November 22, 2006
Contact: Sports Information Office 865-2815, Ext. 7282
Thirteen Evangel University football players are members of the 2006 All-Heart of America Athletic Conference team.
Players winning first-team status are Jeremiah Hays (6-1, 300, Sr., OL, Ft. Smith, Ark.) and Shedrick McClenton II (5-10, 190, Jr., TB, Las Vegas, N.V.).
Hays is a four-year starter on EU’s offensive line and it is his fourth all-conference award and second consecutive first-team honor. He is the second-highest rated lineman in the conference and the fourth-highest rated player in the league. McClenton earned first-team status even after missing the last three games and most of the last four games of the year due to a leg injury he suffered against Lindenwood. McClenton rushed for 700 yards in seven games and scored five TDs. He carried the ball 105 times and averaged 6.7 yards per carry. In addition, McClenton caught eight passes for 59 yards.
Second-team selections from Evangel are all on the defensive side of the ball. The honored players are Deontae Blackmon (6-3, 250, Sr., DL, Sarasota, Fla.), Brandon Mires (6-2, 245, Jr., DL, Hawk Point, Mo.), and Nathan Thomas (5-11, 185, So., DB, Ardmore, Okla.).
Blackmon ended his senior season with 32 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks. He also broke up a pass and recovered a fumble. Mires led the defensive line with 49 tackles. He also totaled 6.5 tackles for losses, three sacks and one fumble recovery. Thomas led the entire EU defensive unit with 52 tackles. He had 1.5 tackles for losses, 0.5 sacks and six pass breakups.
Andrew Matrone (6-1, 230, Fr., LB, Springfield, Mo.-Hillcrest H.S.), Trevor Ruth (5-11, 250, Jr., OL, Apopka, Fla.), Edward Sands (6-1, 175, Fr., WR, Apopka, Fla.) and Joel Stevens (6-0, 190, So., DB, Fruitland, Idaho) were third-team picks.
Matrone, who prepped at Springfield’s Hillcrest High School, was EU’s second-leading tackler with 49 stops. He also had a team-leading 9.5 tackles for losses of 46 yards, 3.5 sacks, a 20-yard interception return, a 16-yard fumble return, and two forced fumbles. Ruth is a three-year starter on the offensive line. His all-conference selection is his third overall. Sands was Evangel’s top receiver in 2006. He caught 36 passes for 590 yards and seven TDs. He averaged 16.4 yards per catch and had an 89-yard TD reception. Stevens totaled 29 tackles and had two tackles for losses. He led the team with seven pass breakups and also returned two interceptions for 33 yards and blocked a kick. Stevens injured his shoulder versus Benedictine and missed the last three games of the season.
Honorable mention picks from Evangel are Von Dixon (5-11, 165, So., DB, Longwood, Fla.), Trevor Gies (5-11, 180, Fr., PK/P, Berryville, Ark.), Jacob Hamon (6-0, 205, Jr., LB, Kirbyville, Mo.) and Jeff Hedrick (5-11, 235, So., LB, Harrisonville, Mo.)
Dixonhad 46 tackles - four-highest on the team. He also registered one tackle for loss, two pass breakups and returned two interceptions for 38 yards. Gies was EU’s second-leading scorer with 36 points. He made 7 of 10 field goals and 15 of 17 extra points. He also punted 46 times and averaged 35.8 yards per punt. Hamon tallied 44 tackles, 4.5 tackles for losses and one sack. Hedrick, who missed the Avila and Baker games with a leg injury, totaled 33 tackles, 6.5 tackles for losses, one sack, one forced fumble, and two interception returns for 54 yards.
Evangel ended the 2006 season with a 4-6 record and tied with Baker University for seventh place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.