Seven Earn Spots On All-RMAC Teams; One Honorable Mention

Seven Chadron State College football players were placed on the All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference First or Second Teams, in addition to one listed in honorable mention, in the annual release on Thursday at RMACSports.org.

The league’s 10 head coaches voted on the awards, and no coach was permitted to vote for his own players.

First Team members include defensive linemen Hunter O’Connor, a sophomore, and Tayven Bray, a grad student. The pair combined for 31.5 tackles for loss, including 21.5 sacks, 107 total tackles, five quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, this fall.

Also placed on the First Team was grad student placekicker Gunnar Jones, who booted two field goals in one game, versus Adams State, equal to the school record for longest field goal. He was 10-of-16 on field goals for the season, and 24-of-26 on PATs.

On the Second Team, offensive lineman Michael DeCamillis, a junior, and sophomore tight end Peter Krohn were named on the offensive side of the ball. DeCamillis started all 11 games at center, helping the CSC offense average more than 150 yards per game rushing. Krohn had a breakout season in 2022, catching 30 passes for 302 yards and two scores.

Defensively, Second Team honors went to “super seniors” Brendan Brehmer and Bobby Peele. Brehmer, a safety, racked up 44 tackles, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage, intercepting one pass and breaking up four others, despite missing games to injury. Peele was the top pass defender in the RMAC, breaking up 16 with three picks.

In addition to the First and Second Team awards, running back Jalen Starks made the honorable mention list by receiving either one First Team or multiple Second Team votes. Starks romped for 637 yards, good for fifth in the league, and added 28 yards receiving. His 11 rushing touchdowns were third-most in the conference.

The Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, were Colorado School of Mines quarterback John Matocha and CSU-Pueblo defensive tackle Trey Botts. Special Teams Player of the Year went to New Mexico Highlands’ CJ Sims. The Offensive Freshman of the year was Mines’ Landon Walker, while the Defensive Freshman of the Year was Black Hills State’s Cooper Brown. First-year coach Brandon Moore was named RMAC Coach of the Year.