It was announced on Tuesday that four University of Redlands football players garnered D3football.com All-West Region honors for their contributions during the 2012 season. On offense, junior kicker Kevin Grady (Seattle, WA) headlined the group by landing on the First Team, while senior guard Peter Kinney (Newport Beach, CA) earned Second-Team accolades and junior kick returner Taylor Irwin (Rocklin, CA) was selected to the Third Team. Senior linebacker Jordan Garcia (Carlsbad, CA) represented the Bulldog defense with a spot on the Second Team.
With four selections, Redlands gained the most of any Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) program, with the remaining schools combining for a total of five recipients.
Following his second-consecutive First-Team All-SCIAC accolade, Grady collects his inaugural All-West Region honor. Ranking fourth in the nation for field goals per game, he averaged 1.55 per contest. While leading the team and the conference in scoring with 77 points, he made 14 field goals and 35 extra points on the season. On October 13 against La Verne, Grady blasted a season-long 45-yard field goal. During the regular-season finale, he made a school-record five field goals against Whittier College. Grady also racked up 3,809 kickoff yards on 64 opportunities while recording 20 touchbacks. Moreover, he served as the team's punter on 19 separate occasions, pinning the opponents inside the 20-yard line nine times.
Kinney, also a first-time All-West Region recipient, was integral in the Bulldogs' success during the 2012 campaign. A First-Team All-SCIAC award-winner for Redlands, he captained the squad which allowed a mere eight sacks on the season, including a conference-best two in SCIAC competition. Additionally, Kinney was vital to the Maroon and Gray's running game that led the conference with 21 rushing touchdowns and 24 overall. The dangerous running attack averaged nearly an astounding 250 yards per contest.
Collecting his first-ever All-West Region accolade, Irwin served as the top kick returner for the Bulldogs while also leading the team in receiving yards. Totaling 375 yards in kick returns, he averaged 28.8 yards per try, ranking him sixth in the nation for yards per kickoff return. In one of the more exciting plays of the season, Irwin fired off a stellar return of 75 yards against Whittier College in the final game of the season.
Subsequent to winning the 2012 SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year award, Garcia finished out his Bulldog career by collecting his inaugural All-West Region selection. While ranking first on the team in total tackles (72) for the second season in a row, he also led the squad in solo hits (33) and assists (39). Proving to be a relentless linebacker, he notched six tackles for a loss of 21 total yards. Moreover, he recovered two fumbles and tallied one interception, contributing to the team's impressive total of 21 on the season.
For a complete listing of the D3football.com All-West Region teams, please visit http://d3football.com/awards/all-region/2012/d3football-all-west-region-2012.pdf.