University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Wesley leads way with seven @UNCBearsFB players earning All-Big Sky honors
11/20/2018 11:13:00 AM | Football
UNC football placed three players on the All-Big Sky teams, seven overall honored.
OGDEN, Utah – The Big Sky Conference released its All-Conference football honors on Tuesday morning, with Northern Colorado having seven players earning a spot, led by Alex Wesley's second consecutive year on the second team.
Wesley was the team's lone representative on the second team, while Keifer Morris and Theron Verna made the third team and Zach Wilkinson, Justice Littrell, Henry Stelzner and Sherand Boyd Jr made the honorable mention list.
In a conference stacked with quality wide receivers, Alex Wesley made the second team All-Big Sky for the second straight year. He became just the second Bear in program history to post two 1,000 yards receiving seasons joining Vincent Jackson in the feat. He led the team with 1,050 yards and four touchdowns. Wesley's 105.0 yards per game ranked him second in the Big Sky only behind first-teamer Mitch Gueller and 10th overall in the FCS.
While Wesley was the lone Bear on the second team, Keifer Morris and Theron Verna made third team All-Big Sky. It's the second straight year Morris has made the third team and Verna's first career All-Big Sky honor.
Morris led the Bears defensive line with 38 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss. Working in first-year defensive coordinator Mary English's defense, Morris not only played as an outside edge rusher but also worked on the inside for the team. He finished the year with 1.5 sacks and forced one fumble and recovered one.
Verna earned the respect of the Big Sky coaches by taking the third team tight end spot as a do it all player. The senior from Grand Junction was both a key blocker for the team in run and pass plays, including lining up as an H-back plenty of times, but also a valuable pass catcher. He finished the season with the third most yards for the Bears with 25 receptions for 287 yards and tied Wesley for the lead in touchdowns with four. Verna ended his UNC career by just passing the 1,000 yards receiving career mark with 1,002.
Zach Wilkinson, Justice Littrell, Henry Stelzner and Sherand Boyd all earned spots on the honorable mention list.
Wilkinson has been a standard on the UNC offensive line the past three seasons including playing right guard for the team this year. He helped pave the way for the Northern Colorado offense that averaged 366.3 yards per game. Wilkinson and the rest of the UNC o-line had its best performance of the year against Southern Utah when the Bears had a pair of running backs go over the 100 yards mark for the first time in the program's Division I era and most yards as a team with 292.
Justice Littrell may not have all the glamor numbers to attract the attention of fans, but he did catch the eye of the Big Sky coaches in the film room both as a pass and run blocker. With the nickname Bus, he imposed his will on opposing teams clearing big holes for running backs Milo Hall and Trae Riek. He did touch the ball twice in 2018 rushing for two yards and recording a 13-yard reception.
Henry Stelzner made a living in opposing backfields for Northern Colorado in 2018 with 10.5 tackles for 32 yards. His 1.1 TFLs per game ranked him ninth in the Big Sky. The senior ended the season with the third most tackles for the Bears at 65 with 46 of them being solo. He also had a sack and the game-winning interception at Southern Utah to secure the team's first road win in two seasons.
Sherand Boyd Jr joined Stelzner from the Bears defense as an honorable mention, Boyd for the safety position. One of the team's defensive captains, he led both by his play and words. He was the team leader in interceptions with four to rank second in the Big Sky, having two of the four picks returned for a touchdown. He was all over the field for UNC recording 58 tackles including 3.5 for a loss and had 1.0 sacks. While defending the pass, Boyd had five pass breakups to go with his four interceptions.
Along with releasing its first, second and third team and honorable mentions, the Big Sky announced its Offensive, Defensive, Newcomer and Freshman of the Year. Quarterback Jack Maier of UC Davis earned Offensive Player of the Year, while co-conference champion Eastern Washington defensive linemen Jay-Tee Tiuli earned Defensive Player of the Year. Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed was named the Newcomer of the Year and Weber State running back Josh Davis was the Freshman of the year.
For the full All-Big Sky team, click here.
To stay up to date on all things UNC football, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsFB.
Wesley was the team's lone representative on the second team, while Keifer Morris and Theron Verna made the third team and Zach Wilkinson, Justice Littrell, Henry Stelzner and Sherand Boyd Jr made the honorable mention list.
In a conference stacked with quality wide receivers, Alex Wesley made the second team All-Big Sky for the second straight year. He became just the second Bear in program history to post two 1,000 yards receiving seasons joining Vincent Jackson in the feat. He led the team with 1,050 yards and four touchdowns. Wesley's 105.0 yards per game ranked him second in the Big Sky only behind first-teamer Mitch Gueller and 10th overall in the FCS.
While Wesley was the lone Bear on the second team, Keifer Morris and Theron Verna made third team All-Big Sky. It's the second straight year Morris has made the third team and Verna's first career All-Big Sky honor.
Morris led the Bears defensive line with 38 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss. Working in first-year defensive coordinator Mary English's defense, Morris not only played as an outside edge rusher but also worked on the inside for the team. He finished the year with 1.5 sacks and forced one fumble and recovered one.
Verna earned the respect of the Big Sky coaches by taking the third team tight end spot as a do it all player. The senior from Grand Junction was both a key blocker for the team in run and pass plays, including lining up as an H-back plenty of times, but also a valuable pass catcher. He finished the season with the third most yards for the Bears with 25 receptions for 287 yards and tied Wesley for the lead in touchdowns with four. Verna ended his UNC career by just passing the 1,000 yards receiving career mark with 1,002.
Zach Wilkinson, Justice Littrell, Henry Stelzner and Sherand Boyd all earned spots on the honorable mention list.
Wilkinson has been a standard on the UNC offensive line the past three seasons including playing right guard for the team this year. He helped pave the way for the Northern Colorado offense that averaged 366.3 yards per game. Wilkinson and the rest of the UNC o-line had its best performance of the year against Southern Utah when the Bears had a pair of running backs go over the 100 yards mark for the first time in the program's Division I era and most yards as a team with 292.
Justice Littrell may not have all the glamor numbers to attract the attention of fans, but he did catch the eye of the Big Sky coaches in the film room both as a pass and run blocker. With the nickname Bus, he imposed his will on opposing teams clearing big holes for running backs Milo Hall and Trae Riek. He did touch the ball twice in 2018 rushing for two yards and recording a 13-yard reception.
Henry Stelzner made a living in opposing backfields for Northern Colorado in 2018 with 10.5 tackles for 32 yards. His 1.1 TFLs per game ranked him ninth in the Big Sky. The senior ended the season with the third most tackles for the Bears at 65 with 46 of them being solo. He also had a sack and the game-winning interception at Southern Utah to secure the team's first road win in two seasons.
Sherand Boyd Jr joined Stelzner from the Bears defense as an honorable mention, Boyd for the safety position. One of the team's defensive captains, he led both by his play and words. He was the team leader in interceptions with four to rank second in the Big Sky, having two of the four picks returned for a touchdown. He was all over the field for UNC recording 58 tackles including 3.5 for a loss and had 1.0 sacks. While defending the pass, Boyd had five pass breakups to go with his four interceptions.
Along with releasing its first, second and third team and honorable mentions, the Big Sky announced its Offensive, Defensive, Newcomer and Freshman of the Year. Quarterback Jack Maier of UC Davis earned Offensive Player of the Year, while co-conference champion Eastern Washington defensive linemen Jay-Tee Tiuli earned Defensive Player of the Year. Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed was named the Newcomer of the Year and Weber State running back Josh Davis was the Freshman of the year.
For the full All-Big Sky team, click here.
To stay up to date on all things UNC football, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsFB.
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