Cooley, Burnett, Zdroik and Fletcher named all-Mountain West
12/2/2025 11:55:00 AM | Football
Fleischmann, Freer, Harris, Jones, Jr and Szarka earn honorable mention honors
Air Force had four players named to the all-Mountain West football team, according to an announcement from the conference. Senior offensive lineman Costen Cooley earned first-team honors while senior offensive lineman Jack Burnett, senior nose guard Payton Zdroik and junior inside linebacker Blake Fletcher earned second-team honors.
Senior tight end Bruin Fleischmann, senior punter Luke Freer, senior wide receiver Cade Harris, sophomore safety Roger Jones, Jr. and sophomore quarterback Liam Szarka earned honorable mention honors.
Cooley and Burnett anchored an offensive line that helped the offense finish fourth in the nation in rushing with a 261.4 average, the 12th consecutive year in the top 10 for the program and 38th in the last 39 years. The Falcons led the nation in yards per completion with a 17.96 mark and scored 30-plus points the first six games of the season for the first time since 1998. The Falcons also finished fourth in the nation in time of possession with a 33:52 mark.
Zdroik recorded 36 total tackles and had 6.0 tackles for loss for 24 yards. He also led the team and was among the MW leaders with nine quarterback hurries. Fletcher led the Falcons in tackles with 108, the most by a Falcon since Jordan Pierce to had 117 in 2014. Fletcher is one of just three Falcons with 100-plus tackles in a season the last 10 years. He led the team in tackles in seven games and averaged 9.0 per game which ranked third in the conference and 21st nationally.
Fleischmann had one of the most prolific seasons ever for a tight end at Air Force, finishing with 21 catches for 370 yards and six touchdowns. His six TD receptions are the most ever for a tight end at Air Force while his receptions are fifth and his receiving yards fourth most ever by the position.
Freer averaged 44.5 yards per punt with a long of 60 yards. He had 11 punts downed inside the 20 and eight of 50-plus yards. He would have ranked among the MW and national leaders, but lacked enough punts to qualify for the rankings. He was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation's top punter.
Harris led the Falcons in receiving with 35 catches for 584 yards and two touchdowns. Harris' 35 catches are the most since Jalen Robinette had 35 in 2016 while his 584 yards are the most since Brandon Lewis had 600 in 2021. Harris also had 321 yards rushing with four touchdowns. He led the Falcons with 1,065 all-purpose yards.
Jones, Jr. was second on the team in tackles with 76, including a team-best 39 unassisted. He had a career-high 13 tackles vs. Navy and added 10, plus a tackle for loss and an interception in the end zone vs. Wyoming to earn conference defensive player of the week honors.
Szarka led the Falcons in rushing, passing and total offense this season. He rushed for 922 yards and a conference-best 13 touchdowns while finishing second in the MW with a 92.2 rushing average. He hit 75-120 passes for 1,294 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 2,216 total yards, becoming the first Air Force quarterback with 2,000-plus since 2015. Szarka had three games with 200-plus passing and 100-plus rushing yards which is the longest streak since Lamar Jackson of Louisville had four in 2015-16.
Air Force finished 4-8 overall and placed eighth in the Mountain West with a 3-5 mark. The Falcons won three of their final six games after a 1-5 start, posting wins over Wyoming, San Jose State and Colorado State. Air Force beat Colorado State, 42-21, in the season finale to win the Ram-Falcon Trophy for the eighth time in the last 10 years.
Senior tight end Bruin Fleischmann, senior punter Luke Freer, senior wide receiver Cade Harris, sophomore safety Roger Jones, Jr. and sophomore quarterback Liam Szarka earned honorable mention honors.
Cooley and Burnett anchored an offensive line that helped the offense finish fourth in the nation in rushing with a 261.4 average, the 12th consecutive year in the top 10 for the program and 38th in the last 39 years. The Falcons led the nation in yards per completion with a 17.96 mark and scored 30-plus points the first six games of the season for the first time since 1998. The Falcons also finished fourth in the nation in time of possession with a 33:52 mark.
Zdroik recorded 36 total tackles and had 6.0 tackles for loss for 24 yards. He also led the team and was among the MW leaders with nine quarterback hurries. Fletcher led the Falcons in tackles with 108, the most by a Falcon since Jordan Pierce to had 117 in 2014. Fletcher is one of just three Falcons with 100-plus tackles in a season the last 10 years. He led the team in tackles in seven games and averaged 9.0 per game which ranked third in the conference and 21st nationally.
Fleischmann had one of the most prolific seasons ever for a tight end at Air Force, finishing with 21 catches for 370 yards and six touchdowns. His six TD receptions are the most ever for a tight end at Air Force while his receptions are fifth and his receiving yards fourth most ever by the position.
Freer averaged 44.5 yards per punt with a long of 60 yards. He had 11 punts downed inside the 20 and eight of 50-plus yards. He would have ranked among the MW and national leaders, but lacked enough punts to qualify for the rankings. He was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation's top punter.
Harris led the Falcons in receiving with 35 catches for 584 yards and two touchdowns. Harris' 35 catches are the most since Jalen Robinette had 35 in 2016 while his 584 yards are the most since Brandon Lewis had 600 in 2021. Harris also had 321 yards rushing with four touchdowns. He led the Falcons with 1,065 all-purpose yards.
Jones, Jr. was second on the team in tackles with 76, including a team-best 39 unassisted. He had a career-high 13 tackles vs. Navy and added 10, plus a tackle for loss and an interception in the end zone vs. Wyoming to earn conference defensive player of the week honors.
Szarka led the Falcons in rushing, passing and total offense this season. He rushed for 922 yards and a conference-best 13 touchdowns while finishing second in the MW with a 92.2 rushing average. He hit 75-120 passes for 1,294 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 2,216 total yards, becoming the first Air Force quarterback with 2,000-plus since 2015. Szarka had three games with 200-plus passing and 100-plus rushing yards which is the longest streak since Lamar Jackson of Louisville had four in 2015-16.
Air Force finished 4-8 overall and placed eighth in the Mountain West with a 3-5 mark. The Falcons won three of their final six games after a 1-5 start, posting wins over Wyoming, San Jose State and Colorado State. Air Force beat Colorado State, 42-21, in the season finale to win the Ram-Falcon Trophy for the eighth time in the last 10 years.
Players Mentioned
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