SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Led by a quartet of first-team all-conference selections, 12 Evangel football standouts have been selected for Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division postseason honors, the league office announced Thursday.
Senior offensive lineman Derrick Johnson was the lone Valor offensive player chosen for first-team All-Heart South Division honors. The Cedar Hill, Texas product was selected for postseason honors for the third-straight season after anchoring an EU line that allowed just nine quarterback sacks and helped the Valor offense post a 36-percent increase in rushing yards per game from last year’s average output.
Two Valor defenders picked up repeat All-Heart honors as well, with defensive lineman Will Anoa’i and defensive back Athanie Leeviraphan each grabbing their second career postseason nods. Anoa’i, a Springfield native, ranked among the Heart South Division’s leaders in sacks and tackles for losses for the second-straight year, finishing third among all defenders with 5.0 sacks for the season and fifth in the circuit with his 12.5 TFL’s. Leeviraphan helped spearhead an Evangel secondary that currently ranks fifth in the nation in pass defense (155.7 yards per game), while the Owasso, Okla., product recorded a division-best nine passes broken up in EU’s 11 games.
Sophomore Dillon Hester locked up first-team All-Heart South Division laurels as a return specialist, as well as a second-team nod at wide receiver. The Strafford, Mo., native averaged 27.4 yards on kickoff returns, including an 80-yard return for a touchdown against Peru State. He also led EU in receptions (43), receiving yards (645) and receiving touchdowns (5) and ranked fourth overall in the Heart South Division in all-purpose yards (1,129) for the year.
Junior defensive back Koel Orchard, senior defensive lineman Seth Cathey, senior linebacker Dalton Cloyd and freshman defensive back Nate Swofford were also named to the Heart’s second team. Orchard, a Mountain View, Mo., native, led the Heart South Division in tackles per game (8.8) and tackles for losses (14.0), earning his second-consecutive All-Heart postseason honor. Cathey, a Waurika, Okla., product, played a key role up front for the Valor defense, recording 40 tackles to lead all EU defensive linemen, as well as 8.0 TFL’s. Cloyd, a 2019 honorable mention All-Heart selection from Fair Grove, Mo., was second on the squad in tackles (79) while leading the Heart South Division with three fumble recoveries. Swofford, a Camdenton, Mo., native, also played a pivotal role for the EU defense, picking off a team-best three passes and returning two of those interceptions for touchdowns.
Josh Dennie, another repeat All-Heart Conference honoree, earned a second-team citation as an athlete, after the senior from Jacksonville, Fla., hauled in four touchdown receptions and averaged 51.7 all-purpose yards per game.
Three additional Valor veterans earned repeat postseason recognition as honorable mention All-Heart selections, including senior tight end Haaken Friend, a three-time All-Heart pick, senior defensive back Jalen Harris and junior wide receiver Joshua Tips.
Evangel concluded its fall season with a 5-6 overall record, finishing fourth in the Heart South Division standings.
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