Sports Notebook
Star-Bulletin staff
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Jones thought Petersen more deserving
Hawaii coach June Jones was stunned when he saw his name next to coach of the year when he looked at a sheet of paper listing the All-WAC team yesterday.
"That's kind of surprising to me. Wow. I don't know how Chris Petersen (of Boise State) doesn't get it. He's undefeated," said Jones, who is also a finalist for at least two national coach of the year awards. "That's kind of a reflection on Jerry (defensive coordinator Glanville) and all our staff. Offensive staff, defensive staff. They've done a great job this year. More than anything they should probably get the award."
He wasn't surprised to see quarterback Colt Brennan won the offensive player of the year honor, but seemed especially gratified that nine Warriors made the first team and four more landed on the second team.
The first-teamers are Brennan and slotback Davone Bess, offensive linemen Tala Esera and Samson Satele, running back Nate Ilaoa, defensive linemen Ikaika Alama-Francis and Melila Purcell, safety Leonard Peters and special-teams player Ross Dickerson.
The second-teamers are wide receiver Jason Rivers, offensive lineman Dane Uperesa, defensive lineman Mike Lafaele and linebacker Adam Leonard.
Ross the boss:
Does a Heisman Trophy candidate have to be the MVP of his own team? Not at UH.
"We could've picked any of these guys on the first-team All-WAC to be the MVP. But in what we do and who we are, Ross (Dickerson) is more than deserving," Jones said of the choice he and the other coaches made.
Intangibles?
"Most definitely."
Leader?
"Most definitely," Jones repeated.
Brennan said he likes the choice.
"I really think that Ross deserves that. A lot of times behind the scenes, you wonder why guys persevere. It's because the team respects him and what he's doing and he really respects them. We saw that in Ross," Brennan said.
"And he brought that mentality into this year. It didn't matter what he was asked to do. He was going to learn it and be the ultimate team player. I can't imagine a better MVP on our team this year."
Dickerson made his share of highlights with eight touchdowns, including a 100-yard kickoff return and a spectacular (and necessary) vault into the end zone after catching a pass. But Brennan said Dickerson also did a lot of little things to allow his teammates to shine.
"A lot of times, a guy being covered and running the right route to be covered is what's setting his buddy up to be wide open. If you're not open and you try to get open, you might ruin the play for everyone," the quarterback said. "Ross fulfilled that to the maximum. And because he was a senior, it filtered on down to the younger guys, and I hope the guys who come back carry it through next year."
Hawaii ahead on DT:
Defensive tackle recruit
Ray Hisatake said UH is his No. 1 choice, but he wants to take visits to San Jose State and New Mexico in the next two weeks before deciding on where to commit.
"Everything is good," said Hisatake, who completed his recruiting visit yesterday morning. "I like the family environment, and they run the same defense we do (at College of San Mateo). Hawaii is my No. 1 choice at this point."
Hisatake has a sister who lives on Oahu.
Short yardage:
Senior cornerback
Kenny Patton said he still hopes to suit up for the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl against Arizona State. Patton suffered a broken collarbone Oct. 14 at Fresno State and hasn't played since. ... Some players are expected to make an appearance at the Honolulu Marathon Expo later this week. ... The team will focus on academics this week and lift weights three days next week before returning to practice for the bowl game.
All-Wac Honors
Coach of the year: June Jones, Hawaii
Offensive player of the year: Colt Brenan, JR, QB, Hawaii
Defensive player of the year: Korey Hall, SR, LB, Boise State
Freshman of the year: Paul Igboeli, LB, Utah State
First team
Offense
Pos |
Name |
School |
Ht |
Wt |
Yr
|
WR |
Legedu Naanee |
Boise State |
6-2 |
228 |
SR
|
WR |
Davone Bess |
Hawaii |
5-10 |
187 |
SO
|
WR |
Chris Williams |
NMSU |
5-9 |
155 |
SO
|
TE |
Derek Schouman |
Boise State |
6-2 |
233 |
SO
|
OL |
Ryan Clady |
Boise State |
6-6 |
319 |
SO
|
OL |
Chris Denman |
Fresno State |
6-6 |
305 |
SR
|
OL |
Tala Esera |
Hawaii |
6-4 |
295 |
SR
|
OL |
Samson Satele |
Hawaii |
6-3 |
311 |
SR
|
OL |
Jade Tadvick |
Idaho |
6-5 |
314 |
SR
|
QB |
Colt Brennan |
Hawaii |
6-3 |
190 |
JR
|
RB |
Ian Johnson |
Boise State |
5-11 |
194 |
SO
|
RB |
Nate Ilaoa |
Hawaii |
5-9 |
248 |
SR
|
Defense
Pos |
Name |
School |
Ht |
Wt |
Yr
|
DL |
Andrew Browning |
Boise State |
6-0 |
278 |
SR
|
DL |
Ikaika Alama-Francis |
Hawaii |
6-5 |
250 |
SR
|
DL |
Melila Purcell |
Hawaii |
6-5 |
266 |
SR
|
DL |
J.J. Milan |
Nevada |
6-5 |
270 |
SR
|
LB |
Korey Hall |
Boise State |
6-1 |
228 |
SR
|
LB |
Dwayne Andrews |
Fresno State |
6-0 |
240 |
SR
|
LB |
David Vobora |
Idaho |
6-1 |
214 |
JR
|
LB |
Ezra Butler |
Nevada |
6-2 |
248 |
JR
|
DB |
Leonard Peters |
Hawaii |
6-1 |
199 |
SR
|
DB |
Stanley Franks |
Idaho |
5-11 |
167 |
JR
|
DB |
Joe Garcia |
Nevada |
6-0 |
180 |
SR
|
DB Dwight Lowery |
San Jose State |
6-1 |
185 |
JR
|
Specialists
Pos |
Name |
School |
Ht |
Wt |
Yr
|
PK |
A. Montgomery |
Boise State |
6-1 |
211 |
SR
|
P |
Waylon Prather |
San Jose State |
6-3 |
220 |
JR
|
ST |
Ross Dickerson |
Hawaii |
5-10 |
185 |
SR
|
Second team
Offense
QB: Jared Zabransky, Boise State, SR
WR: Jason Rivers, Hawaii, JR; Caleb Spencer, Nevada, SR; James Jones, San Jose State, SR
TE: Anthony Pudewell, Nevada, SR
OL: Jeff Cavender, Boise State, JR; Dane Uperesa, Hawaii, SR; Dominic Green, Nevada, SO; Matt Cantu, San Jose State, SR; Malik Cin, Utah State, SR
RB: Dwayne Wright, Fresno State, SR; Yonus Davis, San Jose State, JR
Defense
DL: Tyler Clutts, Fresno State, JR; Michael Lafaele, Hawaii, JR; Matt Hines, Nevada, JR; Ben Calderwood, Utah State, SO
LB: Colt Brooks, Boise State, SR; Adam Leonard, Hawaii, SO; Tim McManigal, New Mexico State, SR; Matt Castelo San Jose State, JR
DB: Marty Tadman, Boise State, JR; Josh Sherley, Fresno State, SR; Courtney Bryan, New Mexico State, SR; Christopher Vedder, San Jose State, SR
Specialists
PK: Jared Strubeck, San Jose State, SO
P: Kyle Stringer, Boise State, SR
ST: Patrick Jackson, Louisiana Tech, SO