Five Wabash football players have earned All-North Region Team honors from D3football.com for the 2008 season. Seniors Tony Neymeiyer and Darryl Kennon were First Team selections, while Jared Lange, Kody LeMond, and Wes Chamblee received Second Team honors.
Neymeiyer (Essexville, MI/Garber HS), a senior co-captain and starting center for all 12 games for Wabash, helped the Little Giants to the 12th-ranked scoring offense and 17th-ranked overall offense in the nation. Wabash averaged 39.42 points and 436.92 yards per game in the process of winning its fourth consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference title and first back-to-back NCAA Division III Football Playoff berths in school history. Neymeiyer anchored an offensive line that allowed the Little Giants to set a single-season school record for rushing touchdowns (33) and produce the second-highest amount of total points (473) in school history. The Little Giants allowed only 13 sacks in 361 passing attempts, throwing for 3,168 yards and running for another 2,075. The 5,243 yards of total offense was third-best total in school history. Neymeiyer was a First Team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection in addition to earning First Team All-North Region honors.
Kennon (Tempe, AZ/McClintock HS), a senior defensive tackle, was named the 2008 NCAC Defensive Player of the Year and was a First Team All-NCAC pick before being named to the All-North Region First Team. He set the Wabash all-time record for sacks with 30, recording six for 38 yards in 2008. He started all 12 games, finishing with 38 tackles and 14 tackles for losses totaling 58 yards. Kennon also had six pass defenses, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He ranks fourth on the Wabash list in career tackles for losses with 56-1/2. He helped Wabash finish among the national leaders in total defense, holding opponents to 274 yards per game. The Little Giants were 19th in the nation in rushing defense (88.67 ypg).
Lange (Terre Haute, IN/North HS), a senior defensive end, earned First Team All-NCAC honors prior to his Second Team All-North Region selection. He was third on the Wabash team in total tackles with 58 while leading the Little Giants with 16 tackles for losses and 7-1/2 sacks. Lange also lead the NCAC in tackles for losses per game, averaging 1.33 per contest. His 16 tackles for losses tied for the ninth-best single-season effort in Wabash history. Lange finished his career with 57-1/2 tackles for losses, the third-best total among all Little Giant players. His 23-1/2 career quarterback sacks place him seventh on the Wabash career list. Lange also had three pass defenses and a forced fumble this season. His forced fumble against Wittenberg set up the game-tying score for the Little Giants, eventually leading to a 13-10 win over the Tigers.
LeMond (Pendleton, IN/Pendleton Heights HS) produced record numbers for the Little Giants as a sophomore wide receiver. He set the single-season marks at Wabash and in the NCAC for receiving yards, catching a team-best 73 passes for 1,228 yards. His 14 TD receptions led the team and conference, and was the second-highest single-season total in Wabash history. He had five games with more than 100 receiving yards, including a career-best 12 receptions for 228 yards at Kenyon. LeMond caught three touchdown passes in the season-opener at Denison, had four scoring grabs at Kenyon, along with three more TD catches at Washington University - St. Louis. Through two seasons and 16 career games he already ranks 14th in career touchdown receptions with 14. His 73 receptions place him in a tie for fifth on the Wabash single-season list. He was 20th in the nation in receiving yards per game (102.33).
Chamblee (South Bend, IN/St. Joseph's HS) earned a spot on the All-North Region Second Team as a return specialist. He was 16th in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 27.83 yards per attempt. His 807 return yards are the most by a Wabash player in school history, as were his 29 attempts. Chamblee had 12 kickoff returns of 25 yards or longer, with four of 40 yards are more. His longest return of the season was a 92-yarder for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the game at Hiram. Chamblee was also a wide receiver for the Little Giants, catching 34 passes for 495 yards and one touchdown. His only score on offense came in the first round of the playoffs at Case Western Reserve. One play after catching a 21-yard pass on fourth-and-15, Chamblee raced into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown on a 52-yard reception to send the Little Giants into the second round of the playoffs with a 20-17 victory over the Spartans.
The D3football.com regional teams are selected in balloting by regional sports information directors and the D3football.com staff. Seventy-five North Region players were selected from a total of 176 nominations by Division III member schools.