The finalists were selected by the
NCAA Division II sports information
directors in regional voting and
will now be placed on the national
ballot where all 148 of the
division’s SIDs will select the
award’s 24th winner.
The top two players from each of
Division II’s Super Regionals
advance to the national ballot, but
three players advanced from Region
Three due to a tie in the voting.
The list of 2009 finalists is
comprised of six quarterbacks and
three running backs.
Eight of the finalists helped lead
their teams into the NCAA Division
II playoffs this season and two of
this weekend’s second round playoff
matchups will have Hill finalists
facing each other.
Advancing from Super Regional 1 are
junior quarterback Zach Amedro of
West Liberty (W.V.) University and
senior quarterback Trevor Harris of
Edinboro (Pa.) University. Their
teams meet Saturday in West Liberty,
W.V. in the second round of the
playoffs.
Super Regional 2 is represented by
senior quarterbacks Harrison Beck of
the University of North Alabama and
Nick Graziano of Arkansas Tech
University. The Lions and Wonder
Boys also face each other Saturday
at noon in Florence.
The top vote getters in Super
Regional 3 were Wayne State (Mich.)
University senior running back
Joique Bell, Grand Valley State
(Mich.) University senior
quarterback Brad Iciek and
University of Minnesota-Duluth
junior running back Isaac Odim.
Grand Valley State and
Minnesota-Duluth are both hosting
second round playoff games Saturday
and could possibly meet in the NCAA
quarterfinals.
Advancing from Super Regional 4 are
Northwest Missouri State senior
running back LaRon Council and
Midwestern (Texas) State University
junior quarterback Zack Eskridge.
Northwest Missouri State is hosting
a second round playoff game
Saturday, while Midwestern State
lost Iciek is a finalist for the
third straight year and becomes just
the third student-athlete in the
24-year history of the award to do
so. Texas A&M Kingsville’s Johnny
Bailey was a four-time finalists
from 1986-89 and was a three-time
winner of the Hill Trophy. Jimmy
Terwilliger of East Stroudsburg was
also a three-time finalist from
2004-06 and won the award as a
junior.
Iciek finished fifth in the 2008
balloting, while Edinboro’s Harris
was also a finalist and finished
eighth.
National voting will conclude on
November 29 and the top three
finishers will be invited to the
Shoals for the presentation banquet.
The winner of the 2009 award, which
is presented by the National Harlon
Hill Award Committee, will be
announced at the 24th annual Harlon
Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on
Friday, December 11 at the Florence
Conference Center at 6:30 p.m. This
year’s Hill Trophy Banquet will also
include the tenth induction 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 the Shoals Chamber of
Commerce at (256) 764-4661.
The NCAA Division II Championship
Game is scheduled for December 12 at
Florence’s Braly Municipal Stadium
at noon.
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.
There were 32 candidates initially
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.
Beck, a senior from Clearwater,
Fla., has thrown for 3,201 yards and
29 touchdowns this season and has
added three scores on the ground. He
has completed 244 of 418 passes,
with just eight interceptions. He
ranks ninth nationally in passing
yards per game (291.0) and 15th in
completions per game (22.1). He has
led North Alabama to a 10-1 record
and a No. 1 seed in Super Regional
Two.
Beck’s selection marks the eighth
time that a UNA player has been
selected as a finalist in the 15
years that a Lion has been a
candidate for the award.
He has led North Alabama to a 10-1
record and No. 1 seed in Super
Regional Two in 2009. He earned two
Gulf South Conference Offensive
Player of the Week awards this
season. The first was after he
completed 31 of 47 passes for 362
yards and one touchdown and rushed
for another TD in 43-26 win at
Henderson State. The second was
after a record-setting performance
in a 42-17 blowout win over Arkansas
Tech where he was 22-of-40 for 431
yards and five touchdowns. He had
scoring passes of 11, 13, 16, 24 and
59 yards. He also threw four
touchdown passes and rushed for
another TD in a 62-27 rout of
Valdosta State and had a streak of
six straight games where he threw at
least three touchdown passes,
throwing for 21 TDs in the six-game
span He has thrown at least one TD
pass in the last 10 straight games
and has two or more in eight games.
Under Beck’s direction, UNA ranks
fifth nationally in Division II in
scoring at 41 points per game with
an offense that lost 10 starters
from last season. The Lions average
425.9 total yards per game and 316.7
passing yards per outing and Beck
has three games with 300 or more
yards passing this season - 431
against Arkansas Tech, 362 against
Henderson State and 350 against
Valdosta State. His 3,201 passing
yards already ranks fourth best in
UNA history behind only previous
Harlon Hill candidates Will Hall and
A.J. Milwee.
He ranks ninth nationally in
Division II in passing yards per
game (291.0), 15th in completions
per game (22.2) and 15th in total
offense (288.5).
Amedro, a junior from Moundsville,
W.V., ranks second nationally in
passing yards per game this season
with a 367.3 average. He has
completed 287 of 449 pass attempts
and has thrown for 41 touchdowns,
while being picked off just 11
times. His 26 completions per game
ranks fifth nationally and he is
third in total offense (367.3) and
fourth in passing efficiency
(164.7). He has led the Hilltoppers
to a 10-1 record and No. 1 seed in
Super Regional One.
