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A.I.I. Football All-Conference selections announced
November 20, 2012
MADISON, S.D. – The Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Football All-Conference selections and post-season awards were announced Tuesday. Valley City State (N.D.) had landed eight selections to the A.I.I. All-Conference first team.
Senior quarterback Brandon Large of Dakota State (S.D.) was named the A.I.I. Offensive Most Valuable Player (MVP). Large led the Independent Conference with 262.1 passing yards per game for the Trojans. He recorded a completion rate of 58.4 percent. Large broke the DSU school record for most passing yards in a single season with 2,883 yards.
Aaron Freije of Valley City State (N.D.) and A.J. Downs of Jamestown (N.D.) both were selected as co-A.I.I. Defensive Most Valuable Player.
Freije, senior defensive lineman, led the Vikings with 96 tackles and recorded 7.5 quarterback sacks. He ranks 11th in the nation in sacks per game (0.8) and 15th in total quarterback sacks (8.0). Freije also ranks in the 'Top 30' in tackles per game (23rd), tackles for loss per game (25th) and total tackles for loss (29th).
Downs, senior cornerback for the Jimmies, amassed a total of 60 tackles (6.0 tackles per game). He recorded seven pass deflections this season.
Tommy Zinke of Valley City State was awarded the A.I.I. Most Valuable Senior award. As a senior quarterback for the Vikings, he accumulated a total of 4,233 passing yards during his four-year career. He threw a total of 42 touchdowns and averaged 146.0 passing yards for his career with a completion rate of 55.2 percent.
The A.I.I. coaches voted Dennis McCulloch of Valley City State for their Coach of the Year. He led the Vikings to a 7-3 overall record and a 4-1 record in the A.I.I. VCSU was ranked No. 24 in the final NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 poll, released on Nov. 11.
Below are the lists of A.I.I. All-Conference first-team and honorable mention selections by each school:
2012 A.I.I. Football All-Conference First-Team
Dakota State (S.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| WR | Stacey Berg | 6'3" | 185 | Senior | Winslow, Ariz. |
| LB | Craig Hertz | 6'2" | 225 | Senior | Ocheyedan, Iowa |
| DE | Blake Schlagel | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Raymond, S.D. |
| DL | Ronnie Jorgenson | 6'2" | 290 | Junior | Balaton, Minn. |
| OL | Joey Wuolle | 6'3" | 275 | Freshman | Olympia, Wash. |
Jamestown (N.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| CB | A.J. Downs | 5'10" | 180 | Senior | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| RB | Lance Johansen | 5'11" | 180 | Senior | Devils Lake, N.D. |
| NT | Andrew Hammond | 6'2" | 296 | Senior | Lake St. Louis, Mo. |
| Punter | Craig Anderson | 6'1" | 235 | Senior | Hartsville, S.C. |
| OT | Mike Findlay | 6'6" | 280 | Junior | Tracy, Calif. |
| LB | Reid Haagenson | 6'1" | 235 | Senior | Leeds, N.D. |
| SS | C.J. Costello | 6'0" | 205 | Senior | Hanford, Calif. |
Mayville State (N.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| LB | Jacob Grosz | 5'9" | 185 | Sophomore | Barnesville, Minn. |
| DB | Rashad Flanders | 5'11" | 185 | Sophomore | Miami, Fla. |
| OL | Brandon Zahn | 6'3" | 300 | Senior | Waukesha, Wis. |
| DB | Jason Holmes | 5'10" | 190 | Freshman | Orlando, Fla. |
| DB | Dylan Midstokke | 6'0" | 175 | Junior | Peck, Idaho |
| RB | Dominique Bradley | 6'2" | 185 | Junior | San Diego, Calif. |
Valley City State (N.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| DL | Aaron Freije | 6'1" | 250 | Senior | West Fargo, N.D. |
| DL | Garrett Jackson | 6'2" | 233 | Senior | Fairbanks, Alaska |
| DB | Jake Thurston | 5'11" | 206 | Junior | Bottineau, N.D. |
| Kicker | Thomas Cortez | 6'0" | 177 | Sophomore | Haiku, Hawaii |
| TE | Ken Eliacin | 6'4" | 240 | Senior | Miami, Fla. |
| RB | Derek Elliott | 6'1" | 211 | Junior | Valley City, N.D. |
| OL | George Trujillo | 6'1" | 270 | Sophomore | El Paso, Texas |
| QB | Tommy Zinke | 6'2" | 214 | Senior | Rolla, N.D. |
2012 A.I.I. Football All-Conference Honorable Mention Team
Dakota State (S.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| TE | Bobby Tisch | 6'4" | 210 | Freshman | New Ulm, Minn. |
| LB | Eric Liles | 6'0" | 240 | Senior | Queen Creek, Ariz. |
| WR | Carl Curtis | 5'10" | 190 | Senior | Mesa, Ariz. |
| DE | Josh Licht | 6'2" | 245 | Junior | Estelline, S.D. |
| OL | Zac Woods | 6'3" | 285 | Sophomore | Cherokee, Iowa |
Jamestown (N.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| FS | J.T. Petsch | 6'4" | 190 | Junior | Mesa, Ariz. |
| LB | Kenny Anderson | 5'11' | 220 | Senior | Beaumont, Texas |
| OL | Sean Emry | 6'1" | 285 | Sophomore | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| TE | Derrick Dohmann | 6'5" | 235 | Junior | Spicer, Minn. |
| RB | Matt Mithaugen | 6'0" | 205 | Senior | Fergus Falls, Minn. |
Mayville State (N.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| LB | Travis Ahlgren | 6'1" | 195 | Sophomore | Chugiak, Alaska |
| DB | Josh Jeffries | 5'10" | 185 | Junior | Fairbanks, Alaska |
| OL | Aaron Popple | 6'4" | 305 | Junior | West Bend, Wis. |
| WR | Taylor Kunkel | 6'1" | 170 | Junior | Grangeville, Idaho |
| WR | Dantrel Horne | 6'3" | 185 | Freshman | Miami, Fla. |
Valley City State (N.D.)
| Position | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| LB | Alex Hooey | 6'1" | 229 | Senior | Fargo, N.D. |
| DB | Troy Still | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Camden, N.J. |
| OL | Tom Grossell | 6'1" | 293 | Senior | Deer River, Minn. |
| OL | Jordan Owen | 6'1" | 293 | Senior | St. Cloud, Minn. |
| TE | Jake Miller | 6'1" | 208 | Sophomore | Rolla, N.D. |
Postseason Honors
| Awards: | Hometown |
| Most Valuable Player Offensive: Brandon Large (Senior-QB)-Dakota State (S.D.) | Mesa, Ariz. |
| Co-Most Valuable Player Defensive: Aaron Freije (Senior-DL)-Valley City State (N.D.) | West Fargo, N.D. |
| Co-Most Valuable Player Defensive: A.J. Downs (Senior-CB)-Jamestown (N.D.) | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Most Valuable Senior: Tommy Zinke (Senior-QB)-Valley City State (N.D.) | Rolla, N.D. |
| Coach of the Year: Dennis McCulloch-Valley City State (N.D.) | Milbank, S.D. |
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
