Coffey, Harrison named to spring all-Big Sky football team

FARMINGTON, Utah — The Idaho Vandals had 12 players, including senior punter/kicker Cade Coffey from Lakeland High, recognized with All-Big Sky honors, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday. Idaho placed four on both the first and second teams.

The linebacker duo of Tre Walker and Christian Elliss both earned All-Big Sky first team honors. Walker, a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist, led the Big Sky with 13.5 tackles per game in the spring and was a unanimous selection. He added 4.5 tackles for loss in his four games of action. Elliss finished fourth in the conference in tackles after average 10.0 per game. Elliss is currently 18th in program history with 266 career tackles.

Hayden Hatten and Logan Kendall also earned first team nods. Hatten finished second in the conference with 43 receptions over six games and was one of three Big Sky players to average better than 100 yards per game. Kendall, an unanimous selection at fullback, scored twice on six receptions this season, and was an absolute force to be reckoned with in the run game.

Special teamers Nick Romano and Coffey earned second team honors. Romano led the Big Sky in kick return average, with a minimum of two returns per game, at 26.5 yards per return. Coffey finished second in the Big Sky in punting after averaging 45.8 yards per punt in 2021. Tyrese Dedmon and Jalen Hoover also made the second team, as defensive backs.

Five Vandals earned All-Big Sky honorable mention. Coffey earned the recognition as a kicker, after finished tied for the Big Sky lead in field goal percentage. He made 9 of 10 field goals on the year, including a career-long 51-yarder. Linebacker Fa’Avae Fa’Avae finished the season 12th in the conference in tackles per game to earn honorable mention. Defensive linemen Jonah Kim and Rahsaan Crawford, as well as offensive lineman Logan Floyd, were also recognized as honorable mention selections.

Eastern Washington quarterback Eric Barriere was named Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Barriere, announced earlier this week as a Walter Payton Award finalist, has 2,324 yards of total offense and 18 passing touchdowns in six games, and twice this year he directed game-tying and game-winning scoring drives in the fourth quarter for EWU. He is just 157 yards from hitting the coveted 10,000-yard mark for offense (current total of 9,843) heading into this Saturday's FCS playoff game at North Dakota State.

EWU's Seth Harrison, a sophomore kicker from Coeur d'Alene High, was named to the second team, after earning honorable mention in 2019 as a freshman.

Harrison kicked a 55-yard field goal to match the third-longest in school history in EWU's 62-10 win over Cal Poly on March 27. Later in the game he also kicked a 47-yarder which now equals the 33rd longest, and he also had a 50-yarder at Idaho State on March 20. He became just the seventh Eagle in school history to have at least three career field goals of 47 yards or more, and just the fourth with two of at least 50 yards.

For the season, he is 6 of 8 kicking field goals, 23 of 24 on extra points and is averaging 59.9 per kickoff (with two touchbacks). In his career he is 18 of 20 on field goals, 73 of 77 kicking extra points and has a 54.5 kickoff average (with eight touchbacks). He made his only field goal attempt and all five of his extra points against Idaho on April 10 in swirling 25 mile-per-hour winds at Roos Field in Cheney.

Spring 2021 Big Sky Football All-Conference

Offensive Player of the Year: Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington

Defensive Player of the Year: Conner Mortensen, LB, Weber State

Newcomer of the Year: Tyler Vander Waal, QB, Idaho State

Co-Freshman of the Year: Chubba Maae, DT, UC Davis & Dontae McMillan, RB, Weber State

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE — Quarterback: Eric Barriere, Sr., Eastern Washington. Wide receivers: Talolo Limu-Jones, Sr.,Eastern Washington; Tanner Conner, Sr., Idaho State; Hayden Hatten, So., Idaho. Offensive linemen: Nick Amoah, Jr., UC Davis; Ty Whitworth, Sr., Weber State; Noah Atagi, So., Weber State; Braxton Jones, Jr., Southern Utah; Connor Pettek, Jr., UC Davis; Tristen Taylor, Sr., Eastern Washington. Running backs: Josh Davis, Jr., Weber State; Tamarick Pierce, Sr., Eastern Washington. Tight end: McCallan Castles, So., UC Davis. Fullback: Logan Kendall, Jr., Idaho. Kicker: Luis Aguilar, Sr., Northern Arizona. Punt returner: Rashid Shaheed, Sr., Weber State. Kick returner: Rashid Shaheed, Sr., Weber State. Special teams player: Colton Belnap, Sr., Idaho State.

