Ferris State Football Garners Two Major Awards and Eight All-Region Picks From Don Hansen's Football Gazette

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Big Rapids, Mich. - The recognition keeps coming for the Ferris State University football squad following another run to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals this past fall as eight Bulldog standouts have been tabbed to the 2019 Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-Super Region Three squad.

Along with the eight individuals to earn recognition, eighth-year FSU head coach Tony Annese was chosen as the Super Region Three Coach of the Year for the third time in the past five seasons.

The Bulldogs had five players receive All-Super Region Three First Team accolades in senior offensive guard Tyler Allison (Clinton Township) along with junior offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali (Trenton) on the offensive side in addition to senior defensive end Austin Edwards (Lansing), senior linebacker Avonte Bell (Lansing) and senior cornerback James Ceasar (Detroit) from one of the nation's top defensive units.

Edwards was also chosen as the Super Region Three Defensive Player of the Year.

The Bulldogs were also represented on the Super Region Three Third Team by sophomore wideout Sy Barnett (Williamston), senior offensive guard Cory Carr (Portage) and junior linebacker Sam Heyboer (Grand Rapids).

The Bulldogs' five first-team honorees were two more than any other school in the region, which includes institutions from four different conferences. The eight total representatives were also the most in Super Region Three and the Bulldogs' total of eight individuals were five more than any other school in the GLIAC.

The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen's Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.

The first-team and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2019 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America team will be selected.

The Bulldogs concluded the year with a 12-1 overall record en route to the national semifinals and a GLIAC Championship. It was FSU's second consecutive conference crown and this year marked the Bulldogs' fourth-straight trip to the national quarterfinals or beyond, which is the longest streak in the country. This year's national semifinal contest marked the first-ever semifinal played at home for the Bulldogs and the latest game ever played in a year at Top Taggart Field. Over the past two seasons, the Bulldogs have compiled a 27-2 mark.