7th Place-- Chris Hott (33 pts.)-  Chris Hott followed up his incredible rookie campaign with another solid year on the defensive side of the ball.  He tied for second in the league with 3 interceptions, and improved his tackling ability to make him a big part of the best Team 1 defense in the past three seasons.  Defensive Player of the Year is a very subjective award and Chris's straight forward style of play may have cost him in the voting as he was quietly consistent all year long.  Chris received one first-place vote for this award.

 

6th Place-- Justin Sawicki (36 pts.)-  Like Hott, Justin Sawicki followed up on his spectacular rookie season with another great year.  Sawicki proved that he was one of the league's top offensive threats in his rookie year, but he greatly improved his defensive game this year as well.  Charged with the responsibility of defending Matt Lams for most of the year, Sawicki did a very solid job and had 3 interceptions.  He was also a solid tackler for Team 2, but was often taken out of plays by having to defend Lams.  Sawicki received one first-place vote for this award, and addition to being selected to the 2003 Pro Bowl team, he is one of the four finalists for Most Valuable Player honors.

 

5th Place-- Ryan Geib (38 pts.)-  Ryan Geib made great strides for the second straight year in 2003.  He increased his production again this year and was one of the league's top defensive players.  He has developed into one of the league's top pass rushers and run stoppers.  He tied for the league lead with 2 sacks and also added two interceptions.  When forced into coverage situations, however, Geib looked like a fish out of water and his one dimensional play may have cost him some support in the voting.  Geib was also the winner of the 2003 Most Improved Player Award and received honorable mention for the Pro Bowl team. 

 

4th Place-- Bob Glover (39 pts.)-  Generally considered the worst defensive player in the league in years past, it might seem strange to some to see Glover on the ballot for this award, let alone finishing fourth.  Glover has always been one of the better cover players in the league, a fact he cemented this year when he was forced to defend Justin Sawicki on a few occasions and faired very well, but this year he also greatly improved his suspect tackling ability.  For the second time in three years Glover led the league in interceptions with 4, and also recorded his first career sack.  He received two first-place votes for this award.  Glover was also selected to the 2003 Pro Bowl team in addition to being a finalist for Most Valuable Player honors.

 

3rd Place-- Mike Arana (40 pts.)-  Considered by many to be the best defensive player of all time, Arana was once again among the favorites to win this award in 2003.  Although some around the league felt that his production slipped this season, it apparently wasn't enough to deter voters from supporting him.  In addition to providing his usual tough style of play and solid tackling presence, Arana finished tied for first in sacks with 2 and also added an interception.  Mike received one first-place vote for this award, and was also given honorable mention for the Pro Bowl team. 

 

2nd Place-- Matt Lams (45 pts.)-  If you've ever seen Matt Lams do anything that resembled an athletic event, you know just what the buzz was about when Lams was allowed to play full-time in the HSFL for the first time in his career.  The greatest athlete in league history used that atleticism to dominate the defensive side of the ball this year.  Jeff Renn openly remarked at one point during the season that Lams was the best tackler he'd ever seen in the HSFL because Lams put a clamp on the Team 2 running game like no one had ever seen.  His combination of strength and amazing speed made him a tackling force.  Ultimately, Lams may have lost out by missing two games, but even that may have been overcome if he had added some other stats to his resume.  Due to his amazing speed, Lams was used in coverage rather than pass rushing and failed to record a sack.  Despite playing coverage all season long, Lams also failed to record an interception.  There are two ways you can look at that statement.  First, the lack of interceptions may have been because Lams provided such tight coverage that opposing quarterbacks dared not throw in his direction.  The other being that perhaps his lack of football experience coupled with his 5'5" frame may have left him unable to consistently get the necessary position to do anything but break up passes.  Whatever the case, the voters were not swayed by his lack of tracked stats as Lams received two first-place votes for his tackling excellence.  Lams was also selected to the 2003 Pro Bowl team.

  

1st Place-- Josh Neace (49 pts.)- After winning this award in the first season it was voted on last year, Neace did not let up and, as a result, he will be taking the award home for the second time in as many seasons.  The most fearless player in league history was also the league's top defensive player yet again.  Neace has the incredible ability to always be in the middle of a play, whether it's making tackles or defending passes.  Josh was used both in coverage and as a pass rusher during the course of the season, depending on the personnel on the field with him.  Neace tied for first in the league with 2 sacks, and also tied for second in the league with 3 interceptions.  No doubt the presence of runner-up Matt Lams played a huge role in Neace's continued defensive dominance.  Neace benefited greatly from having Lams around to take some of the load off of him, a luxury he had not had in years past.  Neace received three first-place votes for this award.  In addition to being selected to the Pro Bowl Neace is also a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award.      

 

2002:  Josh Neace