(Ann Arbor, MI) - The Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) announced the yearly award winners for the Mideast division on Monday. Nine Cardinals earned First-Team honors, ten more were named to the second team, and three were named to the honorable mention list. 

FIRST TEAM

SEEGER DEGAYNER | SR | GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN

Seeger DeGayner is making his third appearance on an MSFA All-Conference Team on the offensive side of the ball after totaling 226 receiving yards this season and bringing down four touchdowns. His four touchdowns are tied for seventh in the Mideast this season. 

LOGAN HAY | SR | HOUSTON, TEXAS

Logan Hay is making his first appearance on the MSFA First Team after collecting 12 catches on the year and being second in the conference this season with 256 yards for a tight end. Hay averaged 21.3 yards per catch this season. 

WILL DOWLING | SR | OAK HARBOR, OHIO

This season marks the fourth time Will Dowling has earned a conference honor with now two first-team and two second-team honors. Will was a big piece on the Cardinal offensive line that helped the team average 350.6 total yards per game and recorded the third most rushing yards on the year. 

DAVID CAGLE | SR | ALLEN PARK, MICHIGAN

David Cagle makes his second straight appearance on the First Team All-Conference. Cagle recorded the fourth most sacks in the conference this season with six and also seventh in tackles for loss with 9.5. He also tallied 36 total tackles on the year. 

CHASE MAYNARD | JR | PLAIN CITY, OHIO

Chase Maynard makes his first MSFA All-Conference appearance of his career. Maynard was second in the Mideast with 101 total tackles with two of them creating a loss and also picking off one pass. His 44 solo tackles were sixth in the division. 

DAVION COATS | FR | PONTIAC, MICHIGAN

The freshman corner, Davion Coats, makes his first appearance on the All-Conference team. Coats was tied for second in the division with four interceptions and was first with three "pick sixes" on the year, which came in three straight games. He also returned a block field goal for a touchdown. 

KELLY MATTHEWS | JR | DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Kelly Matthews makes his first appearance on the First Team All-Conference as he was an honorable mention last season. Matthews was a key piece in the Cardinal defensive backfield as he had eight pass breakups this season, which was sixth in the division. He added 43 tackles with 3.5 being for a loss. 

CAIDEN THOMAS | SO | NEW BALTIMORE, MICHIGAN

The sophomore kicker, Caiden Thomas, makes his first appearance on an All-Conference team. Thomas was first among qualified kickers with an 86% from field goals and was first in extra points as he was a perfect 34 for 34. He had the third-longest field goal in the division this year as he hit from 40 yards out. 

DEAN MASON | FR | ARCADIA, MICHIGAN

The Cardinal punter, Dean Mason, was top in the Mideast this season as he averaged 41 yards per punt on 51 punts. Mason also led the division as he placed 22 of his 51 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line including multiple inside the 10-yard line. He had a long punt of 67 yards. 

SECOND TEAM

JORDAN GARCIA | SR | WESTLAND, MICHIGAN

The senior wide receiver, Jordan Garcia, was the top offensive target in the passing game this season. Garcia totaled 463 receiving yards, which was seventh in the division, as well as pulling down three touchdowns. 

DEVIN ROITER | SR | OLIVET, MICHIGAN

The senior lineman, Devin Roiter, continued to be a staple on the Cardinal offensive line this season. This honor marks the first time that Roiter has appeared on an All-Conference team. The Cardinals as a team averaged 350 yards per game with 192 coming from rushing and 158 from passing. 

JAKE GIZINSKI | SR | HOWELL, MICHIGAN

Another senior offensive lineman, Jake Gizinski, earns his first MSFA honors of his career. Gizinski appeared in eight games this season and aided the Cardinals with the third-most rushing yards and total yards as a team this season.

LOGAN NAHRWOLD-SETTLE | SR | FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

The senior defensive tackle, Logan Nahrwold-Settle, appeared in all 11 games this season. Nahrwold-Settle totaled 26 tackles on the year with five solo. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss and broke up a pair of passes. 

