Southern Illinois linebacker Colin Bohanek wasn’t going to let something like a torn right bicep suffered a season earlier keep him from playing his senior year in 2025.
If anything, it served as motivation for the Oak Lawn resident to get back on the field with the Salukis as he finished his collegiate career with a place on the 2025 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference second team.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Bohanek said. “People call (the MVFC) the SEC of the FCS (Football Championship Series). It’s a very prestigious conference in college football and there’s a lot of talent on all the teams.
“The conference had six playoff teams and there are a lot of good players on this team. Just the fact that I was able to be recognized as an all-conference player in that conference definitely means a lot. Being in that league for three years, it’s definitely awesome to see all that hard work pay off.”
In 2024, the 2020 Marist graduate suffered his season-ending injury on Sept. 7 in a 31-17 victory at Austin Peay. Rather than feel sorry for himself, Bohanek chose to focus on getting his full health and strength back and being able to return for the 2025 campaign.
“It definitely was a huge motivation coming into this year because I had high expectations of myself last year as well,” Bohanek said. “I had a really good starting game against BYU with 12 tackles and I felt like I was going to be able to have a really good year.
“Obviously, plans changed quickly and it was definitely cool to get a different perspective being on the coaching side of things all last year. I’m very happy for all the guys who played last year and stepped up last year, but it definitely was a little bit of motivation to get back out on the field and truly show what I can do for my last year.”
SIU went 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the MVFC this season, as Bohanek had team highs in tackles (87) and tackles for loss (7.5).
Bohanek had double-digit tackles in four games, including in each of the team’s final two matchups of the season. Bohanek — who earned his MBA from SIU in December — posted a season-high 13 tackles twice: on Sept. 13 at UT Martin and on Nov. 15 against South Dakota.
“Personally, I just felt like every week and every day, I was trying to leave it all on the field,” Bohanek said. “This was my last run and my last year playing and I went out with no regrets. I did the best I could every week and every game.
“It’s bittersweet with my college career ending, but I couldn’t ask for a better way to go out.”
● Junior defensive lineman Bobby Medina was one of 19 North Central players chosen to the All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin team. The Mount Carmel graduate earned All-CCIW first team honors after having 32 tackles, 14 tackles for 69 yards in losses, 13 quarterback hurries and 10 sacks in the first 13 games.
The Cardinals will play Wisconsin-River Falls for the NCAA Division III national title in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on Jan. 4 in Canton, Ohio.