Wayne State College landed 11 players on the 2025 NSIC All-Conference Football Team announced Wednesday afternoon by the league office in Burnsville, Minnesota, highlighted by sophomore linebacker Jes Krcil named NSIC Defensive Player of the Year.  The Wildcats had four honorees on the South Division First Team Offense, five players receiving South Division First Team Defense honors and two players named to South Division Second Team Defense.
            Krcil, a 6-1, 220-pound sophomore linebacker from Carlisle, Iowa (Carlisle HS), was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Year and South Division First Team Defense despite missing the final three games of the year due to injury.  He led the Wildcat defense this season with 81 total tackles, anchoring a defensive unit that led the NSIC in scoring defense (17.7), total defense (280.6) and rushing defense (81.4).  At the time of his injury, he led the NSIC in tackles for loss (12.0-51), second in tackles and tackles per game, tied for third with 4.5 sacks for 33 yards and tied for third with two forced fumbles.  Krcil had 10 or more tackles in five of his eight games played, led by a season-high 15 tackles vs. Nebraska-Kearney.  He was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week (10/27/25) after making 14 tackles in the Wildcts' 35-20 win over #9 Minnesota State.
            Alex Kowalczyk, a 5-11, 220-pound graduate student linebacker from Sioux Falls, S.D. (O'Gorman HS) was a South Division First Team Defense selection marking the third time in his career earning All-NSIC honors (2021, 2022).  This season he was second on the Wildcat defense in tackles with 80, ranking fifth in the NSIC.  Kowalczyk tied for third in the league with 9.5 tackles for loss for 27 yards and tied for fourth with three interceptions for 14 yards.  He closed his Wildcat career Saturday with 16 tackles in a 38-31 win over #13 Augustana to be named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week and finished his Wayne State career with 299 total tackles.
            Kaden Sutton, a 6-1, 290-pound senior defensive tackle from Adel, Iowa (Iowa State), received South Division First Team honors on defense after recording 30 tackles with 10.0 tackles for loss this season for 33 yards.  He ranked first in the NSIC with three fumble recoveries for 39 yards and was second in tackles for loss while also making 2.5 sacks for 10 yards with one forced fumble and one blocked kick.  Sutton had a 39-yard fumble recovery for touchdown along with two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups vs. Southwest Minnesota State September 27^th and had 1.5 sacks for eight yards in a 27-17 win at MSU Moorhead September 20^th.
            Carter Sitzman, a 6-4, 260-pound junior defensive end from Lincoln (Lincoln Christian HS) was a repeat All-NSIC selection on defense this year.  He was eighth on the Wildcat defense in tackles with 33 leading the team with nine quarterback hurries.  Sitzman tied for fourth in the NSIC with 5.5 sacks for 33 yards and had 7.5 tackles for loss.  He had a season-best seven tackles with 1.5 sacks at Concordia-St. Paul and also had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss at Winona State. 
            Kahmel Johnson is a 6-2, 200-pound redshirt freshman defensive back from Jacksonville, Fla. (Riverside HS) and was named South Division First Team Defense.  He ranked fifth on the team in tackles with 37 and ranked third in the NSIC with 12 passes defended.  Johnson had nine breakups (Tie 4^th-NSIC) and three interceptions for 35 yards (Tie 4^th-NSIC).  He had four games with a season-best five tackles this season that included a season-high four breakups at Winona State.  Johnson had interceptions in games at Northern State, vs. #9 Minnesota State and at Sioux Falls.
            Dawson Forgy, a 5-11, 200-pound redshirt junior running back from Winterset, Iowa (Winterset HS), highlights four Wildcats named South Division First Team Offense.  He set numerous single season rushing and scoring records for the Wildcats, rushing for 1,400 yards on 241 carries (5.8 avg) with 19 TD's.  Forgy led the NSIC in rushing yards, yards per game (127.3), rushing TD's (19), total touchdowns (21) and all-purpose yards per game (163.4).  He tied a single season school record with seven 100-yard games, highlighted by a 223-yard performance and two TD's in a 27-17 win at MSU Moorhead.  He had a single-game school record five rushing TD's with 181 yards in a 42-13 win at Sioux Falls.  Forgy was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week twice and ranks third in NCAA Division II in rushing TD's and total TD's, fifth in rushing yards and sixth in rushing yards per game and all-purpose yards per game.
            Tierel Tompkins is a 6-4, 300-pound senior offensive lineman from Cedar Falls, Iowa (Cedar Falls HS) who was named South Division First Team Offense after selected All-NSIC Second Team in 2023.  He started all 11 games this season at left tackle and helped a Wildcat offensive line block for the NSIC's leading rusher Dawson Forgy and the third-ranked rush offense in the league at 229 yards per game.  Tompkins started 36 of the 40 games he played at Wayne State either at right or left tackle.
            Will Washenberger, a 6-3, 300-pound senior center on the Wildcat offensive line from Sioux Falls, S.D. (O'Gorman HS) was a South Division First Team Offense selection.  He started all 33 games in his three years at Wayne State and was part of an offensive line that helped WSC rank third in the league in rushing offense this season.  Washenberger, an All-NSIC Second Team selection in 2023, was part of the 2023 offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the NSIC and the second-fewest sacks in the league last season.
            Dane Petersen, a 6-4, 250-pound junior tight end from Elkhorn (Elkhorn HS), earned South Division First Team honors on offense after leading the Wildcats in receiving this season with 38 catches for 436 yards (11.5 avg) and a team-high five touchdowns.  He caught at least one pass in all 11 games this year, led by six receptions for 94 yards and two TD's vs. Nebraska-Kearney.  He also had six catches for 77 yards against Bemidji State.
            Brayden Chaney, a 5-10, 180-pound junior defensive back from Omaha (Gretna HS), was named NSIC South Division Second Team Defense after recording 31 tackles with nine pass breakups and two interceptions for 32 yards.  He tied for fourth in the NSIC in pass breakups and tied for fifth in the league with 11 passes defended.  Chaney had a career-high 10 tackles in a 42-13 win at Sioux Falls and had two interceptions for 32 yards with two breakups and a 29-yard interception return for touchdown in last Saturday's 38-31 win over #13 Augustana. 
            Clyde Hinton, a 6-1, 215-pound junior linebacker from Plattsmouth (Plattsmouth HS), earned NSIC South Division Second Team honors on defense after making 61 tackles this season to rank third on the Wildcat defense.  He had eight pass breakups, 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception while tied for third in the NSIC with two forced fumbles.  Hinton had eight tackles with one forced fumble and one breakup vs. Bemidji State and another eight tackles vs. #9 Minnesota State on October 25^th. 
            Wayne State ended the season at 7-4 overall, winners of their last four games that included wins over #9 Minnesota State and #13 Augustana.  The Wildcats finished as NSIC South Division champions with a 5-1 division mark.