Seventeen members of the Snow College football team received All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference honors following the Badgers' first season as a member of the conference.
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Snow College placed six players on the first team, including
Jadyn Buckner,
Maile Fonua and
Chris Beveridge on offense and
Fale Atuaia,
Caleb Darthard and
Will Warner on defense.
James Alisio and
Spencer Uluave earned second-team offensive honors, while
Jaden Manwaring,
Meeks Falatea,
Wesley Valgardson and
Trae Skalberg were selected to the second-team defense.
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Grayden Dumas,
Makai Peterson,
Irae Leilua,
Ian Sanches and
Joseph Brandt received honorable mention recognition. The selections helped Snow College finish 3-4 in conference play and earn the fourth seed in the SWJCFC Tournament during its inaugural season in the league. The Badgers clinched their postseason berth with a victory over No. 6 Navarro College in the final game of the regular season.
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Buckner earned first-team honors after leading Snow College's rushing attack. The redshirt freshman carried the ball 150 times for 830 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. He also caught 12 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 932 yards from scrimmage and a team-high eight total touchdowns. Buckner recorded a season-high 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Navarro.
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Fonua was selected to the first-team offense following his redshirt sophomore season on the offensive line. The 6-foot-3 lineman from Salt Lake City helped Snow College rush for 1,413 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Badgers averaged 157 rushing yards per game and recorded 97 of their 198 first downs on the ground.
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Beveridge joined Fonua on the first-team offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound sophomore from Heber City, Utah, helped create running lanes for an offense that produced 2,853 total yards and 27 touchdowns. Snow College also controlled possession for an average of 33:30 per game during the season.
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Atuaia received first-team defensive honors after leading Snow College in tackles for loss and sacks. The redshirt freshman linebacker recorded 49 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He also registered an interception, two pass breakups, six quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. Atuaia accounted for one of Snow College's defensive touchdowns during the season.
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Darthard was named to the first-team defense after finishing second on the team with 61 tackles. The redshirt freshman linebacker recorded three tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup, and two quarterback hurries. He also forced two fumbles, tying for the team lead, and recorded nine tackles in Snow College's postseason-clinching victory over Navarro.
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Warner earned first-team defensive honors after contributing on defense and special teams. The redshirt freshman defensive back recorded 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Warner also returned 17 kickoffs for 502 yards and a touchdown, averaging 29.5 yards per return, and added 63 yards on seven punt returns.
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Alisio received second-team offensive recognition following his sophomore season. The 6-foot-5 offensive lineman from Puna, Hawaii, contributed to a Snow College offense that averaged 317 yards per game and scored 24 offensive touchdowns. The Badgers produced 198 first downs and ran 683 offensive plays during the season.
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Uluave joined Alisio on the second-team offense. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound redshirt sophomore from Alpine, Utah, helped anchor the offensive line and also scored a touchdown during the season. Uluave recovered the ball in the end zone to account for one of Snow College's 12 rushing touchdowns.
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Manwaring earned second-team defensive honors after leading Snow College with 75 tackles. The sophomore linebacker recorded 14 solo stops and 61 assisted tackles across nine games. He added 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup, and three quarterback hurries. Manwaring also recovered two fumbles, tying for the team lead.
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Falatea was selected to the second-team defense after leading the Badgers with six interceptions. The freshman defensive back recorded half of Snow College's 12 interceptions and added four pass breakups. Falatea also finished with 23 tackles and contributed on special teams, returning five kickoffs for 106 yards.
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Valgardson received second-team defensive recognition following his freshman season. The defensive back appeared in eight games and recorded 27 tackles, including 13 solo stops. He finished with 1.5 tackles for loss, a team-high 11 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. His 11 breakups accounted for nearly one-quarter of Snow College's 46 passes defended.
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Skalberg rounded out Snow College's second-team defensive selections. The 6-foot-3 freshman from Plattsmouth, Nebraska, served as the Badgers long snapper throughout the season. He helped the Badgers connect on 10 field goals throughout the season as well as 20 of 21 PATs.
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Dumas earned honorable mention recognition after leading Snow College with three touchdown receptions. The freshman tight end caught 12 passes for 87 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per reception. Dumas recorded a season-long 25-yard reception and also converted one of his three attempts on two-point conversions.
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Peterson received honorable mention honors after leading Snow College in receiving yards. The freshman wide receiver caught 24 passes for 296 yards and one touchdown while averaging 12.3 yards per reception. He recorded a season-long reception of 35 yards and averaged 37 receiving yards over his eight appearances.
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Leilua earned honorable mention recognition on the offensive line. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound sophomore from Spanish Fork, Utah, contributed to a unit that helped Snow College gain 1,611 yards before losses on rushing attempts. The Badgers averaged 3.6 yards per carry and scored 12 times on the ground.
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Sanches received honorable mention honors after leading Snow College with 50 points. The freshman kicker made 10 of his 15 field-goal attempts and converted 20 of 21 extra-point tries. He made four field goals from 40-49 yards and two from at least 50 yards, including a school-record 52-yard field goal. Sanches also handled 10 kickoffs and two punts.
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Brandt rounded out Snow College's all-conference selections by earning honorable mention recognition. The sophomore handled the majority of the Badgers' punting and kickoff duties. He punted 35 times for 1,369 yards, averaging 39.1 yards per attempt, and placed 14 punts inside the 20-yard line. Brandt recorded four punts of at least 50 yards, including a season-long 77-yard attempt, and produced eight touchbacks on 34 kickoffs.
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Snow College concluded the season with a 4-5 overall record after suffering a loss to No. 3 Trinity Valley in the first round of the SWJCFC Tournament. They will return to action with a full schedule next fall.