Idaho trio honored

The University of Idaho’s Bobby Bernal-Wood and Cole Snyder, who ranked among the NCAA leaders at their respective positions, were selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference first team.

Freshman running back Jayson Bird made the second team.

Four-time Sun Belt champion North Texas dominated with four first-team selections, seven second-teamers and a near sweep of the individual awards. Running back Jamario Thomas was named player, offensive player and freshman of the year. Guard Dylan Lineberry was voted top newcomer and Darrell Dickey was tabbed coach of the year for the fourth straight season. Troy’s Demarcus Ware was named defensive player of the year.

Bernal-Wood, from Tyee High in Seattle and Butte County College in Oroville, Calif., finished with a school-record 96 receptions, second nationally behind Ball State’s Dante Ridgeway’s 105.

Bernal-Wood had 15 catches last season as a junior.

“Bobby didn’t really play a lot later on last season, but he had a great senior year, which is something we talk about to the kids all the time,” coach Nick Holt said. “It’s really a credit to those three kids and their work ethic and the assistant coaches who worked with them. It shows what our opponents thought of them because we can’t vote for our own kids.”

Snyder, a junior linebacker from Kamiah (Idaho) High, broke the Sun Belt single-season record for tackles held by former Vandal Jordan Kramer. Snyder finished with 135 stops. Kramer had 124 in 2002.

Snyder was 10th nationally in tackles per game. His 135 tackles ranks sixth on Idaho’s single-season list.

“That’s a great accolade for a kid that was a walk-on, earned a scholarship, worked hard in spring ball and earned a starting position and you see what happens,” Holt said.

Bird, from Shelley, Idaho, rushed for 859 yards and eight touchdowns, despite missing virtually all of three late-season games with injuries.

“He would have broken 1,000 yards easily if he had played every game,” Holt said.