SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) announced their 2021 Football All-Conference teams this morning, highlighted by seven Northwestern student-athletes named to the First Team. Sixteen total athletes were honored in this year's teams. 

The Raiders are set to enter the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) for the fifth straight season with a 10-1 record (9-1 GPAC), under the direction of head coach Matt McCarty.
 
This season marks the most All-Conference honorees the Raiders have had since the 2017 season. For the third straight season, Northwestern has had at least seven First Team All-Conference performers.
 
Read below about the Raider student-athletes who excelled on the field this season, and who played roles in ensuring Northwestern got back to the NAIA Football Championship Series for the fifth-straight season. Also read about Coach McCarty's thoughts on each honoree.
 
Konner McQuillan – First Team Running Back
Konner McQuillan (Jr., Leavenworth, Kan./Lansing) is taking home his first-career First Team All-GPAC honor after leading the team in rushing this season with 671 yards on 123 carries. He was the only Raider rusher of the season to break double digit touchdowns at 10, with a long run of 56 yards. Last season, McQuillan took home his first All-Conference honor as a Second Team performer.
 
"Konner was a dynamic threat for us out of the backfield this fall and a playmaker running and catching the ball."
 
Cade Moser – First Team Wide Receiver
Picking up his first-career First Team All-Conference honor along with McQuillan is junior wide out Cade Moser (Sr., Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley Community) who led the conference in receiving yards with 1,176 (106.9 yards/game), with a team-high 63 receptions. He recorded a long of 79 yards on Oct. 16 at Jamestown.
 
He broke a school single-season record against Briar Cliff in the regular season, picking up his 19^th receiving touchdown of the season, breaking Shane Solberg's record of 18 set last season. His season high was four touchdowns on September 18 in the shutout victory over Doane on Homecoming.
 
"Cade had a record-breaking season and was the most dominant player in the GPAC this fall."
 
Michael Storey – First Team Wide Receiver
The junior out of Spencer, Iowa, Michael Storey (Spencer, Iowa/Spencer) continues to add to his list of career accolades being named an All-Conference performer for the third straight season. His production has steadily improved each year in a Northwestern uniform, as he is earning his first-career First Team honors after a Second Team honor in 2019 and Honorable Mention in 2020.
 
Storey was second on the team in receptions (49) and receiving yards (709), while snagging nine touchdown catches. He had a long catch of 63 yards, while racking up a career-high 148 yards against Morningside.
 
"Michael played his best in big games.  He is a home run threat for our offense."
 
Jack Johnson - First Team Offensive Lineman
Jack Johnson (Jr., Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) was a mainstay on the offensive line for the Raiders, helping an offense record top-10 numbers in passing offense.
 
"Jack is steady for us on our OL.  He is our leader up front and had helped that group play at a high level this fall."
 
Brett Moser – First Team Defensive Lineman
Tallying the fourth-most tackles on the Raider defense this season, senior Brett Moser (Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley) picking up back-to-back All-Conference honors, moving up to First Team from Second Team honors a season ago. He recorded 35 tackles on the season, 21 of them being solo tackles, while recording two sacks.
 
"Brett is the tone setter for our defense. He provides great leadership and a knack for making plays."
 
Parker Fryar – First Team Linebacker
Picking up his second-career All-Conference honor in his second freshman season (Covid) is Parker Fryar (Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley) after leading the team in tackles with 77, which sat fourth best in the GPAC this season.
 
He also made noise in the backfield this season, recording five tackles for loss and one sack. The sack coming back on Oct. 16 at Jamestown.
 
"Arguably the best defensive player in our league, Parker can impact the game in so many ways."
 
Noah Van't Hof – First Team Defensive Back
Junior Noah Van't Hof (Lester, Iowa/West Lyon) is taking home his second consecutive First Team All-Conference honor from his safety position. Picking up one interception on the regular season against Midland back on Sept. 11, Van't Hof was also credited with three pass break ups.
 
He notched the second-most tackles on the Raider defense this season, behind fellow First Team performer Fryar, with 53, including three tackles for loss.
 
"Noah played a vital role in helping the Raider defense lead the league in total defense and pass defense this fall."
 
Tyson Kooima – Second Team Quarterback
The two-time GPAC Offensive Player of the Year (2019, 2020), Tyson Kooima (Sr., Hull, Iowa/Western Christian) is back as a Second Team All-Conference performer in the three games he started after battling back from injury.
 
