LEBANON — Junior defensive back Jamison Wilson heads a list of eight McKendree football players that were honored by the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) for their play on the gridiron in 2012.
Wilson was the Bearcats' lone first-team All-GLVC selection when the league released its All-Conference awards and specialty award recipients. Five other McKendree players grabbed second-team All-GLVC accolades: senior defensive lineman Sherrod Stancil, senior kicker/punter Matt Kendall (O'Fallon), junior offensive lineman Ayoola Oyetunji, sophomore linebacker Bryce Colvinand freshman running back Cameron James (Edwardsville).
In addition, two more McKendree football players -- senior defensive lineman Tim Weidenbacher and junior offensive lineman Richie Rebmann -- collected honorable mention All-GLVC honors.
Wilson led McKendree -- and the GLVC -- with five interceptions during the 2012 season. He was second on the Bearcat squad with 67 tackles, including 48 solos. Wilson also broke up eight passes, forced a fumble, had one fumble recovery and added a blocked kick during a breakout season. Wilson's five interceptions match a McKendree season high.
Twice during the year, Wilson was selected as the GLVC Defensive Player of the week. He earned the first honor for a nine-tackle, two-interception performance against Henderson State University on Sept. 8. Wilson duplicated the effort on Nov. 3 versus Central State University, posting nine tackles with a pair of interceptions in the Bearcats' 34-13 win at Leemon Field.
Wilson becomes the first McKendree football player to earn All-GLVC honors as the Bearcats participated in the conference's inaugural season this past fall.
Stancil was sixth overall in tackles for McKendree this season with 41, He led the Bearcats with 13 tackles for loss and was second on the squad with six quarterback sacks. Stancil also earned GLVC Defensive Player of the Week accolades during the year when he had 10 tackles with three sacks in McKendree's 35-20 Homecoming win over William Jewell College on Oct. 6. Stancil was a three-year starter at defensive end for the Bearcats.
Kendall took over the primary duties as the Bearcats' kicker and punter this season. As the kicker, Kendall responded by making 16-of-19 extra point attempts and 6-of-7 field goal tries. His longest effort of the year was a 38-yarder in McKendree's season finale against Saint Joseph's College.
As the Bearcats' punter, Kendall averaged 46.9 yards per kick with a long of 54 yards. Twelve of Kendall's 56 punts landed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Kendall booted a pair of field goals in the William Jewell victory and punted well with a short field to receive GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week honors back in October.
Oyetunji wrapped up his second full season as the starter at left tackle for McKendree. Thanks in large part to his efforts, Bearcat quarterbacks were sacked just 16 times in a 10-game schedule.
In his first year as the starter at middle linebacker, Colvin led McKendree with 77 tackles. He forced a team-best two fumbles and also finished third on the squad with eight tackles for loss. Colvin had his most productive game at Quincy University on Oct. 13 when he registered 16 tackles. That marked a career-high for Colvin along with a single-game high for the Bearcats in 2012.
James burst onto the scene and had one of the most productive freshman seasons in recent memory for McKendree. He led the Bearcats with 537 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. In addition, James caught 10 passes out of the backfield with two more touchdowns.
On special teams, James was equally as productive. He averaged 21.6 yards on just nine punt returns this season, including a 75-yarder for a score against Saint Joseph's and a 60-yard effort at Urbana University on Oct. 20. James also returned a team-best 16 kickoffs during his rookie year, averaging better than 18 yards per return.
With 60 points, James led the Bearcats in scoring. For good measure, James recorded a pair of tackles on special teams.
Weidenbacher closed out his McKendree career with 35 tackles this season, good for seventh on the squad. He led the Bearcats with seven quarterback sacks, four of which came in the first win of the season, a 41-17 triumph at Kentucky Wesleyan College on Sept. 29. Weidenbacher added 9 ? tackles for loss, which was second on the team. He was a three-year starter at defensive end for the Bearcats.
Like Oyetunji, Rebmann finished up his second full year as a starter along the Bearcats' offensive line. An anchor at left tackle for the past two seasons, Rebmann helped limit McKendree opponents to just 16 sacks in 2012.
The McKendree University football team closed out the season with an overall record of 3-7. The Bearcats were 3-5 in the inaugural season of GLVC football.
