DC Football Places 11 on All-HCAC Team

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The 2006 season marked yet another climb up the ladder for the Defiance College football program as the Yellow Jackets won the most games, posted the program’s longest win streak and got off to its best start since the 2001 season. DC bounced back from a season-opening loss by rattling off six-straight wins en route to a 6-1 start. The Purple and Gold ended the year with a 7-3 mark overall and finished third in the HCAC.

The on-the-field success was rewarded with 11 All-HCAC selections as voted on by the conference head coaches and announced by the Heartland Conference offices on Wednesday afternoon.

Steven Brancheau, Nic Cass, Tyler Haines, Mike Haydon, Richard Palmer and Chris Tietje were named First-Team All-HCAC, Jason Bushong, Stu Gliwa and Josh Staggs were named Second-Team All-HCAC and Robert Miller and Keith Snyder took Honorable Mention All-HCAC honors.

Brancheau earned his third-straight All-HCAC selection and his first to the first-team by piling up 45 tackles, 6.5 for lost yardage and two sacks. The senior linebacker also recovered a pair of fumbles and picked off one pass. One of those fumble recoveries sealed a DC victory over Tri-State as Brancheau scooped up the loose ball to end a TSU threat in the closing minute and seal the 17-10 victory.

Cass played shutdown corner all season long for Defiance, recording 27 of his 42 tackles via the solo variety and earning three stops for lost yards. Cass led the HCAC with five interceptions and was second in the league with 12 pass breakups while also ranking 40th and 52nd nationally in those categories. The Roseville, Mich., native’s best performance came in DC’s 20-10 win over Hanover in which Cass earned HCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors with three fourth quarter interceptions.

Haines was selected First-Team All-HCAC for the second-straight season after posting 54 tackles, 15 stops-for-loss, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Those numbers put the senior linebacker towards the top of several HCAC rankings including third in tackles for lost yards and sixth in sacks. Haines took HCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors in week four after notching seven hits, one sack and one interception in DC’s 19-7 road victory over Manchester.

Haydon helped anchor the Yellow Jacket secondary all season and was a model of consistency from his strong safety position. The Allen Park, Mich., native registered five or more tackles in seven-of-10 games this season en route to amassing 59 total hits, 14.5 for lost yardage and 6.5 sacks. The honor is the third-straight All-HCAC selection for the senior who ranked fourth in the league in sacks and hits for negative yardage this season.

Palmer earned his second All-HCAC selection after recording 25 tackles, two hits for lost yards, one sack and one forced fumble for the Jackets. The Fernandina Beach, Fla., native played a vital role up front for DC all season long as a major cog in the rush defense which ranked 14th in the nation after allowing just 68.8 yards per game.

Tietje was named First Team All-HCAC after being named to the second team one year ago. Tietje led the Jackets with 42 solo hits and 16.5 stops for lost yardage while also piling on 68 total tackles, 4.0 sacks and a trio of pass breakups. The Hamler, Ohio, native ranked among the top 13 in the HCAC in tackles for loss (2nd), sacks (10th) and total tackles (13th) and was 33rd in the nation with 1.7 tackles for lost yardage per game. Tietje really found his rhythm late in the season, averaging 10.3 tackles per game over DC’s final three. During that stretch, Tietje took HCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors with 14.5 tackles, 6.5 hits for lost yardage and one sack against Mount St. Joseph.

Bushong becomes a two-time Second Team All-HCAC selection with this year’s honor after posting 32 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups. The senior corner joined Cass to form one of the most lethal cornerback duos in the nation. The Marshall, Mich., native ranked fourth in the HCAC with those 11 passes defended and combined with Cass to total 23 passes defended and seven picks out of the cornerback positions, while helping Defiance hold the opposition to just 128.2 yards through the air per game.

Gliwa joined Palmer and Staggs on the front line to stymie the opponents rushing attack all season. The DC defense held the opposition to under 100 yards on the ground in seven-of-10 games, under 50 yards in five games and held Bluffton to negative six yards rushing in the season finale. The senior had 25 stops, two for lost yardage, 4.0 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles for DC in his final collegiate campaign.

Staggs was equally impressive from his defensive tackle position, turning in 28 tackles, with 7.5 of those hits resulting in a loss of 35 yards for the opposition en route to his second-straight All-HCAC honor. The Paw Paw, Mich., native also had a sack in DC’s victories over Adrian, Rose-Hulman and Hanover.

Miller picked up his second-straight All-HCAC Honorable Mention selection after anchoring the offensive line throughout his senior year at the left tackle position. The St. Johns, Mich., native helped to clear the way for nearly 135 rushing yards per game. Defiance relied heavily on the rushing attack all season, carrying the ball over 35 times in all but one game and eclipsing the 100-yard plateau in all but two.

Snyder rounds out the 11 All-HCAC selections for DC after earning All-HCAC Honorable Mention status as a sophomore. Snyder posted a team-best 69 tackles from his free safety spot and was 12th in the HCAC with 6.9 stops per game. Snyder also added 3.5 hits for a loss, picked off a pair of passes and broke up three more. The Martin, Mich., native earned a spot on the Don Hansen’s Football Gazette National Player-of-the-Week list and was named the HCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week after hauling in two interceptions and a fumble recovery in DC’s 10-0 win over Adrian.

Franklin’s Mike Leonard took home the HCAC Coach-of-the-Year hardware, MSJ’s Mike Lovell was named the Offensive MVP and Matt Lawless of MSJ and Jason Allen of Hanover earned Co-Defensive MVP honors. Franklin’s Danny Sears was heralded as the Special Teams MVP and Franklin’s Teddy Henkle was touted as the HCAC Freshman of the Year.

For the HCAC press release and full list of All-HCAC selections, click here.