DuPage County college achievers (football)

Last week we featured a bunch of local collegiates representing a variety of fall sports. This second-of-two highlights some top football players ...

North Central College quarterback Broc Rutter (Neuqua Valley) earned the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year Award for the second time in three seasons. The junior set new single-season program records with 269 completions, 385 attempts and 3,539 yards passing while throwing for 30 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. A three-time CCIW first-team pick, Rutter twice passed for 5 touchdowns this season, and his 35 completions against Washington University (St. Louis) snapped a 51-year program record. In North Central's 70-14 win over North Park, Rutter completed 18 of 23 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, ran for another score and spearheaded 637 yards of offense in the Cardinals' highest-scoring season opener in more than 100 years.

Owning the Cardinals' all-time completion percentage mark of .662 over his three seasons, nationally in 2018 Rutter ranked third among all Division III players in passing yardage and completion percentage and was in the top 10 in three other passing categories. Rutter was among 13 players nationwide chosen as semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, which goes to the top Division III football student-athlete, and also was D3football.com's North Region Offensive Player of the Year.

Like Rutter, North Central defensive tackle Tommy Hyland (Montini) earned D3football.com first-team North Region on defense. The 6-foot-4, 258-pound sophomore made 25 tackles including 10 tackles for loss, a team-high 7.5 sacks, and 1 interception. That guy is a beast.

Hyland and Rutter were among several DuPage County graduates to earn first-team CCIW honors. They were: Illinois Wesleyan senior running back Morgan Alexander (York), Washington University senior offensive lineman Hank Michalski (Neuqua Valley), Wheaton junior offensive lineman Clay Wagner (Lake Park). Also: North Central senior linebacker D.J. Warkenthien (Neuqua Valley), Illinois Wesleyan senior defensive lineman Eric Dubose (Hinsdale South) and Washington sophomore defensive lineman Peter Pigatti (Hinsdale Central).

It was the second straight first-team pick for the 6-foot, 275-pound Dubose, who in the last two seasons recorded 22.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks and naturally earned Wesleyan's team award as "best lineman" this season.

Ferris State (Michigan) senior offensive tackle Devon Johnson (Waubonsie Valley), a four-year starter and former freshman All-American, earned first-team All-America honors by the Associated Press and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association. At 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds, Johnson played on an offense that led all of Division II football teams in first downs, finished eighth in total offense and seventh in rushing offense at 272 yards a game. Advancing to the Division II title game for the first time in history, 15-1 Ferris State lost 49-47 to Valdosta State (Georgia), the first 16-0 team in Division II history. Johnson compiled a string of 51 straight starts that set a school record and was the longest streak by a Division II player in a decade.

The Patriot League was bolstered by locals up front. Holy Cross senior Brett Boddy (Metea Valley) and his sophomore teammate Brian Foley (Hinsdale Central) both were voted onto first-team offense as offensive linemen. So was another 300-pounder, Colgate senior Max Hartzman (Hinsdale Central), who helped the 10-2 Raiders to the Patriot League title at 6-0.

Perhaps our favorite converted quarterback, Wisconsin junior offensive tackle David Edwards (Downers Grove North) was a first-team all-Big Ten pick by the media, and a second-team selection by Big Ten coaches. The 6-7, 315-pound Edwards has earned at least seven starts in each of his first three seasons at right tackle. He is a 2017 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) first-team All-America pick who blocks for the leading ground-gainer in Division I football, Jonathan Taylor.

A former Metro Suburban Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year, Navy sophomore Jim Kenneally (IC Catholic Prep) has kept it up with the Midshipmen's sprint football team. Kenneally earned Collegiate Sprint Football League first-team honors as he started every game for 7-1 Navy, helping amass 2,714 yards of total offense and 31 touchdowns. On Nov. 10 Kenneally's Midshipmen avenged a Week 2 17-14 loss to Army with a 24-10 victory in the second CSFL Championship game. In the title game Kenneally's ICCP and Navy teammate Pat Guinan intercepted a pass and made 3 tackles.

