Nov. 27, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
For the second-straight year, seniors Kye Stewart (Nashville, Tenn./Pearl-Cohn HS)and Isaiah Wiggins (Chicago/Prosser HS) were both named First-Team All-Gateway Football Conference selections, while fellow senior Jesse Caesar (Rockledge, Fla./Rockledge HS) earned his first first-team plaudit to highlight the 10 Illinois State all-conference honorees Tuesday, as voted on by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media members.
Even though Stewart claimed first-team honors, the league's top tackler fell well-short in the Gateway's Defensive Player of the Year voting. Despite being the conference's only representative on the 2007 Buck Buchanan Award finalist list, an award presented to the nation's top defender, Stewart finished fourth for the league's top defensive honor; ending Illinois State's streak of five-straight years of winning the award. Northern Iowa linebacker Brannon Carter claimed the title.
Although slighted for the Gateway's top defensive honor, Stewart had a tremendous senior season for the Redbirds. He led the conference with 131 tackles, or 11.9 stops per game. Stewart posted double-digit tackle totals in every game but two, and matched his career-high with 17 takedowns against Western Illinois.
For the second-straight season, Wiggins was the most dominant ISU offensive lineman, starting 10 games at left tackle. He was instrumental in the Redbird running game, which amassed 2,194 rushing yards on the season, the seventh-highest rushing total in school history. Wiggins was named the league's offensive lineman of the week Oct. 15, and only recorded six missed assignments and allowed two sacks all season.
A first-time all-conference selection, Caesar played a new position in 2007 - strong safety. He ranked fourth on the team with a career-high 81 tackles, including 32 solo stops, while starting all 11 games. Caesar also posted three pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and two forced fumbles.
Illinois State's second-team honorees included running back Rafael Rice (Los Alamitos, Calif./Mater Dei HS), wide receiver Jason Horton (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley HS) and defensive back Tom Nelson (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey HS).
Rice led the Redbirds with 966 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, while Horton was the team's top receiver with 40 catches for 637 yards and four touchdowns. Nelson, who earned second-team honors for the second-straight year, ranked third on the team in total tackles with 86, including 41 solo stops. He also led the team in interceptions with two, and both came against Missouri.
Horton also claimed honorable mention honors as a return specialist and was joined by quarterback Luke Drone (Mt. Carmel, Ill./Mt. Carmel HS), linebacker Bill Hronec (Evergreen Park, Ill./Chicago Mt. Carmel HS) and running back Geno Blow (Seabrook, Texas/Clear Lake HS) on the honorable mention team.
