November 19, 2014
BLUFFTON, Ohio - A season that saw the Bluffton University football team win six of its final seven contests was rewarded by the Heartland Conference coaches when the All-HCAC awards were announced on November 19, 2014. Ryan Aelker (New Bavaria/Holgate) became the first player in Bluffton University history to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in the HCAC since the Beavers joined the Heartland Conference in 1998. He was one of three Beavers named to the first team, while Bluffton placed four on the second team and five were named honorable mention. Aelker is just the second player from Bluffton to earn MVP honors in the HCAC following Offensive Most Valuable Player Tyson Goings selection in 2000. His work up front helped the Beavers rank second in the HCAC in scoring defense (25.1 PPG) and third in total defense (369.7 YPG).
Joining Aelker on the First Team were seniors Brad Swavel and Jack Tomlinson. The Second Team included seniors Eric Fox and Ryan Leopold along with junior Austin Speice and sophomore Tyrone White. Rounding out Bluffton's award winners were Donovan Brown, Ben Schamp, Micah Roberson, Miguel Alicia and Jordan Watkins, all Honorable Mention All-HCAC selections.
Junior Ryan Aelker was unblockable from his defensive end position, leading NCAA Division III with a Bluffton record 13 sacks this season. His 22 tackles for loss placed him third in the nation and it also toppled Justin Crosier's school record of 19 TFL's set in 2010. Aelker is the second defensive lineman in as many years that Coach Dorrel has directed who has topped the NCAA in sacks. Hanover's Jake Stillwell led the nation with 15 sacks a season ago when Coach Dorrel was the defensive coordinator and line coach for the Panthers. Aelker's four forced fumbles tied him for fifth in the nation, just one off the leaders and it also puts him second behind Matt Chiles on Bluffton's all-time list. In addition, Aelker established a new school mark with six quarterback hurries this season. Aelker finished the year with 54 tackles (38 solos), 22 TFL's for 109 yards (1st all-time), 13 sacks for 83 yards (1st all-time), six breakups, an interception and two fumble recoveries. He led the HCAC in TFL's, sacks, forced fumbles and was third in fumble recoveries
With one season to play, Aelker ranks 2nd all-time with 19.5 career sacks and 124 yards lost on those stops. He is 4th all-time with 36 TFL's and 2nd all-time with 176 yards on tackles for losses. Aelker has 105 career tackles, five forced fumbles, nine hurries and seven breakups following his junior season. He was a Second Team All-HCAC selection as a sophomore when he racked up 13.5 TFL's and six sacks.
Senior Brad Swavel (Marion/Ridgedale), who along with Aelker was a starting quarterback in high school, became a fixture in Coach Dorrel's defense from day one of training camp and for good reason. He piled up a team-best 83 tackles (sixth in the HCAC), including seven TFL's for 22 yards. Swavel added 1.5 sacks, an interception, three breakups and a conference-best three fumble recoveries. He became the first player in Bluffton history to be named USA College Football Player of the Week after helping the Beavers hold Rose-Hulman's top-rated offense in the nation to almost 300 yards below its 622 yards per game average when Bluffton dominated the Engineers 31-17 at RHIT on October 11. He tallied nine tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble, a breakup and a fumble recovery. Swavel was also named to the D3Football.com national Team of the Week following that performance.
It took senior Jack Tomlinson (Westerville/South) just one season to make a formidable impression on the conference and the Bluffton record books. The wide receiver was named First Team All-Heartland Conference after hauling in a Bluffton record-tying 62 receptions, including 10 against the rival Yellow Jackets in the season finale. His four receiving touchdowns established a new Bluffton record and ranks 2nd all-time for the Heartland Conference. His 936 receiving yards place him 3rd on Bluffton's single season list (3rd in the HCAC this season). He also ended 2nd all-time with eight receiving touchdowns for the season, behind Donovan Brown's (Cincinnati/Purcell/Marian) 10 in 2013. For his efforts against Defiance, Tomlinson was named the HCAC Player of the Week, while his one-handed grab against Mount St. Joseph earned Play of the Week honors in the conference.
A First Team All-HCAC selection as a junior, Eric Fox (Brunswick) was on pace for well over 1,000 yards when a couple injuries limited him to just five full games. He went over the century mark in four of those contests, including a 221-yard effort against Ohio Wesleyan on opening day which had him #1 in the nation at that point. Fox also eclipsed 100 yards against Franklin, Hanover and Defiance this season en route to Second Team All-HCAC honors. The senior standout still finished with 677 yards rushing (4th in the HCAC) despite missing half the season. He ran 137 times (4.9 yards per carry) with four touchdowns. Fox finished his career with 1,121 rushing yards (4.5 ypc), 308 receiving yards, 588 kickoff return yards and 10 touchdowns. For the second straight year, Fox had an HCAC Play of the Week after his touchdown dive in Bluffton's win over Hanover earned the top honor.
