Wartburg made it a clean sweep as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced its major awards for the 2014 football season.

Junior quarterback Logan Schrader (Killdeer, Ill. / Dunlap) has been named the IIAC Football Offensive Most Valuable Player, while senior defensive back Spencer Capitani (Northwood, Iowa / Northwood-Kensett) has been named the IIAC Football Defensive Most Valuable Player. Wartburg Head Coach Rick Willis has been named the IIAC Football Coach of the Year.

The Knights finished the regular season with a 10-0 mark, won a second straight Iowa Conference title – and 14th title overall – and a berth in the 2014 NCAA Division III Football Championship.


2014 Offensive Most Valuable Player – Logan Schrader, QB, Wartburg College:
Under his leadership, the Wartburg offense has set new school records for points in a season (453 and counting) and total offense in a game (674 yards, Nov. 15 vs. Loras).

Logan Schrader - Courtesy: Wartburg Athletics
Logan Schrader - Courtesy: Wartburg Athletics
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Schrader currently ranks second in NCAA Division III in passing efficiency and third in passing yards per completion (16.61). He topped all regular IIAC signal callers in completion percentage (.643) and ranked second among IIAC players in total offense (281.3 ypg).

Schrader has started 31 career games heading into this weekend’s NCAA first-round game against St. Thomas. He has completed 418 of 687 passes for 5,822 yards, 50 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. On the ground, Schrader has 231 carries for 935 yards and nine touchdowns.

He currently ranks fourth all-time at Wartburg in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions and completion percentage and sixth in passing efficiency and passing yards per game. He also owns the Wartburg single-game record for passing yardage at 405 yards, set in 2012 against Central.

2014 Defensive Most Valuable Player – Spencer Capitani, CB, Wartburg College:

Spencer Capitani - Courtesy: Wartburg Athletics
Spencer Capitani - Courtesy: Wartburg Athletics
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Capitani, a two-time First Team All-Iowa Conference selection, was the key cog in a Knights defense that led all Iowa Conference schools in nearly every major defensive statistical area including scoring defense (11.6 points per game), total defense (257.0 ypg), rushing defense (120.8 ypg), passing defense (136.2 ypg) and ranked second in sacks (23) turnover margin (+3) and fifth in interceptions (9).

Capitani has made 31 tackles (20 solo) with 2.0 tackles for loss, one interception and nine pass break-ups in 10 games entering the NCAA Championship. He has played in 37 career games, posting 156 tackles (107 solo), 20 tackles for loss, 33 pass break-ups, eight sacks and six interceptions. Capitani also ranks third on Wartburg’s all-time list in pass break-ups and 10th in punt returns.

Schrader and Capitani are the eighth and ninth different Wartburg players to be named an Iowa Conference MVP and the first since Matt Wheeler in 1999.

2014 Iowa Conference Football Coach of the Year – Rick Willis, Wartburg College:
Willis led the Knights to a 10-0 mark overall, the school’s second straight Iowa Conference title – and 14th title overall – and a berth in the 2014 NCAA Division III Football Championship.

Coach Rick Willis - Courtesy: Wartburg Athletics
Coach Rick Willis - Courtesy: Wartburg Athletics
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Under his guidance this year, Wartburg ranked among the top-three in the Conference in a number of statistical areas.

Willis has now led Wartburg to eight Iowa Conference football titles, a number exceeded only by legendary Central coach Ron Schipper, who guided the Dutch to 15 crowns between 1964 and 1995.

This is the fourth Iowa Conference Football Coach of the Year honor for Willis, who in his 16th season directing the Knights program. He also won the award in 1999, 2010 and 2013 and is one of four Wartburg coaches to have won the award (Lee Bondhus, 1968; Don Canfield, 1982-83; Bob Nielson, 1993), accounting for eight total honors. Only Schipper (11) and former Buena Vista coach Jim Hershberger (five) were honored more times by their peers.

2014 All-Iowa Conference Football Team:
The 56-member IIAC Team (there were two ties on the second team) includes 20 repeat All-Conference honorees, including Wartburg junior punter Grant Zimmerman. Zimmerman was named to the first team after being a first-team pick in 2012 and a second-teamer a year ago.

Conference champion Wartburg dominated the team with a league-best 19 players selected All-Iowa Conference – 13 on the first team, six on the second team. Wartburg’s selections were also fairly evenly distributed on either side of the ball. There were eight on offense, nine on defense, a punter and a return specialist.

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