[MIJB#19]

Kirk Hitchcock receives Defensive Player of the Year Award
Maassluis Merchantmen cornerback Kirk Hitchcock has been named 2089 Defensive Player of the Year. Unsurprisingly, Hitchcock also earned All-IHOF honors, being joined by teammates offensive tackle Howard Humphrey and rookie defensive tackle Darien Fletcher. Fullback Clay Brosseau received All-IHOF second team honors.

In a bit of a bounce back season for the Merchantmen with plenty games against opponents throwing a lot, Kirk Hitchcock was co-leader in the league with 8 interceptions and with 20 defended passes. He ranked sixth in tackles with 115, an unusual high number for a cornerback. His All-IHOF honors make him go back-to-back and make it his third season as a first team selection. Hitchcock is only the third Merchantmen player to ear Defensive Player of the Year honors. He follows up defensive end Daquan Strugielski, the award winner of 2071 and 2072, and linebacker Daniel Duncan, winner in 2043. Linebacker Oliver Drake won the award the season before he was traded by the Williamsburg Colonials to the Merchantmen.

Rookie defensive tackle Darien Fletcher earned All-IHOF honors as well. He was second amongst his peers with 6.5 sacks and added 40 tackles to his resume. He steps in the trails of a tradition of first team Merchantmen defensive tackles, preceded by Charles Gomez, Andy Cottle, Brenden England, Jerome Tyson, Dennis Lucas, Brian Lincoln, Donald Lapointe, Shaun Hartman and Preston Urquoila, Glen Stiegler and Heath Oliver. But none of them earned those honors in their rookie seasons, Fletcher is the first to achieve that.

Offensive tackle Howard Humphrey was selected as an All-IHOF first teamer for the fifth straight season in his equally long IHOF career, strengthening his status as the league's elite right tackle. His key run block total was his lowest with a figure of 36, but he made up for it with just 2 sacks in 561 pass plays, his best season in that area and 4 fumble recoveries.

Clay Brosseau was an unsurprising pick as the All-IHOF second team fullback. Playing at a bit of a niche position, he was going to be in the mix, leading all fullbacks with 9 key run blocks. He lost the first-team honors to Walter Baxter, the leading receiver with 28 catches for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Theodore Bondy missed out on All-IHOF honors for the second season in succession. The four-time first teamer had 118 catches for a career low 1,329 yards, while scoring 13 touchdowns. For the third season in a row he was the co-leader in forced fumbles, once again showing why he's a cherished player on the team's special teams unit as well as a key player on the offense.

As expected, quarterback Brandon Bell's 2,662 passing yards (6.48 per attempt), and 18 touchdowns vs 9 interceptions with a 62.8 completion percentage in 13 games (7-6 win/loss record) came way short of winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. The award went to the #1 overall taken quarterback Angel Henson, who went 3-13 while completing 56 percent of his passes for 5,978 yards (second in the league), 6.63 yards per attempt with 33 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. Bell finished 8th in the league in passer rating, Henson 17th.