Garrett Cheadle, Mitchell Allan Earn SCIAC Player of the Year Honors for CMS Football

Garrett Cheadle, Mitchell Allan Earn SCIAC Player of the Year Honors for CMS Football

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Junior running back Garrett Cheadle earned the SCIAC Football Offensive Player of the Year Award, senior linebacker Mitchell Allan was named the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Head Coach Kyle Sweeney and his staff were named the SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year, the league announced this morning.

In addition to the three major awards, which are voted on by the SCIAC coaches, nine members of the Stags received All-SCIAC honors. Joining Cheadle and Allan on the All-SCIAC first team were senior offensive lineman Brian Wahl, junior center Jett Zeimantz, and sophomore cornerback Cade Moffatt. Selected to the All-SCIAC second team were sophomore tight end Zach Heffernan, junior defensive lineman Luke Livingston, freshman defensive lineman Mason Hernandez, and freshman cornerback Benjamin Cooney

Cheadle was named the SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year after an historically strong season rushing the football for CMS this fall. He enters the NCAA Tournament with 1,305 yards on the year, placing him second all-time in program history, behind only the 1,486 yards that Chris Dabrow rushed for in 1987. He was the first Stag to cross the 1,000-yard barrier since Ryan Gocong in 2002, and broke the single-game rushing record for the program with 274 yards in a 34-21 win over Whittier. 

Allan, a four-year starter and two-year captain for the Stags, was named the Defensive Player of the Year after leading the defense with 72 tackles from his middle linebacker position. After yielding 45 points in the season opener to Puget Sound, Allan and the defense held their opponents to 10 points or less six times over the last nine games, including a 20-10 road win at Redlands that decided the SCIAC title (when Redlands scored their touchdown in the final minute) and a 16-9 win over Chapman that clinched an NCAA bid for the Stags. 

Wahl and Zeimantz were key members of a veteran offensive line that helped pave the way for Cheadle's rushing onslaught this season. CMS heads into the NCAA Tournament ranked second nationally in time of possession per game (36:05) while churning out over 200 rushing yards per contest (205.6). Behind the offensive line, the Stags were able to kill the final 9:29 of game clock in a 17-10 win over Cal Lutheran, put together a 10:14 touchdown drive to seal the win at Redlands, and maintain the ball for over 43 minutes in the SCIAC-clinching win over Chapman, when 64 of the 74 CMS plays were on the ground. 

Moffatt had a strong sophomore season as one of the team's starting cornerbacks, leading the team with 12 pass break-ups and two interceptions. He was named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week for his role in the 17-10 win over Cal Lutheran, totaling seven solo tackles and three pass break-ups, two of which killed Cal Lutheran drives in CMS territory. He also had a key second-half interception to help preserve the 16-9 win over Chapman that gave the Stags their first SCIAC title in 31 years. 

Heffernan had a major role in the offensive success of the Stags this season from his tight end position, both as an extra blocker for the running game and as a receiver, tallying 13 catches for 177 yards and a team-high three touchdowns. Livingston and Hernandez were key parts of a very effective defensive line rotation that helped take away the opposition's rushing attack all season long, holding opponents to just 104.3 yards on the ground per game, while freeing up the linebackers to consistently stuff the run unblocked. Cooney stepped into the starting lineup early in the year and ranked third on the team with 46 tackles, first in interceptions with three, and first in turnovers with four (including one recovered fumble). 

Sweeney is in his eighth year with the Stags and has built up a program that went 0-9 his second season (2012) into a consistent SCIAC contentder over the last four years, culminating in the program's first league crown since 1987 this fall. The Stags have won seven games in three of the last four years, finishing second in the SCIAC in 2015, third in 2016 and tied for first this year. His staff also includes defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Mark Odin, offensive line coach Chris Vicory, defensive backs coach Erik Johnson, wide receivers coach Luke Blochowski, running backs coach Wayne Moses and linebackers coach David Battle. 

CMS will continue on with its season into the NCAA Tournament this weekend for the first time in program history, traveling to face Whitworth on Saturday for a 12 p.m. contest. 

To view the complete list of All-SCIAC selections, go to the following link:

2018 All-SCIAC Football Teams