BAY CITY, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State
University football player John Jacobs (Prudenville, Mich. /
Midland Dow HS) was was named the 2009 Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (GLIAC) "Defensive Back of the Year" in
balloting conducted by the league’s head coaches.
Jacobs posted a conference-high 135 tackles during his senior
campaign, helping the Cardinals to a 9-2 record and an appearance
in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since the 2005
season. He was named GLIAC Defensive "Player of the Week”
twice this season, and became the GLIAC’s all-time tackles
leader in conference games (397). Jacobs tied for the GLIAC lead in
interceptions (4) and ranked sixth in tackles for loss (13). He
started all 11 games for the Cardinals in 2009 and recorded a
season high 17 tackles against Northern Michigan on Oct. 3, one of
six games in which he recorded 12 or more tackles.
Saginaw Valley had a total of 13 players total selected for
All-GLIAC teams, including five on the first team. Leading the way
for the Cardinals on the first team defense was Jacobs, who was
joined by fellow linebacker Mike LeVand (Grandville, Mich.) and
free safety Carlton Downs (Detroit, Mich. / Denby HS). Tight End,
Galen Stone (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Swartz Creek HS) and offensive
lineman, Jordon DeRosia (Mt. Morris, Mich. / E.A. Johnson HS) also
earned first team accolades on offense. The Cardinals placed
two players on the second team; defensive tackle, Bryan Klobucar
(Hudsonville, Mich.) and defensive end, Jordan Barley (Menominee,
Mich.).
Rounding out the list for Saginaw Valley was defensive tackle Rob
Callaway (Mt. Morris, Mich. / Beecher HS), quarterback Charles
Dowdell (Ft. Wayne, Ind. / Indiana State), punter Kurtis Fournier
(Warren, Mich. / Cousino HS), defensive end Toby Goetz (Lowell,
Ind.), running back Xavier Walker (Bridgewater, N.J./Raritan HS)
and offensive lineman Jerry Wichman (Oxford, Mich.), all of whom
where named to the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team.
The Cardinals will travel to Nebraska-Kearney this weekend for their first game of the NCAA Division II Playoffs, kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm eastern time.