Weber State University Athletics
Six Wildcats Named to All-Big Sky First Team
11/20/2006 6:00:00 AM | Football
Ogden, Utah - Six Weber State football players, including five who played high school ball in Utah, were named First Team All-Big Sky Conference. The announcement came from the league office on Monday afternoon.
BRYANT ETEUATI (5-7, 175 Soph. WR/ KRS - Layton, Utah) was named to the first team as the league's top kick return specialist. DAVID HALE (6-6, 300 Jr. OT - Plain City, Utah) and TREVYN SMITH (5-9, 205 RB / RsFr. - Springville, Utah) were named to the first team offensive squad. First Team selectees on defense included TYLER DeBRY (5-11, 235 Sr. LB - South Jordan, Utah), BO SMITH (6-1, 190 Sr. CB / Owensboro, Kentucky) and RIO STOTLER (6-1, 295 Soph. DT - West Jordan, Utah).
Eteuati missed the last three games of the season after suffering a knee injury on October 28 @Montana State. Still, he had 19 kickoff returns for an average of 27.9 yards per return and had a 100 yard kickoff return against league champion Montana. He also had 26 punt returns for an average of 12.1 yards per return with a long of 47. He also had eight receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown as a receiver.
Hale was part of an offensive line which helped WSU running back Trevyn Smith rush for a league leading 1,129 yards and eight touchdowns despite playing the entire season with an injured back. He was Honorable Mention All-Big Sky last season.
Smith became a starter midway through the season after Adrian Conway suffered a season-ending arm injury early in the first half of the Northern Colorado game at home on September 28. Smith came off the bench to rush for 151 yards. He rushed for over 200 yards in two of WSU's last three games of the season with a 203 yard effort vs. Eastern Washington and a career-high 211 yard performance in the season-ending game last Saturday at Idaho State. His 1,129 yards was tops in the Big Sky this season. He averaged 102.6 yard per game. He became the first FRESHMAN in Weber State history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. Those 1,129 yards is the seventh best single season effort in Weber State history and he becomes the fifth running back in WSU history to lead the Big Sky in rushing.
DeBry came to WSU in the Spring of 2005 as a walk on at the urging of current WSU teammate and Dixie State teammate Nick Greene. He played and started in all 11 games in 2005 and had 78 total tackles. This season he led the Wildcats, and fourth in the Big Sky, in total tackles with 106 (9.6 per game) and added 9.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks and an interception.
Smith played one season for the Wildcats after transferring from the University of Kentucky this past Summer. He dominated every receiver he faced during the season. He held the Big Sky's top three yardage receivers - Alex Watson (NAU), Michael Jefferson (MSU) and Akilah Lacey (ISU) to a combined 11 receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He had 44 tackles and led the Wildcats in Unassisted Tackles with 35. He added two interceptions, four pass break ups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery
Stotler was part of a strong WSU defensive line and defensive unit which was second in the Big Sky in Total Defense holding opponents to 299.3 yards of total offense per game. Stotler had 41 tackles, 14 unassisted with seven tackles for loss and 5.5 quarterback sacks. He had an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick as well. In the 2006 season finale at Idaho State, Stotler had nine tackles, seven unassisted and three quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. He was named the Big Sky Conference CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK for that effort in WSU's 30-27 win.
The Wildcats did not have any players on the All-Big Sky second team, but earning Honorable Mention honors were on offense: Chad Glover (6-6, 300 Sr. OC / Harbor City, California), Marcus Mailei (6-1, 245 Soph. FB / Salt Lake City, Utah) and Dimitri Tsoumpas (6-4, 295 Soph. OG / Edmonton, Alberta Canada).
Defensive honorable mention selectees were: Max Moala (6-1, 235 Soph. / Salt Lake City, Utah), Pate Moleni (6-3, 265 Soph. DE / West Valley City, Utah), Patrick O'Keefe (6-3, 245 Sr. DE / Salt Lake City, Utah, Ty Sparrow (6-4, 220 Jr. Safety / North Ogden, Utah) and Brad Stewart (6-2, 240 Jr. LB / Loveland, Colorado).
Northern Arizona quarterback Jason Murrietta was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Chris Hayward, a linebacker from Portland State, was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Northern Arizona running back Alex Henderson was named the Newcomer of the Year.
