The North Star Athletic Association football postseason awards were announced last week and the conference title winners Dickinson State was well represented with offensive player of the year, coach of the year and more.
In total, the Blue Hawks tallied 24 different individual awards. Seven different Blue Hawks earned first team All-Conference nods.
Senior quarterback Drew Boedecker, wide receiver Tyger Frye and lineman Matt Dey were joined by sophomore lineman Brandon Benickm on the first team offense.
Frye received an additional accolade of NSAA Football Offensive Most Valuable Player, ending his career with 294 receptions, 3,686 yards and 39 touchdowns as a Blue Hawk.
“Incredible career for Tyger. You look back with him starting with us in 2017. The very first catch he had for us against Rocky Mountain was a touchdown and he has delivered and performed ever since,” DSU head coach Pete Stanton said. “He came back this year for a fifth year, but by a long way had our career reception marked. I couldn't be happier for him to receive this award, it is well deserved and a great leader for us and a two-time captain for us.”
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Dickinson State had two defensive players named first team All-Conference, with four other players sitting on the second team. This season alone, the Blue Hawk defensive unit came away with 24 sacks and five defensive touchdowns.
“Defensively, I did feel that we were under-represented on the first team,” Stanton said. “I think we gave up less than around 10-points a game in the conference and only had two first team All-conference guys. We had some guys on the second team and we wouldn't trade those guys for anyone.”
The Blue Hawks have won their seventh straight conference title and Stanton has now been the recipient of the Coach of the Year award for the sixth year in a row. He expressed his thoughts on the award being more of a group effort than something he has achieved on his own.
“With an award like that, it is a team award and a staff award. It might have my name on it but it is the result of having a very good team and we have a very good staff,” Stanton said. “We are excited for coach Thier, who for the first time the coaches voted on Assistant Coach of the Year and he received that award and that was well deserved as well.”
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Blue Hawks defensive coordinator Jason Thier was named the NSAA assistant coach of the year after leading a unit that held conference opponents to 10.6 points over eight games.
Senior defensive lineman Braydon Katus was also one of seven students in the conference to receive the Champions of Character award for representing five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.
“The award of Champion of Character goes to somebody that exemplifies what we want our program to be about,” Stanton said. “Brayden is very deserving of that. He is a guy from Lemmon, South Dakota who has been a great guy for our program. He already has his own ranch started and has his cattle and has his land and he is going to be really successful as a rancher.”
Dickinson State ended their conference season undefeated (8-0) for the second straight year. The overall success can be credited to recruiting great players, but keeping them as Blue Hawks has a lot to do with the program's philosophy that Stanton and his staff have governed, to develop their players beyond the field.
“We are really happy for all of our guys, they have obviously had a really great year and the honors that they get individually are always well deserved,” Stanton said. “We just always want to have a great culture and the biggest thing of that culture is that we are good people in the classroom and doing the right things on the field by playing hard.”
DSU AWARD WINNERS
First team All-Conference offense
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QB Drew Boedecker, SR; OL Matt Dey, SR; OL Brandon Bennick, SO; WR Tyger Frye, SR
First team All-Conference defense
DL Krew Mathern, JR; LB Nick Miller, SR
First team All-Conference special teams
K Jace Johnson, JR
Second team All-Conference offense
RB Riley Linder, JR; OL Nathaniel Woodruff, SO; WR Conor McCarvel, JR
Second team All-Conference defense
DL Robbie Kindle, JR; LB Keaton Meschke, FR; DB Dawson McGlothlin, JR; DB Jayden Hertwell, FR
Second team All-Conference special teams
P Jeremiah Paine, JR; RS Isaiah Kludt, JR
Honorable Mentions
OL Gunnar Farstveet, JR; RB Alec Lovegren JR; TE Galen Brantley III FR; DB Javonte Oliphant, JR
Offensive Most Value Player - Tyger Frye
Coach of the Year - Pete Stanton
Assistant Coach of the Year - Jason Thier
Champion of Character - Braydon Katus
