ST. LOUIS — Defending champion South Dakota State is a near-unanimous pick to finish at the top of the pack in the Missouri Valley Football Conference during the upcoming 2023 season, according to a preseason poll conducted among the 12-team league’s coaches, sports information personnel and select media members that was announced Tuesday morning.
The Jackrabbits, who completed a perfect 8-0 mark in league play last season en route to the first Football Championship Subdivision national title in program history, were awarded 44 of 45 first-place votes for a total of 539 points. SDSU ended the 2022 campaign 14-1 overall, bring a school-record 14-game winning streak into their Aug. 31 season opener against Western Oregon.
North Dakota State, which finished as runner-up to the Jackrabbit in both the league and postseason races, tallied the other first-place vote to finish second in the poll with 492 points. Northern Iowa (409) and North Dakota (399) completed the upper third of teams in the preseason survey.
Southern Illinois led the middle third of teams by placing fifth with 337 points, followed by Youngstown State (323), Illinois State (269) and Missouri State (229).
Rounding out the poll were South Dakota (226) and Indiana State (148) in the ninth and 10th positions, respectively, with MVFC newcomer Murray State (74) and outgoing member Western Illinois (65) filling out the final two spots.
In addition, SDSU dominated the Preseason All-MVFC squad as 18 Jackrabbits combined for 20 accolades. Six of the Jackrabbits’ 10 returning starters on offense were first-team selections, highlighted by All-American offensive linemen Mason McCormick at guard and Garret Greenfield at tackle. The duo, who man the left side of the Jackrabbit offensive line, helped pave the way for SDSU to average 34.2 points and 384.6 yards of total offense per game in 2022.
The Jackrabbits also were well represented on the first team at the skill positions and were led by returning first-team all-conference running back Isaiah Davis. A senior from Joplin, Missouri, Davis averaged 5.8 yards per carry in 2022 en route to 1,451 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also factored in the passing game with 21 receptions for 173 yards.
Joining Davis on the first team from the backfield was junior quarterback Mark Gronowski, who accounted for 38 touchdowns last season — 26 through the air and 12 on the ground. A junior from Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski completed 65 percent of his passes (232-of-356) for 2,967 yards and gained another 408 yards rushing. He has led the Jackrabbits to a 22-3 record and a pair of appearances in the national championship game in his two seasons as the team’s starting quarterback.
Two of Gronowski’s primary receiving targets also earned first-team selections as wide receiver Jaxon Janke and tight end Zach Heins were honored. Janke, a senior from Madison, led the squad in all three major receiving categories last season with 60 receptions for 857 yards and nine touchdowns.
Heins, a senior from Sioux Falls, ranked third on the team in both receptions (29) and receiving touchdowns (4), while ranking fourth in receiving yards (347).
The first-team defense included linebacker Adam Bock and cornerback DyShawn Gales. A senior from Solon, Iowa, Bock was limited to 11 games last season, but still finished second on the squad with 76 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Gales, a senior from North Chicago, Illinois, led the Jackrabbits in 2022 with four interceptions and added six pass breakups to go along with 31 tackles (23 solo.).
The Jackrabbits’ two other starting linebackers, Jason Freeman and Isaiah Stalbird, were among four second-team honorees on defense. Freeman, a senior from Zion, Illinois, led the team with 84 tackles in 2022, including seven tackles for loss and three sacks. He also tallied a pair of interceptions — both of which came in postseason play.
Stalbird, a senior from Kearney, Nebraska, finished third on the squad with 55 tackles and also broke up four passes.
Defensive end Cade Terveer (24 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and cornerback Dalys Beanum (37 tackles, team-high 9 pass breakups) rounded out SDSU’s second-team selections on defense.
Back to the offense, utility player Michael Morgan (7 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD) earned second-team honors at fullback, while wide receiver Jadon Janke was recognized both as a wide receiver and return specialist. Janke hauled in 51 receptions for 774 yards and six touchdowns while also taking over punt return duties the second half of the 2022 season to post an average of 13.3 yards on 12 attempts.
Also on special teams, Hunter Dustman received preseason accolades at a pair of positions by being named to the second team as a punter and earning honorable mention recognition at kicker. A junior from East Bethel, Minnesota, Dustman averaged 42.6 yards on 55 punts last season, while leading the team with 113 points after making all 59 of his extra-point tries and connecting on 18-of-25 field goal attempts.
Others included on the honorable mention list were running back Amar Johnson (744 yards, 7 touchdowns), offensive lineman Gus Miller and defensive tackle Ryan Van Marel (19 tackles, 2 sacks).
The Jackrabbits begin MVFC play Sept. 30 by hosting North Dakota. Single-game tickets for SDSU’s six home games are now on sale through JackrabbitTickets.com.