in punts inside the 20 with 33. Return man Micah Davis was second in the country in punt return yards with 303, averaging 12.1 per return.
Coach of the Year was given to Scott Strohmeier of Iowa Western after leading the Reivers an 8-2 record and a berth in the NJCAA Playoff for the second consecutive season. They won their first eight games of the season and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the polls.
As much as Iowa Western dominated the defensive selections on the All-Conference team, Iowa Central did the same on offense.
The Tritons averaged the second-most points in the country (39.5) trailing only the No. 1 team in the country, Hutchinson (Kan.). The lowest point total Iowa Central ended with all year was 21 against Iowa Western. Four times they scored 49 points or more including a 66-point season-high against Ellsworth.
With that, the ICCAC Offensive Player of the Year award went to Iowa Central wideout, Desna Washington. The three-time All-Conference performer was one of the best receivers in the country finishing the regular season third in yards with 812, fourth in touchdowns with nine and 11th in receptions with 49. He scored touchdowns in eight of 10 games and went over 100 yards three times.
His season-highs were nine catches and 162 yards against Dodge City, and two touchdowns against Independence.
Getting Washington the ball and taking the All-Conference quarterback spot was Zach Marker. One of three Tritons to see significant snaps, Marker led the conference in touchdowns with 20 and only had five interceptions. He completed 60% of his passes, most of any ICCAC QB with more than 100 attempts, for 1162 yards.
Another target of Marker was All-Conference selection Cal Weidemann. Weidemann had 10 touchdowns on 37 catches for 476 yards. His 10 TDs tied for second in the country.
The Tritons filled three of the five OL spots as well -- with Elijah Heatherston, Reese Steele and Jack Wilty. Steele is the lone returning All-Conference offensive lineman from the 2021 list.
Defensively Iowa Central saw Deonte Bryant, Rex Van Wyhe and Jacob Camacho on this year's list.
Van Whye, a linebacker, led the conference in tackles with 73. He paired that with 3.5 sacks, six TFLs and three forced fumbles. Bryant, a defensive end, was second in the league in sacks behind IWCC's Filer. He dropped quarterbacks 8.5 times this season.
Camacho had 50 tackles and two interceptions from his safety spot.
The final Triton selected was long snapper Dominic Sisernos.
Ellsworth placed four players on this years' All-Conference list including two wide receivers, Malcolm Gillie and Darrius Jackson. Jackson had 383 yards receiving, good for third-best in the ICCAC. Gillie had three touchdowns and 146 yards receiving.
The Panthers also placed Kariem Al Soufi on the All-Conference offensive line.
The lone defensive selection from Ellsworth was Michael Acri. The linebacker was second in the conference in tackles with 61. He had three sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
All-Region selections are selected by the coaches based on the team's finish during the regular season. First place receives nine selections on each First, Second and Honorable Mention teams -- second gets eight and third gets seven.
For full list of 2022 awards, click here.
All-Conference:
Offense:
QB - Zach Marker, Iowa Central
RB - Bryant Williams, Iowa Western
WR - Desna Washington, Iowa Central
WR - Cal Weidemann, Iowa Central
WR - Malcolm Gillie, Ellsworth
WR - Darrius Jackson, Ellsworth
OL - Kariem Al Soufi, Ellsworth
OL - Elijah Heatherston, Iowa Central
OL - Reese Steele, Iowa Central
OL - Jack Wilty, Iowa Central
OL - Trevor Brock, Iowa Western
Defense:
DL - Jackson Filer, Iowa Western
DL - Quientrail Jamison-Travis, Iowa Western
DL - Anterio Thompson, Iowa Western
DL - Deonte Bryant, Iowa Central
LB - Michael Acri, Ellsworth
LB - Rex Van Whye, Iowa Central
LB - Rashion Hodge, Iowa Western
DB - Jacob Camacho, Iowa Central
DB - Dylan Reyes, Iowa Western
DB - Will Lee, Iowa Western
DB - Jamorri Colson, Iowa Western
Special Teams:
K - Sam Wilber, Iowa Western
P - Ty Nissen, Iowa Western
LS - Dominic Sisernos, Iowa Central
RS - Micah Davis, Iowa Western
Offensive Player of the Year - Desna Washington, Iowa Central
Defensive Player of the Year - Jackson Filer, Iowa Western
Coach of the Year: Scott Strohmeier, Iowa Western