2019 All-MIAC Awards: MN Prep Highlight Edition (2nd Team Defense)
This fourth edition of Northstar Football News’ featured series “2019 All-MIAC Awards: MN Prep Highlight Edition” will review the prep and college careers of the former Minnesota prep players our site has covered that were honored by one of Division…
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Continue ReadingThis fourth edition of Northstar Football News’ featured series “2019 All-MIAC Awards: MN Prep Highlight Edition” will review the prep and college careers of the former Minnesota prep players our site has covered that were honored by one of Division III’s top-2 conferences: the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). In our previous publications for the series we have introduced and highlighted the First Team Offense, First Team Defense, and Second Team Offense awards, so it should come as no surprise that this article will review the Land of 10,000 Lakes boys selected to the All-MIAC Second Team Defense list, and once again we have some heavy-hitters. From as far South as St. Peter and Kilkenny to as far North as Sartell, these eight honorees are all great representations of the underrated football players MN has to offer, as well as great representations of the state itself. Congratulations to the honorees and I hope you enjoy the article!
DL: Jordan Bartholomew (6’2, 240 lbs.) Junior. St. Olaf College. Kilkenny, Minn. Tri-City United High School.
My good friend and ex-teammate Bart has been improving year after year since entering the MIAC and now finds himself as a Second Team honoree after receiving an Honorable Mention nod last year as a sophomore and a first-year campaign in which he posted 43 tackles. A high energy defensive lineman who possesses good strength and stout hands that he uses to disrupt blockers, Bart has become a force in the run game with a lot more room for improvement. The Kilkenny native joined the Oles after a year spent at South Dakota State where he did not participate in football. Having missed the game as well as his Southern Minnesota roots, Bartholomew transferred to St. Olaf to renew his football journey after a prep career that earned him an All-District award at DE, an All-Conference award as an olineman his junior year, and Tri-City United’s Defensive Lineman of the Year award as well. Try-City had a successful run in 2015 when Bart captained the squad to a Section 1AAA championship and a berth in the MN State Tournament.
Credit: athletics.stolaf.eduHe was also a captain and three year member of the trapshooting team. He’s continued his football career of distinction in college last season in ’18 with the aforementioned HM nod to go along with a D3football.com Team of the Week award (Sept. 18) as well as 42 tackles (16 solo), 10 TFL’s, one sack, one PBU, one FF, one FR, and a blocked kick. This season the junior posted 44 tackles, seven TFL’s, two sacks, one FF, one FR, and three blocked kicks! This kid works his tail off in the offseason as well, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he got himself up to 250 lbs. in preparation for what will no doubt be a terrific senior season. Best of luck, buddy! Miss ya. Hudl: https://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/minnesota/montgomery/tricity-united/jordan-bartholomew
DL: Jake Levahn (6’4, 256 lbs.) Junior. University of St. Thomas. Blaine, Minn. Spring Lake Park High School.
Building off of a 2018 season wherein Levahn recorded 21 tackles, four TFL’s, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and a FF, the junior fought off constant double teams in 2019 to open gaps for the Tommies LB’s which aided the conferences second best statistical defense (behind Bethel) to only allow 14.7 PPG and a MIAC best 58.6 rush YPG. Coming in as a freshman at around 240 lbs., Levahn has only gotten bigger since then, and will be a hard to stop even with double teams in 2020. A 2017 graduate of Spring Lake Park High School in Fridley, Minn., Levahn helped lead a Panthers defense to the second round of the MN State Tourney in 2014 in what was an extremely talented SLP team. That team featured SMSU RB commit Isley Carrington, University of Minnesota-Duluth First Team All-Conference TE Zach Ojile-who played QB at the time-his brother and fellow UMD commit Josh Ojile at OL, FCS All-American OL Zack Johnson who went to NDSU, and a multitude of other college football players.