Bell, a senior from Benton Harbor,
Mich., leads Division II in rushing,
scoring and all-purpose yards in
2009. He picked up 2,084 yards on
the ground for a 189.4 average per
game. His 32 total touchdowns give
him 192 points for the year and an
average of 17.4 points per game. He
has added another 293 receiving
yards and
15 yards on kickoff returns for
2,392 all-purpose yards and a 217.45
average.
Council, a senior from Kansas City,
Mo., has rushed for 1,202 yards on
212 carries and has 16 rushing
touchdowns this season. He averages
109.3 rushing yards and 8.73 points
per game. He also has 271 receiving
yards and averages 133.9 all-purpose
yards per game. He has led the
Bearcats to a 10-1 record and the
No. 2 seed in Super Regional Four.
Eskridge, a junior from Rowlett,
Texas, leads Division II in passing
efficiency in 2009 with a 180.75
rating. He threw for 3,295 yards and
29 touchdowns this season,
completing 236 of 330 pass attempts
with only six interceptions. He
completed 71.5 percent of his
passes. He is also 12th nationally
in passing yards per game (274.6)
and 16th in total offense (286.9).
He led Midwestern State to a 9-3
record this season.
Graziano, a senior from Moraga,
Calif., is third nationally in
passing yards per game at 352.8,
third in completions per game at
26.7 and second in total offense at
390.9. He has completed 294 of 475
pass attempts for 3,881 yards and 35
touchdowns, while throwing just 10
interceptions. His 419 rushing yards
give him an even 4,300 yards of
total offense. He has led Arkansas
Tech to a 9-2 record and a first
round playoff win over UNC-Pembroke.
Harris, a senior from Waldo, Ohio,
is a Hill finalist for the second
straight year. He has thrown for
2,674 yards and 19 touchdowns this
season, averaging 243 passing yards
per contest. He has completed 219 of
326 pass attempts with just seven
interceptions. He averages 19.9
completions per game and 275.2 yards
of total offense. He has led
Edinboro to a 9-3 record and into
the second round of the playoffs.
Iciek, a senior from Grandville,
Mich., is a Hill finalist for the
third time, finishing seventh in
2007 and fifth in 2008. He is the
third highest rated passer in
Division II this season with a 174.1
rating. He has thrown for 2,369
yards and 26 touchdowns with only
two interceptions. He has also
rushed for six scores. He has led
the Lakers to a 10-1 record and a
No. 2 seed in Super Regional Three.
Odim, a junior from Rochester,
Minn., ranks second nationally in
scoring, third in rushing and fifth
in all- purpose yards. He has
carried the ball 224 times and
picked up 1,639 yards for a 149.0
per game average. He has scored 29
total touchdowns for 174 points and
a 15.8 average per game. Odim added
189 receiving yards and 292 on
kickoff returns for 2,120
all-purpose yards and a 192.7
average. He has led Minnesota-Duluth
to a 10-1 record and a No. 1 seed in
Super Regional One.
The initial Harlon Hill Trophy was
won by North Dakota State
quarterback Jeff Bentrim in 1986,
followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville
running back 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. Terwilliger claimed the
2005 Hill Trophy as a junior.
Chadron State’s Danny Woodhead won
the Hill Trophy in 2006 and 2007,
joining Bailey and Bonner as the
only multiple winners of the award.
Last season Abilene Christian’s
Bernard Scott won the 23rd Hill
Trophy.
2009 HARLON HILL TROPHY FINALISTS
Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Zach Amedro QB 6-0 190 JR West
Liberty Moundsville, W.V.
Harrison Beck QB 6-2 220 SR North
Alabama Clearwater, Fla.
Joique Bell RB 6-1 223 SR Wayne
State (Mich.) Benton Harbor, Mich.
LaRon Council RB 5-10 210 SR
Northwest Missouri St. Kansas City,
Mo.
Zack Eskridge QB 6-4 215 JR
Midwestern State Rowlett, Texas
Nick Graziano QB 6-1 227 SR Arkansas
Tech Moraga, Calif.
Trevor Harris QB 6-2 215 SR Edinboro
Waldo, Ohio
Brad Iciek QB 6-1 200 SR Grand
Valley State Grandville, Mich.
Isaac Odim RB 6-0 215 JR
Minnesota-Duluth Rochester, Minn.
UNA’s Hill Candidates
1986 Marvin Marsh RB
1988 Tommy Compton QB
1990 James Davis LB
1992 Tyrone Rush RB
1993 Tyrone Rush RB
1994 Ronald McKinnon LB
1995 Ronald McKinnon LB
1996 Gerald Smith DB
1997 Greg Manson RB
2003 Will Hall QB
2005 Anthony Merritt WR
2006 Anthony Merritt WR
2007 A.J. Milwee QB
2008 A.J. Milwee QB
2009 Harrison Beck QB
Previous UNA Hill Finalists
1992 Tyrone Rush 6th
1993 Tyrone Rush 2nd
1995 Ronald McKinnon 1st
2003 Will Hall 1st
2005 Anthony Merritt 6th
2007 A.J. Milwee 9th
2008 A.J. Milwee Tied 2nd
2009 Harrison Beck ?
