Eight Thunder football players represent Wheaton on the D3football.com All-Region 5 Team

Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton Thunder football team placed eight players on the 2022 D3football.com All- Region 5 Team on Wednesday. Six players from the Thunder offense earned All-Region recognition, and two defensive players picked up the honor. Wheaton placed three players on the First Team unit, two on the Second Team and three on the Third Team.

Three members of the Thunder offensive line earned All-Region honors this season. Senior guard Trevor Gabriele was a First Team honoree to earn his second career All-Region recognition following Third Team honors in 2021. Senior tackle Graham Wall and senior guard Paul Fay were Third Team honorees. The O-Line trio keyed a Thunder offense that is fifth in Division III in total offense with a school record 507.2 yards per game. The Thunder offense ended the season 16th in D3 in rushing offense (225.8 YPG) and 27th in passing offense (281.4 YPG).

Tight end Ben Juska also earned First Team All-Region accolades from D3football.com. The sophomore caught 24 passes this season, including five for touchdowns. First Team All-CCIW at tight end this season, Juska accumulated 331 receiving yards in a breakout season. Juska's selection marks the second-consecutive season that a Wheaton tight end has earned First Team All-Region 5, joining 2021 honoree Spencer Peterson.

Thunder safety Sam Bell joined Juska and Gabriele as Wheaton's third player to earn First Team All-Region honors for 2022. Bell led Wheaton and the CCIW with five interceptions this fall. His 10 passes defended led the Thunder defense this year as he tallied five passes broken-up. Bell registered 49 total tackles, making 36 solo stops, with a forced fumble.

Quarterback Will Bowers is a Second Team All-Region selection. The only quarterback selected CCIW First Team this year, Bowers is second in Division III in completion percentage (76.3%), shattering a 10-year old school single-season record for completion percentage. He is 10th in Division III this year in passing efficiency (178.0) and passing touchdowns (32). Bowers completed 249 of his 326 passing attempts this fall, with 2,829 passing yards. He threw for 32 touchdowns this year and ran for four TD's. Bowers rushed for 321 yards on 71 carries this season.

Running back Giovanni Weeks earned his second-straight All-Region award from D3football.com as a Second Team selection this season. Weeks broke his own Wheaton single-season record for touchdowns with 24 this year. The senior carried the ball 191 times for 1,245 yards as he averaged 6.5 yards per carry and 18 rushing touchdowns. Weeks recorded 29 receptions for 340 yards as he averaged 11.7 yards per catch, with six touchdown receptions.

Linebacker Jalen Shaffer earned an All-Region award for the second-consecutive season. A Third Team honoree at linebacker this season, he was a First Team pick as a special teams performer in 2021. Shaffer led Wheaton with a team-high 86 total tackles this fall, including 65 solo stops. He registered eight tackles for loss (-22 yards), including one sack (-8 yards). He snagged a 53-yard interception return, adding four passes broken-up, with two forced fumbles.

Originally published by Wheaton College Athletics: /news/2022/12/7/eight-thunder-football-players-reprersent-wheaton-on-the-d3football-com-all-region-5-football-team.aspx