Pioneer Football League Puts Kibby on Preseason All-Conference Team
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Nabbing his second all-league honor within a three-day window, incoming sophomore wide receiver Dominic Kibby of the Presbyterian College football program has been selected to the 2023 preseason All-PFL team. Announced on Wednesday afternoon by league officials, Kibby is one of just three at his position to earn the all-conference spotlight, poised for another potentially superb season if his rookie statistics are anything to judge.
A 6'1" rising star from Catonsville, Maryland, Kibby was the most prolific offensive weapon for head coach Steve Englehart – then in his debut season for the Blue Hose – after posting a 796-yard campaign, the highest number among all Pioneer Football League players.
The only receiver in the 11-team division to grasp four separate 100-yard outings – completing that feat as a rookie, nonetheless – Kibby's 72.4 yards per game and 19.4 yards per catch were both conference-leading numbers. Due to this and much more, the newbie was given a postseason second-team nod from the PFL and a spot on the Hero Sports FCS Freshman All-America team.
Taking it to the end zone seven times across his first year at the college level, Dominic compiled 975 all-purpose yards when factoring in additional kickoff return duties, a figure that ranked sixth in the PFL.
Overall, his near-800-yard receiving tally launched the up-and-comer to the fourth-highest mark over a single season in Presbyterian's 15-year NCAA Division I history (since 2007) and the most among any freshman to don the blue and scarlet over that period.
Kibby grabbed 14 receptions over his final two games a season ago, including a performance for the ages in the Blue Hose's Bailey Memorial finale against Dayton (November 5). Against the Flyers, he raced to a 212-yard day on only seven snags (30 yards per catch), scoring three touchdowns to earn an FCS National Freshman of the Week accolade.
One of two 200-yard efforts across the entire conference for the 2022 campaign, Kibby joined the company of Jalen Jones (2018-21) and Terrance Butler (2005-08) as the only three PC players to record a 200-yard outcome since the school joined the D-I ranks.
He'd go on to reach another triple-digit showing in the season finale at Stetson (November 19), accounting for 316 yards through the air in those last two matchups. Earlier in the semester, Kibby would provide over 200 all-purpose yards (129 receiving, 71 kick return) in a head-to-head battle with eventual PFL regular season champion St. Thomas (October 22).
Looking Ahead
Presbyterian is exactly one month away from kicking off its 111th season of gridiron action, traveling to Murray State on September 2 for a 6:00 ET start. The nonconference duel will serve as the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Following the '23 home opener versus Virginia-Lynchburg on September 9 and a short trip to Wofford seven days later, the Blue Hose will close their slate with eight straight PFL encounters that begins with an Indianapolis visit to face Butler on the final day of the month.
From there, coach Englehart's club will flip between home and away designations until the season's end in mid-November, PC's third full season as a Pioneer Football League member.
Recently celebrating its 30th anniversary last fall, the PFL is the nation's lone non-scholarship football-only conference, representing 11 different institutions in 10 separate states. On August 1, Greg Walter was appointed as the league's second-ever commissioner after serving as the conference's associate commissioner for the past decade.
The full list of Wednesday's preseason All-PFL holders can be found below:
2023 Preseason All-Pioneer Football League
Offense
QB – Bret Bushka (Butler)
RB – James Louis (Morehead State)
RB – Shawn Shipman (St. Thomas)
FB – Eli Stewart (Drake)
WR – Solomon Davis (Valparaiso)
WR – Dominic Kibby (Presbyterian)
WR – Andrew McElroy (St. Thomas)
TE – Evan Jernegan (Valparaiso)
AP – Re-al Mitchell (San Diego)
OL – Gilbert Deglau (Davidson)
OL – Beck Kipperman (Davidson)
OL – Alec Rasmussen (St. Thomas)
OL – Jimmy Poremba (Drake)
OL – David Tkatch (Dayton)
Defense
DL – Will Buck (San Diego)
DL – Finn Claypool (Drake)
DL – Jonathan Hammond (Davidson)
DL – Sam Schadek (Dayton)
LB – Mike Arrington (Marist)
LB – Nate Arthur (Dayton)
LB – Jonathan Bunce (St. Thomas)
LB – Chase Lyons (San Diego)
DB – Rassie Littlejohn (Stetson)
DB – Yusef Leak (St. Thomas)
DB – Cole Hildebrand (Dayton)
DB – Cooper Krezek (Morehead State)
Special Teams
PK – Luka Zurak (Butler)
P – Luka Zurak (Butler)
RS – Andrew McElroy (St. Thomas)
LS – Justin Iaccio (Marist)
Four footballers from PC on Phil Steele Preseason All-PFL Units
For the third consecutive summer, a quartet of Presbyterian College football players have been chosen for the Phil Steele preseason All-Pioneer Football League tally. On Monday afternoon, it was announced that sophomore wide receiver Dominic Kibby and junior linebacker Alex Herriott acquired a spot on the All-PFL first team, followed by Patch Bennett and Worth Warner on the league's third team.
