BURNSVILLE, MINN. -- Headlined by first team honorees Caden Walters and Nolan Kern, the playoff-bound University of Sioux Falls Football Team (8-3) had 12 student-athletes selected to the NSIC All-League squad which released today by the league office. The all-league list included two first-team, seven second-team, and three honorable mention All-NSIC honorees from USF.
 
Walters, a senior quarterback from Dodge City, Kansas., and Nolan Kern, a senior offensive guard from Eau Claire, Wisc., were key performers on the USF offense which ranked second in the league in scoring (36.5 ppg) and third in total offense (433.1 yards per game) in the NSIC. Aside from Walters and Kern, USF had seven on the second team including Kyle Barnetche, a senior tight end from Susanville, Calif.; Nate Johnson, a senior wide receiver from Vista, Calif.; Thuro Reisdorfer, a sophomore running back from Sioux Falls, S.D.; Nick Zimmerman, a senior offensive center from Rosendale, Wisc.; Logan Dykstra, a senior defensive end from Hull, Iowa; Harvey (Michael) Enalls, a senior linebacker from Sioux Falls. S.D.; and Tucker Stout, a senior defensive back from Spokane, Wash. USF had three honorable mention selections and they included senior linebacker Brody Grantham of Hamlin, S.D.; senior safety from Mentone, Calif.; and senior defensive tackle Nick Zimmerman of Oceanside, Calif.
 
The Cougars, which will play at No. 7 Colorado School of Mines on Saturday, Nov. 23, in the opening round of the NCAA DII playoffs, is 8-3 with six wins in seven games. This group of 12 All-NSIC performers helped the Cougars to a to a 26^th straight winning season. With this group, USF, which has had 12 or more all-league honorees in each of the past three years, now has had 354 all-conference players in school history with 112 All-NSIC honorees. In eight years in the NSIC, USF has a 69-19 record with 76 overall wins at the NCAA DII level. The Cougars own the No. 2 ranked defense (246.7 yards per game) in NCAA DII and a defense that is ninth nationally against the pass (152.5 yards per game) with the second ranked total in team passing efficiency defense (87.47) and is 15^th in DII against the rush (94.3 yards per game). USF has a scoring offense which is second in the NSIC at 36.5 points per game. USF ranks third in total offense at 433.1 yards per game with a rushing attack second in the league at 213.8 yards.

Player Breakdown -- First Team Selections

Caden Walters, 6-3, 205, Sr., QB, Dodge City, Kan., Business

USF quarterback Caden Walters, a senior from Dodge City, Kan., who was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Oct. 14, finished the regular season leading NSIC in four passing categories. Walters also leads the NSIC in completion percentage (61.4 percent) and leads the NSIC with 24 TD passes. A Dodge City, Kan., senior, Walters has completed 162-of-264 passes with 24 TDs against three interceptions and is first in the NSIC and 15th in DII pass efficiency ranking of 164.0. With 2,781 total yards or 252.8 per game, Walters ranks second in the NSIC in total offense per game and sits 32nd in DII. He has a career-high of 334 yards total offense in the win over Minnesota Crookston and 320 yards against No. 4 Minnesota State.  Walters had just three interceptions this season and had a pass streak of 148 straight passes without an interception end against Wayne State in the second quarter of a 41-21 USF win. Over the last seven games, Walters has been a standout with a 182.77 pass efficiency ranking. He completed 94-of-156 passes (60.2 percent) for 1,474 yards with 21 touchdowns and one interceptions. One of the league's top dual-threat signal callers, Walters has 112 carries for 428 yards (3.8 avg.) with eight TDs this season. He has 162 carries for 573 yards and 10 TDs in his career.  As for his career passing numbers, he is now 307-of-488 for 62.9 percent for 4,386 yards with 38 TDs and 10 interceptions in his career. He ranks ninth in school history in passing yards with 4,386 and is 12th in total offense with 4,980 yards (690 plays, 7.2 yards per play – fourth all-time). 
 
Nolan Kern, 6-4, 322, R-Sr., OL, Eau Claire, Wisc., Pre-Law

A three-year starter, Kern had a monster season in 2019 when he led USF with 89 knockdowns and had the second highest grade among USF offensive linemen at 88.21 percent. He had a positive rep on 591 of 670 plays. He allowed just 2.5 sacks. In his career, Kern, who made his second All-NSIC team after earning second team honors a year ago, has 252 knockdowns.   

Second Team Selections
 

Kyle Barnetche, 6-2, 240, Sr., TE, Susanville, Calif., Criminal Justice
Barnetche, who is a devastating blocker at tight end, has played in 22 games at USF in two years. This year, he made his first all-league team after catching five passes for 46 yards and a TD while playing a key role on the league's second best rushing attack and third ranked offense. He has 10 career catches for 73 yards.

Nate Johnson, 6-3, 203, Sr., WR, Vista, Calif., Criminal Justice
Senior Nate Johnson has 44 catches for 707 yards and nine TDs. He averages 16.1 yards per catch, which is third in the NSIC, and 64.3 yards per game places him seventh in the league. He had a season-career high 10 receptions for 82 yards against Augustana on

Sept. 26. Against U-Mary he tied his career-high with three TDs (SMSU, 2018) and set a career-best with 186 receiving yards, which is the most at USF since 2003 when Grant Brecher had 10 catches for 187 yards. Johnson's 186-yard game total ranks sixth best all-time at USF.  He also has eight kickoff returns for 164 yards for a 20.5 average and a long of 42. He has also totaled 989 all-purpose yards which includes 118 punt return yards. In his career, Johnson has 66 catches for 1,102 yards and 13 TDs. He has 1,883 all-purpose yards which includes 526 kickoff return yards and a TD.

