Fever’s Whitehead selected to All-IFL first team

Tri-Cities Fever wide receiver Steven Whitehead wanted to play one more season and bring home an Indoor Football League title.

It didn’t work out that way — the Fever was eliminated Friday from the IFL playoffs, losing 86-43 to the Nebraska Danger — but it wasn’t for a lack of effort from Whitehead.

The 29-year-old led all IFL receivers in catches with 81 and total receiving yards with 1,032. His 17 TD receptions were second in the league to Sioux Falls Storm wideout Judd Harrold’s 22.

For that, Whitehead was named first-team All-IFL on Tuesday in a vote from the league’s coaches and owners.

“It’s something that I wanted,” said Whitehead, who then took it a step further.

“I think I should be MVP,” he added. “I can be cocky about it now because I’m not going to play anymore. I feel I deserve the award. Everybody knew I was going to get the ball, and I still got it done.”

He pointed out that his stats were compiled while working with five quarterbacks this season.

It is Whitehead’s first time as a first-team all-star in his six-year IFL career. In 2012, he was a second-teamer.

But this was easily Whitehead’s best season.

“I’ve gotten wiser,” Whitehead said. “I see the game a lot faster now. This year after (Fever quarterback) Houston (Lillard) got hurt, I talked to coach about what he wanted to do. He said to just keep doing what I’m doing.”

And he did it, he admitted, with a torn meniscus all season.

Fever coach Adam Shackleford said Whitehead’s inclusion on the first team came as no surprise.

“That’s where I had him,” Shackleford said. “He had a great season. He played one less game than he could have, or his numbers would be even better. I’m impressed with his work ethic. When it came game time, he wanted the football. He wanted to play his best this season, and he did.”

Whitehead, who owns a personal training business in Kennewick called Elite Ambitions Training, announced before the end of the regular season that this would be his final IFL season.

He wanted to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his business.

Three Fever players made the All-IFL second team: running back Andrew Pierce, defensive lineman Jake Killeen and defensive back Troy Sanders.

Pierce, a rookie, was second in the IFL in all-purpose yards, averaging 114 per game.

“He had no fumbles on the season,” Shackleford said. “I have never gone though a season where I had a running back never fumble. (Nebraska’s All-IFL first-team running back) Waymon James had seven. When Houston Lillard went down, (Pierce) became our strong feature. We were running the football and trying to survive. We became a very different football team.”

Killeen, who played his final season with the Fever, was fourth in the league in quarterback sacks with seven.

“Jake has given football every ounce of his body,” Shackleford said. “But he’s ready to move on from football and has made peace with that. He told me today (in his exit interview) that he played football for 22 years.”

Sanders was involved in 102 tackles this season. The rookie’s season had a slightly sour end when he decided not to come back from the bye week and play in last weekend’s conference championship game.

“Troy Sanders is well deserving of the second-team choice,” Shackleford said. “I was disappointed in the decision he made to stay home. But I’m not sure of the whole story, either.”

Meanwhile, Shackleford and Fever owner Teri Carr had their exit interviews and physicals Tuesday with the entire team and, with that, put a wrap on the 2015 season.

Preparations for the 2016 season started Tuesday, as a number of players signed their contracts for next year.

Offensive linemen Rodrick Gladney, Gabriel Hampton and Lloyd Morrison, wide receivers Dejuan Miller and DeJay Lester, and WR-DL Kyler Reed signed their deals for next season — the earliest Shackleford has signed players for the next year.

“It’s a new league rule; we never had contracts this early,” Shackleford said. “I sent out 40 contracts today. It just eats at me. I can’t not do it. When other guys are signing when we’re in the playoffs, I feel like they’re outworking me. It’s a mental thing for me. It’s so crucial to get these guys signed.”

First Team All-IFL: Offense

Quarterback — Jameel Sewell (Nebraska); Running back — Waymon James (Nebraska); Wide receiver — Judd Harrold (Sioux Falls), Steven Whitehead (Tri-Cities), Kyle Kaiser (Colorado); Offensive line — Myniya Smith (Sioux Falls), Charlie Sanders (Sioux Falls), Darius Savage (Nebraska).

First Team All-IFL: Defense

Defensive line — Jermiah Price (Cedar Rapids), Corey Johnsen (Sioux Falls), Xzavie Jackson (Cedar Rapids); Linebacker — Javicz Jones (Iowa); Linebacker/defensive back — James Ackel (Wichita Falls); Defensive back — Michael Green (Billings), DeQuan Starling (Sioux Falls), Jamie Bender (Green Bay).

First Team All-IFL: Special Teams

Kicker — Jeff Budzien (Green Bay); Kick returner — Mulku Kalokoh (Bemidji).

Second Team All-IFL: Offense

Quarterback — Donovan Porterie (Green Bay); Running back — Andrew Pierce (Tri-Cities); Wide receiver — Brady Roland (Iowa), Josh Jarboe (Bemidji), Bryan Pray (Cedar Rapids); Offensive line — Rashaud Mungro (Sioux Falls), Keyun Swinney (Green Bay), Trevis Turner (Nebraska).

Second Team All-IFL: Defense

Defensive line — Jake Killeen (Tri-Cities), Terrance Lloyd (Wichita Falls), Justin Edison (Nebraska); Linebacker — Tyler Knight (Sioux Falls); Linebacker/defensive back — Elijah Fields (Sioux Falls); Defensive back — Troy Sanders (Tri-Cities), Corey Sample (Colorado), Travonti Johnson (Billings).

Second Team All-IFL: Special Teams

Kicker — Rockne Belmonte (Cedar Rapids); Kick returner — Demetruce McNeal (Cedar Rapids).

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Fever’s Whitehead selected to All-IFL first team."