Year two of the Steve Englehart era is set to begin in nearly one month, as the Blue Hose await their 111th season on September 2 in a visit to Murray State. PC will conduct their first official practice of the preseason this Friday.
Presbyterian prepares for its third full year as a member of the PFL – the nation's lone football-only NCAA FCS conference – and will finish out the 2023 slate with eight consecutive divisional bouts to begin on September 30 at Butler.
Dominic Kibby (So. | WR | Catonsville, Md.) – All-PFL First Team
Submitting one of the best freshman performances by any Blue Hose player in the school's 15-year Division I history, Kibby led the way for coach Englehart's receiving core during his inaugural semester with the program by catching 41 passes for 796 yards. Displaying more touchdowns (seven) and points responsible for (42) than any other offensive name on the club, Kibby led all receivers in the PFL with totals 72.4 yards per contest and 19.4 yards per reception. These eye-popping numbers granted Dominic a spot on the FCS Freshman All-America team (per Hero Sports), accumulating 975 all-purpose yards and becoming the only wideout in the conference last year to post four separate outings of 100+ yards through the air. Capped by a 212-yard effort against Dayton in the '22 home finale (enough to discern him as the National Freshman of the Week), Kibby amassed the highest number of receiving yards over a single campaign by any PC rookie in the D-I era (since 2007), placing fourth all-time in that category among all classes.
Alex Herriott (Jr. | LB | Hanahan, S.C.) – All-PFL First Team
Joining Kibby on Phil Steele's preseason all-league first team squad, Herriott figures to have another imposing fall as a preeminent bruiser on the Blue Hose defense. Gathering a team-high 93 tackles across his sophomore stint – the second year in a row that the Hanahan native led the way for the team in that department – Herriott calculated 53 solo stops, seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and a team-best four sacks last season. His TFL's added up for 27 lost yards against the opposing offense, hitting the double-digit marker in tackles on four different dates. The highlight of Alex's second year came against Valparaiso (October 8), producing a career-high 16 tackles (11 of them by himself), before landing an additional 11 stops the following week at San Diego. Herriott tallied at least seven stops versus eight separate opponents, a postseason all-league honorable mention as the fourth-most efficient tackler in the conference.
Worth Warner (Sr. | TE | Raleigh, N.C.) – All-PFL Third Team
Finding a significant jump in production as a third-year tight end in 2022, Warner was recognized by the league on the preseason all-PFL third team after appearing in and starting all 11 contests a season ago. Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, the incoming senior registered 116 receiving yards beside 10 total catches, two of which guided him to the end zone against Virginia-Lynchburg (September 10). Warner's 11 yards-per-catch ranked as the third-highest on PC's roster, hauling in a season-long 21-yarder in the final game of the schedule at Stetson in November.
Patch Bennett (Jr. | OL | Blackshear, Ga.) – All-PFL Third Team
Rounding out Presbyterian's representation on Phil Steele's pre-'23 assembly, Bennett earns a third-team nod after manning the center position in all 11 bouts for Englehart's crew as a sophomore. Remaining at the forefront of PC's offensive line, Patch was part of an offense that gathered nearly 3,300 total yards altogether (956 rushing, 2,342 passing), one of two o-linemen for the Blue Hose to start each encounter a year ago. Next to his outlook as a vital piece of the team's offensive presence, the Blackshear, Ga. native was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team thanks to a 3.63 grade-point average with a major in Business Administration.
