UPLAND, Ind. --- For the third year in a row, the University of St. Francis football program boasts a Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Player of the Year after the league office announced its 2023 honor roll on Monday afternoon.

Kemon Reese joins five other former Saints in earning the distinction and the second on the defensive side of the ball.  Tim Smith was the first defensive player to gain the nod back in 2015.



On the offensive side of the ball, the recognition has gone to Sam Tumilty both last year and in 2021, Lexus Jackson in 2017 and E.J. White in 2011.

Reese was one of 15 Saints honored on Monday with five players being named to the first team, six garnering second-team accolades and three collecting honorable-mention recognition.  Defensive coordinator Thomas Miller was also chosen as the MSFA Assistant Coach of the Year.

A total of 32 players were named to both the first and second teams, while another 18 picked up honorable-mention plaudits.

Reese, an all-conference selection in both 2020 and 2021 at Trinity International University, joined the St. Francis program this fall and went out and led the Saints in total tackles and solo hits (47) by a wide margin.  The graduate student linebacker's 82 total stops were 25 more tackles than the next closest Saint, while his 8.2 average ranked fourth-highest in the six-member league.

Reese's other numbers included six tackles for loss, two of which were sacks, two blocked punts, four quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.

Joining Reese on the first-team defense were Scott Tumilty, Michael R. Johnson and Jalen Cooper.

Tumilty completed the four-year sweep of first team honors as a defensive back in 2023.  Despite battling injury for much of the season and missing the last four weeks of the campaign, the graduate student still totaled 28 tackles in his six games played with two pass breakups.  His 4.6 tackles per game ranked him fifth on the USF charts.

Tumilty also served as the Saints' main return man again, averaging 24.7 yards on kickoff returns and another 9.7 yards on punt returns.

Johnson was named to all-conference for the third year in a row and the second straight time on the first team.  The graduate student lineman also missed a pair of games, but still tied for second with the most sacks (three), while totaling 26 tackles over his eight games played.

Cooper climbed all the way up from honorable-mention status one year ago to the first team in 2023 after leading the league and tying for third in the nation with his six interceptions.  The graduate student defensive back totaled 33 tackles in ten games with two tackles for loss.  Besides his six picks, he also had five pass breakups.

Joey Tumilty represented USF's offense on the first team with a spectacular inaugural season.  The true freshman led the Saints in no fewer than five categories highlighted by his 14 total touchdowns and 84 points.  He also led the squad in catches (44), yards receiving (799) and touchdowns receiving (11).

On the national stage, Tumilty ranked tenth in touchdowns receiving, 16th in yards per catch (18.2 avg.) and tied for 21st in total points (84).  He also finished among the Top 10 receivers in the league in multiple categories.

The MSFA Midwest League Second Team featured six Saints with four on offense and two defensive players.  Of the six, three were first-time honorees in Peyton Boji, Pat Strocchia and Matthew Perry, while Ashtin Sorgea was the only two-time second-team pick.

Despite appearing in only half of the team's games due to injury, two-time league Player of the Year Sam Tumilty made enough of an impression to warrant second-team accolades.  The junior quarterback authored his best season passing, completing 60.7 percent of his pass attempts (82-of-135) for 1,159 yards, or 231.8 yards per contest.  He also threw for nine touchdowns opposite three interceptions and earned a 150.41 passer rating.

On the ground, Tumilty led the team in rushing touchdowns (eight) and finished as the Saints' second-leading rusher with his 358 yards on 76 carries, for averages of 4.7 yards per carry and 71.6 yards per contest.

Like Cooper on the defensive side of the ball, Dezzion Jordan jumped from the honorable-mention list to first-team status on offense this fall after ranking fourth in the league with his 27.0 yards-per-catch average.  The junior wide receiver caught 22 passes for 594 yards with four resulting in touchdowns.  He averaged 59.4 yards per game receiving.

Sorgea, a junior tackle, and Boji, a senior tackle, both helped make the Saints the No. 1 rushing team in the league at 157.2 yards per game, while finishing as the runner-up in total offense at 358.8 yards per game.

Defensively, Strocchia and Perry collected their first conference awards by finishing among the top eight tacklers on USF. 

Perry, a transfer from Trinity International University, tied for the second-most tackles on the team with his 57 stops.  The sophomore defensive back was also second in solo tackles (39) and interceptions (three), including one pick six, and third in pass breakups with four.

Strocchia led St. Francis in both sacks (5.5) and total tackles for loss (seven) among his 29 stops.  The sophomore defensive end also tied for top honors with five quarterback hurries.  His other numbers included three pass breakups and one forced fumble.

The three Saints named as honorable mention selections were tight ends Daniel Goetsch and Jake Friddle and placekicker/punter Brian Maday.

Goetsch is a three-time honoree having now gained honorable-mention commendations twice and first-team status once.  The graduate student was USF's third-leading receiver in 2023 with 17 catches for 227 yards with a pair of scores.

Right behind him on the leader board was Friddle, who had a breakout season for the Saints.  The sophomore finished with 12 catches for 183 yards.

Maday also had his best season as a Saint totaling a career-high 55 points with five field goals and making good on all 40 of his PAT attempts on the year.  The 40 PATs made were the most in the junior's career, while the five field goals tied his season-best mark.

Joining the six players on the defensive side of the ball as conference honorees was Miller, their defensive coordinator.  Together, the group made for a historic campaign by setting records for fewest points (143) and yards allowed (2,516) in a single season.  The old marks were 171 points in 2015 and 2,673 yards set in 1988, the second year of the program.

Miller's schemes also led to this year's defensive unit tying the record for most shutouts in a season with three, which was also initially set in 1988.   



USF finished the season 7-3 for the second year in a row, and over the past three campaigns has boasted a .690 winning percentage, going 20-9.

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