Storm place seven on All-IIAC Football team

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Highlighted by three first team selections, the Simpson football team placed seven players on the 2011All-Iowa Conference Football Team, as announced by the conference office Monday.

Junior wide receiver Taylor Rogers (South Sioux City, Neb.), senior offensive lineman Rory Hennessy (Dysart, Iowa/Union Community) and sophomore return specialist Brad Vogel (Donnellson, Iowa/Central Lee) all received first team all-conference recognition for the first time in their careers. Sophomore quarterback Taylor Nelson (West Des Moines, Iowa), junior linebacker Mark Cronin (Holstein, Iowa), senior defensive back Jarrod Schott (Pocahontas, Iowa) and senior defensive lineman Ty Larsen (Des Moines, Iowa) earned second team all-conference honors.

In addition to Simpson's all-conference honorees, senior linebacker Braden Everding (Tripoli, Iowa), junior offensive lineman Danny Kelley (Mount Pleasant, Iowa), senior offensive lineman Brian Tjossem (Sutherland, Iowa), sophomore wide receiver Mike Kuhn (Des Moines, Iowa) and senior placekicker James Gale (Waukee, Iowa) landed honorable mention all-conference nods.

Senior wide receiver Michael Zweifel of league-champion Dubuque garnered Offensive MVP honors while Spartan head coach Stan Zweifel was the Coach of the Year. Luther senior linebacker Kyle McGivney took home Defensive MVP accolades.

Click here for the complete Iowa Conference Football Awards and All-Conference Teams.

First Teamers

Rogers led the team and ranked second in the conference with 63 receptions, amassing 747 yards and eight touchdowns. He eclipsed 100 yard receiving twice and tied a career-high with three touchdown catches in the Storm's 38-37 overtime win against Wartburg on Oct. 15.

Hennessy started nine games at left tackle, anchoring an offensive line which protected the conference's second-best passing offense. He was an honorable mention pick a year ago.

For the second season in a row, Vogel proved to be one of the IIAC's most dynamic players. Despite missing two games due to injury, he ranked third in the conference in all-purpose yards with 124.2 per game. He had 617 kick return yards, 319 receiving yards, 32 punt return yards and 26 yards rushing. He earned IIAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors Nov. 18 after returning six kickoffs for 177 yards – including returns of 60 and 42 yards – against Coe. Vogel earned honorable mention honors in 2010.

Second Teamers

Nelson had a breakout season in 2011. He set a school single-season record with 246 completions while breaking the single-game mark for completions twice, the second coming in a 38-for-59 effort against Wartburg which also set an Iowa Conference record. He threw for 2,617 yards – second in the conference – and tossed 19 touchdown passes against only six interceptions throughout the season. He had four 300-yard games and completed 20-plus passes in 8 of 10 games. Nelson took home IIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice – after throwing for 343 yards in a loss to St. Olaf and after his record-setting performance against Wartburg, when he was also recognized as the IIAC Male Athlete of the Week.

Schott started all 10 games at cornerback for the Storm, anchoring a Simpson defense which ranked third against the pass. He broke up six passes and snagged two interceptions on the year while making 35 tackles. Schott is a two-time Capital One Academic All-District selection.

Cronin, another academic all-district selection, led Simpson with 100 tackles from his outside linebacker position. He led the team with five sacks, three forced fumbles and seven pass breakups while ranking second on the team with 10 tackles for loss. Cronin landed IIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 16 after making 13 tackles against Wartburg.

As a defensive end, Larsen was a pivotal part of the Storm's pass rush. He led the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 and ranked second with 4.5 sacks. He made 48 total tackles, blocked a kick and forced a fumble.

Leading the honorable mention picks, Everding finished his career as the school's all-time tackles leader with 268.

Simpson went 5-5 in 2011, a three-game improvement from the year before. The Storm went 5-3 in the conference, finishing fifth.