Local players Allen and Fuehne each earn all-conference honors with Salukis

Former metro-east standouts and Southern Illinois University Carbondale teammates Chase Allen and Adam Fuehne each were second-team selections on the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Conference Team announced Monday.

Allen, a junior from Belleville East, had 120 tackles in 2015, the third highest total in the conference and most by a Saluki player since since 2002. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Allen blocked three kicks, which led the MVFC and ranked fifth nationally.

After blocking two kicks and recording 10 tackles in the second half vs. Youngstown State, Allen was named the MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

He ranked 15th nationally in tackles per game and had seven games with double-digit tackles. His 19 tackles at SEMO tied for the 12th-most by any player in a game in the FCS in 2015.

Fuehne, a 6-7, 257-pound senior from Damiansville and a Mater Dei graduate, started all 11 games at tight end for the Salukis and had 25 receptions for 351 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 14 yards per reception on the season and had 130 yards and a touchdown at Indiana.

SIU senior quarterback Marc Iannotti and offensive lineman Ethan Wirth were the Salukis’ only first-team all-conference pick.

Iannotti set an MVFC regular-season record for total offense with 3,911 yards and led the nation in total offense per game.

He led the MVFC in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense, setting SIU records for single-season passing yards and total offense. He had games of 517 and 473 yards total offense this season, both of which rank in the top-10 in MVFC history.

Iannotti averaged more yards individually than 47 FCS teams did as a whole. He’s on the STATS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List, which awards the top offensive player in the country.

The Salukis finished the season 3-8, including 2-6 in the conference.

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Local players Allen and Fuehne each earn all-conference honors with Salukis."