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| Photo by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com; Kelsie Warnock, Marietta athletics |
Braxton Plunk, Drake Neuberger and Kyle Gallagher lead the D3football.com 2021 All-Region 4 team. Plunk was named Region 4 Offensive Player of the Year, while Neuberber and Gallagher were named the Region 4 Defensive Player of the Year.
It’s the first time two teammates have shared a regional player of the year award for D3football.com, which began sponsoring regional awards in 2005.
Mount Union coach Geoff Dartt, who has led the Purple Raiders to the national semifinals in his first full year as head coach of the storied program, is the Region 4 Coach of the Year. Dartt is the third Mount Union coach to earn regional Coach of the Year honors from D3football.com.
NCAA Division III realigned Division III football into six regions in 2021. Region 4 includes the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the North Coast Athletic Conference and the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Neuberger and Gallagher are seniors, from Norwalk, Ohio; and Chesterland, Ohio; respectively. The two shared the Ohio Athletic Conference’s award for top defensive lineman this season for Marietta, which finished 4-6. Neuberger had 69 total tackles, 32 solo, with 20.5 tackles for loss at 14 sacks from his end position, while Gallagher added 53 total tackles, 27 solo, with 13 tackles for loss and six sacks. Neuberger broke up five passes, forced three fumbles and blocked two kicks, while Gallagher recorded one of each.
Plunk, a junior from Plant City, Florida, has led Mount Union to a 13-0 mark and the Division III football national semifinals, throwing 41 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Plunk has completed 71.6% of his passes, for 4,284 yards, or 329.5 yards per game. He is the sixth Mount Union player to be named regional Offensive Player of the Year.
The teams, selected in balloting by Region 4 sports information directors and D3football.com staff, were chosen from 161 nominations by full Division III member schools. A total of 77 players were chosen. Players nominated for All-Region are eligible to be considered for D3football.com All-America honors, which will be announced the evening of Dec. 17, in D3football.com’s pregame coverage for Stagg Bowl XLVIII.
Previous years’ award winners from 2005-2019 for All-North Region can be found at:
https://www.d3football.com/awards/all-region/all-time-north
2021 D3football.com All-Region 4 Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Braxton Plunk, QB, Mount Union
Defensive Player of the Year: Drake Neuberger and Kyle Gallagher, DL, Marietta
Coach of the Year: Geoff Dartt, Mount Union
| First Team Offense | ||||
| Pos. | Player | School | Yr. | Hometown |
| QB | Braxton Plunk | Mount Union | Jr. | Plant City, Fla. |
| RB | Jon Murray Jr. | Baldwin Wallace | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| RB | Bryce Agnew | Marietta | Jr. | Cleveland, Ohio |
| WR | Wayne Ruby | Mount Union | Sr. | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| WR | Justin Thomas | Albion | Sr. | Wixom, Mich. |
| TE | Cole Hissong | Wooster | Sr. | Shreve, Ohio |
| T | Blake Herideen | John Carroll | Sr. | Akron, Ohio |
| G | Patrick Simon | Baldwin Wallace | Sr. | Olmsted Falls, Ohio |
| C | John Valentine | Mount Union | Sr. | Ashland, Ohio |
| G | Justin Pierson | Rose-Hulman | So. | Manor, Texas |
| T | Jared Nighswander | Albion | Sr. | Onstead, Mich. |
| K | Andrew Kibler | Manchester | Sr. | Cape Coral, Fla. |
| RET | Kenny Streb | Ohio Wesleyan | Sr. | Willowick, Ohio |
| First Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Drake Neuberger | Marietta | Sr. | Norwalk, Ohio |
| DT | Kyle Gallagher | Marietta | Sr. | Chesterland, Ohio |
| DT | Joe Zanca | DePauw | Sr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| DE | Sekou Imani | Baldwin Wallace | Sr. | Dover, Ohio |
