Eddie Vallery accepts his Defensive MVP award from (left) Todd Oliver, founder of the Senior Bowl, and Ohio Army National Guard Colonel John Harris.
Springfield, Ohio — A year after former Wittenberg football standout Kyle Lohrman earned Defensive Most Valuable Player honors in the inaugural OhioCollegeFootball.com Senior Bowl, Eddie Vallery, class of 2011 from South Solon, Ohio, duplicated the feat in the 2011 edition of the game.
Vallery earned Defensive MVP honors after he was credited with eight tackles and a whopping three sacks for the South Team, which lost 19-16 to the North Team in the re-named Ohio Army National Guard Senior Bowl on Saturday, April 23, at Crew Stadium in Columbus. Organized by Columbus-based GameDay Management, Inc., the annual senior all-star game features two 45-man rosters comprised of student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II and III and NAIA football program throughout the state.
Vallery, OhioCollegeFootball.com's NCAA Division III Ohio Defensive Player of the Year for the 2009 season, was joined by three Tiger teammates in the game — linebacker Brad McKinley, class of 2011 from Hilliard, Ohio, cornerback Keenan Freeman, class of 2011 from Fairborn, Ohio, and wide receiver Anthony Kralich, class of 2011 from Kettering, Ohio. All four saw action, with Kralich hauling in a 26-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give the South a short-lived 9-6 lead.
The four Tiger student-athletes were part of a senior class that led the Tigers to back-to-back North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships and posted undefeated regular seasons in 2009 and 2010. Wittenberg posted a 6-0 record in the NCAC in 2010 to win the program's league-best 10th title in 22 years as a member and a 10-0 mark in the regular season, the 19th undefeated regular season in program history. The outright title advanced the Tigers to their 14th NCAA Division III Tournament since its inception in 1973, where they suffered a 37-14 road loss to Ohio Northern in the first round.
Vallery won every award and made every All-America team possible in 2009 after recording 73 tackles, including 22 for a loss, which ranks second in school history. He led the NCAC and all of NCAA Division III with a school record 16.5 sacks, in addition to forcing two fumbles and blocking two kicks. In 2010, Vallery overcame a preseason injury to finish third on the team with 76 tackles, including 10.5 for loss and six sacks. He finished his collegiate career ranked in the top five in program history in career tackles for loss and sacks.
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Written By: Ryan Maurer
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