Hillis is one of seven Coyotes named to All Conference team

ST. LOUIS—A program-record seven South Dakota football players earned all-MVFC honors and another five earned honorable mention as the MVFC announced its postseason award teams Monday.

Linebacker Brock Mogensen, cornerback Myles Harden and defensive end Brendan Webb all earned first-team honors. It marks the first time South Dakota’s defense has three first-team honorees. Mogensen has been a second-team choice twice prior to this season. Harden was second team a year ago. Webb becomes the second defensive lineman to earn all-Valley honors, joining Darin Greenfield.

Wide receiver Carter Bell, running back Travis Theis, center Joey Lombard and placekicker Will Leyland earned second-team honors. Bell made the team as an all-purpose back after earning honorable mention honors the last two seasons. Theis, ironically, made the team as a fullback serving as a lead blocker in this year’s two-back sets. He earned honorable mention honors as a running back for the third straight year. Leyland and Lombard are first-time honorees.

Linebacker Stephen Hillis, tight end JJ Galbreath, offensive guard Isaac Erbes, defensive tackle Nick Gaes and safety Dennis Shorter earned honorable mention. Hillis was a firstteam all-MVFC honoree last season. Gaes was part of the league’s all-newcomer team in 2021.

Hillis, a senior from Hartington, is the Coyotes’ third-leading tackler with 62 stops and has 225 career tackles at USD. Included in his numbers this season are a sack and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Hillis led South Dakota with 13 and 10 tackles, respectively, in wins against Indiana State and Youngstown State.

More information on each of South Dakota’s honorees is included below: Mogensen, a senior from Farmington, Minn., led the Valley with 85 tackles in conference play and his 103 tackles during the regular season ranks 20th nationally. Mogensen’s 389 career tackles rank fourth in program history and are third-most among active FCS players. He is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year.

Harden, a junior from Miami Gardens, Fla., led the Coyotes with seven pass breakups during the season and is the team’s sixthleading tackler with 47 stops. Harden forced two turnovers and has 2.5 tackles-for-loss. He recently accepted an invitation to compete in the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Webb, a senior from Buhler, Kan., led the Valley and ranked seventh nationally with 9.5 sacks during the regular season. He tied a program record by recording 4.0 sacks against Southern Illinois and has batted down four passes this year. Webb leads South Dakota and ranked fifth in the Valley with 10.5 tackles-forloss during the regular season.

Bell, a junior from Bettendorf, Iowa, is the fifth-leading receiver in program history with 2,056 yards. He was the Valley leader in average yards per catch in conference play at nearly 20 yards per reception. Bell is South Dakota’s leading receiver with 45 catches for 800 yards and five touchdowns. He had the fourth-most receiving yards among Valley players during the regular season and also serves the team’s punt returner.

Theis, a junior from Pratt, Kan., is the sixthleading rusher in program history with 2,394 yards. He was the fourth-leading rusher in the Valley during the regular season with 740 yards and scored five touchdowns. Theis is also the Coyotes’ fourth-leading receiver with 21 catches. He has three 100-yard rushing efforts this season including a career-high 190 yards and two touchdowns against Murray State.

Lombard, a junior from Anoka, Minn., started all 11 games at center for a program that ranks second nationally in fewest tacklesfor- loss allowed and 12th nationally in fewest sacks allowed. He aided a unit that put up a season-high 559 yards at Western Illinois and surpassed 400 yards of offensive five times. South Dakota had four rushing touchdowns in three games this season.

Leyland, a sophomore from Souderton, Pennsylvania, is the only FCS kicker in the country who hasn’t missed a kick all season. He is 10-for-10 in field goals and 32-of-32 on extra points. Included in that tally is a 50-yard field goal against South Dakota State and a walk-off 41-yard field goal to beat Youngstown State. Half of Leyland’s field goals have been 40 yards or longer.

Galbreath, a junior from Arvada, Colo., is the Coyotes’ second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns. He had the second-most catches and receiving yards among tight ends in MVFC play. Twice, he has totaled 101 yards receiving in a game this season. He also improved his run blocking to be an every-down player for South Dakota this season.