By ISU Sports Information
ST. LOUIS – A quartet of Illinois State football standouts highlighted a group of nine Illinois State football players who earned 2017 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team honors, Monday, in the annual vote of league head coaches, sports information directors and media.
Seniors Dalton Keene, Davontae Harris and Sean Slattery joined sophomore James Robinson as All-MVFC First-Team selections. Junior Spencer Schnell and senior Alec Kocour took home All-MVFC Second-Team honors as well, while seniors Adam Conley and Dean Helt were named honorable mention selections along with junior Tylor Petkovich to round out the Redbird all-conference recipients.
Keene, who finished third in the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year voting, led all defensive linemen and ranked second in the MVFC overall with eight sacks in 2017. The Jacksonville, Ill., native also tied for third in the MVFC with 13 tackles for loss and finished the season with 45 tackles, six pass breakups and eight quarterback hurries. The All-MVFC honor is the third for Keene, who earned honorable mention honors as a sophomore in 2015 and second-team plaudits in 2016.
Harris earned first-team honors for the second-consecutive season, becoming the first Redbird defensive back to earn first-team league honors since Sam Young in 1999-2000. The Wichita, Kan. product led the team and tied for second in the MVFC with 14 passes defended (12 PBU, 2 INT). He also ranked third on the team with 57 tackles, including two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, and was credited with three quarterback hurries.
A two-time MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week in 2017, Slattery led the team in scoring with 76 points, tying him for second in the MVFC among kickers. The Rockford, Illinois, native made 14-of-18 field goal attempts, including six of seven from 40 yards or more, with a long of 51 yards at Northern Arizona. His77.8 field goal percentage and 14 field goal makes were tied for most in the MVFC and he was also perfect 34-for-34 in point after touchdown attempts.
Rounding out the All-MVFC First-Team selections for the Redbirds was Robinson, who ranked second in the MVFC and No. 11 in the FCS in rushing touchdowns (12) and third in the MVFC in yards (933). The Rockford, Illinois, native posted six games with 80 yards or more and scored multiple touchdowns in four contests for ISU in 2017. Robinson was the team’s leading rusher with 165 attempts for 933 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry (second-best in MVFC) and rushed for career-high 193 yards with a career long 87 yard run against South Dakota.
Schnell was the team’s leading receiver with 51 receptions for 679 yards, averaging 13.3 yards per receptions, and scored four touchdowns for the Redbirds. The Elkhart, Ind., native recorded a career-long reception of 71 yards, totaling a career-best 191 yards versus South Dakota to earn MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The All-MVFC honor is also the third for Kocour, who earned honorable mention honors as a sophomore in 2015 and was a second-team selection in 2016. The Waukesha, Wisc. native finished the season with 45 tackles and eight passes defended.