Benedictine University senior Brandon Moore (Wheaton Warrenville South) set program and Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference records with 18 receptions, for 158 yards and a touchdown, against Aurora University on Nov. 3. A repeat NACC first-team pick who as a junior tied Benedictine's season record with 13 touchdown catches, Moore caught 52 passes for 750 yards, 8 touchdowns. He added another touchdown on a 58-yard punt return.

Speaking of Aurora University, senior defensive lineman Kurtis Chione (Waubonsie Valley) earned his second straight all-NACC first-team selection. He made 63 tackles with team highs of 14 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. A high school teammate, Eureka junior defensive back Trevon Moore (Waubonsie Valley), also made all-NACC first team - after earning first team honors in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference his first two seasons.

Johns Hopkins sophomore defensive back Macauley Kilbane played high school football at Mt. Carmel, but he hails from Clarendon Hills. Kilbane was the lone sophomore to earn first-team honors in the Centennial Conference, helping the 12-2 Blue Jays to their first Division III semifinal appearance. Starting all 14 games (and all 11 in 2017 as a freshman), the 5-11, 190-pound Kilbane made 48 tackles - second on Johns Hopkins with 40 solo stops - 3 interceptions, 8 breakups, 2 forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

Another Division III semifinalist was usual suspect Wisconsin-Whitewater. A key to the 13-1 Warhawks' defense was senior defensive back Famus Hasty (Neuqua Valley). A second-team All-American selection by both the AFCA and D3football.com, Hasty made 36 tackles and blocked a field goal against Stout. A first-team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pick, Hasty batted down 10 passes and intercepted 3 with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown against St. Norbert in the second round of the Division III playoffs.

Miami (Ohio) redshirt junior punter Kyle Kramer (Glenbard West) sent 30 of his 64 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Averaging 42 yards a punt, 22 of his 65 punts went for fair catches, 12 going at least 50 yards with a long of 64 yards against Minnesota.

In the Pioneer League, Dayton redshirt senior defensive lineman Nick Surges (Benet) earned first-team defense honors. The 6-3, 237-pound two-time team captain made 46 tackles, 9.5 for loss, with 5 sacks and 6 quarterback hurries.

A couple old high school teammates - Blaze Barista and Paul Monaco (Wheaton Warrenville South) - earned nifty awards from their respective college teams. Barista, a junior defensive back at 7-3 Dubuque, was voted the Spartans' defensive MVP after making 57 tackles, 5 interceptions, 9 passes defended and 4 others broken up. Monaco, a sophomore longsnapper at 6-5 Illinois State, was voted the Redbirds' special teams player of the year. Monaco gained that award after initially joining the team as a preferred walk-on - while also serving in the school's ROTC program.

Seems like we've had Illinois State senior quarterback Jake Kolbe (Naperville Central) in here forever. Part of it is because he's in the top 10 of most every Redbirds passing category. This time it's because Kolbe, a semifinalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy as a top student-athlete, received the football program's Ed Struck & Carl D. Heldt Endowed Scholarship. Kolbe has a 3.67 grade-point average and intends to start student-teaching this spring with the goal of becoming a teacher and football coach.

Junior linebacker Luke Sawicki (Neuqua Valley) tore it up at Augustana. He led the Vikings with 60 solo tackles, 39 assisted tackles, 18 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 2 interceptions, returning one of them 21 yards for a touchdown against Illinois Wesleyan.

Finally, this man is from Joliet, but we can all rally around a Monken. Five-year Army coach Jeff Monken is among six finalists for the Maxwell Football Club's George Munger Collegiate Football Coach of the Year award along with heavy hitters like Alabama's Nick Saban and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly. After winning 6 total games his first two seasons at West Point, last season Monken led a 10-win team and pending the Dec. 22 Armed Services Bowl against Houston, he has 10-2 Army on the brink of a program record for victories. The Munger Award winner will be announced Jan. 3.

Until then, happy holidays!

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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