November 12, 2007

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Bemidji State University defensive tackle Zach Stafford (Sr., Fergus Falls, Minn.) was today tabbed Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference 2007 Defensive Player of the Year. Stafford’s honor was announced in conjunction with the 2007 All-NSIC Team, which features seven Bemidji State student-athletes on its First Team and 13 players honored overall on the all-conference list.

The Beavers placed two offensive players on the first team with another on the second team; three defensive standouts selected to the first team with two more placed on the second team; and swept the special teams All-NSIC First Team.

Offensive linemates Justin Guy (Sr., Blaine, Minn.) and John Keaveny (Sr., St. Cloud, Minn.) anchored BSU’s group of seven First-Team All-NSIC honorees or the second consecutive season, which also include defensive linemen Stafford and Seth Iverson (Sr., Hatton, N.D.) and linebacker Zach Christ (Sr., Buffalo, Minn.), kick return specialist Anthony Schreiber (Sr., Berkeley, Ill.) and kicker/punter Paul Potemra (Fr., Poolesville, Md.).

•Stafford, 2007 NSIC Preseason Co-Player of the Year pick and Don Hansen's Football Gazette Preseason All-American, was sidelined for the first six games of the season due to a foot injury. After his return, he started four of five games totaling 14 tackles (nine solo) with five tackles coming for a loss of 47 yards and four quarterback sacks. He finishes his career sixth on BSU's all-time tackles for loss list (32.0), seventh on the team's career quarterback sacks chart (17.5) and ranks 10th on the school's all-time yards for TFL's list. His 15.5 TFLs in 2006 ranks eighth on the Beavers' single-season leader board while his 6.5 sacks a year ago was good for 13th.

Stafford helped Bemidji State end 2007 as the NSIC's leader and the nation's No. 6-ranked defense against the run, allowing 71.5 yards per game. The top-10 finish comes on the heels of a 2006 NCAA Division II statistical championship allowing just over 40 yards per game on the ground. Stafford also helped BSU lead the NSIC with 35 quarterback sacks and finish the season as the NSIC's second-best total defense and hold opponents to a NSIC-low 16.8 points per contest.

Stafford was a All-NSIC First Team selection a year ago and a Honorable-Mention selection in 2005.

Stafford joins Offensive Player of the Year Dustin Long from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, Offensive Newcomer Frederick Bruno and Defensive Newcomer Darius Davis of Wayne State College and Coach of the Year Dan McLaughlin of Wayne State as individual NSIC award winners in 2007.

•Iverson capped his senior season sixth on the team in tackles (50), fourth in tackles for loss (9.0) and second in sacks (6.0) while he recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. He leaves BSU sixth on the Beavers' yards from tackles for loss chart with 173 in his career, seventh on the school's TFL list after amassing 31.5 and tied with Stafford for seventh on BSU's all-time sacks list with 17.5.

The league honor is the first of Iverson's career.

•Christ was second among BSU defenders with 78 total tackles (24 solo), posted 3.5 tackles for loss while adding a sack and an interception. He has piled up 232 tackles in the Green and White including 172 assisted tackles to rank seventh at BSU all-time. He finished as one of the Beavers' top three tacklers in each of the last three seasons pacing the team with 79 in 2006.

He adds the first team honor to a second team award a year ago and an honorable mention selection in 2005. Christ began 2007 as a Preseason All-American as picked by Don Hansen's Football Gazette.

•Justin Guy and John Keaveny helped block for a BSU offense which led the NSIC and ranked third in the NSIC scoring (30.6), third in rushing offense (167.3 yds/gm), fourth in rushing touchdowns (17) and fifth in total touchdowns scored (38).

Each member of the duo earned All-NSIC first team nods last season and went on to be selected to the Daktronics, Inc. Second-Team All-Northwest Region team. Keaveny, who makes his third appearance on the all-conference squad (honorable mention in 2005), has started 32 consecutive games for BSU at left guard, while Guy started the last 22 games for BSU at left tackle. Both of the linemen were honored as Don Hansen's Football Gazette Preseason All-Americans to begin the 2007 season.

•Potemra, the only freshman on the 2007 All-NSIC First Team, swept the kicking positions earning a nod at kicker and another at punter. He finished the as the NSIC's top punter piling up 2,064 yards on 51 attempts for an average of 40.5. He strategically placed 19 of his 51 punts inside his opponents 20-yard line. The freshman transfer became just the third punter at BSU since 1971 to average 40 yards or more over a season and raked 16th in the nation for punting average.

