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MTU announces football award winners
Posted: 12.20.2012 at 9:05 PM
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HOGUTHON -- Courtesy: MTU
The 2012 Michigan Tech football team, which became just the second in school history to win a GLIAC title, recently handed out its team awards. Quarterback Tyler Scarlett earned the Alan Bovard Award as the team's most valuable player.
The Huskies finished their 90th season of football with a 7-3 record and share of the GLIAC North Division Championship.
Tech opened the year by sweeping the three GLIAC South Division foes on its schedule—Tiffin, Walsh and Findlay—in the opening three weeks.
With a fellow undefeated team Grand Valley State coming to Houghton Sept. 29 for just the second night game in school history, the Huskies pushed to draw a record crowd to Sherman Field. Not only was the crowd of 4,684 a Sherman Field record, it was a record crowd for any home Tech athletics event.
The Huskies raced back from a 37-7 halftime deficit to within a score before falling to the Lakers 51-43. Senior wide receiver Matt Curtin set a school record with four touchdown catches in GVSU game. He had 11 total receptions for 190 yards in the contest to start one of the most impressive stretches in school history. Curtin, who would later earn All-GLIAC First Team, posted 34 catches for 637 yards and 11 touchdowns over a four week span.
Tech won the 11th annual Miner's Cup game 41-17 over Northern Michigan in Marquette Oct. 6 before returning home for Homecoming. The Huskies trailed Northwood 21-7 at half and 21-13 midway through the fourth quarter before dominating play down the stretch. Bryan LaChapelle had a 53-yard touchdown catch and run for the game-winning points with 2:37 to play.
With a 5-1 record, Tech sat in first in the GLIAC North Division before tough road losses at Ferris State (56-49) and Saginaw Valley State (34-23) in back-to-back games.
Michigan Tech bounced back in a big way during its final home game Nov. 3 by thumping Hillsdale 42-14. Scarlett hooked up with senior tight Bryan LaChapelle for three touchdowns in the first 22 minutes of the game. Scarlett passed for 247 yards in the contest to eclipse his own school record for passing yardage in a season.
The Huskies needed a win in its season finale and a loss by Grand Valley State to clinch a share of the GLIAC North Division and that's exactly what happened. Tech defeated Wayne State 35-13 and GVSU fell to SVSU 55-52.
The conference title was the ninth in school history but just the second as a member of the GLIAC (the other was in 2004). Tech GVSU, SVSU and Hillsdale finished in a four-way tie for the division title at 7-3.
Scarlett, who earned the team's Outstanding Offensive Player Award in addition to MVP, reset his own school record for passing yards in a season with 2,596. He also broke Dave Walter's 1986 record for total offense with 2,889.
Curtin was the recipient of 47 of Scarlett's passes for 838 yards in less than eight games of work. The senior suffered a season-ending injury halfway through the Oct. 27 game at Saginaw Valley. He was named the team's Offensive Back of the Year.
Senior linebacker Justin Armstrong earned the Fred Baird Memorial Award as the team's outstanding defensive player. The Las Vegas, Nev., native and All-GLIAC First Team selection posted 80 tackles including seven for loss during the season.
Akeem Cason, an All-GLIAC Second Team pick who averaged 26.5 yards per kickoff return, was named the Daniel Dopp Memorial Award winner as the team's top special teams player. Cason set a new Michigan Tech record for career kickoff return average at 26.9.
LaChapelle earned the team's Offensive Lineman of the Year Award after leading the team in receptions with 55.
Safety Emmett Bjorn was selected as the team's Defensive Back of the Year after recording 63 tackles—second-most on the team.
Justin Blake, who posted 38 tackles including five for loss and two sacks, was the team's Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Rookie Paul Kuoppala took home the Freshman of the Year Award. The middle linebacker registered 27 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the season.
Senior defensive tackle Jacob Clark earned both the Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award and the Omer LaJeunesse Scholastic Achievement Award. The two-time Academic-All-America First Team pick made 32 tackles during the season and held a 3.93 grade point average in civil engineering.
The Ted Kearly Award, which was first awarded in 2009 for the Husky that played and practiced with passion, pride and integrity, went to senior running back Josh Hauswirth.
Fullback Cole Welch gained the Iron Man Award for his work in training sessions.
Linebacker Ben Tauchen and quarterback Isaiah Hackney were named the Defensive and Offensive Scout Team Players of the Year, respectively.
Michigan Tech will lose 18 seniors from its 2012 squad. The Huskies have posted a 22-6 record over the last three years and a 44-29 slate in seven seasons under coach Tom Kearly.
2012 Football Honor Box
Tanner Agen
Academic All-GLIAC
Cameron Allen
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Justin Armstrong
All-GLIAC First Team
Fred Baird Memorial Award (Team's Outstanding Defensive Player)
Matt Bautch
Academic All-GLIAC
Emmett Bjorn
All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
Team's Defensive Back of the Year
Justin Blake
All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
Team's Defensive Lineman of the Year
Aaron Brandt
Academic All-GLIAC
Garrett Byrne
Academic All-GLIAC
Pat Carroll
Academic All-GLIAC
Akeem Cason
All-GLIAC Second Team
Daniel Dopp Memorial Award (Team's Special Teams Player of the Year)
GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week Oct. 1
Andrew Clark
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Jacob Clark
CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team
All-GLIAC Second Team
Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award (Team)
Omer LaJeunesse Scholastic Achievement Award (Team)
Michigan Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year (NFF/Michigan Chapter)
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Conor Cocking
Academic All-GLIAC
Matt Curtin
CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team
All-GLIAC First Team
Offensive Back of the Year
Academic All-GLIAC
Superior Player of the Year
Alex Elsenheimer
All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
Brett Gervais
Academic All-GLIAC
Isaiah Hackney
Team's Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year
Bryan Haslinger
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Josh Hauswirth
Ted Kearly Award (Team Award for Passion, Pride)
Academic All-GLIAC
Brandon Kuc
Academic All-GLIAC
Paul Kuoppala
Team's Outstanding Freshman
Academic All-GLIAC
Bryan LaChapelle
All-GLIAC Second Team
Team's Offensive Lineman of the Year
Jordan Ledvina
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Garrett Mead
Academic All-GLIAC
Kyle Michaelson
Academic All-GLIAC
Chris Mullen
Academic All-GLIAC
Bradley Plec
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Buddy Poljan
All-GLIAC Second Team
Mike Potes
Academic All-GLIAC
Jeff Sargeant
Academic All-GLIAC
Tyler Scarlett
All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
Al Bovard Award (Team MVP)
Team's Outstanding Offensive Player
GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week Nov. 5
Kyle Schober
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Eric Schwenk
Academic All-GLIAC
Ethan Shaver
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Ben Tauchen
Team's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Lucas van der Laan
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Ryan VanGoethem
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award
Frank Vruwink
Academic All-GLIAC
Nelson Wienke
All-GLIAC Second Team
Academic All-GLIAC
Cole Welch
All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
Iron Man Award (Team)
Raymond Wojtala
GLIAC Academic Excellence Award |