Nov. 28, 2006
ELMHURST, Ill. -
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UC Davis boasted seven first-team selections on the All-Great West Football Conference, it was announced by the league office Tuesday evening. Wide receiver Tony Kays, defensive back Jonathan Barsi and defensive linemen James Amos and John Faletoese each picked up repeat first-honors, while linebacker Chris Buck and offensive linemen Jonathan Compas and Elliot Vallejo each captured their first nod. Furthermore, freshman wide receiver Chris Carter was selected as the GWFC Rookie of the Year.
Conference champion North Dakota State, which also had seven first-team picks, claimed two of the top awards. Quarterback Steve Walker earned Offensive Player of the Year honors while Craig Bohl was named as Coach of the Year. Linebacker Kyle Shotwell became the third straight Cal Poly player to win Defensive Player of the Year accolades, following Jordan Beck in 2004 and Chris Gocong in 2005. South Dakota State kicker Parker Douglass defended his title as GWFC Special Teams Player of the Year.
In addition to the seven first-team picks, UC Davis landed five more players on the all-conference second team. Carter joined quarterback Jon Grant and running back Marcus Nolan as offensive honorees, while defensive end Mike Ng and cornerback Nevan Bergan won distinction on the other side of the ball.
Carter was only one of two freshmen to earn All-GWFC honors of either kind, along with Southern Utah's Robert Takeno. The Danville, Calif. native finished tied fo second in the conference (behind teammate Kays) with 54 receptions for 703 yards and five touchdowns.
Kays, a senior receiver from Elk Grove, Calif., became UC Davis' all-time leading career receiver during the team's 30-16 win over Sacramento State. He finished his career with 207 lifetime receptions in just 42 games and amassed 2,752 yards. Kays had 66 catches for 879 yards and eight strikes, all tops in the GWFC.
Compas, a sophomore from Carlsbad; and Vallejo, a senior from Salinas, anchored an offensive line that helped UC Davis average more than 28 points and 365 yards per game. The O-line also held opposing defenses to just 13 sacks in 11 games. Vallejo finished his career having started 32 straight games on the line, matching Kyle Skierski for the team's longest such stretch.
Amos, a junior defensive end from Galt, tallied 45 tackles including 8.0 for losses of 37 yards. He also managed 3.5 sacks for 29 yards and was credited for a pass breakup. Faletoese, a defensive tackle from Carmichael, led the Aggie with 9.5 tackles for losses and continued to punish opposing specials teams by blocking field goal attempts by North Dakota State and TCU.
Barsi, a senior safety from Los Altos, led UC Davis with 61 total tackles and is tied for second nationally with six total interceptions. He had three picks against Sacramento State to earn GWFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Buck, a junior linebacker from Fair Oaks, emerged in 2006 after two full seasons as a reserve. He finished the year second to Barsi on the Aggie tackles chart with 55 total stops, and ranked among team leaders with 7.0 TFLs and 3.0 sacks.
UC Davis finished the 2006 season at 6-5, extending its streak of consecutive winning seasons to 37. The Aggies also celebrated their final season on Toomey Field, as the program will move its home games to a new multi-use stadium across campus next fall.
