MVHS Alum Mortensen Named Defensive Player of the Year

By NICK YAMASHITA

The Progress

Moapa Valley High School alumnus and current Weber State University Football Player, Conner Mortensen was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020 season and also made the 1st Team All-Big Sky, which was played during the Spring of 2021.

“It has been a very good year,” stated Mortensen to the Progress during an interview over the weekend.
Along with the Big Sky Conference award and accolades, Mortensen also was named to the AP All American and the Stats Perform All American lists.

“These honors really could not have occurred if it wasn’t for the success of the team,” said Mortensen.

The Wildcats of Weber State experienced tremendous success as they won their 4th straight Big Sky Conference title. Their defense was in the top ten for the nation for Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Mortensen led the Big Sky and ranked 13th in the nation for tackles for loss with 11.5 for the shortened six-game season. Mortensen also recorded 52 tackles.

The 6’0”, 215 pound linebacker had three out of the five regular-season games in double digits for tackles and even added a sack into the mix. He had 11 tackles against UC Davis on March 13, then 10 against Northern Arizona on March 27, and another 11 tackles on April 10 against Idaho State.

“The team’s success was a big factor in my achievements,” he said. “We have leaders all over the place and coaches that are pushing us to do the best we can, helping us reach higher levels of success. I really could not have done any of this without my team.”

Mortensen, along with all but one teammate, are returning for the next season which starts in September. The COVID Athletic Clause allows all athletes to return for this upcoming season regardless of years of eligibility. The clause was enacted by all NCAA and FCS athletic organizations due to the COVID-19 virus influences on athletics last season and postponement/cancellations to games and/or seasons.

“Our team is all returning and we have some new young guys coming in,” Mortensen said. “We are excited to be able to play a full season coming up and look forward to another conference championship and this time getting to the National Title Game.”

As for goals coming up this season, Conner added two other objectives besides conference and national titles. “I got to help my teammates succeed and prepare better for each game,” he said. “We definitely want to also make a statement by beating Utah on the season opener.”

The season opener for the Wildcats at Utah will pit two former MVHS alumni against each other. Conner Mortensen will take on Utah Safety and former MVHS Receiver RJ Hubert.
“This game will be great!” Mortensen said. “It is always fun and awesome to play against friends and former teammates. I can’t wait!”

Mortensen is the son of Arthur and Arta Mortensen.

The season opener against the University of Utah is on September 2 at the Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. The broadcast of the game has not been announced, but most likely will be on the Pac-12 Networks unless picked up by ESPN.