Levahn as a SLP Panther.That year Levahn totaled 77 solo tackles, 128 total tackles, two interceptions, one FF, one PBU, and one blocked kick as a 6’3, 200 pound MLB. The following year as seniors, Levahn and company dropped a heartbreaking first round playoff loss to STMA 14-15, and Levahn had 91 tackles on the year. A great recruiting grab for the Tommies, the Pre Law major who carries a 3.5 GPA will look to bump up to that First Team honor in 2020. SLP Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3223921/5721cee090eead5d90d63785
DL: Nick Jensen (6’0, 240 lbs.) Senior. St. John’s University. Sartell, Minn. Sartell-St.Stephen High School.
I was super stoked to see Jensen honored by the MIAC in 2019 as I have followed his football career with much interest since he put out a great fullback Hudl tape at Sartell and signed his letter of intent to South Dakota State to play football on a PWO offer. Jensen had a ton of offers coming out of high school in 2015, as Minnesota, Iowa, SDSU, and North Dakota all threw him preferred walk-on offers and St. Cloud State, Bemidji State, UMN-Crookston, and Winona State all offered full rides after he was named a 2014 All-State Second Team selection.
Credit: 24/7sportsThat year he played FB/TE/DL/and LB for Sartell-St. Stephen and was a tank. SDSU lost a lot of players the year Jensen got to Brookings, and Jensen found himself leaving the program for greener pastures at St. Cloud State near his Sartell home. However, despite the Huskies adding the stud to their roster, the schematic fits for his skill set were not ideal as SCSU didn’t play with a fullback, and Jensen once again hit the road down the way to Collegeville to play for SJU. Playing in a hybrid fullback/H-back role as a Johnnie in 2018, Jensen scored four touchdowns and rammed his head into countless MIAC defenders. This year in 2019 he made the full-time switch to DE, and recorded 30 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s, three sacks, and two FR’s to earn his first well deserved collegiate accolade. The senior just finished his and his teammates 2019 season this Saturday in a brutal 32-35 loss in the D3 semifinals to No. 7 ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Jensen should be credited with a lot of their success. Congratulations, Nick! You earned it. Sartell Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/v/296LFC
OLB: Avery Bachman (5’10, 200 lbs.) Senior. Gustavus Adolphus College. St. Peter, Minn. St. Peter High School.
Bachman was a senior LB for the Golden Gusties who stayed home in his native St. Peter to represent Gustavus at the Division III level. An assignment sound and technically savvy undersized OLB in the MIAC, Bachman totaled 35 tackles, 2.5 TFL’s, one FF, and one INT in 2019 to earn his first MIAC distinction.
Bachman. Credit: GAC Football.As a prep, Bachman was a 2x All-District selection in football, an All-Conference pick and captain in hockey, and a 5x All-Conference tennis player who led St. Peter’s tennis team to a state consolation championship in 2015. He was also Academic All-State. Interestingly, both Bachman’s dad and brother were both Gustie football grads, and his mom was inducted into the GAC Hall of Fame as a soccer player in 2003. You’ve made your family and the Gusties proud, Avery! Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/4031572/5721d1b40dcb0d12f875609b
OLB: Jack Foley (6’0, 235 lbs.) Senior. University of St. Thomas. Edina, Minn. Edina High School.
Foley joins an impressive list of former Edina Hornets to gain All-MIAC recognition, and the senior has surely paid his dues after being selected captain and All-Section his senior year at Edina. Also a standout lacrosse player who was named Third Team All-State, All-Section, and a captain of Hornet lacrosse. I believe this was Foley’s first year on the defensive side of the ball for UST, and it is looking like a great move after Foley spent his first three years on the offensive side of the ball as a fullback-maybe the most physical position for a Tommie footballer. He was the starting FB for the Tommies in 2018, and scored his first TD on the ground and through the air in college.
Foley trucks a Tonka defender.With some holes at OLB, Foley stepped in at the Tommies all-important defensive position and flourished, recording 32 tackles, 9.5 TFL’s, six sacks, one INT, and one FR. These stats definitely put him in First Team Defense consideration, and I’m happy that Foley had a strong senior season after grinding in the thankless fullback position at UST. Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/797667/5721dcc1041ddc1b00770e68
OLB: Parker Hlavacek (6’4, 211 lbs.) Senior. University of St. Thomas. Plymouth, Minn. Wayzata High School.
