FARMINGTON, Utah-Wednesday, the Big Sky Conference announced its spring all-conference football teams and players of the year. The list featured numerous Southern Utah University and Weber State University student-athletes.
Among them was former Manti High School star, senior defensive tackle Jared Schiess. Schiess posted 13 net tackles (5 solo stops), 1.5 tackles for a loss and a sack.
The offensive player of the year was Eastern Washington redshirt senior quarterback Eric Barriere.
Barriere completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,193 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.
His contributions have helped the 5-1 Eagles post the sixth-best scoring offense in the nation with 40.7 points per contest.
The defensive player of the year is Weber State senior linebacker Conner Mortensen. Mortensen posted 44 net tackles (30 solo stops), 9.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and four pass breakups.
The newcomer of the year is Idaho State junior quarterback Tyler Vander Waal. The Wyoming transfer completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,843 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The co-freshmen of the year are Weber State tailback Dontae McMillan and UC Davis defensive tackle Chubba Maae.
McMillan, a redshirt freshman out of Seattle, ran for 308 yards and five scores, averaging 6.3 yards a carry for the Wildcats. Maee had 12 net tackles and one tackle for a loss for the Aggies.
Other Weber State and SUU representation were as follows.
All Big Sky-First Team
Weber State
senior offensive lineman Ty Whitworth
senior offensive lineman Noah Atagi
junior tailback Josh Davis
senior punt returner/kick returner Rashid Shaheed
senior defensive tackle Jared Schiess
senior inside linebacker Conner Mortensen
sophomore defensive back Eddie Heckard
senior defensive back Preston Smith
junior defensive back Desmond Williams
Southern Utah
junior offensive lineman Braxton Jones
junior defensive end Francis Bemiy
junior outside linebacker La’akea K-Davis
All Big Sky-Second Team
Weber State
freshman tailback Dontae McMillan
senior defensive tackle Sione Lapuaho
junior defensive end George Tarlas
senior inside linebacker Sherwin Lavaka
Southern Utah
senior receiver Landen Measom
freshman special teams player Treyson Johnson
junior defensive back LJ Davis
Honorable Mention
Southern Utah
quarterback Justin Miller
kicker Manny Berz
punt returner/kick returner Judd Cockett