Monday's full list of All-Pioneer Football League entries can be found below:
All-PFL First Team Offense
QB – Bret Bushka, Butler
RB – Shawn Shipman, St. Thomas
RB – James Louis, Morehead State
FB – Eli Stewart, Drake
WR – Andrew McElroy, St. Thomas
WR – Dominic Kibby, Presbyterian
WR – Solomon Davis, Valparaiso
TE – Derek Kline, San Diego
OL – Alec Rasmussen, St. Thomas
OL – Beck Kipperman, Davidson
OL – Jimmy Poremba, Drake
OL – David Tkatch, Dayton
OL – Gilbert Deglau, Davidson
All-PFL First Team Defense
DL – Finn Claypool, Drake
DL – Jonathan Hammond, Davidson
DL – Will Buck, San Diego
DL – Jacob Saewitz, San Diego
LB – Jonathan Bunce, St. Thomas
LB – Mike Arrington, Marist
LB – Alex Herriott, Presbyterian
LB – Chase Lyons, San Diego
DB – Rassie Littlejohn, Stetson
DB – Nick Murray, San Diego
DB – Cooper Krezek, Morehead State
DB – Yusuf Leak, St. Thomas
All-PFL First Team Special Teams
K – Luka Zurak, Butler
P – Luka Zurak, Butler
KR – Andrew McElroy, St. Thomas
PR – Andrew McElroy, St. Thomas
AP – Re-al Mitchell, San Diego
LS – Justin Iaccio, Marist
All-PFL Second Team Offense
QB – Brady Meitz, Stetson
RB – Dorian Boyland, Drake
RB – Amin Woods, Marist
FB – Cameron Heald, Butler
WR – Luke Wooten, Butler
WR – Colin Howard, Drake
WR – Trey Radocha, Drake
TE – Evan Jernegan, Valparaiso
OL – Shea Albrecht, St. Thomas
OL – Parker Althaus, Drake
OL – Ross Palmer, Drake
OL – Adam Dolan, Butler
OL – Jason Laliberte, St. Thomas
All-PFL Second Team Defense
DL – Sam Schadeck, Dayton
DL – Sam Hafner, Valparaiso
DL – Jake Shipla, Drake
DL – Kevin Spelman, Valparaiso
LB – Nathan Arthur, Dayton
LB – Luke Herzog, St. Thomas
LB – Tanner Pollack, Drake
LB – Arthur Pinckney, Marist
DB – Cole Hildebrand, Dayton
DB – Will Mason, Butler
DB – Eric Haney, San Diego
DB – Daniel Carter, Davidson
All-PFL Second Team Special Teams
K – Sam Webster, Dayton
P – Evan Matthes, Valparaiso
KR – Luke Brenner, Dayton
PR – Sam Bubonics, Dayton
AP – Mark McCurdy, Davidson
LS – Brady McKnight, Morehead State
All-PFL Third Team Offense
QB – Brock Bagozzi, Marist
RB – Joey Suchy, Butler
RB – Michael Neel, Dayton
FB – Landon Reed, St. Thomas
WR – Derek Willits, Dayton
WR – Sam Bubonics, Dayton
WR – Nazeviah Burris, Stetson
TE – Worth Warner, Presbyterian
OL – Bennett Krebs, Drake
OL – Jaxsen Spears, Morehead State
OL – Ibrahim Giwa, Marist
OL – Aaron Hopkins, Davidson
OL – Patch Bennett, Presbyterian
All-PFL Third Team Defense
DL – Julian Rawlins, Davidson
DL – Jack Belskis, Butler
DL – Aaron Warren, Davidson
DL – Austin Korba, Butler
LB – Tyler Ruscher, Marist
LB – Jagger Pagano, San Diego
LB – John Tessman, Davidson
LB – Evan Annis, Valparaiso
DB – Joey Lukrich, Drake
DB – Tony Graham, Drake
DB – Grif Wurtz, St. Thomas
DB – Isaiah Smith, Marist
All-PFL Third Team Special Teams
K – Aidan Lehman, San Diego
P – Marshall Golick, Stetson
KR – Joey Audia, Butler
PR – Aaron Maione, Davidson
AP – Andrew McElroy, St. Thomas
LS – Kevin Spelman, Valparaiso
