November 19, 2001

Ten Bluffton College student-athletes have received All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honors following voting held by the HCAC head football coaches late last week. BC finished 5-5 this season and tied for third place in the HCAC with a 4-2 league record that included a 21-16 win over conference co-champion Defiance College in the final week of the regular season.

Earning first team honors were sophomore running back Jovan Johnson (Columbus/West H.S.), junior quarterback Brad Moore (Norwalk/Norwalk H.S.), senior offensive guard Rick Orr (Beaverdam/Bluffton H.S.) and sophomore middle linebacker Chris Sommers (Delphos/Jefferson H.S.).

Johnson led the HCAC in rushing this season with 1,096 yards and he also scored eight touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 149 yards. Moore ranked fourth in the HCAC in passing efficiency (123.7) as he passed for 1,362 yards and 11 touchdowns with just five interceptions and he led all quarterbacks with 412 yards rushing and seven more TDs. Orr anchored the BC offensive line which led the HCAC in rushing (207.3 ypg), while Sommers ranked fifth in the HCAC in tackles (9.8 tpg) that included eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage, one QB sack and three pass breakups.

Three players earned second team All-HCAC honors, including senior outside linebacker Jon Richardson (Utica/Utica H.S.), junior offensive tackle Luke Sorrell (Mason/Mason H.S.) and senior wide receiver Jon Spradling (Sidney/Sidney H.S.).

Three players also earned honorable mention All-HCAC honors, including senior defensive back Jeff Company (Bloomington, Ill./LeRoy H.S.), junior offensive center Travis Lepley (Lima/Senior H.S.) and senior defensive back Ben Schwab (New Bavaria/Holgate H.S.).