[Football] Football Falcons Place Eight on All-KCAC Squad
WICHITA, Kan. – Eight Friends University Football student-athletes have been named to the 2018 All-KCAC team, the league announced today (Nov. 12).
Senior defensive lineman Javon Polk (SR/Senatobia, Miss.) and senior defensive back Desean McKinnon (SR/Mansfield, Texas) were second-team picks, while senior linebacker Matt Washee (SR/Wichita, Kan.), senior quarterback Brennan Whitaker (SR/Iowa Park, Texas), junior tight end Datryan Evans (JR/Victoria, Texas), sophomore linebacker Sonny Brown (SO/Wichita, Kan.), sophomore defensive lineman Robert Garcia (SO/Wichita, Kan.) and freshman wide receiver Cade Nagy (FR/Broken Arrow, Okla. ) earned honorable-mention recognition.
"We had a number of kids receive all-conference honors, which speaks to our competitiveness this year," Friends head coach Dion Meneley said.
Polk tied for the team-lead with a career-high three sacks and was second on the team and sixth in the KCAC with a career-best 12.5 tackles for loss. He also recovered a pair of fumbles, one of which he ran back 65 yards for a touchdown to seal the Falcons' 44-38 victory over the University of Saint Mary (Oct. 27) that earned him KCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
McKinnon recorded a career-high 91 tackles to lead the Falcons this season, a total that ranks fourth in the KCAC. He also came down with the first interception of his career, a pick that helped Friends win 48-34 over Bethany College on Homecoming (Oct. 6).
Washee capped his four seasons at Friends making a career-best 14 stops in the Falcons' season finale at No. 21 Ottawa University last Saturday (Nov. 10). His 72 tackles for the season and 8.5 tackles for loss also represented career-high numbers for Washee.
Whitaker put together the best season of his career in his final year as the Falcons' signal caller. He set career benchmarks in passing touchdowns (20), passing yards (2178) and completions (169), while his 272.8 passing yards per game would be tops in the league, but he narrowly fell short of the games played threshold to qualify.
A two-time KCAC Player of the Week, Whitaker's finest game came when he threw for a career-high 386 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Falcons to their Homecoming victory over Bethany in front of a national ESPN3 audience.
In his first season with the program, Evans became a reliable option for Whitaker in the passing game. He caught 19 passes and was fourth on the team with 261 receiving yards. A vertical threat, Evans averaged 13.7 yards per catch and caught a pair of touchdown passes.
Brown was a force defensively in his first season with the Falcons. Always around the ball, Brown had 47 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and also a pair of interceptions.
Garcia wrecked opposing plays to the tune of a team-high 14 tackles for loss, good for fourth in the league. He finished fifth on the team in tackles (49) overall while tying for the team-lead with three sacks on the season.
As a freshman, Nagy provided a strong glimpse into what could be in store as his career progresses. Nagy became a go-to option in the Falcons' passing game, posting team-highs in receptions (38), receiving yards (636) and receiving touchdowns (six). He broke out in the Falcons' 44-38 victory over Saint Mary in the home finale, going off for five catches along with career-highs of 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
"We didn't end up with as much team success as we would have liked, but the kids stayed together and other members of the conference recognized some of the talent we have," Meneley said. "This conference is loaded with talent, and there are always players who are deserving of all-conference honors that are left off the list."