Football Puts 13 on Heart All-South Division Team
Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 17, 2023)- Missouri Valley College football has put 13 student-athletes on the 2023 Heart of America Athletic Conference All-South Division Team, including three first team selections.
Leading the All-South Division honorees are first team selections Senior Running Back Jeremiah Bryant (Atwood, Tenn.), Senior Offensive Lineman Lalomilo Iosefa (Pago Pago, American Samoa) and Senior Offensive Lineman Adonnis Puou (Waianae, Hawaii).
Bryant led the team and was third in the Heart with 954 rushing yards on the season. He averaged 95.4 yards per game, and 5.8 yards per rush. He also led the Heart with 14 rushing touchdowns. Bryant scored 90 points on the season, the most since 2014, and the most for a non-kicker since 2012. He added 321 receiving yards and one touchdown to total 1,275 all-purpose yards, the most in a single-season since 2017. This is Bryant's second All-South Division honor, as he was an honorable mention selection in 2022.
Iosefa, a first team selection in 2022, and Puou, earning his first All-South Division honor, anchored an offensive line that averaged 26.9 points per game and 369 total yards per game.
A total of eight Vikings were named to the Heart All-South Division Second Team. On offense that included Junior Wide Receiver Khaleel Dampier (Columbia, Mo.), Senior Wide Receiver Dorian Miles (Gwinnett Co., Ga.) and Sophomore Offensive Lineman Wyatt Nordean (Orange Park, Fla.).
Dampier finished the season second in the Heart with 63 receptions, and fourth in the Heart with 764 receiving yards to go with nine touchdowns and totaled 1,049 all-purpose yards. Miles ended the season with 31 receptions for 584 yards and six touchdowns, while his 18.8 yards reception was third in the Heart. Along with Nordean, all three earned their first All-South Division honor.
Defensively, Senior Defensive Lineman Shepherd Faiilagi (Laulii, American Samoa), Senior Linebacker Craig Travis (Kansas City, Mo.), Senior Linebacker David Gysbers (Columbia, Mo.) and Senior Defensive Back Johnathan Bailey (North Las Vegas, Nev.) were all second team selections.
Faiilagi earned his third All-South Division honor, which included a second team selection in 2022 and an honorable mention in 2021. He finished the season with 25 total tackles, along with 3.5 tackles for loss. Travis, an honorable mention selection in 2022, led the team with 59 tackles and 7.5 tackles-for-loss, to go with 1.5 sacks and one interception. Gysbers finished second on the team with 55 tackles, to go with 3.5 tackles for loss, while Bailey totaled 33 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions and a team-high five pass break-ups, as both were first time All-South Division selections.
On special teams, Senior Punter Justin Bridges (Park Hills, Mo.) was a second team choice, the first honor of his career, after averaging 36.5 yards per punt on 44 punts with a long of 64 yards and 11 punts downed inside the 20 yard line.
Two more Vikings earned honorable mention selections, including Senior Quarterback Tionne Harris (St. Louis, Mo.) and Senior Defensive Lineman Zack Dunham (Orange, Calif.), both earning All-South Division recognition for the first time. Harris passed for 2,090 yards on 180 completions with 17 passing touchdowns. He also added 158 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Dunham totaled 17 tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
The 13 All-South Division selections are the most for the program since 2017. Missouri Valley finished with a 5-5 overall record, and a 2-3 record in the Heart South Division. On Wednesday, long-time Head Coach Paul Troth announced he was stepping down from the position after 22 seasons and a record of 145-96 leading the program.
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Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.