For the second straight season, senior Ryan Leopold (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) put up numbers that impressed the Heartland Conference coaches. An honorable mention selection a year ago, Leopold moved up to Second Team following his swan song. Leopold piled up 10.5 TFL's (7th in the HCAC) for a loss of 41 yards and four sacks for 26 yards. It also marks the second straight year that he led the HCAC in blocked kicks. Leopold knocked down two in 2014 after blocking three as a junior. The defensive tackle finished his career with 81 stops, including a career-high 40 this season, 15 TFL's, 6.5 sacks, four hurries, five blocked kicks and two fumble recoveries.
Junior Austin Speice (Paulding/Wayne Trace) bulldozed his way to a second consecutive Second Team All-HCAC selection. His blocking helped Bluffton's ball control offense go for 356.9 yards per game. The left tackle will headline a 2015 offensive line that does not graduate a starter.
Sophomore Tyrone White (Orrville), a hard-hitting safety with the ability to cover in man-to-man, earned Second Team All-HCAC honors after putting up 71 tackles (2nd for Bluffton), including a team-high 54 solos in 2014 (5th highest for a Bluffton single season). His five picks topped the HCAC and placed him in a tie for 7th all-time on Bluffton's single-season list. White had four TFL's for 25 yards and added four breakups for nine passes defended. For his career, White has 117 tackles, 6.5 TFL's, a sack and six breakups.
Senior Donovan Brown secured his second straight All-HCAC honor after being named Honorable Mention All-Heartland Conference. Brown hauled in 33 catches for 513 yards (15.5 yards per catch), including seven touchdowns, after setting a Bluffton single-season record with 10 as a junior. His 1,358 career receiving yards place him 7th all-time at Bluffton, while his 18 touchdowns are 2nd to Andy Nowlin's school-record 20 receiving scores. Brown finished 5th in the HCAC with his 15.5 yards per reception.
After an injury kept Micah Roberson (Ada) off the field during his freshman campaign, the talented wide receiver asserted himself as a multi-dimensional threat in 2014 with 55 receptions for 541 yards, 10 kickoff returns for 237 yards and five punt returns for 34 yards, giving him 843 all-purpose yards for season. He also ran the ball seven times for 31 yards. Roberson caught three touchdowns and his 55 receptions are tied for 5th all-time at Bluffton.
Sophomore Miguel Alicia (Westerville/South) made an immediate impact as a starting cornerback in his first season as a Beaver. Alicia finished with 41 tackles, including 32 solos, this year. He picked off two passes for 69 yards and broke up five more for seven passes defended. His pick six at Rose-Hulman earned him Defensive Player of the Week honors as well as honorable mention acclaim from USA Football. The interception was also the HCAC Play of the Week.
Freshman kicker Jordan Watkins (Reynoldsburg) wowed the conference en route to Honorable Mention All-HCAC recognition. He drilled 8-of-10 field goals, including a long make from 38 yards, and 30-of-31 extra points for a team-high 54 total points. Those 54 points place him 4th all-time in kick scoring for a single season at Bluffton and 4th in the HCAC this year. He also booted 10 kickoffs for 464 yards with one touchback. Watkins nailed two field goals and two extra points in Bluffton's win over Hanover, earning HCAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his work in the Beavers' first victory over Hanover since 2005 and second in the last 20 meetings.
Ben Schamp (St. Marys/Memorial) capped off his career with a second straight All-HCAC Honorable Mention award. The defensive tackle tallied 44 tackles, including six TFL's for 21 yards. He finished his career with 117 stops, 15.5 TFL's, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three breakups in three seasons as a starter for the Beavers.
With the victory over Defiance, the Beavers moved to 6-4 on the season and 6-2 in the HCAC (3rd place) for their most-ever Heartland Conference victories. The win marked the most consecutive victories in the series since Bluffton won six in a row from 1985 through 1990. It also evened the all-time series at 44-44-2! Coach Dorrel, his staff and the 2014 team have much to be proud of as they won six of their last seven games and nearly rattled off seven victories in a row to end the season. The future is bright as Bluffton looks to continue its climb when the 2015 season kicks off next September at Wilmington!
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