HCAC Honors 12 Jackets, Names Dillon Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player

GREENWOOD, Ind. -- The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced its All-Conference Teams recently and 12 Defiance players made the list. DC had seven student-athletes named First Team All-HCAC, while five others were named Second Team or Honorable Mention.

Luke Dillon highlighted the list, as the senior receiver joined Franklins Chad Rupp in taking Offensive Co-Most Valuable Player honors. The award figures to be the first of many to be handed to Dillon after his record-shattering campaign. The Temperance, Mich., native has already accepted an invite to compete in the AFCA Aztec Bowl in December and is a potential All-American after ranking sixth in the nation with 9.3 catches and 124.1 receiving yards per game. Dillon earned his second All-HCAC honor after catching 93 passes for 1,241 yards and 14 touchdowns and breaking the DC single-game and single-season records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Dillon also broke the schools all-time receiving touchdowns record, finishing with 28 to his credit.

Lewis Caralla joined the Purple and Gold as a junior and had an immediate impact as he continued a tradition of strong running backs to play for the Jackets. The Tampa, Fla., native ran for 793 yards and six touchdowns and averaged an impressive 5.9 yards per carry. Caralla seemingly got stronger as the season progressed and ended the year as the top-rated rusher in the HCAC in conference play. The junior banged out 113.5 rushing yards per game in league games and averaged nearly 7.5 yards a pop.

Nic Cass earned his second-straight nod as a First Team All-HCAC selection after piling up 28 solo and 51 total tackles during his senior campaign. Cass once again patrolled the DC secondary, punishing opposing receivers and ranking sixth in the league with four interceptions and nine passes defended. Three of Cass four interceptions came in back-to-back games as he recorded nine tackles, one interception and four passes defended in DCs 33-31 win over Rose-Hulman, before going for six hits, two picks and three passes defended in a 34-7 win at Anderson.

Tom Johns was named First Team All-HCAC for his role in one of the top rushing attacks in the Heartland Conference. The junior fullback saw time in all 10 games for Defiance in 2007 and helped lead the way for nine games of over 140 yards rushing by the Jackets. DC topped the 200-yard plateau five times and posted a season-best 368 yards on the ground in a 33-7 route of Hanover.

Mike Nicol was also named First Team All-HCAC after anchoring DCs powerful offensive line as a senior. Nicol was one of the most experienced players on the young front line for Defiance in 2007, which fueled the rushing attack throughout the season. DC ended the year with two players among the top five in rushing yards in league action. Nicol also played a vital role in protecting Hans Vetter, as the Yellow Jacket line only allowed 14 sacks in 10 games.

Keith Snyder earned his first selection as First Team All-HCAC after being touted as an Honorable Mention selection one year ago. Snyder led the squad in tackles for the second-straight season, this time posting a career best 111 hits. The junior safety ranked third among all HCAC players with the 111 tackles and also set a new personal best with 62 solo sticks. The Martin, Mich., native registered at least 10 tackles seven times in 2007 and was named to the www.D3Football.com Team of the Week after recording 10 tackles and three interceptions at Franklin.

Chris Tietje posted 70 tackles, 17.0 hits for lost yardage and 11.5 sacks en route to making his second-straight appearance as First Team All-HCAC. The three-time All-HCAC selection led the HCAC in sacks and ranked third in tackles for lost yards. Tietje had at least one sack in seven of DCs 10 contests during his senior campaign and picked up three sacks in his final collegiate game. Tietje earned HCAC Player-of-the-Week honors as well as a spot on the Football Gazette National Player-of-the-Week list after piling up 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks at Tri-State in week three.

Travis Guisinger joined Cass and Snyder as members of the DC secondary to garner recognition by the league. Guisinger was named Second Team All-HCAC after finishing the year with 61 tackles, two sacks, four hits for lost yardage and one interception. Guisinger notched 10 tackles in games against Tri-State and Mount St. Joseph and helped DC limit its opposition to 200.5 passing yards per game for the third-best clip in the conference.

Christopher Khoma improved as the year went on from his tight end slot and was named Second Team All-HCAC. Khoma was a key blocker for the DC running attack, but was also a capable receiver when needed. The six-foot, four-inch junior saw his offensive role expand late in the season and ended the year by averaging 10.0 yards per catch.

David Thornton also earned Second Team All-HCAC honors, joining Caralla to make up one of the most dynamic backfield tandems in the Heartland Conference. Thornton led all freshmen with 511 rushing yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. The Detroit, Mich, native had a breakout performance with 23 carries and 154 yards against Rose-Hulman and ended the year ranked fifth in the league in rushing yardage in league contests.

Jeremy Bayer spent time on DCs explosive linebacker unit during his final collegiate campaign was named Honorable Mention All-HCAC. Bayer ranked among the DC leaders with 42 tackles, two sacks and five hits for negative yardage.

Joining Bayer as an Honorable Mention All-HCAC selection was Mason Patrick. The two-time All-HCAC player was yet another vital piece on DCs offensive line. Patrick helped the Jackets average 222.6 rushing yards in seven HCAC games.

Defiance ended the year at 5-5 overall and finished third in the HCAC with a 4-3 mark. The Jackets have won five-or-more games for three-straight years, marking the programs best stretch since winning six-or-more games from 1990-1994.

Click here for the HCAC release.