 

Thuro Reisdorfer, 6-1, 206, RB, Sioux Falls, S.D., Exercise Science
Reisdorfer has 133 carries for 984 yards and 12 rushing TDs or 89.5 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the NSIC in rushing yards per game.  With the 984 yards, Reisdorfer is third overall in the NSIC. Against Upper Iowa, he had 16 carries for 157 yards and TD runs of 58 and six yards. It was his third straight game of 100 yards or more and fourth overall this year and in his career. . Reisdorfer's 98-yard TD run against Northern State is the longest offensive play in the NSIC and second longest in NCAA DII (99 yards, Daniel McCants, Tarleton State). Reisdorfer needs 16 yards to become the fourth player to reach 1,000 yards rushing in a season in the DII era (Gabriel Watson, 1957, 2018; Max Mickey, 1,763, 2016; Nephi Garcia, 1,190, 2014; Nephi Garcia, 1,068, 2013). Reisdorfer ranks second in the NSIC in scoring with 17 total TDs for 102 points. He established a career high with 171 yards on 13 carries and two TDs against UMD. He also had 13 carries for 92 yards against CSP and 20 carries for 82 yards and his first two career TDs in the 34-12 win over Winona State. He had 113 yards and a career-high four TDs with a personal-best 50-yard TD run on 13 carries against SMSU. Against UMC he had 135 all-purpose yards which included three catches for 20 yards and a three-yard TD pass and an 80-yard kickoff return for a TD. The return was his first-ever kickoff return TD.  He ranks fifth in the NSIC with 118.6 yards per game (1,305). He has 116 receiving yards on 10 catches and four TDs while putting together 205 yards in kickoff returns.
 

Nick Zimmerman, 6-5, 296, OC, Rosendale, Wisc., Business Administration
A two-time Academic All-NSIC selection, Zimmerman was named honorable mention All-NSIC a year ago and recently selected a CoSIDA Academic All-District first team selection. Zimmerman has graded at 85 percent with 240 knockdowns in his career. This season, Zimmerman has served as a captain on a USF team that has reached the DII playoffs with an 8-3 record. In his senior season he has graded at 90 percent with 45 knockdowns for a team that ranks third in the NSIC in total offense. He has graded positive reps on 642 of 713 plays and allowed just one sack.

 

Logan Dykstra, 6-3, 248, DE, Hull, Iowa, Graduate Student in Business
For the second time in his career (2017), Dykstra, a two-time team captain, has been named to the All-NSIC second team. This season, he has been a leader on the No. 2 ranked defense in DII. He has totaled 13 solo stops and 10 assists for 23 tackles with three TFLs, a sack and pass defended in his senior season. He now has totaled 94 career tackles, including 45 solo stops in 45 games. He has 14.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and four sacks. Dykstra was selected as nominee to the Allstate and AFCA All Good Works Team for 2018, one of 169 nominated.

Harvey (Michael) Enalls, 6-1, 228, R-Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D., Exercise Science

Enalls, who was All-NSIC honorable mention a year ago, earned his first second team All-NSIC honor. A member of the nation's No. 2 defense, he has accumulated 41 tackles with 26 solo stops in 11 games. Enalls has six TFLs, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions, four passes defended the three fumble recoveries.  In his career, he has 121 tackles with 73 solo stops, 11.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

 

Tucker Stout, 6-0, 207, R-Sr., Spokane, Wash., Media Studies major
A team captain for the second straight year, Stout was a stalwart for a third straight year in the secondary for the Cougars. An Academic All-NSIC honoree in 2017 and 2018, Stout earned his first-ever All-NSIC honorable mention selection a year ago. He now has his second nod to the All-NSIC team with his first selection to the second team.  He has 49 tackles (36 solo stops), five TFLs, a sack and five interceptions in 2019 as he has built his career numbers to 129 tackles with 93 solo stops and five interceptions, two TD interceptions returns and two fumble recovery.    

Honorable Mention Selections

Brody Grantham, 6-1, 236, R-Sr., LB, Hayti, S.D., Biology major
Grantham was named to the All-NSIC squad for a second time. A year ago, he was named All-NSIC second team at linebacker and earned Honorable Mention All-NSIC honors. Grantham, who was named Academic All-NSIC in 2017, leads USF with 61 tackles. He has 42 solo stops, 7.0 TFLs, an interception and a pass breakup in his 11 games on the USF's No. 2 ranked defense. In his career, he has played 41 games with 163 tackles which has included 93 solo stops. He has accumulated 16.5 tackles for loss with 4.5 sacks, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

 

Ryan Nieman, 6-2, 188, Sr., DB, Mentone, Calif., Business Administration
For the first time in his time at USF, Nieman has earned All-NSIC honors as an Honorable Mention selection. He registered his seventh career interception against NSU and first-ever defensive TD against U-Mary with a pick-six 37-yard return in the

second quarter of a 39-0 win in 2019. This season he has accumulated 33 tackles with 19 solo stops, tackle for loss, four pass breakups and four picks for 141 yards and a TD. In his career, he has seven interceptions, 60 tackles with 41 solos and eight pass breakups.
 
Nick (Zeus) Zimmerman, 6-1, 272, Sr., DT, Oceanside, Calif., Psychology major
In earning his first All-NSIC honor, Zimmerman was named to the team as an Honorable Mention selection. In 11 games, Zimmerman had 13 solo stops and four assists for 17 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, a sack, pass deflection and a fumble recovery. A member of USF's No. 2 defense, he now has 34 career stops, 20 solo tackles, 6.0 TFLs, three quarterback sacks, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 22 games.