PARKER SHUMAN | JR | PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN

Another mainstay on the Cardinal defensive line was Parker Shuman, playing in all 11 games this season. Shuman totaled 48 tackles which was 21st most in the division with 11 solo tackles. The defensive end also recorded 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss while forcing one fumble. 

LIAM KARRY | JR | NEW BALTIMORE, MICHIGAN

Liam Karry was named to the MSFA Second Team for the second consecutive season. The Concordia linebacker was fourth in the Mideast in total tackles with 95. His 9.5 tackles for loss was tied for the team lead and seventh in the division. Karry recorded 4.0 sacks and 2 pass breakups throughout the year as well. 

GABE WHITMORE | SR | PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN

After earning an honorable mention last season, Gabe Whitmore was named to the Second Team this season. The Cardinal safety could always be found flying around the field, totaling the fourth most total tackles on the team with 69, with 32 being solo. Whitmore accumulated 4.0 tackles for loss while forcing one fumble. In coverage, the senior intercepted a pair of passes and broke up 4 more. 

ETHAN BURROWS | SO | ESSEXVILLE, MICHIGAN

Ethan Burrows earns his first MSFA honors after leading the division with 5 interceptions and leading all defensive backs in the Mideast with 73 total tackles. Playing at safety for the Cards, Burrows broke up two passes and tallied 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Beyond that, he was the only player in the MSFA Mideast with multiple blocks on special teams, with 3 in total. 

SEEGER DEGAYNER | SR | GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN

Seeger DeGayner earns his fourth MSFA All-Conference honors as a Special Teamer, after earning First Team in 2022 and 2023 and an honorable mention in 2021. Degayner was dubbed Second Team this year after averaging 20.2 yards per kickoff return and totaling 363 yards. 

JACE NEELY | SO | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Jace Neely becomes the second Cardinal long-snapper in program history to earn MSFA accolades and the first to be named to the Second Team. The Cardinals did not allow a single block on 51 attempts on the season in large part due to crisp snapping from Neely. Additionally, the specialist added in 8 tackles throughout the year.

HONORABLE MENTION 

COLBY KOHMESCHER | SR | LINDEN, MICHIGAN

An MSFA Second Team honoree as a safety last season, Colby Kohmescher was given honorable mention accolades as Concordia's quarterback this year. Kohmescher led MSFA Mideast quarterbacks on the ground, with 589 rushing yards, and was second with 4 rushing touchdowns. Kohmescher threw for 1,498 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. 

EVAN PITTENGER | SR | LIVONIA, MICHIGAN

Senior Evan Pittenger was given honorable mention accolades as a linebacker for Concordia. Pittenger tallied 38 total tackles on the season, with 17 of them being solo. He recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, with 1.0 sacks, and 1 pass breakup. He forced a fumble and blocked an extra point during the season as well. 

ANDREW VAN DYKE | JR | HOLLAND, MICHIGAN

Andrew Van Dyke earned honorable mention as a defensive lineman for the Cardinals. Van Dyke was tied for third on the team with 2.5 sacks on the season and totaled 26 total tackles as well. 

ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

MATT STRZALKOWSKI | 10TH SEASON

The Cardinal Co-Defensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coordinator earns his second MSFA honor of his coaching career with his second Mideast Assistant Coach of the Year award. 

The defense was the third ranked scoring defense in the MSFA Mideast allowing 21.8 points per game and allowing 344.1 yards per game as well. The defense racked up 13 interceptions as well as scoring four defensive touchdowns both second in the division. 

On the special teams end, the Cardinals had the highest field goal percentage in the division as they went 12-14. The Cardinals punting game was strong as they had the highest average in the Mideast at 41.6 yards per punt. Both the kick and punt return were the third best in the division at 18.2 and 9.3 yards per return respectively.