| LB | Mason McMillen | Mount Union | Jr. | Wadsworth, Ohio |
| LB | Michael Stevens | Rose-Hulman | Sr. | Orland Park, Ill. |
| LB | Nick Pankow | Baldwin Wallace | Sr. | Medina, Ohio |
| CB | Tay Pryor | Marietta | Sr. | Canton, Ohio |
| S | Griffin Pendry | Heidelberg | Jr. | Perrysburg, Ohio |
| S | Malik Britt | Mount Union | Sr. | Bossier City, La. |
| CB | Tyce Miller | Rose-Hulman | Jr. | Bargersville, Ind. |
| P | Joey Annee | Wabash | Sr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Second Team Offense | ||||
| QB | Liam Thompson | Wabash | Jr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| RB | Montavious Yearby | Heidelberg | Jr. | Port St. Lucie, Fla. |
| RB | Josh Petruccelli | Mount Union | Sr. | Perry, Ohio |
| WR | Noah Thomas | Rose-Hulman | Sr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| WR | Austin Eick | Ohio Northern | Sr. | Rossford, Ohio |
| TE | Jace Grossman | Heidelberg | Sr. | Cygnet, Ohio |
| T | Trey Dawkins | Denison | Sr. | Evanston, Ill. |
| G | Kevin Stone | Denison | Jr. | Anderson, Ohio |
| C | Joe Mullin | Wabash | Jr. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| G | Connor Smith | DePauw | Sr. | Bloomington, Ind. |
| T | Aidan Sturgeon | Rose-Hulman | So. | W. Lafayette, Ind. |
| K | Lake Barrett | Wooster | Jr. | Columbia, S.C. |
| RET | Brandon Reed | Heidelberg | Sr. | Mansfield, Ohio |
| Second Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Josh Bever | Ohio Northern | Jr. | Ashland, Ohio |
| DT | Duke Hill | Mount Union | Jr. | Memphis, Tenn. |
| DT | Mike Knock | Wittenberg | Sr. | Springboro, Ohio |
| DE | Mitch Arendsen | Albion | Sr. | Zeeland, Mich. |
| LB | Jeff Moore | Denison | So. | Richmond, Va. |
| LB | Kyle Naif | Trine | Jr. | Riverview, Mich. |
| LB | Kyle Treber | Hanover | Sr. | Mishawaka, Ind. |
| CB | Dylan Hyatt | DePauw | Sr. | Brazil, Ind. |
| S | Owen Albers | Ohio Wesleyan | Sr. | N. Ridgeville, Ohio |
| S | Brady Howe | Hope | Jr. | Holland, Mich. |
| CB | Iyan Mitchell | Baldwin Wallace | Sr. | Tampa, Fla. |
| P | Matt Pardi | Wooster | Jr. | Arlington, Va. |
| Third Team Offense | ||||
| QB | Brody Hahn | Ohio Northern | Sr. | Louisville, Ohio |
| RB | Cortaveon Barnett | Olivet | So. | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| RB | Shane Welshans | Rose-Hulman | Sr. | Robards, Ky. |
| WR | Brennan Fugh | John Carroll | Jr. | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| WR | Cooper Sullivan | Wabash | Jr. | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| TE | Jeb Jones | Otterbein | Sr. | Coal Grove, Ohio |
| T | Wally Kalinowski | Heidelberg | Jr. | Canal Winchester, Ohio |
| G | Carson Barrett | Mount Union | Jr. | Roswell, Ga. |
| C | Zac Bowman | DePauw | Sr. | Carmel, Ind. |
| G | Derek Crowley | Albion | Sr. | Pinckney, Mich. |
| T | Dane Smith | Wabash | Sr. | Camby, Ind. |
| T | Brady Eding | Hope | Sr. | Hamilton, Mich. |
| K | Joe Sullivan | DePauw | So. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| K | Ryan Hibbets | Trine | Sr. | Monticello, Ind. |
| RET | Carter Warstler | Wooster | So. | New Albany, Ohio |
| Third Team Defense | ||||
| DE | Jireh Ojata | Franklin | So. | Carmel, Ind. |
| DT | Dana Shoulders II | Bluffton | Sr. | Mansfield, Ohio |
| DE | Alonzo Grigsby | Olivet | Sr. | Taylor, Mich. |
| LB | Shane Quin | Ohio Wesleyan | Sr. | Chardon, Ohio |
| LB | Brevon Gude | DePauw | So. | Avon, Ind. |
| LB | Kordell Ford | Mount Union | Sr. | Massillon, Ohio |
| CB | Cory Swartzmiller | Denison | Sr. | Lexington, Ohio |
| S | Jesse Vail | Mount Union | Sr. | Estero, Fla. |
| S | Tyshawn Jones | John Carroll | Sr. | Euclid, Ohio |
| S | Winston Amankwah | Rose-Hulman | Sr. | Columbus, Ohio |
| CB | Beau Greenwood | Wooster | Sr. | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| P | Parker Smith | Heidelberg | Sr. | W. Salem, Ohio |