Football Trio Tabbed All-West Region

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The accolades continue to come in for the Cal Lutheran football program. Announced this morning by D3football.com, three student-athletes have been named to the 2012 All-West Region Teams with First, Second and Third Team nods.

After re-writing the Cal Lutheran record books, Eric Rogers concludes his collegiate career as a First Team All-West Region wide receiver. He became Cal Lutheran’s all-time leading receiver after finishing the year with 91 catches for 1,298 yards and 18 touchdowns. The 6-foot-4 senior added three rushing TDs, throwing for another. Nationally, he was ranked third in receiving yards per game (129.80), fourth in total receiving yards (1,298), fifth in receptions per game (9.10) and seventh in scoring (12.60). Rogers was named the 2012 SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year after earning First Team All-SCIAC in 2011 and 2010 and a Second Team All-SCIAC selection as a freshman in 2009.

In his first year at Cal Lutheran, Vince Minor was named to the Second Team All-West Region as a return specialist after garnering First Team All-SCIAC accolades for both special teams and defensive back. As a transfer, he made an immediate impact in both areas for the Kingsmen. Minor finished second in the country by averaging 18.32 yards per punt return. He accumulated 715 all-purpose yards, returning 22 punts for 403 yards and 16 kicks for 276 yards. Minor notched a pivotal punt return for a 43-yard touchdown against Redlands (Oct. 6) and also had a long of 64 yards against Pomona-Pitzer (Sept. 29). As a DB, the 5-foot-9 cornerback tallied 22 tackles 15 solo, with an interception, returned for 36 yards in the season opener.

Rounding out the CLU selections was junior Andrew Pankow who earned a Third Team All-West Region nod after becoming a First Team All-SCIAC recipient for the first time. Pankow anchored an offensive line that paved the way for the Kingsmen to average 506.70 yards of total offense per game, which was seventh most in Division III. He was part of an o-line that was named to both the D3football.com and BSN Team of the Week during this season, occurring in back-to-back weeks. Oct. 22 the Kingsmen were honored by the BSN after scoring 56 points and accumulating 664 yards of offense, allowing just 323, against Occidental. D3football.com selected the offensive line Oct. 29 after scoring 62 points, gaining 638 yards of offense against Whittier.

Cal Lutheran posted an 8-2 overall record in 2012 after claiming a fourth consecutive SCIAC championship and playoff berth.

Release: 2012D3football.com All-West Region Team
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