Damaschke's Co-Offensive POY highlights Football All-NACC Awards
WAUKESHA, Wis. – Senior quarterback Austin Damaschke was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Co-Offensive Player of the Year as the league released its postseason awards Monday. Damaschke was one of 11 players to earn All-NACC honors, including one of seven to earn a First Team selection.
Damaschke (Bristol, Wis.), the 2013 NACC Offensive Player of the Year, led the conference win passing yards per game, passing touchdowns, completions and passing yards. He finished the season with 2,835 yards and 20 touchdowns, while adding 570 rushing yards for seven more scores. Benedictine quarterback Ryan Keener was chosen as the other Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Not only did Damaschke have a tremendous season, but he ends his career as arguably the greatest offensive player in the conference's history. He finished his career as the NACC leader in passing completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns. He was also the league's leader in total offensive yardage and had several of those records before playing a single down this season, only to extend those numbers to near unreachable heights.
Damaschke was one of four Falcons to be named to the All-NACC First Team on the offensive side of the football. His favorite target over the past four seasons, senior wide receiver Garrett Wenzelburger (Hartland, Wis.) was chosen for First Team honors for the third straight season. All Wenzelburger, the NACC's all-time leader in pass receptions, did this season was lead the conference in many of the major receiving categories despite missing two full games due to injury. He finished the year with 65 catches for 1,010 yards and nine touchdowns.
Wenzelburger finished his career with 251 catches, leading all players in conference history and also ranked second in receiving yards (3,169) and touchdowns (38). He also finished fourth all-time in total touchdowns scored during his four impressive seasons in a Falcons uniform.
Senior running back Shay Klitzke (Annandale, Minn.) and offensive lineman Nick Smith (Cudahy, Wis.) were also chosen for First Team All-NACC Offensive honors. Klitzke had an impressive season where he finished second in the league with 702 rushing yards, averaging 70.2 per contest. He led all players with eight rushing touchdowns and proved to be a factor in the pass game as well. The senior back caught 24 passes for 135 yards this season.
Smith was a part of an offensive line that impressed throughout 2014. He helped lead the way for a unit that ranked first in the NACC with 475.5 yards per game. The Falcons ran for a league-best 1,617 yards, while throwing for a conference-high 3,138 yards. CUW also allowed just 13 sacks this season, an impressive number considering the number of plays the Falcons offensive ran.
Two players were honored on the defensive side of the ball for First Team selections in senior Uzziel McDermit (Kansasville, Wis.) and sophomore Bryan Thomas (Lowell, Ind.). McDermit moved up to the First Team after a pair of Second Team selections in 2012 and 2013. This season he finished with 50 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes broken up. He also ranked fourth in the conference with 13 tackles for a loss.
Thomas was all over the field in his second collegiate season, racking up a team-best 94 tackles, which tied for second most in the NACC. He added two forced fumbles, recovered two and intercepted a pair of passes, while breaking up seven.
The final First Team selection for the Falcons was senior punter Hunter Breunig (Lodi, Wis.). Breunig finished the year leading the NACC with a 37.2 yards per punt average. He boomed 51 punts for 1,896 yards, including a long of 57. Twelve of those 51 punts pinned opponent's inside their own 20-yard line.
Four other players earned All-NACC honors, including Second Team selections Sean Jones on offense and kicker David Gonzalez. Jones (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) was a member of the impressive offensive line that paved the way for the league's best attack. Gonzalez had another strong season, leading all kickers in points with 60. He connected on 42-of-44 extra points, while adding six made field goals with a long of 35 yards.
Freshman Jeffrey Arredondo and junior Aaron Krapfl rounded out the CUW All-NACC selections with honorable mention tags. Krapfl was one of the more difficult players to pass on in the NACC as he led all players with 16 pass breakups. He added three interceptions and 59 tackles. Arredondo (Chandler, Ariz.) posted 57 tackles in his rookie season, while adding 2.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss.
The Falcons finished the year with a 5-5 record, including a 3-3 mark in NACC play.