As a kicker he was successful kicking field goals at an NSIC-best .769 clip while led the league converting all 41 of his point-after attempts. He earned d2football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week honors for a Sept. 22 performance at Minnesota, Crookston. Potemra set a school record in the 47-9 victory launching six punts for a BSU single-game-best average of 51.3 yards.

Potemra's 71 points set a new BSU record for single-season scoring by a kicker. His 41 PATs rank second in BSU's season record book while the freshman has already worked his way in to fifth all-time at BSU. He also posted the second-best single-season field goal total at BSU with 10.

The first team honor is the first of the freshman's career.

•Schreiber swept the special teams return specialist spots. He led the league and finished 12th in the nation averaging 13.9 yards per punt return while recording the leagues' only two punts returned for a score. He also averaged a team-high 32.8 yards per kick return including a 90-yard return for a touchdown. Three times this season, the senior earned NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

He leaves BSU tied with Jason Le den (1998-2001) for most career punt return touchdowns (3), finished second on the season list (2) and ranked third in career-punt return yardage (558). Only Leden has more special teams touchdowns than Schreiber (6).

In addition to his return accolades, Schreiber also leaves Bemidji State as the school's all-time leading receiver. His 2,677 yards is tops at BSU while his 196 catches better the school's previous record by nearly 30 receptions. The playmaker's 22 touchdown receptions stand fourth on BSU's all-time receiving chart while his 32 total touchdowns is the fourth-best total in the 82-year history of the program.

The two first team nods in 2007 accompany a first team punt return and honorable mention wide receiver award in 2006 and another Honorable-Mention All-NSIC selection in 2005.

BSU’s group of seven First-Team All-NSIC honorees matches a program record set in 2001, when BSU also had seven First-Team All-NSIC players, and marks just the fourth time in school history that five or more Beavers have been named first-team all-conference. BSU had five All-NSIC picks in 2006 and five All-Northern Intercollegiate Conference first teamers in 1957.

Earning a spot on the NSIC 2007 All-Conference Second Team are center Chase Peterson (Sr., Roseau, Minn.), safety Jeremiah Johnson (Sr., Glidden, Iowa) and cornerback Terrell Phelps (Jr., Lincolnton, N.C.).

Pearson was another steady member of a BSU offensive line which led the NSIC and ranked third in the NSIC scoring (30.6), third in rushing offense (167.3 yds/gm), fourth in rushing touchdowns (17) and fifth in total touchdowns scored (38).

He was a 2006 All-NSIC Honorable Mention selection.

Johnson led the team in tackles for the third time in his career piling up 86 tackles (41 solo) with 4.0 coming for a loss. He paced the defensive secondary with 10 passes defended including a team-best three interceptions. His 374 career stops rank second on BSU's all-time tackles list while he ascended to second on the school's career assisted tackles list with 231. He paced the BSU defensive effort five times in 2007 and posted four games of 10 tackles or more.

The all-conference nod is the fourth of Johnson's career as he was a honorable mention selection in 2004 and was named to the second team in 2005 and 2006.

Phelps finished tenth on the team this season with 38 tackles (16 solo) including a stop for a loss. He trailed only Johnson with seven passes defended and grabbed an interception. He also recovered a fumble.

Phelps is the only BSU junior honored by the NSIC this season and the second team award is the first of his career.

In addition to BSU's first and second Team honorees, Robert Molstad (Sr., Champlin, Minn.) was picked to fill a spot on the defensive honorable mention squad.

BSU’s group of 13 All-NSIC honorees is the Beavers' second-largest group trailing only a team-record of 16, set last season. Prior to the 2005 campaign, BSU had never placed more than nine players on an all-conference honor roll in a single season.

Bemidji State (7-4 overall / 6-3 NSIC) wrapped up its 2007 campaign with a dominating performance in the NSIC Metrodome Classic. The Beavers downed league newcomer Upper Iowa University 56-28 claiming their eighth season of seven or more wins in the last ten seasons and tenth consecutive winning season under head coach Jeff Tesch. Tesch's teams own 10 of BSU's 29 winning seasons since the program began in 1926.

--bsu--