Article Contributed on: 1/21/2009 10:53:14 AM
Five players from the Colorado School of Mines football team have been named to the 2008 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame - Colorado Chapter All-Colorado Teams, as announced yesterday by the NFF Colorado Chapter media relations office.
Zach Meints,
David Pesek and
Adam Saur were First Team selections on offense, while
Drew Ferren and
Marc Schiechl garnered First Team recognition on defense.
Meints, a 6'2", 275-lb. junior offensive lineman from Cortland, Neb. (Norris High School), also earned First Team All-RMAC laurels in 2008. Meints helped guide a CSM offense that finished third in the RMAC in passing efficiency (131.1), scoring offense (34.8 ppg) and passing offense (232.2 ypg) last fall. Meints also helped to pave the way for CSM running back
Corey Huck, who finished as the sixth-leading per-game rusher in the RMAC (53.4 ypg), in 2008. Mines finished fourth in the RMAC in total offense (327.0 ypg) in 2008, as well. A unanimous First Team Academic All-RMAC selection last fall, Meints garnered Second Team Academic All-RMAC honors and was a member of the CSM offensive that led the RMAC in passing (247.8 ypg) as a sophomore in 2007. As a redshirt freshman in 2006, Meints earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC laurels while helping to pave the way for CSM's first 1,000-yard rusher since 1939.
A 6'3", 200-lb. junior quarterback from Centennial, Colo. (Arapahoe High School), Pesek also garnered First Team All-RMAC honors in 2008. Pesek, who started all 12 games for the Orediggers, finished first in the RMAC in total offense (244.2 ypg) and second in passing (222.7 ypg), completion percentage (63.9) and passing yards (2,672). Pesek completed 243-of-380 passes and threw for an RMAC-second-best 21 touchdowns last fall. A two-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week selection (September 20th, October 11th) in 2008, Pesek was also selected as the NFF - Colorado Player of the Week on October 11th. As a sophomore in 2007, Pesek earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC recognition while leading the RMAC in total offense (247.0 ypg) and passing (243.9 ypg).
A 6'3", 190-lb. junior wide receiver from San Antonio, Tex. (Clark High School), Saur also earned Third Team All-Super Region #3 accolades from
Don Hansen's Football Gazette in 2008. Saur, who led the RMAC in touchdown receptions (13), touchdowns scored (13) and points scored (78) in 2008, also finished first on the team and third in the RMAC in receptions (69). Saur also concluded the 2008 season ranked fourth in the RMAC in both receptions per game (5.75) and receiving yards (898), fifth in receiving yards per game (74.8) and seventh in scoring (6.5 ppg). Saur, who averaged 13.0 yards per reception this fall, also garnered First Team All-RMAC honors. A one-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week selection and one-time NFF - Colorado Player of the Week honoree in 2008, Saur's 13 touchdown receptions established a new individual single-season CSM record. Saur earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC recognition as a sophomore in 2007.
Ferren, a 6'3", 205-lb. senior defensive back from Lyons, Colo. (Lyons High School), also earned Don Hansen's Football Gazette Third Team All-Super Region #3, Daktronics Super Region #3 Second Team Defense and First Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) honors in 2008. The RMAC leader in interceptions (tied - five) in 2008, Ferren led CSM and finished sixth in the RMAC in solo tackles with 41. Ferren, who finished third on the squad in total tackles (73), had seven total passes defended during his final season at CSM. A Pre-Season All-RMAC and First Team Academic All-RMAC selection this fall, Ferren garnered NFF First Team All-Colorado, First Team All-RMAC and Second Team Academic All-RMAC recognition as a junior in 2007. Ferren, who was nominated for the 2009 Valero Cactus Bowl (annual NCAA Division II post-season all-star game), concluded his collegiate career with 13 interceptions.
A 6'3", 250-lb. sophomore defensive lineman from Lakewood, Colo. (Bear Creek High School), Schiechl also garnered Don Hansen's Football Gazette Second Team All-Super Region #3 and Daktronics Super Region #3 Second Team Defense accolades in 2008. Schiechl led the RMAC and finished second in the nation in sacks (13.5) last fall. Schiechl's 13.5 sacks tied his individual single-season CSM record that he established as a redshirt freshman in 2007, and his 21.0 tackles for a loss were tops in the RMAC and third (tied) in the nation. Even more, Schiechl's 21.0 tackles for a loss established a new individual single-season CSM record, breaking his own mark of 17.5 that he set 2007. A First Team All-RMAC selection in 2008, Schiechl is now Mines' all-time career leader in sacks with 27.0. Schiechl, who led CSM with four quarterback hurries in 2008, finished fourth on the team with 69 total tackles (34 solo) this season. A Pre-Season Second Team All-NCAA Division II (from Lindy's Magazine) and Pre-Season All-RMAC selection in 2008, Schiechl was selected as the 2007 RMAC Defensive Freshman of the Year. Schiechl, who established a new individual single-game CSM record with 4.0 sacks on October 6th, 2007, finished third in the nation and second in the RMAC in sacks per game (1.13) en route to earning Second Team All-RMAC, NFF First Team All-Colorado and Second Team All-Southwest Region honors in 2007. Schiechl was a member of the 2007 CSM defense that led the nation (NCAA Division II) in sacks per game (4.67) and established a new single-season CSM team record for sacks (56). Schiechl also earned CSM's Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2007.
The Orediggers went 7-2 in the RMAC this fall and secured their seventh winning season in the past eight years (8-4 overall). CSM's second consecutive trip to the Dixie Rotary Bowl in 2008 marked the fourth time in program history that Mines had competed in a bowl game. The 2008 Dixie Rotary Bowl also marked the third time in five years that Mines had advanced into the post-season. A grand total of 10 Orediggers earned recognition on the 2008 All-RMAC teams, including six First Team selections. Furthermore, Mines landed 16 players on the 2008 Academic All-RMAC football teams.
For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Sports Information Director
Jeff Duggan at jduggan@mines.edu.