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South Dakota State University Athletics
Eleven Jackrabbits honored by MVFC
11/26/2018 10:53:00 AM | Football
ST. LOUIS — Led by three-time honorees Taryn Christion and Christian Rozeboom, 11 South Dakota State University players were honored Monday as members of the all-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team.
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A senior quarterback from Sioux Falls, Christion shared first-team honors with North Dakota State's Easton Stick after passing for a league-best 28 touchdowns during the regular season. He completed 163-of-270 passes for 2,549 yards and compiled an efficiency rating of 169.5.
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Christion was the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 and was a second-team all-conference selection in 2017. He holds MVFC career records for touchdown passes (100), passing yards (11,064) and total offense (12,461 yards).
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Rozeboom, a junior linebacker from Sioux Center, Iowa, earned first-team all-MVFC recognition for the third time. He has tallied a team-best 73 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, while adding two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Rozeboom reached double figures in tackles three times, including a season-high 13 in the regular season finale against South Dakota.
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Garnering first-team all-conference recognition for the second year in a row was senior cornerback Jordan Brown. A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Brown leads the squad with 10 pass breakups and shares the team lead with three interceptions. Of his 22 tackles this season, 19 have been solo stops.
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Rounding out the Jackrabbits' five first-team selections were wide receiver Cade Johnson and offensive lineman Tiano Pupungatoa. Johnson, a sophomore from Papillion, Nebraska, has been the top receiving target this season, hauling in 52 receptions with league-bests of 1,072 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He was a member of the MVFC All-Newcomer Team a year ago, when he set a Jackrabbit single-season record for kickoff return yards with 839.
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Pupungatoa, a senior from River Falls, Wisconsin, is a three-year starter at guard for the Jackrabbits. He has helped power the SDSU offense to averages of 45.4 points and 511.2 yards per game — both of which lead the 10-team league.
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Three other Jackrabbits received second-team recognition, including defensive end Ryan Earith. A junior from Papillion, Nebraska, Earith has posted team highs of 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2018. He also has forced and recovered a fumble this season.
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The other two second-team honorees came from the special teams unit and hail from Yankton as senior punter Brady Hale and Bradey Sorenson were honored. A four-year starter, Hale has averaged 42.5 yards per attempt during the 2018 season, landing 19 of his 43 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
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Sorenson has handled the long-snapping duties each of the past two seasons for the Jackrabbits and has been perfect on his snaps for placekicks and punts this season.
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Completing the SDSU honorees were honorable mention selections Adam Anderson, Evan Greeneway and Luke Sellers. Anderson ranks second on the squad in all three main receiving categories with 42 catches for 669 yards and six touchdowns.
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Greeneway, a junior tackle from Yankton, and Sellers, a junior fullback from Papillion, Nebraska, have both been key members of a Jackrabbit offensive unit that has paved the way for the team to average 232.9 yards per game on the ground — the program's highest rushing output in the Division I era.
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Selections to the all-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team were based on a vote conducted among the league's head coaches, sports information directors and select media.
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South Dakota State, coached by John Stiegelmeier, finished the regular season with an 8-2 overall record, including a second-place mark of 6-2 in MVFC play. The Jackrabbits are making their seventh consecutive appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and will host Duquesne in second-round action Dec. 1.
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A senior quarterback from Sioux Falls, Christion shared first-team honors with North Dakota State's Easton Stick after passing for a league-best 28 touchdowns during the regular season. He completed 163-of-270 passes for 2,549 yards and compiled an efficiency rating of 169.5.
Â
Christion was the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 and was a second-team all-conference selection in 2017. He holds MVFC career records for touchdown passes (100), passing yards (11,064) and total offense (12,461 yards).
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Rozeboom, a junior linebacker from Sioux Center, Iowa, earned first-team all-MVFC recognition for the third time. He has tallied a team-best 73 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, while adding two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Rozeboom reached double figures in tackles three times, including a season-high 13 in the regular season finale against South Dakota.
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Garnering first-team all-conference recognition for the second year in a row was senior cornerback Jordan Brown. A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Brown leads the squad with 10 pass breakups and shares the team lead with three interceptions. Of his 22 tackles this season, 19 have been solo stops.
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Rounding out the Jackrabbits' five first-team selections were wide receiver Cade Johnson and offensive lineman Tiano Pupungatoa. Johnson, a sophomore from Papillion, Nebraska, has been the top receiving target this season, hauling in 52 receptions with league-bests of 1,072 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He was a member of the MVFC All-Newcomer Team a year ago, when he set a Jackrabbit single-season record for kickoff return yards with 839.
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Pupungatoa, a senior from River Falls, Wisconsin, is a three-year starter at guard for the Jackrabbits. He has helped power the SDSU offense to averages of 45.4 points and 511.2 yards per game — both of which lead the 10-team league.
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Three other Jackrabbits received second-team recognition, including defensive end Ryan Earith. A junior from Papillion, Nebraska, Earith has posted team highs of 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2018. He also has forced and recovered a fumble this season.
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The other two second-team honorees came from the special teams unit and hail from Yankton as senior punter Brady Hale and Bradey Sorenson were honored. A four-year starter, Hale has averaged 42.5 yards per attempt during the 2018 season, landing 19 of his 43 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
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Sorenson has handled the long-snapping duties each of the past two seasons for the Jackrabbits and has been perfect on his snaps for placekicks and punts this season.
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Completing the SDSU honorees were honorable mention selections Adam Anderson, Evan Greeneway and Luke Sellers. Anderson ranks second on the squad in all three main receiving categories with 42 catches for 669 yards and six touchdowns.
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Greeneway, a junior tackle from Yankton, and Sellers, a junior fullback from Papillion, Nebraska, have both been key members of a Jackrabbit offensive unit that has paved the way for the team to average 232.9 yards per game on the ground — the program's highest rushing output in the Division I era.
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Selections to the all-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team were based on a vote conducted among the league's head coaches, sports information directors and select media.
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South Dakota State, coached by John Stiegelmeier, finished the regular season with an 8-2 overall record, including a second-place mark of 6-2 in MVFC play. The Jackrabbits are making their seventh consecutive appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and will host Duquesne in second-round action Dec. 1.
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Players Mentioned
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