The Mountain West announced the All-Conference football teams Wednesday, which honored six Bulldogs.
Linebacker Justin Rice and linebacker/defensive end Mykal Walker were selected to the first team.
Rice led the ‘Dogs with 112 tackles, ranking him third in the conference. He was the only player in the country to have 4 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries this season. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown against UNLV.
Walker, a team captain, was right behind Rice with 96 tackles, good for 12th in the Mountain West. He was the best Bulldog behind the line of scrimmage, racking up 9 tackles for loss this season. He also had 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. This is the second time Walker has been selected to the All-Mountain West First Team.
Running back Ronnie Rivers was the lone Bulldog selected to the second team. He led the Mountain West in touchdowns – 13 rushing and 3 receiving. He had 899 yards this season and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Hi 1,367 all-purpose yards ranked third in the conference.
Three Bulldogs were named as honorable mentions: defensive tackle Kevin Atkins, punter Blake Cusick and safety Juju Hughes.
Atkins was Fresno State’s top D-lineman this year. He led the Bulldogs with 5 sacks, had 7 tackles for loss and 31 tackles.
Cusick finished the season averaging a career high 42.5 yards per punt, and he had 17 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Hughes was another team captain and finished his senior season with 2 interceptions. He was third on the team with 80 tackles.
The Mountain West also announced individual awards:
Offensive Player of the Year
Josh Love, Sr., QB, San José State
Defensive Player of the Year
Curtis Weaver, Jr., DE, Boise State
Special Teams Player of the Year
Avery Williams, Jr., RS, Boise State
Freshman of the Year
George Holani, RB, Boise State
Coach of the Year
Nick Rolovich, Hawai’i
Here are the All-Mountain West teams:
2019 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
QB: Josh Love, Sr., San José State
WR: Warren Jackson, Jr., Colorado State
WR: Cedric Byrd II, Sr., Hawai’i
WR: Tre Walker, Jr., San José State
RB: Charles Williams, Jr., UNLV
RB: Xazavian Valladay, So., Wyoming
TE: Trey McBride, So., Colorado State
OL: Scott Hattok, Sr., Air Force
OL: Nolan Laufenberg, Jr., Air Force
OL: Ezra Cleveland*, Jr., Boise State
OL: John Molchon*, Sr., Boise State
OL: Keith Ismael*, Jr., San Diego State
PK: Dominik Eberle, Sr., Utah State
KR: Savon Scarver*, Jr., Utah State
Defense
DL: Mosese Fifita, Sr., Air Force
DL: Curtis Weaver**, Jr., Boise State
DL: Dom Peterson, So., Nevada
DL: Myles Cheatum, Sr., San Diego State
DL: Cameron Thomas, Fr., San Diego State
LB: Justin Rice, Jr., Fresno State
LB: Mykal Walker*, Sr., Fresno State
LB: Kyahva Tezino*, Sr., San Diego State
LB: David Woodward, Jr., Utah State
LB: Logan Wilson, Sr., Wyoming
DB: Kekaula Kaniho, Jr., Boise State
DB: Jamal Hicks, Sr., Colorado State
DB: Luq Barcoo, Sr., San Diego State
DB: Alijah Halliburton, Sr., Wyoming
P: Ryan Stonehouse*, Jr., Colorado State
PR: Avery Williams, Jr., Boise State
*Two-Time First-Team Selection | **Three-Time First-Team Selection
2019 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
QB: Cole McDonald, Jr., Hawai’i
WR: John Hightower, Sr., Boise State
WR: JoJo Ward, Sr., Hawai’i
WR: Siaosi Mariner, Sr., Utah State
RB: George Holani, Fr., Boise State
RB: Ronnie Rivers, Jr., Fresno State
TE: Parker Houston, Sr., San Diego State
OL: Connor Vikupitz, Sr., Air Force
OL: Garrett Larson, Sr., Boise State
OL: Ilm Manning, So., Hawai’i
OL: Daishawn Dixon, Sr., San Diego State
OL: Keegan Cryder, So., Wyoming
PK: Brandon Talton, Fr., Nevada
KR: John Hightower, Sr., Boise State
Defense
DL: Chase Hatada, Sr., Boise State
DL: David Moa, Sr., Boise State
DL: Keshawn Banks, So., San Diego State
DL: Tipa Galeai*, Sr., Utah State
LB: Kyle Johnson, Sr., Air Force
LB: Demonte Meeks, Jr., Air Force
LB: Riley Whimpey, Jr., Boise State
LB: Ethan Aguayo, Sr., San José State
DB: Kekoa Nawahine, Sr., Boise State
DB: Jalen Walker, Jr., Boise State
DB: Tariq Thompson**, Jr., San Diego State
DB: Jericho Flowers, Sr., UNLV
P: Tyson Dyer, Jr., New Mexico
PR: Austin Conway, Sr., Wyoming
*Two-Time Second-Team Selection | ** Three-Time Second-Team Selection
2019 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force (8): Milton Bugg III, Jr., DB; Jeremy Fejedelem, Sr., DB; Jordan Jackson, Jr., DL; Timothy Jackson, So., FB;
Jake Koehnke, Sr., PK; Zane Lewis, Sr., DB; Geraud Sanders, Sr., WR; Kadin Remsberg, Jr., RB.
Boise State (5): John Bates, Jr., TE; Sonatane Lui, Sr., DL; Eric Quevedo, Sr., OL; Khalil Shakir, So., WR;
Avery Williams, Jr., DB.
Colorado State (2): Anthony Hawkins, Sr., KR; Manny Jones, Jr., DL.
Fresno State (3): Kevin Atkins, Jr., DL; Blake Cusick, Sr., P; Juju Hughes, Sr., DB.
Hawai’i (7): Cortez Davis, Jr., DB; Rojesterman Farris II, Sr., DB; Solomon Matautia, Sr., LB; Kaimana Padello, Sr., DL;
Gene Pryor, OL; Taaga Tuulima, Jr., OL; Blessman Ta’ala, So., DL.
Nevada (4): Daniel Brown, Sr., DB; Romeo Doubs, WR, PR; Gabriel Sewell, Sr., LB; Toa Taua, So., RB.
New Mexico (4): Ahmari Davis, Sr., RB; Alex Hart, Sr., LB; Teton Saltes, Jr., OL; Kyle Stapley, Jr., OL.
San Diego State (5): Matt Araiza, Fr., PK; William Dunkle, Fr., OL; Darren Hall, So., DB; Brandon Heicklen, Sr., P;
Dwayne Johnson Jr., Jr., DB.
San José State (4): Bailey Gaither, Sr., WR; Troy Kowalski, Sr., OL; Matt Mercurio, Fr., PK; Jack Snyder, Jr., OL.
UNLV (4): Julio Garcia, Jr., OL; Rayshad Jackson, Sr., LB; Justin Polu, Sr., OL; Javin White, Sr., LB.
Utah State (5): Shaq Bond, Jr., DB; Gerold Bright, Sr., RB; Jordan Love, Jr., QB; Caleb Repp, Sr., TE;
Christopher Unga, Sr., DL.
Wyoming (3): Tyler Hall, Sr., DB; Logan Harris, Jr., OL; Cassh Maluia, Sr., LB.
Photo: Fresno State Athletics
