Wayne State football coach Logan Masters was named Coach of the Year by the Northern Sun Conference as the conference announced its football All-NSIC picks Thursday.
In his first year as the Wildcats’ mentor, Masters led the team to a 9-2 regular-season record and the school’s first NSIC regular-season title and second playoff appearance in school history.
Assistant coach Collin Prosser was also named the conference’s Assistant Coach of the Year. The team’s offensive coordinator had a fantastic first year in the position, helping guide an offense that gained 2,154 yards rushing and ranked third in the conference. The team also racked up more than 500 yards of total offense four times this season.
Nine Wildcats were named to the All-NSIC team, with five receiving First Team honors and four more making the Second Team. First Team selections included quarterback Nick Bohn, wide receiver Mason Lee, placekicker Alex Powders, defensive back J’Von France and linebacker Alex Kowalczyk. Making the Second Team were offensive lineman Jeff Janssen, wide receiver Jadon Johnson, defensive lineman Jaxon Johnson and linebacker Jaylan Scott.
Bohn, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore, ranked second in total offense at 257.5 yards per game. He tied for second in passing touchdowns with 18, was fourth in passing yards per game (192.4) and 11th in rushing yards per game (65.1). He completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 2,1117 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 716 yards and seven touchdowns. He was named Offensive Player of the Wee, after the Wildcats’ win at Sioux Falls and was the NSIC Newcomer of the Year and a second-team selection last year as a freshman.
Lee, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior and graduate of Wayne High School, caught 31 balls for 542 yards and four scores. He caught at least one pass in 23 straight games and 39 of his last 40 games dating back to his freshman year. He had a career-best 130 yards receiving at Minot State and had a season-high six catches for 93 yards and a score against Sioux Falls.
Powders, a 5-foot-10, 18-pound senior, is a repeat NSIC South First Team selection after going 12-of-14 on field goals and 40-of-41 on PAT kicks this season. He ranked second in PAT kicks, third in field goals and fifth in kicker scoring. His highlight was a school-record 52-yard field goal at Augustana and a 4-for-4 effort that made him the third player in school history to make four field goals in a single game.
France, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior, was a second-team selection last year. He ranked fifth on the team in total tackles (41) with 4.5 tackles for loss. He deflected 12 passes, good for fourth in the league, and had three interceptions, good for seventh in the league.
Kowalczyk, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound sophomore, was also a second-team selection a year ago. He led the defense with 95 tackles, good for fourth in the conference, and tied for seventh in the league with three interceptions. He was a two-time Defensively Player of the Week this season and had four games with 10 or more tackles.
Janssen, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound sophomore, started all 11 games for the second straight year and anchored an offensive line that helped a Wildcat offense that was fourth overall in the league this season.
Jadon Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore, led the Wildcats in receiving this season with 34 catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns, catching a pass in every game this season. He ranked eighth in the conference in receiving yards per game (57.3) and was second in yards per catch (18.5).
Jaxon Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound sophomore, tied for the league lead in fumble recoveries and was eighth in sacks with five. He had 33 total tackles this season.
Scott, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior, was third on the team with 57 tackles, highlighted by a pair of eight-tackle, one-sack efforts against Northern State and Augustana.
