By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com
Former MP Standout Canby Named 1st Team All-Conference:
Former Mount Pleasant standout Pat Canby was named First Team All-Conference by the Heart of America Athletic Conference last week, the league announced.
Canby, a 5’11, 190 pound senior linebacker, helped anchor a Grand View defense that led the nation in pass defense efficiency and total defense per game.
Grand View finished the truncated 2020 season with an unblemished 6-0 ledger.
In total, 19 Vikings were named to the Heart of America First Team list.
Hawks, Cyclones Earn All-American Honors by The Athletic:
A pair of Cyclones and a Hawkeye duo have been tabbed as All-Americans by the online sports publication The Athletic, the site announced yesterday.
Cyclone tailback Breece Hall and linebacker Mike Rose were named to the first team.
Hall rushed for 19 touchdowns in his sophomore season, totaling over 1,400 yards helping Iowa State reach the Big 12 Championship Game.
Hall is also a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s top rusher.
Rose, meanwhile, was the lynchpin of the Cyclone defense.
The junior from Brecksville, OH finished with 90 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, four interceptions and two pass breakups for a stingy Iowa State defense.
Iowa’s honorees included former Solon standout Tyler Linderbaum at center and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Daviyon Nixon.
Iowa will take on Missouri in the Music City Bowl in Nashville six days from today on December 30th.
You can listen to that contest — along with the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, where Iowa State hooks up with Oregon — on the KILJ Family of Networks.
Linderbaum Adds Another Accolade:
Speaking of Tyler Linderbaum, the Hawkeye junior is among three finalists for the Rimington Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top center.
Linderbaum, who was originally recruited as a defensive lineman, is the third finalist for the award in Iowa history, joining Austin Blythe in 2015 and Bruce Nelson in 2002.
In eight games this season, Linderbaum helped anchor an Iowa offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in fewest sacks allowed, first downs, and fourth down conversions and scoring offense, and third in red zone offense.
Iowa State’s Kolar Named to Mackey Finalist List:
Dynamic Iowa State tight end has been named as a finalist for the prestigious John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top pass catcher.
Kolar joins Florida Gator, and projected top-10 pick in April’s NFL Draft Kyle Pitts and Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer as finalists.
Kolar led Iowa State with 39 catches, 538 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Drake’s Hemphill Garners MVC Award for the Second Time:
Drake University senior forward Shanquan Hemphill has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Week, the league announced Wednesday.
It’s Hemphill’s second time garnering the distinction.
Hemphill, a transfer from Green Bay, led Drake on the week with 17.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 72.4 percent (21-of-29).
Hemphill and the Bulldogs begin conference play next with a two-game series at Indiana State Dec. 27-28. The Bulldogs enter the conference season with a 9-0 record, the best start to a season in program history.