FLORENCE, Ala. -- The voting has concluded for the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year Award, and while the results of that voting won't be announced until Dec. 17, three players have received invitations to attend the 25th Annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet for the naming of the top player in Division II.
Senior quarterback Zach Amedro of West Liberty (W.V.) University, senior quarterback Blake Bolles of Northwest Missouri State University and senior quarterback Eric Czerniewski of the University of Central Missouri and have emerged as the top three vote-getters from a field of nine finalists in voting by the sports information directors at the 149 schools that compete in Division II football.
The Hill Trophy is sponsored by the City of Florence, Ala., Florence-Lauderdale Tourism, Opti-Net, the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa and Herff Jones.
Candidates for the 2010 Hill Trophy were nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and those nominations were then reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates.
National voting concluded on Dec. 3 and the top three finishers are invited to the Shoals for the presentation banquet. The winner of the 2010 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, Dec. 17, in Florence, Ala., prior to the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game on Dec. 18. The banquet will include the induction of coaches Ken Sparks of Carson-Newman College, Mel Tjeerdsma of Northwest Missouri State University and Bobby Wallace of the University of West Alabama into the Division II Football Hall of Fame.
Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling Judy Keenum at the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.
Other finalists for the 2010 award were sophomore quarterback Bo Cordell of Tusculum (Tenn.) College, sophomore quarterback
Mitchell Gale of Abilene Christian (Texas) University, junior quarterback Clay Garcia of the Colorado School of Mines, senior quarterback Nick Hardesty of Henderson State University, senior running back Phil Milbrath of Michigan Tech University and freshman running back Franklyn Quiteh of Bloomsburg (Pa.) University.
Amedro, a senior from Moundsville, W.V., was also a Hil finalist in 2009 and is the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year for the second tim. This season he averaged 3.8 touchdown passes per game with 38 in 10 games. He completed 329-of-485 passes for 4,058 yards and averaged 32.9 completions per game to rank second nationally. Amedro was also second nationally in passing yards per game at 405.8.
He is now the leading passer in NCAA Division II history, setting career records with 14,733 passing yards, 1,079 pass completions , 334.8 passing yards per game, 30 300-yard passing games, 29 300-yard total offense games ; 13 consecutive 300-yard passing games and 13 consecutive 300-yard total offense games.
Bolles, a senior from Lincoln, Neb., has helped lead Northwest Missouri State to a 12-1 record and into the semifinals of the playoffs this season. He has thrown for 3,705 yards and 29 touchdowns, completing 62.8 percent of his passes. He has thrown just eight interceptions in 430 pass attempts, while also rushing for 213 yards and five touchdowns.
For his career, Bolles ranks among the most efficient passers in Division II history. He is Northwest Missouri's all-time leader in passing yards (8,527) and passing touchdowns (78) and has helped lead Northwest to an MIAA-record 46 straight conference victories.
Czerniewski, a senior from Montgomery City, Mo., is the 2010 Mid-America Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year and the first-team All-MIAA quarterback. He is the nation's fourth-ranked passer with an average of 371.9 yards per game. His 5,207 total passing yards and 46 touchdown passes this season are tops in the country.
He completed 447 of 670 pass attempts and had a 66.7 completion percentage, while leading Central Missouri to an 11-3 record and into the quarterfinals of the playoffs. This season, he threw for more than 300 yards 10 times, and more than 260 yards in every game.
He is ranked first in MIAA history with more than 12,847 passing yards and became the league's total offense leader as well. He also has 107 career TD passes and 1,043 career pass completions.
The initial Harlon Hill Trophy was won by North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim in 1986, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville runningback Johnny Bailey - in 1987, 1988 and 1989.
Another North Dakota State quarterback, Chris Simdorn, claimed the 1990 award, followed by Pittsburg State receiver Ronnie West in 1991, Pittsburg State running back Ronald Moore in 1992, New Haven running back Roger Graham in 1993 and Valdosta State University quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994. North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon became the first defensive player to win the award when he claimed the Hill Trophy in 1995.
Truman State University running back Jarrett Anderson won the 1996 award and Bloomsburg University running back Irvin Sigler claimed the Hill Trophy in 1997 award. Running back Brian Shay of Emporia State won in 1998, followed by Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey in 1999 and Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001, and Grand Valley State quarterback Curt Anes in 2002.
The 2003 trophy was awarded to North Alabama quarterback Will Hall, and Chad Friehauf of the Colorado School of Mines won the 2004 award. East Stroudsburg's Jimmy Terwilliger claimed the 2005 Hill Trophy as a junior and Chadron State running back Danny Woodhead won the 2006 and 2007 Hill Trophies to become just the third two-time winner. Running back Bernard Scott of Abilene Christian won the 2008 Hill Trophy and running back Joique Bell of Wayne State (Mich.) claimed last year's Hill Trophy.