The other OLB for the Tommies opposite Jack Foley, Hlavacek follows in the footsteps of fellow Wayzata grad Jesse Ado-who graduated a couple years ago-as an All-MIAC selection for the Tommies. He got to campus in 2016 after being a member of the Wayzata Trojan squad that advanced to the state quarterfinals wherein he earned All-District and All-Conference HM honors on the gridiron.
Hlavacek (48) with a big strip sack for Wayzata.Also a starting infielder on Wayzata’s state champion baseball team his senior season, Hlavacek has primarily played defense for the Tommies and recorded 19 tackles, 9.5 TFL’s, two sacks, and one FF in 2018 with six tackles, one TFL, and one FR in 2017. This year the Plymouth native totaled 38 tackles, 13.5 TFL’s, and five sacks for the suffocating Tommie defense. UST will have a hard time replacing these two OLB’s, and the Tommies will sorely miss the 23 TFL’s and 11 sacks the seniors recorded in 2019. Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/4255414/5721d338dfe23b2d68b8ce11
S: Nick Raddatz (6’0, 198 lbs.) Senior. University of St. Thomas. Prior Lake, Minn. Prior Lake High School.
Prior Lake’s Nick Raddatz is our first of two former MN preps honored at the safety position, and the former three-sport captain (football, baseball, basketball) for the P.L. Lakers worked hard as an underclassman to crack the UST starting lineup in 2018 when he recorded 13 tackles, two PBU’s, and one interception. In 2019 as the starter, Raddatz recorded 39 tackles, an interception, and a blocked kick from the defensive backfield of the Tommies.
Raddatz as a Laker.He helped the Tommies D to only give up 185.1 passing YPG while recording 14 team interceptions, good for second best in the conference. Prior Lake continues to be a great pipeline for talented football players to join the MIAC, and UST is reaping the most of these benefits. Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/2729596/5721d34ab019261f80d5fc7f
S: Travis Brown (5’9, 180 lbs.) Junior. Carleton College. St. Michael, Minn. St. Michael-Albertville High School.
Another product of STMA’s awesome high school program and the first Minnesotan from Carleton to be featured in these articles, Brown is one of the most decorated Knights in recent memory and is heading to his senior as the most accomplished defensive back in the conference. Recently named to the All-West Region team released by D3football.com last week. A Third Team pick, Brown is the first Knight since 2013 to take home All-Region honors, the 13th Carleton player all-time, and only the third safety ever selected. His Second Team All-MIAC selection in 2019 follows a Second Team All-MIAC honor in 2018 after recording 69 total tackles (41 solo), 12 PBU’s, two interceptions, two TFL’s, and one FF. Now a 2x Second Team pick, Brown’s ’19 season included 101 tackles (52 solo), five PBU’s, four FF’s, two interceptions, two FR’s, two blocked kicks, and 1.5 TFL’s. He was second in the MIAC overall and ranked 33rd among all NCAA DIII players with 10.1 tackles per game, and that figure ranked him fifth amongst DIII DB’s and tops amongst West Region DB’s. His 52 solo tackles were tied for the MIAC lead and ranked him 63rd amon all DIII players. His four FF’s were #1 among DB’s in the region and second among all NCAA Division III defensive backs.
Brown as a STMA Knight.Brown also handled punt and kick return duties for Carleton and averaged a MIAC best 7.9 yards per return off punts and 19.2 yards per KOR. He was also voted to the D3football.com Team of the Week after a 17-tackle performance against then No. 18 ranked UST. Brown is poised for a big 2020. Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/2842659/581fb1807bddf85604ad8efd
I hope you al enjoyed the article! Stay tuned for the last editions of the Northstar Football News featured series where we will highlight and review the prep and college careers of the MN boys selected to the All-MIAC Special Teams list as well as the Land of 10,000 Lakes boys named to the honorable mention teams. Happy Holidays!