November 25, 2008

RIPON, Wis. - The 2008 Red Hawk football team finished with their best record in seven years, en route to a second place finish in the Midwest Conference. Several player's dedication and hard work was rewarded recently, in the form of 16 All-Conference selections.

Making the first team were Center Mark Leupold and fellow seniors Chris Kellett and Joshua Kraemer at defensive back. Kraemer is one of two players in the MWC to earn two All-Conference selections, with the other one coming as the return specialist on the second team.

Leupold was the anchor of an offensive line that paved the way for 2,527 rushing yards, which is the third-most in a season in Ripon history, and 30 touchdowns. Another big part of Ripon's 2008 squad was the defense, which was led by Kellett and Kraemer. Both players finished their careers in the top 10 in interceptions by a Red Hawk. Kellett recorded five interceptions in 2008, to go along with 42 tackles, three fumbles recovered and a sack. Kraemer had an equally impressive season, picking off six passes for the second consecutive season, while also making 55 tackles, forcing three fumbles and recovering another. As a kick returner, Kraemer averaged 28.4 yards per kick return, including a pair of touchdowns, while also returning one punt for a touchdown, en route to a 14.8 punt return average.

Kraemer was joined on the second team offense by senior fullback Jon Larsen, and offensive linemen Trevor Wirth and Josh Novak, in their senior and sophomore years, respectively. The second team defense was led by senior defensive lineman Ray Anderson and junior linebacker Ryan Andersen.

Larsen led the Red Hawks in rushing with 624 yards and five touchdowns, including three 100-yard rushing performances in Ripon's last five games. Wirth and Novak were a big reason for Larsen's success, as they created the holes for him to run through. Ray Anderson led the Red Hawks in sacks with two and a half, while also making 25 tackles. Ryan Andersen was also a key to the Ripon defense, recording a team-high 90 tackles, to go along with one sack and two interceptions.

Earning All-Conference Honorable Mention on offense for the Red Hawks were seniors Brian Felix (Wide Receiver), Alan Olmsted (Offensive Line) and Bob Wood (Kicker). The Honorable Mention defense awards went to sophomore defensive lineman Kyle Roy, junior linebacker Adam Firgens, and defensive backs Brad Fehly and Kurt Roeder, who is a senior and sophomore, respectively.

Felix caught six passes for 161 yards (26.8 avg.) this season, but earned a lot of his recognition by blocking for the Red Hawk's running game. Olmsted also did an outstanding job creating space for the Ripon backfield, which saw four players rush for over 370 yards. Wood was nearly automatic on extra points this season, converting 36 of his 38 opportunities. He also made three of his seven field goal attempts, including two between 30 and 39 yards.

Roy was a key component to the Ripon defense, making 29 tackles, including a sack and both forcing and recovering one fumble. Firgens was also all over the field, with 71 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Fehly and Roeder rounded out the All-Conference team, giving Ripon's defensive backfield four selections to the team. Fehly made 26 tackles and intercepted one pass, while Roeder was in on 39 tackles, to go along with one interception and a forced fumble.