13 Mules named to All-MIAA team, Ward and McPherson garner first-team honors

Senior offensive lineman Chase Ward (Corsicana, Texas) and senior cornerback John McPherson (Kansas City, Ks.) headline a list of 13 Central Missouri State University Mules football players who were named today to the All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football team.

Ward was a unanimous selection after starting all 11 games for the Mules, one of only two players on the CMSU offensive line who could make that claim. An honorable mention All-MIAA pick in 2003, he started four games at right guard and seven at center, helping the Mules average 214.9 yards rushing and 191.1 yards passing per game this season.

McPherson was named to the All-MIAA team for the third time. He was honorable mention as a sophomore in 2002 and second-team last fall. A special teams demon, he intercepted a pair of passes, broke up three more, and registered 50 tackles on the year. McPherson, for the third consecutive season, led the Mules with 10 special teams tackles.

Second-team All-MIAA selections for the Mules were: senior running backs Kegan Coleman (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and Lee Thompson (Liberty, Mo.), junior wide receiver/kick returner Delanie Walker (Pomona, Ca.), senior offensive lineman Jay Fleeman (Pleasant Hill, Mo.), senior placekicker Brandon Starks (Kansas City, Mo.), and senior linebacker Jason Vanloo (Jefferson City, Mo.).

Honorable mention accolades went to senior wide receivers Jimmy Conner (Phoenix, Az.) and Jamison Heiskell (Dallas, Texas), defensive backs Kendall Ricketts (freshman from Raytown, Mo.) and Mario Brown (senior from Amory, Ms.), and senior punter Jason Brown (Bois D’Arc, Mo.).

Coleman and Thompson finished one-two in CMSU football history in rushing yards and scoring. Coleman also finished with the Mules all-time record for all-purpose yards, while Thompson finished third. In 2004, Thompson led the Mules in rushing (1,022 yards), touchdowns (16), and scoring (104 points). Coleman missed the first five games of the year with a broken foot, but still managed to finish the year with 767 yards rushing (127.8 per game) and 12 touchdowns. He also caught 12 passes for 112 yards and a TD and returned 12 kickoffs 205 yards for a total of 1,084 all-purpose yards (180.7 per game).

Walker was named second-team as both a wide receiver and kick returner. He led the Mules (and finished seventh in the league) in all-purpose yards after catching 48 passes for 623 yards and four touchdowns, rushing 21 times for 168 yards and two scores, and returning 18 kickoffs for 530 yards (a league-leading 29.4 yards per return) and an MIAA record-tying two TDs.

Fleeman, like Ward, started all 11 games on the offensive line for the Mules. He also was the only CMSU lineman to start all 11 games at the same position—left tackle. Behind their yeoman-like work, the Mules ranked third in the league in scoring (36.8 points per game) and rushing offense (214.9 yards per game).

Starks hit 14-of-17 field goals (including a school-record 10 in a row) and 47-of-49 extra points in 2004. He ranked fourth in the MIAA in kicking scoring, second in field goal percentage (82.4 percent), and field goals (1.27 per game). He also had 23 touchbacks on the year.

Vanloo led the Mules and the MIAA in tackles with 124 (11.3 per game). He also shared the conference lead with three fumble recoveries and added 8.5 tackles for losses, an interception, two pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. His tackle total was the fourth-highest in school history, as he became the first Mule to record 100+ tackles since 1998.

Conner and Heiskell each left his mark as a receiver and on special teams. Conner averaged a team-best 16.2 yards per reception, hauling in 31 passes for 502 yards and three scores. He also ranked sixth in the MIAA in punt returns with a 12.0 yard average (27 for 324 yards and a touchdown). Heiskell, meanwhile netted 25 receptions for 291 yards, and blocked a pair of punts. Those two blocks gave Heiskell the Mules career record with seven blocks.

Ricketts led CMSU and tied for third in the league with five interceptions (sharing the MIAA-lead of two interception returns for touchdowns). He finished second on the team with 75 tackles.

Mario Brown was fourth on the team with 70 tackles, including four for losses, while Jason Brown hit 47 punts an average of 37.3 yards with 20 inside the 20-yard line.

The Mules finished the 2004 campaign 7-4, 5-4 and tied for fourth in the MIAA.