2015 All-Sunflower Slate football

The third annual All-Sunflower Slate team is comprised of the best football players from Kansas small colleges in The Eagle’s coverage area — four MIAA teams, 10 KCAC teams and eight Jayhawk Conference teams:

Offensive player of the year — Brent Wilson, QB, Emporia State

Defensive player of the year — Dylan Delk, DE, Tabor

Special teams player of the year — Dequan Bowman, KR/PR, Hutchinson CC

Coach of the year — Matt Drinkall, Kansas Wesleyan

Offense

Brent Wilson, QB, Emporia State, sr. — Led the MIAA with 4,244 passing yards and 40 touchdowns as Emporia State won its first (and second) NCAA Division II playoff games in school history.

Mark Thompson, RB, Dodge City CC, so. — Led Jayhawk with 1,298 rushing yards on the way to co-Jayhawk Conference title. A big back, at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Thompson is signed with Florida.

Shaquille Cooper, RB, Fort Hays State, so. — Cooper, a sophomore, was the only unanimous All-MIAA pick on offense this season after he led the Tigers with 1,406 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

Mitch Butterfield, OL, Friends, so. — Bright spot in a bad season for Friends, the 6-1, 300-pound Maize South product was a second-team NAIA All-American.

Larry Williams, OL, Hutchinson CC, so. — Williams was Hutchinson’s first All-American offensive lineman since 1998. Signed with Oklahoma State, the 6-foot-3, 339-pounder started all 11 games for the Blue Dragons.

Chris Gaynor, OL, Dodge City CC, so.— Gaynor, 6-4 and 297 pounds, helped lead the Conquistadors to a share of the Jayhawk title. Flipped on his commitment to Kansas State and signed with TCU.

Ben Powers, OL, Butler CC, fr. – The Kapaun Mount Carmel product’s size, at 6-5 and 320 pounds, combined with his athleticism made him a hot target for Division I schools and he ultimately chose Oklahoma over TCU.

Matt Erbert, OL, Fort Hays State, sr. — Started 22 straight games for the Tigers and was the key cog on an offensive line that paved the way for an average of 246.5 rushing yards per game this season.

Matt Jones, TE, Butler, so. — Melvern native, 6-6 and 250 pounds, packed on 30 pounds of muscle for sophomore season as Grizzlies won share of Jayhawk title and finished ranked No.

Kavaski Ervin, WR, Emporia State, sr. — Ervin, just 5-9, started his career playing on both sides of the ball and led the Hornets with 83 catches for 1,218 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Cedrick Wilson, WR, Coffeyville CC, so. — Signed with Boise State, he played his best in big games and was a two-time All-Jayhawk selection.

Cole Williams, WR, Saint Mary, sr.— Senior had an eye-popping 92 catches for 886 yards and six touchdowns.

Dillon Burkhard, K, Dodge City CC, so. — Burkhard was 11 for 15 on field goals, including a long of 54, and 48 for 50 on extra points. Fifteen of his kickoffs also went for touchbacks and he was named NJCAA All-American.

Defense

Daniel Lindsey, DB, Fort Hays State, sr. — Big, physical safety racked up 80 tackles, including 50 solo stops and 11 tackles for loss.

Sequente Marks, DB, Kansas Wesleyan, sr. —Repeat selection off last year’s team made the most of his one year at Kansas Wesleyan after transferring from Friends. Wichita native helped lead Coyotes to first NAIA playoff appearance since 2002.

Octavious Morgan, DB, Butler CC, fr. — Freshman from Greenville, S.C., led Butler with six interceptions with 160 return yards. Has good size at 6-foot, 190 pounds.

Kenny Nez, DB, Saint Mary, jr. — An All-American in 2014, every team threw away from Nez this season and he still had a solid year. Shutdown corner.

Tyree Horton, LB, Highland, so. — NJCAA All-American is TCU bound. Racked up 88 tackles, 9½ sacks, 19½ tackles for loss and a fumble recovery this season for the Scotties. Horton finished his career third in school history in tackles and second in sacks.

Eric Walker, LB, Southwestern, sr. — The Moundbuilders’ best defensive player in last decade finished career as second-team NAIA All-American and led team with 104 tackles.

Brock Long, LB, Fort Hays State, sr. — A finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, given to the nation’s top small-college defensive player. Long set school record with 171 tackles, including 21 ½ tackles for loss, 10 sacks and four forced fumbles.

Jeremy Faulk, DL, Garden City CC, so. — NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year was effective lining up at defensive tackle or defensive end. Led Broncbusters with 7.5 sacks,18.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three pass breakups.

Dylan Delk, DL, Tabor, sr. — The Hillsboro High product led the Bluejays to the KCAC title and NAIA quarterfinals on his way to being named NAIA All-American.

Tramal Ivy, DL, Butler, so. — Considered one of the top juco defensive prospects in country, 6-5, 238-pound pass rusher lived up to some of his vast potential this season. Decommitted from Oklahoma State on Monday.

Heath Wilson, DL, Pittsburg State, jr. — Repeat selection from 2014 was bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for Gorillas, who he led in sacks and tackles for loss.

Eddie Juarez, P, Sterling, jr. — Averaged 41.6 yards per punt on 54 attempts.

Dequan Bown, PR-KR, Hutchinson CC, so. — Bowman led the Jayhawk Conference in punt-return average at 10.1 yards per return and ranked fifth in the Jayhawk in kickoff returns at 22.5 yards per attempt. Signed with Texas Tech.

Distinguished Alumni

Derek Lee, TE, Butler Community College (Bowling Green) — Maize High product turned into key component of Bowling Green’s high-powered offense on their way to another MAC title.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 7:08 PM with the headline "2015 All-Sunflower Slate football."