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE — Defensive tackle: Jared Schiess, Sr., Weber State; Bryce Rodgers, Sr., UC Davis. Defensive end: Mitchell Johnson, Jr., Eastern Washington; Francis Bemiy, Jr., Southern Utah. Outside linebacker: Christian Elliss, Sr., Idaho; La’akea K-Davis, Jr., Southern Utah. Inside linebacker: Conner Mortensen, Sr., Weber State; Tre Walker, Jr., Idaho. Defensive back: Morgan Vest, Jr., Northern Arizona; Jayden Dawson, Jr., Idaho State; Eddie Heckard, So., Weber State; Jordan Perryman, Jr., UC Davis; Anthany Smith, Jr., Eastern Washington; Preston Smith, Sr., Weber State; Desmond Williams, Jr., Weber State. Punter: Daniel Whelan, Sr., UC Davis.

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE — Quarterback: Tyler Vander Waal, Jr., Idaho State. Wide receiver: Freddie Roberson, So., Eastern Washington; Landen Measom, Sr., Southern Utah; Stacy Chukwumezie, Sr., Northern Arizona. Offensive line: Luke Rudolph, Sr., Northern Arizona; Terron Carey, So., Idaho State; Jonas Leader, Jr., Northern Arizona; Wyatt Musser, Jr., Eastern Washington; Jacob Angel, So., Idaho State; Jordan Ford, So., UC Davis. Running back: Lan Larison, Fr., UC Davis; Dontae McMillan, Fr., Weber State. Tight end: Matthew Kempton, Jr., Northern Arizona. Kicker: Seth Harrison, So., Eastern Washington. Punter: Isaiah Thomas, Sr., UC Davis. Kick returner: Nick Romano, So., Idaho. Special teams player: Treyson Johnson, Fr., Southern Utah

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE — Defensive tackle: Chubba Maae, Fr., UC Davis; Sione Lapuaho, Sr., Weber State. Defensive end: George Tarlas, Jr., Weber State; Luka Nixon, Jr., UC Davis. Outside linebacker: Oshea Trujillo, Sr., Idaho State; Connor Airey, Sr., UC Davis. Inside linebacker: Cole Hansen, Jr., UC Davis; Harrison Beemiller, Sr., Northern Arizona; Sherwin Lavaka, Sr., Weber State. Defensive back: Anthony Sweeney, Jr., Northern Arizona; LJ Davis, Jr., Southern Utah; Tyrese Dedmon, Sr., Idaho; Jalen Hoover, Sr., Idaho; Tre Weed, So., Eastern Washington. Punter: Cade Coffey, Sr., Idaho

HONORABLE MENTION — Quarterback: Justin Miller, Southern Utah; and Keondre Wudtee, Northern Arizona. Offensive line: Logan Floyd, Idaho. Running back: Malakai Rango, Idaho State, and Dennis Merritt, Eastern Washington. Kicker: Cade Coffey, Idaho; and Manny Berz; Southern Utah. Punt returner: Judd Cockett, Southern Utah. Kick returner: Judd Cockett, Southern Utah. Defensive line: Joshua Jerome, Eastern Washington; Kainoa Fuiava, Idaho State; Jonah Kim, Idaho; and Rashaan Crawford, Idaho. Defensive end: Carson Taylor, Northern Arizona; and Terrence Jones, Idaho State. Outside linebacker: Fa’ave Fa’ave, Idaho. Inside linebacker: Connor Wills, Idaho State; Ty Graham, Eastern Washington; and Tristen Vance, Northern Arizona. Punter: DJ Arnson, Northern Arizona.