South Dakota State football players Pierre Strong Jr. and Krockett Krolikowski were honored Monday as members of the HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-America First Team.
A running back from Little Rock, Ark., Strong led the Jackrabbits with 1,116 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. The Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year, Strong was the team’s featured back the second half of the season and topped the 100-yard mark in five of the last six games, highlighted by a 253-yard, three-touchdown performance in the regular season finale against South Dakota.
Strong averaged 9.5 yards per carry, with 10 of his 11 rushing TDs covering at least 24 yards. He also caught six passes for 84 yards with a score.
A Winner native, Krolikowski earned a starting spot at nose tackle for the Jackrabbits and ranked second on the team with four sacks. He started 10 of the team’s first 11 games, tallying 28 tackles and 7 1/2 tackles for loss before being sidelined for the team’s final two playoff games due to injury.
Krolikowski, who was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team in November, also forced a fumble and blocked two kicks during the 2018 season.
SDSU ended the 2018 campaign with a 10-3 record and made its seventh consecutive appearance in the FCS playoffs, reaching the semifinals for the second year in a row.