Playing in five games total in the regular season, Kooima hardly missed a beat. Throwing for a 67.4% completion percentage (64-for-95) for 1,219 yards and 17 touchdowns. His longest touchdown strike against the Defenders on Oct. 30. He also accounted for one rushing touchdown on the season.
 
Kooima is now a four-time All-Conference performer in his Red Raider career after Second Team honors in 2018, and his first breakout season in 2019, followed up by leading the Raiders to the National Championship game in 2020.
 
"Playing in only the last few games of the regular season, Tyson made an immediate impact. He put up some big numbers and came up big in our biggest games."
 
Greg Will – Second Team Offensive Lineman
Dependable left tackle Greg Will (R-So., Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake) is collecting his first-career All-Conference honor as a Second Team offensive lineman. The sophomore joins Johnson in the success of the explosive Raider passing offense this season.
 
"Greg helped pave the way for our offensive success this fall. He has been a very dependable left tackle for our offense."
 
Jaden Snyder – Second Team Punter | Defensive Back
Jaden Snyder (R-So., Larchwood, Iowa/West Lyon) earned two All-Conference slots this season, for his duties as a punter and defensive back. He was a prolific punter, helping to pin the opponents deep – 15-times pinning the opponent inside their 20. Twice this season he had 50+ yard punt in his 23 punts on the season. It marks back-to-back years Snyder has been named an All-Conference punter.

"The ability to pin our opponents inside the 20 was Jaden's specialty.  He is a great weapon for us in the kicking game."
 
As a defensive back, Snyder was a ball hawk leading the team with four interceptions on the season, with two returned for touchdowns. He recorded 25 tackles on the season, with two tackles for loss. On top of his four interceptions, he also was credited with six pass break-ups.
 
"Jaden was a ball hawk for us in the secondary. He led our team in interceptions and did an excellent job on the back end of our coverage helping the Raider defense led the GPAC in pass defense."
 
Kole Telford – Second Team Kick Returner
Sophomore Kole Telford (Rock Rapids, Iowa/Central Lyon) is tallying his first-career All-GPAC honor after being the main guy on kick returns for the Raiders this season. He returned 14 kickoffs this season, including a program record 100-yard touchdown return in Week 1 against Presentation College (S.D.) on August 28. He averaged 27.4 yards per return for a total of 383 yards.
 
"Kole and our kick return unit did a great job of setting our offense up with great field position this fall. He was a threat to score every time he touched the ball."
 
Jessen Reinking – Second Team Defensive Lineman
Junior defensive lineman Jessen Reinking (Kinglsey, Iowa/Kinglsey-Pierson) picks up his first-career All-GPAC award as an Honorable Mention performer on the defensive line for the Raiders. He was fifth on the team in tackles with 27, including two sacks and four tackles for loss.
 
"Jessen was very disruptive up front this fall. He led our team in sacks and his pressure on the QB helped our defense lead the conference in interceptions"
 
Blake Anderson – Honorable Mention (TE)
Tight end Blake Anderson (Jr., Oakland, Neb./West Point-Beemer) made a name for himself this season being the third leading receiver on a pass-heavy Northwestern squad. He had 29 catches for an even 400 yards and six touchdowns in the ten games he played in this season.
 
"As the season went on, Blake played a bigger role in our passing game. He had his best games in our biggest games. He has grown into a great run blocker for our offense as well."
 
Eli Stader – Honorable Mention (K)
Coming off a season ago where Eli Stader (So., Cedar Grove, Wis./Oostburg) was a First Team All-GPAC Kicker, he returns with Honorable Mention honors this season. Stader handled all kicking duties for Northwestern, going 9-for-16 on field goals (56.3%), notching a new career long of 47 yards on Sept. 11 against Midland.
 
"Eli had a record setting year as our kicker.  Excited to see him continue to have a positive impact on our team."
 
Blake Fryar – Honorable Mention (QB)
Filling in for Kooima to start the season, Blake Fryar (Jr., Waukee, Iowa/Van Meter) led the Raiders to an 8-0 start on the season. He was extremely efficient through the air this season with a 171.53 QB Rating on 155-for-239 (64.6%) passing, throwing for 2,172 yards and a whopping 25 touchdowns. Of his 239 passes, he only threw five interceptions.
 
"Blake guided our team to an 8-0 start.  He led the GPAC in passing touchdowns through his starts and finished second in the league. We are a playoff team because of Blake's leadership."