Five Yellow Jackets collect All-HCAC football honors

CARMEL, Ind. – The Defiance College football team placed five members on the Heartland Collegiate Athletic All-Conference team announced Wednesday morning by the league office. Junior Steven Lucas (Warren, Mich./Center Line) and freshman Damon Thomas (Imperial Beach, Calif./Mar Vista) headlined the nominees for DC as they collected second team honors.

Junior Terry Geiger (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Crusaders), sophomore Rigo Villa (Ft. Myers, Fla./Lehigh), and freshman Jaylen Redd (Memphis, Tenn./Germantown) rounded out the Yellow Jacket nominations with their Honorable Mention accolades.

Lucas garners his first All-HCAC honor with his second team accolade. The defensive back led the Purple and Gold with 66 total tackles on the year, 52 of which came in solo fashion. The junior averaged a team-best 6.6 tackles per game. Lucas also recorded two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during the 2019 season. His lone interception of the season came just seconds into the third quarter of the 2019 Homecoming game against Hanover College.

Thomas collects his first All-HCAC honor in his young career. The freshman tallied a team-high 7.5 sacks, landing him fifth in the HCAC. Thomas recorded 10.5 tackles for loss, dropping his opponents for 61 negative yards for the year. The defensive lineman also topped the team with three forced fumbles, all of which came in conference action.

Geiger lands his first conference accolade after serving multiple roles for the Yellow Jackets. Primarily a wide receiver, the Columbus native reeled in a team-best 27 receptions for 373 yards. Geiger saw time on special teams as well. The junior returned four punts and one kickoff over the year for a total of 72 yards. Adding to his repertoire, Geiger spent time at quarterback, as he helped the Yellow Jackets defeat Bluffton in the season finale.

Redd breaks onto his first All-HCAC list after playing in all ten contests as a defensive back. The freshman recorded 49 total tackles during the 2019 season. Redd led the Purple and Gold with six pass breakups over the year, all of which came in HCAC play.

Villa wraps up the accolades for the program as the sophomore lands on the season-ending list for the first time in his career. The versatile lineman saw action in all ten games during 2019, featuring on both sides of the ball. The sophomore finished the season with two sacks and 6.5 tackles-for-loss to go along with his 32 total tackles.

Defiance concluded the season with a 1-9 record and a 1-6 mark in HCAC play. To stay up-to-date with all of Defiance College football news and action, visit defianceathletics.com.