All-PSAC West Announcement

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Slippery Rock University led all schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division with 13 selections to the All-PSAC football team that was announced Wednesday, headlined by Offensive Athlete of the Year Brayden Long and Coach of the Year Shawn Lutz.
 
Lutz earns his third Coach of the Year award since 2018 after Slippery Rock went a perfect 7-0 in PSAC West play on the way to earning a fifth straight divisional crown. Long, a redshirt junior from Hanover, Pennsylvania, took home the top offensive award in the league after leading the entire PSAC in every passing category while captaining the top ranked offensive unit in the conference.
 
Long becomes the first football player in PSAC history to ever be named as the PSAC Champion Scholar Award winner (highest GPA in the PSAC title game) and be named as one of the conference's Athletes of the Year. He also headlined SRU's eight total first team selections on the All-PSAC squad as the first team quarterback.
 
Slippery Rock landed nine of its 11 offensive starters on the All-PSAC team, including six first team honorees and three second team selections. Long was joined on the first team by running back Khalid Dorsey, wide receiver Kyle Sheets, tight end Kam Kruzelyak and offensive linemen Colton Rossi and Yuriy Hryckowian. Wide receiver Cohen Russell and offensive linemen Joe Cooper and Nick Stazer were named to second team honors.
 
The Rock defense had four All-PSAC selections with two on the first team and two on the second team. Defensive tackle Munchie Johnson and safety Eddie Faulkner IV were named to the first team, while linebackers Jalen Dangerfield and Kyle Kudla picked up second team honors.
 
Sheets, Hryckowian, Rossi and Dangerfield are all two-time All-PSAC honorees after also being selected in 2022.
 
Slippery Rock led all programs in the PSAC West and tied with Shepherd from the Eastern Division for the most overall selections on this year's All-PSAC team.
 
The Rock are one of just 13 teams in the country with at least 10 wins and will enter the NCAA Playoffs for the fifth straight season when they host East Stroudsburg Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first round. The Warriors had 10 players named to the All-PSAC team, meaning this week's playoff game will feature a total of 23 players that earned All-Conference recognition this fall.
 
A brief look at the credentials for each of SRU's All-PSAC selections can be found below, listed alphabetically by last name.
 

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2023 SLIPPERY ROCK ALL-PSAC SELECTIONS

#78 JOE COOPER – Right Tackle – 2nd Team
Cooper has started every game this season at right tackle and has helped block for one of the top offensive units in the country. The Rock's offensive line has been among the best in the nation and ranks third in the country in fewest tackles for loss allowed while ranking 10th in fewest sacks allowed. SRU's offense ranks third in Division II in third down conversions (55%), third in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.36), fourth in completion percentage (69%), eighth in passing efficiency (170.9), ninth in passing offense (285.8 ypg), 10th in scoring offense (42.5 ppg), 10th in fewest sacks allowed (10), 10th in turnovers lost (10), 10th in fewest interceptions thrown (5) and 12th in total offense (458.9 ypg).
 
#25 JALEN DANGERFIELD – Linebacker – 2nd Team
Dangerfield made the move from safety to linebacker for the second half of the season and picks up his second All-PSAC honor and his first at his new position. He ranks fifth on the team in total tackles with 52 stops, including 3.5 tackles for loss and 27 solo stops. Dangerfield also has the only defensive touchdown this season with a 23-yard pick six against California (Pa.).
 
#2 KHALID DORSEY – Running Back – 1st Team
Dorsey picks up first team honors at running back after leading SRU with 776 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns, with nine scores on the ground and two in the passing game. He ranks first in the PSAC and ninth in Division II in average yards per carry, averaging a whopping 6.9 yards every time he touches the ball. Even more impressive is that he shares the ball with two other All-PSAC caliber backs in Chris D'Or and Isaiah Edwards, who both average more than 5.7 yards per carry.
 
#32 EDDIE FAULKNER IV – Safety – 1st Team
Faulkner has had a breakout junior season for The Rock and was a candidate for the Defensive Athlete of the Year award. He has tallied 47 total tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks from his safety position. Faulkner also ranks second on the team with four interceptions and leads The Rock with two forced fumbles.
 
#71 YURIY HRYCKOWIAN – Left Tackle – 1st Team
Hryckowian has started every game this season at left tackle and has helped block for one of the top offensive units in the country. The highest graded offensive lineman of the unit, Hryckowian graded out at 89 percent for the year and did not allow a single sack on his way to earning a second straight All-PSAC honor. The Rock's offensive line has been among the best in the nation and ranks third in the country in fewest tackles for loss allowed while ranking 10th in fewest sacks allowed. SRU's offense ranks third in Division II in third down conversions (55%), third in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.36), fourth in completion percentage (69%), eighth in passing efficiency (170.9), ninth in passing offense (285.8 ypg), 10th in scoring offense (42.5 ppg), 10th in fewest sacks allowed (10), 10th in turnovers lost (10), 10th in fewest interceptions thrown (5) and 12th in total offense (458.9 ypg).
 
