Alva Review-Courier -

ALVA, Okla. – Fresh off of a program high five wins at the NCAA Division II level, the Northwestern Oklahoma State football team placed eight key contributors on the 2017 All-Great American Conference List as voted on by the conference coaches.

Sophomores Maurice Wright Jr. and Aharon Barnes landed on the first team list, while junior Horatio Smith and seniors Devin Peyton and Caleb Longest earned second team picks. A trio of Rangers also earned honorable mention accolades in Anthony Cota, Petar Stosic and Dakota Driskill.

The 2017 season saw the Rangers improve across the board in multiple statistical categories thanks to the efforts of a host of young and talented Rangers including two underclassmen in Wright Jr. and Barnes, who found themselves on the First Team All-GAC list after providing major contributions to an ever improving defense under first-year coordinator Ken Gordon. Wright Jr., a linebacker hailing out of Luther, led the GAC with 104 total tackles despite missing three games throughout the season due to injury.

The 6-foot-1 defensive standout ranked second in all of Division II football with an average of 13.0 tackles per contest and also recorded the most tackles in a single game across the country at 22 back on Oct. 14 against Harding.

Fellow standout Barnes also shined in his second season on the field for the Black and Red, finishing in a tie for second in the league with 13 passes defended. The Duncanville, Texas, native totaled 55 tackles while captaining a pass defense that allowed just 194.8 yards per contest.

Smith landed on the second team list for the second consecutive season after hauling in a total of 36 catches for 596 yards and five touchdowns. The Amarillo, Texas, product ranked ninth in the league with 54.2 receiving yards per game and put together three receiving touchdowns in the Ranger's 38-20 victory over East Central back on Oct. 7.

The offensive weapon also continued to impact the games from a special team's standpoint, ranking fourth in the conference with 123.4 all-purpose yards per game and posted a conference-high total of 193 kick return yards on Sept. 9 against Arkansas-Monticello.

Peyton earned second-team honors along with Smith despite playing in just six games after suffering a season-ending injury on a touchdown-saving tackle in the win over East Central. It took the Perkins native just six games to prove that he was among the conference's elite as he averaged just over 10 tackles per game.

Long snapper Longest put an exclamation mark on a brilliant Ranger career with his first post-season accolade while efficiently captaining the punting unit for the Rangers. Longest recorded one tackle on the year and helped allow the Ranger punting unit to not record a single fumble on the season while ranking fifth in the conference with an average of 35.0 net punting yards a contest.

A resurgence in the ground attack for Northwestern saw two valuable weapons be recognized as honorable mention selections. That ground attack finished the season ranked third in the conference with an average of 227.2 yards per contest and capped off the season with 403 rushing yards in a 35-7 rout of arch-rival Southwestern Oklahoma State.

Cota emerged as a hard-nosed runner in a stable ford of talented backs and finished the season with 876 yards on 134 carries and nine touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 244 pounder rumbled off an 88-yard touchdown run in that final game victory over Southwestern, which proved to be the longest rushing score of the year in the GAC. Cota finished the season ranked sixth in the league with an average of 79.6 yards per game.

Much of Cota's and the other Ranger tailbacks success can be directly attributed to a much-improved offensive line unit that continually opened up space for the backs to work. That unit was led for the second-straight season by Stosic, who gained well-deserved honorable mention honors after directing the unit from the center position. The Canberra, Australia, native played and started in all 22 games throughout his Ranger career and left his positive influence among the multiple young linemen that saw playing time this season.

Driskill found his way into the starting line-up under new defensive coordinator Gordon and flourished in the high-intensity style that surrounded the system. Driskill finished in a tie for third with 8.8 tackles per game while also recording 1.5 sacks on the season. The Wichita, Kansas, native also led the GAC with 61 solo tackles, showing his determination and knack for finding the football that will make him a force on the defensive side of the ball for years to come.

The Rangers finished the season with a 5-6 overall and conference record and will return many essential pieces to a team that figures to continue to rise in the conference rankings in 2018.