Nick CamachoLed by repeat first-team selections Ramses Barden and Stephen Field, a total of 13 Cal Poly players have been named to the 2007 All-Great West Football Conference teams.
Barden, a junior wide receiver, and Field, a junior offensive lineman, landed on the first-team offense for the third consecutive year. Also earning enough votes for first-team honors is Mustang junior defensive lineman Sean Lawyer.
Eight Mustangs were named to the second unit: junior wide receiver Tredale Tolver, freshman offensive lineman Jason Cox, junior quarterback Jonathan Dally, sophomore running back Jon Hall, sophomore placekicker Andrew Gardner, senior defensive lineman Adam Torosian, senior outside linebacker Jason Relyea and senior punter Tim Chicoine.
Honorable mentions were given to Cal Poly senior defensive lineman Louis Shepherd and junior linebacker Mark Restelli.
Barden shares the Great West Offensive Player of the Year award with North Dakota State senior quarterback Steve Walker. Barden shattered Mustang records throughout the 2007 season – most receiving yards (1,467), points (108) and 100-yard receiving games (7) in a season as well as receiving touchdowns in a game (4), season (18) and career (32). He is second nationally in receiving yards per game and he will open the 2008 season as the active FCS leader in career touchdowns, receiving yards and yards per catch.
Field anchored a Mustang offensive line that helped Cal Poly rank No. 1 in the nation in total offense, No. 5 in rushing offense, No. 6 in scoring offense, 48th in passing offense and 27th in sacks allowed.
Lawyer was Cal Poly’s bandit linebacker, playing mostly as a down lineman. He finished the year with 28 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for lost yardage and 2.5 sacks. Lawyer also had eight quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Cox earned the conference’s freshman of the year award. Cox started as a reserve lineman but was inserted into the starting lineup at center early in the season after an injury to Field. When Field came back, Cox was moved to another position on the line and helped lead Cal Poly to the No. 1 ranking in total offense in the nation. Cox started the final nine games of the season, playing all three offensive line positions – center, guard and tackle. He was part of an offensive line that surrendered just 15 sacks in 11 games, 27th in the nation.
North Dakota State senior linebacker Joe Mays was named Defensive Player of the Year while Bison teammate Shamen Washington, who missed the entire 2006 season due to a knee injury, was named Special Teams Player of the Year. John Stiegelmeier, who led South Dakota State to its first conference title in football since 1963, was named Great West Coach of the Year. The Jackrabbits started the season 0-3 but won seven of their last eight games, including the season finale over North Dakota State, 29-24, for the title.
In addition to Barden and Field, other first-team selections for the third-straight year are offensive lineman Nate Safe of North Dakota State and Mitch Erickson of South Dakota State, kicker Parker Douglass of South Dakota State and defensive lineman James Amos of UC Davis.
Walker, Mays, offensive lineman Jon Compas of UC Davis and punter Mike Dragosavich of North Dakota State were named to the first team for the second consecutive year.
In all, North Dakota State led first-team selections with 11 members while South Dakota State followed with eight, UC Davis four, Cal Poly three and Southern Utah two. Cal Poly placed eight members on the second team while South Dakota State had seven and Southern Utah six.