#0 MUNCHIE JOHNSON – Defensive Tackle – 1st Team
Johnson earns his first career All-PSAC award after starting every game at the tackle position and putting up huge numbers for an interior lineman. He ranks fifth on the team in total tackles with 52 while leading the team by a wide margin with 11.5 tackles for loss. Johnson also has 2.0 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and seven QB hurries.
 
#11 KAM KRUZELYAK – Tight End – 1st Team
Kruzelyak has emerged as one of the best tight ends in the country due to his versatility in the role as both a blocker and an excellent pass catcher. He is also among the best special teams athletes in the country. Kruzelyak ranks third on the SRU roster this season with 33 catches for 315 yards and four touchdowns to go along with helping to block for an offense that averages 173.1 rushing yards per game.
 
#3 KYLE KUDLA – Linebacker – 2nd Team
Kudla picks up a second team All-PSAC honor after being a previous All-GMAC selection at Hillsdale before transferring in for his final season of eligibility this year. The senior captain leads SRU in total tackles with 72, including 7.5 tackles for loss. Kudla also has five pass breakups and two QB hurries on the year.
 
#18 BRAYDEN LONG – Quarterback – 1st Team (Athlete of the Year)
Long leads the PSAC in every notable passing category and ranks among the national leaders in Division II in several passing categories. He ranks fifth in Division II in points responsible for (228), sixth in passing yards (3,061), sixth in touchdown passes (33), sixth in passing efficiency (168.9), sixth in completion percentage (68.4%) and 11th in total offense (282.7 ypg). His numbers this season rank second in SRU single-season history in TD passes (33), fifth in completions (242), sixth in passing yards (3,061) and seventh in total offense (3,110). He is the sixth SRU QB in program history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season and the fifth QB in program history to throw 30 or more TD passes in a season. 
 
#54 COLTON ROSSI – Left Guard – 1st Team
Rossi has started every game this season at left guard and has helped block for one of the top offensive units in the country. One of the best blocking guards in the region, Rossi is now a two-time All-PSAC selection. The Rock's offensive line has been among the best in the nation and ranks third in the country in fewest tackles for loss allowed while ranking 10th in fewest sacks allowed. SRU's offense ranks third in Division II in third down conversions (55%), third in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.36), fourth in completion percentage (69%), eighth in passing efficiency (170.9), ninth in passing offense (285.8 ypg), 10th in scoring offense (42.5 ppg), 10th in fewest sacks allowed (10), 10th in turnovers lost (10), 10th in fewest interceptions thrown (5) and 12th in total offense (458.9 ypg).
 
#1 COHEN RUSSELL – Slot Receiver – 2nd Team
Russell is one of the best receivers in the region despite at times being overshadowed by the top receiver in the region and his teammate Kyle Sheets. Russell ranks second on the team this season with 53 catches for a career-high 880 yards with five touchdowns. He has caught at least one pass in 24 straight games and is 120 yards shy of becoming the 11th player in SRU history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
 
#5 KYLE SHEETS – Wide Receiver – 1st Team
Sheets was injured on the third play in week one and did not return, finishing with no catches and missing the entire game. He returned in week two and since then has caught 63 passes for 1,028 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games. His 15 TD catches are the third most among all players in Division II and rank second all-time at SRU, behind only the 21 by his former high school teammate Henry Litwin in 2019. Sheets is averaging 102.8 yards per game over the last 10 weeks. Despite missing that first game, he still ranks third in the nation in TD catches (15), ninth in receiving yards (1,028) and 11th in receiving yards per game (93.5), even with his per-game averages reflecting the first game. Sheets ranks fifth all-time at SRU in touchdown catches (27), fifth in receiving yards (2,282) and seventh in receptions (141). His numbers this fall, all of which came in the last 10 games, already rank No. 2 in single-season history at SRU in TD catches (15) and No. 9 in yards (1,028).
 
#55 NICK STAZER – Right Guard – 2nd Team
Stazer has started every game this season at right guard and has helped block for one of the top offensive units in the country while also serving as one of the team captains. The Rock's offensive line has been among the best in the nation and ranks third in the country in fewest tackles for loss allowed while ranking 10th in fewest sacks allowed. SRU's offense ranks third in Division II in third down conversions (55%), third in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.36), fourth in completion percentage (69%), eighth in passing efficiency (170.9), ninth in passing offense (285.8 ypg), 10th in scoring offense (42.5 ppg), 10th in fewest sacks allowed (10), 10th in turnovers lost (10), 10th in fewest interceptions thrown (5) and 12th in total offense (458.9 ypg).
 
 


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