KVOA

Posted: Nov 6, 2009 12:11 PM

KINGSVILLE - Texas A&M-Kingsville senior quarterback Billy Garza (Brownsville/Porter HS) is one of 24 candidates in the running for the 2009 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year. The list of candidates was announced Thursday by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee.

The list includes six players from each of Division II's four Super Regionals and is highlighted by two 2008 finalists and two other players who were candidates in 2008.

Garza has led the Javelinas to an 8-2 record and a No. 17 national ranking this year. He has four 300-yard passing games this year and nine in his two-year career. His nine 300-yard games is exactly half of the total 300-yard passing games in school history.

Garza is 192-of-319 for 2,378 yards passing this year. He owns the top two pass completion season in school history and needs only 173 more yards to have the top two yardage totals. He is one of two players in school history with at least 2,000 yards passing in two different seasons.

For his career, Garza is 401-of-689 for 5,165 yards, 39 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He needs 14 completions to become the school record holder. He is fourth in career passing yardage and sixth in career touchdown passes. He is also fifth with 5,476 yards of total offense.

Garza has a chance to lead the Javelinas to their first postseason berth since the 2004 season with a win over Angelo State on Saturday night at 7 o'clock at Javelina Stadium.

Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 148 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 24 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and then top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on November 13.

The winner of the 2009 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the 24th annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, December 11 at the Florence Conference Center at 6:30 p.m. This year's Hill Trophy Banquet will also include the eleventh induction into the Division II Football Hall of Fame, with Shannon Sharpe becoming the 25th inductee.

The Javelinas have had one player win the Harlon Hill Trophy, former running back Johnny Bailey won the award in 1987, 1988 and 1989. He is the only three-time Trophy winner.