Josh Brehm Named 2006 MIAA Most Valuable Player
The season may be over for Alma College football after a 6-4
campaign in 2006, but post-season honors have been announced for
several Scots.
Senior quarterback Josh Brehm is the Michigan Intercollegiate
Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player. As the MVP, Brehm
automatically earns a spot on the First Team, All-MIAA. Brehm has an
impressive list of accomplishments at Alma College. A four-year starter
and two-time captain, the Ithaca High School graduate ended his career
with nine consecutive 300-yard passing games, tying an NCAA record. He
had 10 consecutive 300-yard total offense games, setting an NCAA
Division III record. This season, he set a new NCAA standard for pass
attempts in a season with 288 passes without an interception. He also
set a new school record, throwing just three interceptions on the year.
In his career, he has thrown five touchdowns in a single game on three
occasions, including two in back-to-back games this season. He has six
games with at least four touchdown passes and 16 games with at least
three touchdown passes. He also has recorded 10 games with over 400
yards of total offense (five this season) and 25 games with over 300
yards of total offense. This season, he set new school records in
passing yards (3,448), pass completions (305), touchdown passes (30),
fewest interceptions thrown (3) and total offense (4,084). He holds
school career records in passing yards (10,706), pass completions
(919), touchdown passes (85) and total offense (12,247 yards).
In his four years, he has been named an MIAA Player of the Week on
eight different occasions, including three times this season. A nominee
for the Gagliardi Trophy and a CoSIDA Academic All-American nominee,
Brehm is the first football MIAA MVP since Steve Slowke in 2002. The
last four Alma student-athletes to earn the MIAA MVP honor have been
quarterbacks, including Jason Falk, Jason VanDerMaas and Slowke. Bob
Kirby was the first Alma College athlete to earn MIAA MVP honors in
1940. Twelve different players have earned MIAA MVP honors.
Joining Brehm on the MIAA's First Team are junior wide receiver Joe Cline (Ithaca) and junior offensive lineman Wren Chellis (Ellsworth/Central Lake).
Cline finished the season as Brehm's favored receiver, catching a
team-best 98 balls for 1,256 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 125.6
yards receiving per game, all of which are school records. Cline also
led the team in scoring with 102 points and 1,333 all-purpose yards. He
led the league in receptions per game and receiving yards per game with
9.86 in league games and an average of 130.4 yards in conference games.
He also led the MIAA in all-purpose yards with an average of 140.4 on
the season.
Chellis played on an offensive line that led the league in scoring
offense and pass offense. Alma's offense averaged 42 points per game in
league-only contests and allowed Brehm to average 353.6 yards passing
per game in the MIAA. Chellis helped the O-line to an average of nearly
500 yards of total offense per game in the league. Alma's offense led
the league in first downs with 178 -- 61 rushing and 110 passing. The
offense allowed for the best red-zone stats in the league, converting
on 31-of-36 opportunities, scoring 25 touchdowns and six field goals.
The Chellis-led offensive line had the best sacks-against record in the
league, allowing just five sacks in seven league games. The
next-closest teams allowed at least nine sacks on the year.
Earning second team All-MIAA recognition on offense were senior center Drew Garno (Merrill) and senior wide receiver Nate Jervey (Harbor Springs).
Garno was a force for the Scots throughout his career and protected the
best quarterback in school history. Much like first team honoree
Chellis, Garno and the Scots allowed just five sacks to Brehm in league
games and allowed him to pass for school records in nearly every
offensive category.
Jervey was the team's fourth-leading receiver in 10 games this season,
grabbing 37 passes for 517 yards, an average of 51.7 per game and
scoring six touchdowns on the year. In league games, Jervey was seventh
in both receptions per game and receiving yards per game with 4.14 and
58.6, respectively.
The second team defense honorees from Alma College include defensive lineman Alex Catlin (Alma), linebacker Adam Korson (Gaylord/St. Mary's) and defensive back Kyle Percival (Lansing/Waverly).
Catlin had 37 total tackles in all games this season with five tackles
for loss and two sacks, recovering two fumbles. In MIAA games, Catlin
made 24 tackles, including two for loss and a nine-yard sack.
Adam Korson led the team in MIAA games and for the season in total
tackles. He had 45 tackles in MIAA games, 60 in all games. In the MIAA,
he had seven tackles for loss, a sack, a 10-yard interception, two pass
breakups and a fumble recovery. He tied for 14th in the league for
tackles.
Percival was fifth on the team in league games with 26 tackles,
including two for loss and a team-best four interceptions, returned for
45 yards. His six pass break-ups in league games were also a team best.
He ended the season tied for the league lead in passes defended,
matching up with six pass breakups and four interceptions, a 1.43 per
game average.
Honorable mention honorees include junior offensive lineman Tyler Wellman (DeWitt), sophomore wide receiver and return specialist Jeremy Stephens (Maple Rapids/Fulton), sophomore defensive lineman Buddy Scarborough (Romeo) and senior offensive lineman Jim Thrubis (Farmington Hills).
Posted: Wed, November 15th, 2006 at 8:14AM
