Air Force places nine on all-conference football team
11/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Air Force placed nine players on the 2016 all-Mountain West football teams announced today by the Mountain West Conference, as voted on by a panel of coaches and media from each school. Seniors Weston Steelhammer (DB) and Ryan Watson (DL) were each named first-team while seniors Jalen Robinette (WR) and Brodie Hicks (DB) and junior Luke Strebel (PK) were each named second team. Seniors Haji Dunn, Jr. (LB), Colin Sandor (OL) and Dylan Vail (OL), along with junior Tim McVey (KR) were all named honorable mention.
Steelhammer is the first player in school history to earn first-team honors three times, as he was also selected in 2014 and 2015. Steelhammer leads the Falcons in tackles for the second straight year with 75 and has 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He leads the Mountain West and ranks fifth in the nation with six interceptions. He has 17 for his career which ties the Academy record.
Watson leads the Mountain West in sacks (.90 per game) with nine and is third in tackles for loss (1.10) with 11. He has 36 total tackles and leads all defensive line on the team despite missing the last two games due to injury.
Robinette leads the Falcons in receiving with 33 catches for 835 yards and five touchdowns. He ranks seventh in the conference in receiving yards per game at 69.6 and leads the nation in yards per catch with a 25.3 average. He is the Air Force career leader in receiving yards with 2,573 and ranks second in career catches (118) and touchdown receptions (17).
Hicks ranks second on the team in tackles with 70 and has 2.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two blocked kicks. He is second on the team and tied for third in the Mountain West in interceptions with four.
Strebel leads the conference and ranks 15th nationally in field goals with 1.58 per-game. He has hit 19 of 22 field goals this season and all 47 extra points. He is third in the conference in scoring and first among kickers with 104 points (8.7). Strebel set a Mountain West record for consecutive field goals made dating back to last year with 22.
Dunn, Jr., is fourth on the team in tackles with 51 and is second in sacks (5.0) and tackles for loss (10.0). He ranks ninth in the Mountain West in tackles for loss and leads the league with three fumble recoveries. McVey ranks third in the conference and 17th nationally in kickoff returns with a 26.5 average. He became the first Falcon since 2010 to return a kickoff for a touchdown. Sandor and Vail helped power the Air Force offense to 322.8 yards rushing per game which ranks second in the MW and fourth nationally. The Falcons are third in the conference in total offense with a 451.5 per-game average.
Air Force finished the regular season 9-3 overall and finished fourth in the Mountain Division with a 5-3 mark. The Falcons are bowl-eligible for the ninth time in 10 seasons under head coach Troy Calhoun. The team awaits it bowl destination to close the season.
