Iowa Athletic Association
Wartburg senior quarterback is Iowa Conference’s MVP
Quarterback Matt Wheeler, who broke one conference record while leading Wartburg to the league title, has been
selected as the Iowa Conference Most Valuable Player in football. Wheeler, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior from West
Branch, also repeated as the first-team all-conference quarterback. He completed 159 of 274 passes (58 percent)
for 2,372 yards with 10 interceptions and a conference-record 28 touchdowns in leading the Knights to a 10-0 conference
record and a spot in the 28-team NCAA Division III playoffs.
Rick Willis, who guided the Knights to their first undefeated regular season in school history, was named Coach of the Year by his peers.
Wheeler was one of three Wartburg players to be voted to the
all-conference first team unanimously by the conference coaches. Wide receiver Ryan Rausch, who led the conference
in receiving, and defensive lineman Anthony Souhrada,
who was first in tackles for lost yardage, were the others. Rausch was a second-team all-conference pick last year,
while Souhrada was placed on the first team for the second year in a row after earning second-team honors as a
sophomore in 1996 — he missed the 1997 season with an injury. The Knights placed three other players on the first
team and one on the second unit. David Devine moved up from the second team last year to the first team this season
at defensive back after tying for the conference lead with seven interceptions. Offensive linemen Joel Rochford
and Justin Galbraith, who helped Wartburg average a league-best 435.7 yards a game on offense, were the Knights’
other first-team picks. Tim Flynn, a wide receiver, was named to the second team.
Runner-up Central put three players on the first team and three on the second team. Junior linebacker Jeff Sanger was named to the first team for the second time in three years — he also was a second-team selection last year. Defensive lineman Steve Perkins, who led the league with 11 sacks, and offensive lineman Reid Evans were the other two Dutch players on the first team. Offensive lineman Jared Blum was a second-team selection for the second year in a row. Central’s other second-team picks were defensive lineman Ryan Anderson and defensive back Chad Klein.
Buena Vista, which placed third in the conference, led the way
with eight all-conference players, including six on the first team. Defensive back Jeff Brennan, who tied for the
conference lead with seven interceptions, was named to the first team for the second year in a row, while running
back Ben Smith, offensive lineman Jeff Jacobsen, defensive lineman Mike Peddicord, linebacker Wade McInroy and
placekicker Carlos Martinez made the first team for the first time. Smith was the leading rusher in the conference
with 1,583 yards, while Martinez led the league with nine field goals. Offensive lineman Jeff Leng and defensive
back Brian Davis were selected to the second team for the Beavers.
Defensive back Zak Gordon of Coe was the only other repeat selection from
last season.
Dubuque’s Matt Plummer returned to the first team at wide receiver and became a rare four-time all-conference performer. After earning first-team honors in 1996 and 1997, he dropped to the second team last year.
Upper Iowa equaled Wartburg with seven all-conference selections. Offensive lineman Todd Gassman, defensive back Kuma Hatten and linebacker Ryan Birt, a national champion wrestler last winter, were first-team picks for the Peacocks, while teammates Mike Hatten at running back, Corey Washington on the offensive line, Wilford Lopes on the defensive line and Eric Steinbrecher at linebacker were placed on the second team.
Rounding out the first-team offense were running back Jason Juran of Coe and wide receiver Thane Holland of Luther. The other first-team defense picks were Simpson defensive lineman Jason Benson and Loras punter Roberto Pino.
The second team also included quarterback K.C. Church of William
Penn, running back Greg Ortberg of Dubuque, wide receivers Seth Wallace of Coe and Aaron Holthaus of Cornell, and
linemen Nate Oswald of Loras and Dana Scott of
Simpson. Ortberg and Scott earned their honors after switching positions during the season. Ortberg opened the
season at defensive back but got more time in the offensive backfield as the season went on and became a two-way
player. He rushed for 919 yards and still ranked fifth on the team in tackles. Scott started the season at tight
end, where he caught 13 passes for 140 yards, before moving to guard.
Additional players on the second-team defensive unit were defensive linemen Steve Hudak of Luther and Jim Francois of Loras, linebackers John Crane of Cornell and Tom Ricke of Simpson, and defensive backs Hassan Rashid of Loras and John Hatlevig of Luther. Crane led the conference in tackles. If the all-conference team is an indication, the outlook is bright for next season. Of the 46 players selected to the all-conference team, 22 are underclassmen. Last year, all but 11 were seniors.
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Buena Vista |
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Central |
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Dubuque |
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Loras |
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Luther |
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Simpson |
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Upper Iowa |
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Wartburg |
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William Penn |