A trio of senior Morehead State football athletes will be heading to the Sunshine State to participate in postseason all-star games. Quarterback Austin Gahafer, kicker/punter Pat DiSalvio and safety Brandon Louder will be in separate all-star games this month.
Gahafer took part in the Football Championship Subdivision National Bowl in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Dec. 3 at Daytona Beach Stadium. DiSalvio will be in the FCS Senior Scout Bowl at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Saturday, Dec. 17. Louder will suit up for the USA in the Euro-American Challenge, also in Myrtle Beach, on Dec. 16.
All three games are typically attended by numerous professional scouts from all levels of post-collegiate football.
Gahafer, from Louisville, became the Pioneer League's career leader in passing yards (11,918), completions (1,096), attempts (1,844) and total offense (12,239) this season. He ranks second all-time among FCS quarterbacks in career attempts and fifth in completions. Gahafer also holds the MSU career record for touchdown passes with 85 and was responsible for 99 career touchdowns through the air and on the ground. He was 254-for-458 for a Pioneer League-best 3,404 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2016. His yardage total ranks as the second-highest single-season total in program history.
Louder, from Marietta, Ga., ranked third on the team with 76 total tackles. He spread his totals fairly evenly, with 37 solo and 39 assisted stops. Louder also was credited with a pair of tackles for loss.
DiSalvio, from Cincinnati, averaged 39.2 yards on 62 punts, including 15 inside the opponent 20-yard line and four boots of 50-plus yards. He also averaged 55.3 yards on 32 kickoffs. He also got the chance to play at the World Championships of American Football this past summer in Mexico.
