Franklin 's Rupp and McManus Headline All-HCAC Football Selections
November 19, 2008
GREENWOOD , IN – Franklin College placed six players on the 2008 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team, including the conference's offensive and defensive Most Valuable Players. Franklin 's Chad Rupp (Evansville , Ind. /Memorial) has been named the HCAC Offensive Most Valuable Player for the second straight season and his teammate Dan McManus (Cincinnati , Ohio /Roger Bacon) has been selected as the HCAC Defensive Most Valuable Player. Grizzlies' head coach Mike Leonard garnered Coach of the Year honors once again.
Hanover 's Tyler Thiems (Indianapolis , Ind. /North Central) was honored as Special Teams Most Valuable Player for 2008, while his teammate Nick Sharp (Indianapolis , Ind. /Franklin Central) picked up the Freshman of the Year hardware.
Rupp, a senior quarterback for the Grizzlies, threw for 2,954 yards this season, helping his team to its second straight HCAC football championship and trip to the postseason. The senior racked up a conference-best 32 touchdowns and averaged 295.4 yards per game this season. In seven conference games, Rupp led the league with 22 touchdowns and a 65.9% completion percentage. His 295.4 yards per game ranks 13 th nationally and he ranks eighth nationally in passing efficiency (166.69). Included among his efforts this season, Rupp was selected two times as the HCAC Offensive Player of the Week and recorded 300 yard passing performances in two of the seven conference games.
McManus, a senior defensive lineman for the Grizzlies, led the Franklin defense and instilled fear in many opposing coaches in the HCAC. He was third on his team with 59 tackles, and led the conference with 11.5 sacks (7 th nationally). The senior ranked third in the HCAC with 14.5 tackles for loss and also recorded four pass break ups and a league-high three forced fumbles. As a team, Franklin ranked second in the HCAC in team defense (326.1 ypg) and scoring defense (19.9 ppg).
Thiems, a senior wide receiver and return specialist for Hanover , ranked among the national leaders in many categories for the Panthers. This season, Thiems ranked 32 nd nationally with 150.0 all-purpose yards per game and finished 51 st in punt return average (9.53). Offensively, Thiems led the nation with 13 catches per contest this fall.
Sharp, a freshman quarterback for Hanover , was an instrumental part of the Panther offense during the conference season. The freshman took over the quarterback duties during conference games and led the league with 299.3 passing yards per game this fall. Sharp ranked second in touchdowns (15) and completion percentage (59.8%), while leading the HCAC in total offense (315.1 ypg).
Franklin head coach Mike Leonard has been selected as the HCAC Coach of the Year for the third straight season. He guided the Grizzles to a third straight 9-1 overall record and led the team to their second conference championship in as many years. Franklin finished alone in first place in the HCAC with a perfect 7-0 record. The only loss this season for Franklin was a 30-27 defeat at nationally ranked Trine in week number three. Leonard completed his sixth season as Franklin 's head coach this season and will guide the Grizzlies into the postseason for the second time since 1972.