2004 Don HansenAll-Region

January 3rd, 2004

Northern State Football had two players recently selected to the Don Hansen’s Football Gazette NCAA Division II All-Northwest Region Team. Steve Espinoza and Matt Pinto were two of 13 players from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) to make the team. Northern State was the only NSIC team besides Winona State (8) to have more than one player selected to one of the three teams. The first-team and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the2004 NCAA Division II Football Gazette All-America team will be selected in early January.
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Espinoza (6’0, 225, Sr., LB, El Monte, Calif.) was named to the Don Hansen All-Region 2nd Team. He was also a 2004 Daktronics, Inc. Division II 2nd Team All-Region selection as he ranked 23rd in the nation in total tackles as he finished the regular season with 11.0 tpg. He led the NSIC in tackles with 110, including 51 solos and 59 assisted stops. He was named NSIC Player of the Week on October 4th for his 22-tackle performance against Concordia St. Paul. He added another 14 tackles against Washburn University in the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo. to finish the season with 124 tackles on the season. Espinoza finishes this two-year career at Northern State with 195 tackles in 22 games, more than any other Wolf in the last five years.

Pinto (6’0, 185, Sr., WR, Sonoma, Calif.) was named to the Don Hansen All-Region 3rd team. Pinto, a NSIC All-Conference first team member for his kick returns and honorable mention for his punt returning, ranked 14th in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 25.7 ypg. He led the NSIC in both kick off returns (25.7 ypr) and punt returns (15.7 ypr). Pinot also ranked ninth in the NSIC in total offense averaging 100.6 ypg.

 

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