Eight Tiffin University football players were picked to the Super Region 1 team, as the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Region Committee has released the 2019 NCAA Division II All-Super Region 1 squad.
First Team picks went to running back JaQuan Hardy, wide receiver Stanley Jackson Jr., and defensive end Charlie Cleveland. Center Trent Clark was a Second Team pick, while quarterback Nick Watson, offensive tackle Warsame Aden, safety Carrington Contee, and return specialist Devin Butler were Third Team selections.
The first-and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2019 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America team will be named in early January.
Slippery Rock had 9 first team selections with Notre Dame getting 6 and IUP 4. The Rock also led with 10 on the All-Region squad with Notre Dame, Kutztown and Shepherd next with 9 and Tiffin and IUP with 8.
Hardy has garnered numerous honors after his 2019 season, including Second Team D2CCA and AFCA All American honors, D2CCA First Team All Region, 2019 GMAC Player of the Year, First Team All-GMAC, and three-time GMAC Offensive Player of the Week. In addition, he was 1st in GMAC and 3rd in DII with 1,554 total rushing yards; 1st in GMAC and 6th in DII with 7.62 yards per carry, 1st in GMAC and 7th in DII with 141.3 rushing yards per game, and tied for 1st in GMAC and 10th in DII with 15 rushing touchdowns.
In his first year with the Dragons after three seasons at Ashland, Stanley Jackson Jr. led the conference in receiving yards with 1,152, over 200 more than the next wideout. His average of 115.4 yards per game was sixth nationally, 11 touchdowns was 19th in DII, and 6.8 receptions per game was 12th in the country. He was also named Second Team D2CCA All Region along with GMAC Offensive Back of the Year and First Team All GMAC.
Defensive end Charlie Cleveland terrorized opposing offensive lines all season, as the sophomore was second in the GMAC in tackles for loss with 18 and third in sacks with 8.5. He also ranked second on the Dragons with 61 total tackles. He was previously named First Team D2CCA All Region as well as GMAC Defensive Lineman of the Year and First Team All GMAC.
Aden and Clark helped man a powerful offensive machine on the line. TU led the conference in both points per game (43.2) and total yards per game (507.8). Those marks are also 7th and 5th in Division II, respectively. Tiffin did it both on the ground and through the air, ranking 32nd nationally in passing offense at 262.3 yards per game and 15th in rushing offense at 245.5 yards per game. As a team, the Dragons ran for over 200 yards in nine games, including two games of over 300 yards on the ground. TU scored 31 rushing touchdowns, tops in the conference, for an average of nearly three per game. Tiffin's 262.3 passing yards per game was second in the GMAC and 30 touchdowns was tops in the conference. Both players were previously named First Team All GMAC.
Nick Watson ranks in the top two in multiple GMAC categories with 186 completions, 2602 yards, 260.2 yards per game, 28 touchdowns, and a 160.3 efficiency rating. Nationally, he is 10th in passing touchdowns, 20th in passing yards per game, 22nd in completions per game, 19th in passing efficiency, and 30th in completion percentage. During this season, Watson has moved into the top four in every career passing category in the TU record books, currently ranking second in yards, third in completions and touchdowns, and fourth in attempts. He was also previously named GMAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All GMAC.
Safety Carrington Contee leads the Dragons with 71 tackles and four interceptions on the year. His mark of four picks is also fourth in the conference. The senior has had an excellent career in a Dragon uniform, ranking eighth all-time in program history with 10 career interceptions and recording 220 career tackles. He was also a First Team All GMAC selection.
Devin Butler is also in the top 10 in the conference in receiving, ranking ninth with 56.3 yards per game on 42 catches and four touchdowns. Butler also makes a significant mark in the kick return game, averaging 30.5 yards per kick return on 21 attempts, an average that is good enough for 10th nationally. He is one of just eight players in Division II with multiple kick return TDs, tied for second nationally with two on the season. Butler was previously named First Team All GMAC Wide Receiver and Kick Returner.