Bleitner’s Defensive MVP Award Highlights 13 Forester All-MWC Selections
Gebhart, Paulsen, Bleitner, Gallegos, and Holman named to first team

David Bleitner is now a two-time MWC Defensive MVP.

LAKE FOREST, IL – The 2004 All-Midwest Conference football teams were released Tuesday (November 16) and 13 Foresters made the list, led by senior defensive lineman David Bleitner (St. Louis, MO/Vianney), who was named the league’s Defensive MVP for the second straight year.

Bleitner led Lake Forest with 7.0 sacks and tied for the team lead with 13.0 tackles for loss, giving him a school record 49.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in his career. He tied for second in the conference in sacks and forced fumbles and third in tackles for loss this season in league play.

Joining Bleitner on the first team defense were sophomore linebacker Ryan Gallegos (Plantation, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas) and senior defensive back Drew Holman (Morris, IL/Morris) after ranking first and second, respectively, on the team in tackles this year. Despite missing one game, Gallegos was eighth in the league in total tackles and with Bleitner for second in sacks. Holman matched his own school record with seven interceptions on the year and established a new mark with 18 in his three-year career. His interception total in league play ranked second in the conference.

Sophomore running back Anthony Gebhart (Addison, IL/Addison Driscoll) and senior lineman Troy Paulsen (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) were each named to the first team on offense. Gebhart led the Foresters with 786 rushing yards, 1,090 all-purpose yards, 12 touchdowns, and 72 points this season, despite missing one game. He ranked sixth in the MWC in rushing yards per game and tied for second in touchdowns and third in points. Paulsen started all 10 games at left tackle as the Foresters established single-season school records for passing yards and total yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Mahaney (West Chicago, IL/Addison Driscoll) set a school record for passing yards in a season (2,436) and was named to the second team. Senior Nick Hildreth (Lombard, IL/Willowbrook), who led the team with 53 receptions for 801 yards this year and is the program’s all-time leader in both categories, was also named to the second team. The Foresters’ only selection to the second team defense was sophomore linebacker Louis Bertuca (Chicago, IL/Fenwick), who ranked third on the team with 63 tackles and tied-for-first with 13.0 tackles for loss.

Honorable mention selections include senior wide receiver Marty Quinn (Evergreen Park, IL/Mt. Carmel), senior offensive lineman Ashley Parham (Redwood City, CA/Aragon), senior defensive lineman Nick Waite (South Bend, IN/St. Joseph), senior linebacker Scott Hodina (Lake Villa, IL/Antioch), and freshman defensive back Edward Kidd (Round Lake, IL/Buffalo Grove).

The 13 selections are second only to the 2002 team for the most in the program’s history.

Complete List of 2004 All-Midwest Conference Honorees