Football lands seven on All-HCAC Teams

The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced its All-Conference football teams on Thursday morning with seven Defiance football players earning recognition.

Defiance junior linebacker Thomas Coltrain (Leslie, Mich./Leslie) was named First Team All-HCAC for the second season in a row. Coltrain led the HCAC with 98 total tackles and 67 solo tackles. His 67 solo stops are currently the seventh-most in NCAA Division III this season. Coltrain also led the Yellow Jackets with 12.5 tackles for loss.

A trio of Yellow Jackets earned Second Team All-HCAC honors. Sophomore offensive lineman Eric Moultrie Jr. (Snellville, Ga./South Gwinnett) was named to the Second Team offense while sophomore Richard Pope IV (Holly Hill, Fla./Atlantic) and senior Rigo Villa (Fort Myers, Fla./Lehigh) earned spots on the Second Team defensive line. Moultrie Jr. and Villa earned Second Team honors last season while Pope IV was on the First Team and a D3Football All-American last season.

Moultire Jr. started all 10 games this season on the offensive line. The Yellow Jackets ran for 905 yards and three touchdowns behind Moultire Jr. and the rest of the line. Pope IV started all 10 games and made 39 total tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded two sacks, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble. Villa finished third on the team with 45 total tackles and recorded 5.5 tackles of loss and three sacks. In 2019 Villa was an Honorable Mention All-HCAC selection.

The Yellow Jackets also had three players earn Honorable Mention honors in senior defensive lineman Maurice Brewer (Cordova, Tenn./Drew Central (Ark.)), sophomore running back Tyshaun Freeman (Macon, Ga./Westside), and senior wide receiver Amin Shaheed (Fayetteville, Ga./Sandy Creek).

Brewer played in nine games and finished second on the team and sixth in the HCAC with 10.5 tackles for loss. He also logged 42 total tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. Freeman finished sixth in the HCAC with 528 yards rushing. Last season Freeman earned Second Team honors. Shaheed led the Yellow Jackets with 30 receptions for 421 yards and four touchdowns. He also returned six kickoffs for 107 yards.