2023 Heart South Football All-Conference Selections Announced
The Heart of America Athletic Conference is pleased to announce the 2023 Heart Football South Division All-Conference teams and postseason award winners.
The six Heart South head coaches selected the following postseason awards and 1st, 2nd and Honorable Mention All-Conference teams.
2023 Heart South Player of the Year – Adrian Parsons – MidAmerica Nazarene University
Parsons helped lead the Pioneers to a share of their first Heart conference championship since 2014. The junior quarterback threw for 3,310 yards passing this season to lead the Heart. He went 229-356 for a completion percentage of 64.3-percent. He also threw 28 touchdowns and ran in three touchdowns.
2023 Heart South Co-Offensive Player of the Year – Arlandes Mitchell – MidAmerica Nazarene University
Mitchell led the Pioneers with 65 receptions and an impressive 1,247 receiving yards this season. The sophomore also had eight receiving touchdowns.
2023 Heart South Co-Offensive Player of the Year – Truman Juelsgaard – Baker University
The Wildcats quarterback posted a 61.3-percent completion percentage this season on 174-284. He threw for 2,178 yards and 17 toucdowns and was second on the team in rushing yards with 633 and had six rushing touchdowns.
2023 Heart South Defensive Player of the Year – Canon Karn – Baker University
Karn led the NAIA in interceptions this season with seven and led the Wildcats in total tackles with 69. The junior also had two fumble recoveries and 5.5 tackles for loss in 2023.
2023 Heart South Co-Freshman of the Year – Shawn Wara – Benedictine College
Wara was second on the Ravens in rushing the season with 541 yards. The freshman running back averaged 5.5 yards per rush and had four rushing touchdowns.
2023 Heart South Co-Freshman of the Year – DeAndre Pruett Jr. – Baker University
Pruett Jr. led the Wildcats in receptions with 51 and receiving touchdowns with 519. He also had four receiving touchdowns. He had over 100 receiving yards in two Heart contests this year.
2023 Heart South Co-Freshman of the Year – Elias Carson – MidAmerica Nazarene
Carson led MNU in tackles with 60 this season. The defensive back also had one interception this season and five breakups.
2023 Heart South Co-Coach of the Year – Paul Hansen – MidAmerica Nazarene
The Pioneers finished the regular season 9-2 and ranked No. 22 in the final NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 poll. This marked the eighth Heart conference championship in MNU football history.
2023 Heart South Co-Coach of the Year – Miguel Regalado – Baker University
In year one as head coach of the Wildcats, Regalado led Baker back to the NAIA-Football Championship Series (FCS) for the first time since 2020. The Wildcats went 8-2 in the regular season and earned a share of the Heart South Conference Championship. The No. 20 ranked Wildcats will face No. 21 Louisiana Christian on Saturday in the NAIA-FCS Playoffs.
2023 Heart South Assistant of the Year – Tucker Pauley – Baker University
Coach Pauley leads the Baker Wildcat defense as the defensive coordinator. The Wildcat defense held opponents to 17 points or less in seven of their eight victories this season. The defense also had an impressive 22 interceptions this season and six fumble recoveries.
