Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Pioneer Football League Announces Divisional Post-Season Honors

ST. LOUIS, Mo. � Pioneer Football League officials announced today the winners of its divisional post-season honors: Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.

San Diego head coach Jim Harbaugh and junior quarterback Josh Johnson earned the PFL North's "Coach of the Year" and "Offensive Player of the Year" honors, respectively, as San Diego went undefeated in division play. Dayton senior linebacker John Hoppe earned the division's "Defensive Player of the Year."

Morehead State head coach Matt Ballard and sophomore quarterback Brian Yost were named the PFL South's "Coach of the Year" and "Offensive Player of the Year," respectively, as Morehead State made an unbeaten run through PFL South play. Davidson senior linebacker Alex Arinsmier picked up the division's "Defensive Player of the Year."

Johnson, a 6-3, 180-pound sophomore quarterback from Oakland, Calif., leads the league with 2,881 passing yards -more than 800 yards greater than any other PFL quarterback this season. He leads the league in passing efficiency (168.95, 6th in I-AA), total offense (293.27 ypg, 10th in I-AA) and points responsible for (20.18 ppg). This season, he broke the Toreros' single-season marks for completions (236) and total offensive yards (3,226).

Hoppe, a 6-0, 219-pound senior linebacker from Northbrook, Ill., ranked fifth among all defensive players in tackles, averaging 8.6 per game, leading the second-place Flyers. He also led Dayton with 42 solo tackles and was second on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss.

Harbaugh earns the PFL North's "Coach of the Year" honor after leading San Diego to a 10-1 mark, including an undefeated run through the PFL North schedule. The Toreros will be competing in their first-ever conference championship game and enter that contest with a No. 1 ranking in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major poll. San Diego is 17-5 in Harbaugh�s two-year tenure, including a 15-1 mark in the last 16 games.

Yost, a 6-1, 185-pound sophomore quarterback from Huntingburg, Ind., led the PFL South in total offense, averaging 204.18 yards per game, third best among all league players. He was fourth in the PFL in passing yardage (1,788 yards) and second among PFL quarterbacks in rushing yardage (41.6 ypg).

Arinsmier, a 6-1, 225-pound senior linebacker from Cincinnati, Ohio, was the league's leading tackler, averaging 10.8 tackles per game, 15th best among all I-AA football players. He finished the season with six consecutive double-digit tackle performances, and - with 108 total tackles - was one tackle shy on the league's total tackle title.

Ballard earns the PFL South's "Coach of the Year" honor for a fourth consecutive year. He led Morehead State to an 8-3 mark, the third eight-win season in the program's last four campaigns. That record includes a perfect 3-0 mark in PFL South play where the Eagles are 13-2 all-time.