Kissinger, Genz eye NFL after college

So, what do a Warhawk, a Wonder Boy and a Warrior have in common?

They’re three former high school players from Northwest Arkansas who’ve been recognized for their achievements in college football this season.

Hunter Kissinger was selected first team All-Sun Belt Conference at Louisiana-Monroe after he finished with 133 tackles despite missing two games. Logan Genz of Arkansas Tech was named the defensive player of the year in the Great American Conference and Dayton Winn of Hendrix College was selected to the Little All-America team by the Associated Press.

The AP’s Little All-America team is comprised of players from Division II, Division III and NAIA. Kissinger, Genz and

Winn head a long list of former high school players from Northwest Arkansas who did well this season at programs outside the SEC.

The SEC guys receive plenty of publicity. These guys don’t:

Hunter Kissinger (Springdale Har-Ber/Louisiana-Monroe)

The former Har-Ber standout had more than 300 tackles for his career, and the 133 tackles he made this season are the most for a ULM player since 1998.

Kissinger ( 6- foot- 3, 235 pounds) is back in Springdale preparing for the NFL draft, where he is projected to be a late-round pick or a free agent. He has an invitation to play in the Tropic Bowl in Miami, Fla., on Jan. 16, but is unsure whether he will accept. “I’m talking to some agents, then I’ll decide what I need to do,” said Kissinger, who had an interception and fumble recovery against New Mexico State. “I was blessed to have a good senior year and to make all-conference. I’ll keep training and, hopefully, get a chance to compete at the next level. That would be a dream come true.”

Logan Genz (West Fork/Arkansas Tech) Genz is another senior linebacker eyeing the NFL draft.

He is a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, which goes to the nation’s top small-college defensive player. The winner will be announced Thursday and presented at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet in February.

Genz ( 6- foot- 2, 220 pounds) is the only Arkansas Tech player to ever accumulate 100 or more tackles in all four seasons, and he ranks among the top seven players in NCAA Division II history in career tackles. As a senior, Genz made 128 tackles, blocked a kick and scored a defensive touchdown.

Like Kissinger, Genz is projected to be either a lateround pick in the NFL draft or a free agent.

Dayton Winn (Pea Ridge/ Hendrix) Winn was named a Division III All-American after he totaled 2,732 all-purpose yards and scored 22 touchdowns. The junior rushed for 1,761 yards and led the nation with 248.4 all-purpose yards per game.

Winn ( 5- foot- 10, 155 pounds) led the Warriors to an 8-3 record and a playoff berth in only their third season since resuming a football program. He also caught 25 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns, returned 23 kickoffs for 532 yards and one touchdown and returned 11 punts for 81 yards.

Dallas Hardison ( Bentonville/Henderson State) Hardison had a solid season at quarterback for Henderson State ( 11-2), which won a conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

The junior from Bentonville completed 206 of 348 passes for 2,270 yards and 13 touchdowns. He threw eight interceptions.

Zach Wary (Rogers High/ Wake Forest) Freshman linebacker had 12 tackles and a fumble recovery while missing last three games because of a concussion.

Nick Byrne (Springdale HarBer/Louisiana-Lafayette) Junior tight end played in 12 games and caught 10 passes for 83 yards.

Desmond Smith ( Bentonville/Central Arkansas)

A junior receiver who led the Bears with 67 receptions for 817 yards and two touchdowns.

Rickey Dobbins (Springdale Har-Ber/Central Arkansas) Played in nine games as a true freshman and had three tackles, including two sacks for minus 11 yards.

Colby Isbel (Rogers Heritage/Missouri State)

Sophomore lineman had 42 tackles and 4.5 quarterback sacks in 10 games.

Cua Rose (Springdale High/ Arkansas Tech) Redshirt freshman who was selected all-conference as a defense back. Made 76 tackles in 12 games and led the Wonder Boys in interceptions with five.

Michael Fine (Har-Ber/Arkansas Tech) Junior tight end had 18 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. Sam Struebing (Har-Ber/ Hendrix)

Sophomore offensive lineman and tight end started nine games for a team that averaged 36 points per game.