Reasnover, Barth Honored by NACC; Fifteen Red Devils Named All-NACC
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Eureka College senior running back Le'Anthony Reasnover (Momence, Ill./Momence H.S.) has been voted Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Year and 10th-year head coach Kurt Barth has been named NACC Coach of the Year, according to a Friday announcement from the league office. Reasnover is one of 15 Red Devils to receive All-NACC accolades, including six First Team selections.
Reasnover was joined on the All-NACC First Team offense by senior tackle Ryan Barth (Minonk, Ill./Fieldcrest H.S.). On the defensive side, senior lineman Macae Skaggs (Farmington, Ill./Farmington H.S.), sophomore lineman Jon Jackson (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods H.S./St. Francis) and junior cornerback Trevon Moore (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley H.S.) were picked for the First Team. Junior James Douglas III (Orlanda, Fla./Deltona H.S./Cornell) was voted to the First Team as a return specialist.
Senior wideout Dom Parks (East Moline, Ill./United Township H.S.) and senior tackle Jordan Lamb (Catlin, Ill./Salt Fork H.S.) were named to the Second Team as offensive players. Junior cornerback Matt Sutton (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap H.S.), junior linebacker Austin McCarty (Oakwood, Ill./Oakwood H.S.) and sophomore linebacker Mason Diederich (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S.) earned Second Team nods on defense.
Four more Red Devils received Honorable Mention: junior quarterback Drew Barth (Minonk, Ill./Fieldcrest H.S.), junior running back Wesley Burris (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville H.S.), junior kicker/punter Tanner Kuhne (Princeton, Ill./Princeton H.S.) and sophomore guard Martin LeCesne (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West H.S.).
Reasnover is now a two-time conference Offensive Player of the Year after receiving the same honor from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference as a junior last season. He closed the regular season as the NCAA Division III leader with 252 points scored, 42 total touchdowns and 2,358 all-purpose yards. He ran away with the league's rushing title with 2,137 yards and also led the NACC with 298 total rushes and 40 rushing touchdowns. He ran for at least 125 yards and two touchdowns in all 10 games, logged five 200-yard games, two 300-yard games and set the NACC single-game record with five rushing touchdowns in four consecutive outings from Oct. 6 through Nov. 3.
Kurt Barth, who won his 50th game versus Wisconsin Lutheran on Oct. 6 and coached his 100th contest at Lakeland on Nov. 3, is a conference Coach of the Year for the first time. Already the winningest coach in the 115-season history of Eureka football, the 1998 Eureka College graduate directed the Red Devils to their most prolific season of offensive production in school history. EC set new single-season program records with 4,850 yards of total offense, 441 points scored, 62 touchdowns, 3,358 rushing yards and 233 first downs in 2018.
Ryan Barth, who was joined by fellow offensive linemen Lamb and LeCesne as All-NACC honorees, started his 41st consecutive game in Eureka's NACC-clinching win over Rockford on Nov. 10. He paved the way for the Red Devils' dominant rushing attack that ranked second nationally with 335.8 rushing yards per contest. EC also allowed only one sack on 179 pass attempts through the regular season, the fewest sacks allowed in Division III this season.
Jackson and Skaggs anchored a defensive front that led the NACC and ranked 46th nationally with 102.3 yards allowed per game. Jackson made 36 stops, including 23 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Skaggs tallied 34 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack. Moore earned his third consecutive all-conference First Team nod after tallying 26 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
Douglas III received All-NACC First Team honors as a return specialist. He returned 10 kickoffs for 283 yards and nine punts for 83 yards. Along with his 60 rushing yards and 128 receiving yards, Douglas III ranked third on the Red Devils with 554 all-purpose yards this season.
On the Second Team, Parks led the Red Devils with 30 receptions for 346 yards and four touchdowns. Diederich ranked third on the team with 39 tackles and also added 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack. McCarty led the EC defense with 58 total tackles to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Sutton's transition to the defense was successful in the secondary after logging 17 tackles and nine pass breakups.
Barth earned Honorable Mention thanks to a season that included 110 completions, 1,492 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also ran for 323 yards and two touchdowns. Burris was solid in his role as a blocking back in the Red Devils' record-breaking run attack and added eight receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Kuhne broke his own single-season Eureka record for extra points with 52 and also made three field goals. He punted 35 times for an average of 34.0 yards and placed 14 of his punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Eureka went 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the NACC to win the outright league championship in its first season as an affiliate member of the conference. The Red Devils will begin the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday at noon at #4/#5 Wisconsin-Whitewater in Whitewater, Wis.