#8 DB Luis Sharpe
Sharpe came to Western with two years of eligibility left after playing two seasons at Glendale CC in Arizona (part of Western's strong Phoenix-area recruiting connection). Sharpe played in all 12 games in 2014 and all 11 regular season games in 2015, racking up a total of 31 tackles (15 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss (for 4 yards) and 3 defended passes.
#11 DB Kyle Hammonds
Hammonds came to Western with three years of eligibility left after appearing in 9 games his freshman year at Ohio University. Kyle played his first two years as primarily a running back, gaining 330 yards and a TD in 22 games in 2013 and 2014. He also caught for 138 yards in that time. He also served as a kick returner during those two years, gaining 292 yards on kick returns. For a little bit of 2014 and into 2015 (where he played in all 13 games), Hammonds was moved to DB, where he added 16 tackles (8 solo), 1 tackle for loss (for 1 yard), 2 passes defended, a forced fumble in 2014 and a crucial fumble recovery in the 3rd quarter of the 2015 overtime win over South Dakota State.
#20 DB Dwayne Phillips
Phillips came to Western with three years of eligibility left after attending Wayne State College. He played in 4 games in 2013, then all 12 games in 2014 and all 13 games in 2015. In that time, Phillips racked up a total of 12 tackles (6 solo).
#25 DB Dallas Nichols
Like fellow DB, Louis Sharpe, Nichols came to Western from Glendale CC in Arizona with two years of eligibility remaining. Nichols played in all 12 games in 2013, played in 2 games but suffered a season-ending injury in 2014, which (I believe...if I'm reading the info correctly) allowed him to take a medical redshirt for the season and play in the 2015 season, playing in 10 of the 13 games. He finished his Leatherneck career with a total of 127 tackles (77 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss (for 29 yards), 1 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, and 4 interceptions including a 97-yard pick-6 in 2013 which helped get him a MVFC Newcomer of the Week award for his performance.
#27 LB Brad Blumenshine
Blumenshine joined the team in 2014 with two years of eligibility remaining. He played in all 12 games in 2014 and 9 games in 2015, racking up 10 tackles (6 solo), a fumble recovery and block in 2015 and he picked up a blocked kick and returned it 30 yards for a TD against Drake in 2014.
#39 TE Larry Harris
Harris joined the Leathernecks in 2011 right out of HS (Rock Island). He redshirted his first year and played from 2012-2015. He played a total of 47 games (out of 48 possible...only missed the season opener in 2013). In that time, he had a total of 5 receptions for 50 yards and 2 TDs. He also played significant time on special teams, adding 6 tackles (4 solo) to his resume.
#41 RB Nikko Watson
A HS teammate of TE Larry Harris, Watson also joined the Leathernecks in 2011 out of HS (Rock Island). Due to injuries to other RBs, Watson ended up having to play in the last 4 games his freshman year. He played 11 games in 2012 and 10 in 2013. In 2014 he was off the team due to disciplinary problems (which ended up counting as his redshirt season), but earned his way back onto the team and after sitting out the first two games as punishment, played in the remaining 11 games of the 2015 season. Watson ended his Leatherneck career with 2,844 rushing yards (5th on Western's all-time list), 655 attempts (4th on the list), 23 rushing TDs (6th on the list), and 13 100+ yard rushing games (tied with J.C. Baker for 5th on the list). In his 2015 season alone, Watson accumulated 1196 yards (11th best rushing season overall), 262 attempts (7th best), 108.7 yards per game (10th best), 14 TDs (tied with Aaron Stecker and Brian Kuckles for 6th best), and 7 100+ yard games (tied with J.C. Baker, two of Herb Donaldson's years, and Travis Glasford for 6th best).
#63 O-Lineman Ryan Ricketts
Ricketts came to Western out of HS (Galesburg) and redshirted his freshman year in 2011. He played in two games in 2012, 11 games in 2013 (starting as center in 10 of them), started all 12 games in 2014 as a guard, and played in all 13 games (starting 11) in 2015. Was part of a line that in 2014 was 8th in the FCS in tackles for loss allowed, and in 2015 was 28th (out of 123). Received the MVFC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award in 2013 and MVFC Academic Honor Roll in 2014.
#89 TE Taylor Hill
Hill came to Western out of HS (Rochester) and redshirted his freshman year in 2011. He played in 9 games in 2012, 12 games in 2013 (starting 10), 3 games in 2014 (suffering a season-ending injury against Drake), and 12 games in 2015). In that time, he accumulated 13 receptions for 93 yards and a TD (in 2015 against SIU). He also spent some time playing on special teams, picking up 2 tackles (1 solo).
#92 D-Lineman Kris Harley
Harley joined the Leathernecks after spending three seasons (one redshirt) with Virginia Tech (playing in 11 games) and had 2 years of eligibility remaining. In his two years here, he played in all 25 games, totaling up 74 tackles (57 solo), 13 tackles for loss (for 49 total yards) including 4.5 sacks (for 32 yards), 4 passes defended and 1 forced fumble. Had a career-high 2 tackles for loss (and career-best-tying 5 solo tackles) in the critical win over SDSU this season.
#96 D-Lineman John LaChapelle
Another member of the "Arizona connection", LaChapelle joined Western with two years of eligibility after playing at Glendale CC (along with DBs Luis Sharpe and Dallas Nichols). He played in 2 games last year and 7 games this year before suffering a season-ending injury early in the first Illinois State game. Finished his Leatherneck career with 24 tackles (16 solo) and 3 tackles for loss (for 6 yards) including 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery.
#98 D-Lineman Gavin Ricketts
Ricketts signed on with the Leathernecks right out of HS (Western HS in Davie, FL) and started contributing right away. He would end up playing in every game for all 4 years...a total of 48 games. Ricketts finished his career with 87 total tackles (42 solo), 19.5 tackles for loss (for 66 yards) including 4 sacks (for 24 yards), 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. He had a career high of 8 tackles in a game against Missouri State in 2013 and 2 sacks in a game against Quincy the same year.
#99 D-Lineman Eddy Holtschlag
Third in a line of Holtschlag brothers who all played for Western, Eddy also joined the Leathernecks out of HS (Quincy Notre Dame). He redshirted in 2011 and then from 2012-2015 played in 44 out of 48 games. He ended up with a total of 109 tackles (66 solo), 23 tackles for loss (for 80 yards) including 10 sacks (for 54 yards), 4 passes defended, and 2 forced fumbles. He had 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception in the 2015 game against Eastern Illinois and a career-high of 7 tackles in the 2014 game against Northern Iowa. 2016 will be the first season since 2008 without a Holtschlag on the roster and the first since 2009 without a Holtschlag on the starting roster.
Scott Lawson - Board Admin