Grinnell College head football coach Max Hawsey has announced his 2009 recruiting class.

Hawsey said one word describes the group - talented. Incoming players include quarterback Mike McCabe, running back TJ Schaid, linebackers George Weber, Damon Fernandez, Trent Chavira and Malcolm Adams, defensive back Kevin Hwang, quarterback-defensive back Drew Blumberg, defensive linemen Brian Taylor, Tom Brinkman and Erick Palacios, offensive linemen Andrew Judt and Chris Jarmon and wide receivers Logan Granera and Taylor Kendrick.

"It is a very talented and committed class … we've definitely upgraded our speed and athleticism," said Hawsey. "They're an extraordinary and diverse group of guys as we have 11 different states represented that includes four from Texas. Some of them will come in and have an immediate impact on our team, while some will develop in our strength program and have an impact down the road. They are all going to help accomplish our goal- winning a Midwest Conference championship."

Grinnell College football player Will Schwaller '09 has been named a member of the 2009 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.

The society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who maintained a 3.2 GPA or better. A total of 564 players from 266 schools qualified for membership in the society's third year. Click here for more on the honor.

The first Grinnell College Pioneer Football Camp for high school athletes is slated for Friday, July 31 through Saturday, Aug. 1, on the campus of Grinnell College.

The camp will be conducted by Pioneer Head Coach Max Hawsey and his staff of Tim Hollibaugh, Jeff Pedersen, Ben Cooprider and Nolan Swett.

Click here for a copy of the camp brochure and registration information.

Nick Merklin '08 made a name for himself on the football field during his days at Grinnell College.

Now the former All-Midwest Conference first-team performer has taken his talents overseas. Merklin is a member of the Kragujevac Wild Boars, a member of the Serbian American Football Federation.

Merklin is a wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner for the team, which won its season-opening game earlier this month against the Belgrade Blue Dragons.

He is writing a blog about his experiences, both on the field and off. The blog can be seen here.

When Chris Chavez '10 volunteered to help out on the set of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition during winter break, he expected to work for one day building a house for a deserving family. That one-day volunteer shift turned into five days of working as an interpreter as well as a glimpse into the production of the popular reality show.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition selects a family from a pool of applicants, many of whom have suffered recent hardships or are working to improve their communities, and rebuilds their house over seven days. The episode with which Chavez was involved will air on Sun., March 15 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. The Extreme Makeover team worked on the house of the Ruiz family, who live in El Paso and run a donation and community center in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. More

Brett Maloney '09 (left) and Jonathan Antrim '09 (right) earned the highest awards for the Grinnell College football team for the 2008 campaign.

Maloney won the Ullrich '33 Award for the top offensive or defensive backfield performer, while Antrim earned the Rosenbloom '34 Award for top lineman.

Other award winners were Justyn King '12 (first-year most valuable defensive player), Mike Bogard '12 (first-year most valuable offensive player), Carlos Sims '12 (Troy Barboza Award for inspirational first-year player), Chad Christoff '10 (Steve Kriegel Award for being inspirational and an ideal teammate), and C.J. Moore '12 (special teams most valuable player).

Grinnell College linebacker Brett Maloney '09 has been named to the All-Midwest Conference football first team for the 2008 campaign.

Maloney (upper left) made a name for himself by breaking the MWC record for tackles in a season with 161, beating the previous best of 157 set by another Grinnell player, Lee Kraemer. Maloney also had two forced fumbles and an interception during the season.

Maloney, who was named to the D3football.com national Team of the Week after the Pioneers' final game of the season against Beloit College, was also inserted into the offense in that contest and caught a touchdown pass.

Five other Pioneers earned spots on the All-MWC honorable mention list - running back C.J. Moore '09 (upper middle), offensive linemen Jon Antrim '09 (upper right) and Aaron Hirtzel '09 (lower left), linebacker Tyler Schaeffer '09 (lower middle) and defensive back Ryan Boehm '10 (lower right).

Moore was Grinnell's second-leading rusher with 445 yards and five touchdowns, while Antrim and Hirtzel blocked for an offense that piled up nearly 2,800 yards during the campaign. Schaeffer was Grinnell's second-leading tackler with 72 stops, while Boehm was fourth for the Pioneers with 56 tackles. He also had a team-high four interceptions.

Quarterback Alex Tanney of MWC champ Monmouth College was the league's offensive player of the year, while Jeremy Winter of Carroll University was defensive player of the year. Monmouth's Steve Bell claimed coach of the year honors.
2008 All-Midwest Conference Football Team

With Saturday's defensive performance against Beloit College, Grinnell College linebacker Brett Maloney '09 earned a spot in the Midwest Conference record book.

Now he's also earned national attention.

Maloney, a 6-foot-2, 240-pounder from Wheaton, Ill., was named to the D3football.com national Team of the Week after recording 19 tackles in the Pioneers' 34-12 home loss to the Buccaneers. That performance, which included a sack and three tackles for loss, boosted his season tackle total to 161, best-ever in the Midwest Conference. The previous best was 157 established by another Grinnell player, Lee Kraemer, who wrapped up his career in 1991.

On a side note, Maloney was also inserted into Grinnell's offense for one play in Saturday's game and made the most of it, catching a 3-yard touchdown pass from Mike Bogard.
Click to see complete D3Football.com Team of the Week

Grinnell College's Brett Maloney '09 put a stamp on an already spectacular year Saturday by earning a spot in the Midwest Conference record book.

Maloney recorded 19 stops in the Pioneers' 34-12 season-finale home setback to Beloit College at Rosenbloom Field to give him 161 tackles on the season, beating the previous MWC and Grinnell best of 157 set by Lee Kraemer.

Maloney, a linebacker who was among nine Pioneers honored during Senior Day activities, was also put into the game on the offensive side of the ball for a play in the fourth period and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Mike Bogard '12.

Beloit led just 6-0 after one period on a 1-yard run by Terrance Steward, who rushed for 129 yards on the day. But the Buccaneers then erupted for 21 unanswered points in the second period for a 27-0 halftime edge. Steward had a 51-yard TD run for the visitors, while Matt Davis added scoring passes of 58 yards to Derek Carrier and 16 yards to Julian Ross.

Beloit added another TD in the third period when Andy Christensen ran in from 16 yards out to make it 34-0.

Grinnell got both its scores in the fourth period, beginning with an 11-yard TD scamper by Bogard with 13:21 left in the game. The 16-play, 86-yard drive began in the third period and included an 11-yard completion from Bogard to C.J. Moore '09, an 8-yard run by Bogard and 8-yard completion from Bogard to Kelsey Davis '12. The extra point kick after Bogard's TD was blocked.

After holding Beloit and forcing a punt, the Pioneers went to work again. Bogard completed a 15-yard pass to Robert Seer '12 and Davis rushed for 17 yards. The 7-play, 40-yard drive was finished off by Bogard's pass to Maloney in the left corner of the end zone with 8:46 left. The extra point was no good.

Bogard completed 21-of-41 passes for 221 yards, with Seer getting five catches for 111 yards and Moore five snags for 30 yards. Besides the defensive effort of Maloney, who had three tackles for loss among his stops, Tyler Schaeffer '09 had 10 tackles and Chris Chavez '10 seven.

Grinnell finished its campaign at 3-7 overall and 2-7 in the MWC, while Beloit moved to 5-5 overall and 4-5 in the league.
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