INDIANAPOLIS - The Mid-States Football Association announced the 2023 All-MSFA Mideast League Teams on Monday afternoon, with the Marian Knights sharing the league-lead with 21 honors. Fellow MSFA Mideast co-champion Indiana Wesleyan tied the Knights with 21 honors, with Marian bringing home two of the five major awards. Senior safety Nate Frey was named the MSFA Defensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Coordinator Justin Robinson was named the MSFA Assistant Coach of the Year.

Joining Nate Frey on the MSFA Mideast First Team are nine additional Knights, with Marian's offense earning a league-best six first team honors. Marian's defense earned four first team honors, and Jalen Jennings represented the first team specialist honors. On the second team, Marian earned one offensive honor, two defensive honors, and two special team honors. Three Knights were named to the MSFA Honorable Mention team.

Nate Frey is the fifth Marian player to win the MSFA Defensive Player of the Year award, and does so in consecutive years for the program following suit after Logan Blake won the award last season. Frey was second on the team this season in tackles, ascending the four-year starter into the top-10 in all-time tackles for the Knights. Frey posted 64 total stops and forced three turnovers, picking off a pair of passes while recovering a fumble. The hard-hitting safety has made a pair of 10-plus tackle games this year, helping him earn a pair of MSFA Defensive Player of the Week honors and one NAIA Defensive Player of the Week award.

Linebacker Jake Paris had a strong season, earning MSFA First Team honors after landing on the second team a season ago. The senior finished the regular season 11th overall in total tackles, and was one of the top-100 players in the nation with 10 tackles for loss on the year. Paris also broke up four passes from his linebacker position. 

Cornerback Dwight Lewis III earned his first career MSFA First Team honor, as the third-year player had a breakout season as a first-year starter. Lewis finished fifth in the MSFA in interceptions and set a Marian single game record with his three picks against St. Francis, while also leading the MSFA in fumble recoveries. Lewis Made 31 total tackles on the year and had three pass breakups. 

Defensive end Tyler Bukur earned his third career MSFA honor, earning First Team honors for the first time as a Knight. Bukur finished third on the team in total tackles, and had a productive season making 10 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. The senior end added a blocked kick and an interception which was returned for a touchdown on the year, while deflecting one pass. 

Keagan La Belle made his first career MSFA honor, with the running back earning First Team offense honors. La Belle rushed for a team-best 662 yards and seven touchdowns, while also catching six passes for 58 yards. The sophomore back also added 225 yards in the return game to his breakout season. Helping pave the way for the running back were offensive tackles Austin Jones and Zach Sibila. Sibila was named to the first team for the third time in his career and earned his fourth career MSFA All-League honor, while Jones earns his second career honor and first mention on the first team. Marian's offense ran for just shy of 160 yards per game behind the work of Jones and Sibila, plunging in for 20 rushing touchdowns.

Receivers Jalen Jennings and Tirae Spence also earned MSFA First Team wide receiver honors, as the duo led the Knights in receiving on the year. Spence finished fourth in the MSFA in receiving yards with 611 through eight games, and Jennings finished sixth with 579 yards. Jennings posted a team-leading 32 receptions and six touchdowns, while Spence hauled in five touchdowns, leading the NAIA in yards per catch with an average of 32 per reception. Jennings also doubled as one of the two All-MSFA First Team return specialists, as the senior scored two kick return touchdowns to extend his program record to five career touchdowns. Jennings returned just nine kickoffs, but finished second in total yards with a league-leading 43.2 yards per return.

Marian's final MSFA First Team honor went to Drew Byerly, who made the first team in consecutive seasons. Byerly finished fourth on the team in yards and third in touchdowns with 316 yards and three scores. The tight end caught 20 passes, and also added a rushing touchdown out of the wildcat.

Headlining Marian's MSFA Second Team honors was quarterback Zach Bundalo, who had a record-setting senior season as he made his third-career MSFA team. Bundalo passed for 2180 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, ranking second and third in each category among the league's quarterbacks. Bundalo led the league in passer efficiency, and throughout the season broke Marian's program record for passing yards, passing touchdowns, as well as the single-season quarterback rushing touchdown record.

Joining the quarterback on the second team were punter Mason Miller, long snapper Peyton Knight, defensive end Deon Pettiford, and linebacker Alex Griffith. Miller carried the third-best punt average in the MSFA with 38.8 yards per boot, as his snapper Knight helped him finish the season with the most punts downed or tackled inside the 20 yard line. Pettiford ranked fourth on the Knights in tackles with 43 combined stops on the year, leading the way with 11.5 tackles for loss. Griffith made an impact before an injury slowed his season, making 26 stops in seven games while forcing a fumble and getting a pair of quarterback hits.

Rounding out Marian's player honors were nickel corner Jayshawn Underwood, safety Clay Campbell, and running back William Gibson, who were all named to the MSFA Honorable Mention team. Underwood tied for the team lead with three interceptions while recovering a pair of fumbles, and Campbell made 24 tackles from his safety position while adding a pair of sacks. Gibson was Marian's second leading rusher with 632 yards in nine games, scoring five touchdowns. Gibson averaged 4.8 yards per carry and touched the ball 133 times this season.

Defensive Coordinator Justin Robinson was named the MSFA Assistant Coach of the Year, an honor earned by a Marian coach for the sixth time. The last Marian assistant to earn the honor was Brock Caraboa, who earned the award in both 2018 and 2019. Robinson's defense led the MSFA with a league-low 15.5 points allowed per game and league-low 274.4 yards allowed per game. Marian forced 27 total turnovers on the year and posted 29 sacks. 

The Marian football season will continue on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. as the Knights host St. Xavier in the NAIA FCS Second Round.

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