ST. GEORGE, Utah-Saturday, seven Dixie State football standouts were named to Phil Steele’s All-independent NCAA FCS squad.
The Trailblazers tied the Presbyterian Blue Hose of Clifton, S.C. Fellow NCAA FCS newcomer Tarleton State led the way with 12 newcomers.
The Trailblazers honored are as follows:
-Redshirt junior signal-caller Kody Wilstead. The 6-7 passer out of Pine View High School completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 1,640 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last season for Dixie State.
-Senior tight end Chase Hess. The Taylorsville High School product hauled in 23 passes for 354 yards (15.4 yards per grab) and seven scores last season.
-Senior receiver Jalen Powell. The Los Angeles native caught 44 passes for 557 yards and five touchdowns last season for the Trailblazers.
-Senior offensive lineman Nathan Aceves. The native of Covina, Calif. played an instrumental role in Dixie State amassing 5008 yards of offense (455. 3 yards per game and 6.3 yards per play) last season as well as 46 net touchdowns.
-Redshirt junior defensive lineman Dylan Hendrickson. Last season, the Pine View High School product ranked 14th nationally in NCAA Division II with 10 sacks and posted 11.5 tackles for a loss.
-Kicker James Baird. The senior out of Trenton, N.J. made 84.6 percent of his field goal attempts last season (11-13) and 42-45 PAT’s (93.3 percent) last season for the Trailblazers.
-Punter Keaton Mott. The senior out of Bingham High School is also a backup quarterback for the Trailblazers. Mott averaged 38.13 yards per punt for Dixie State.
The Trailblazers hope to commence their season September 5 at Southern Utah.
