Kennon could tackle. He led the NCAA DIII two years in a row in tackles per game, averaging 17.7 his senior year (2014) and 15.8 during his junior season. He amassed 184 solo tackles and 242 assisted tackles, ranking second (behind Oz Price) in the all-time Maranatha program record books in both of those categories.

After both his junior and senior seasons, Kennon was named as an NCCAA All-American, and he was one of two student-athletes during the decade to be named an NCCAA All-American twice (Ben Schulz earned the honor in 2015 and 2016). Kennon earned the title of NCAA DIII Statistical Champion in 2013 and 2014, and his name is on two of the five statistical titles in program history.

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Kennon was a team captain, and his career is memorable to him.

Of course, the awards are part of the experience, but the people and the team experience sticks out to him. His top memories from playing football at Maranatha include "playing defense with Ethan Lane, Ethan Rosen, Bobby O'Brien, Josiah Brendemuel, and Ben Schulz," Kennon says, noting stellar players that came through the program during his career.

"I learned how to lead through adversity and to strive for excellence regardless of the circumstances," Kennon said. "It’s no secret that we struggled to win football games towards the end of the program, but with that came the opportunity to band together as a team and refuse to give up. That lesson in character and determination has stayed with me as a small business owner. I also learned that there are more important things in life than winning football games. As believers, we are put on this earth to be salt and light, and I believe that we did that by playing hard and with good sportsmanship regardless of the outcome."

For more on the all-decade MVP selection process, CLICK HERE

For a complete list of the all-decade MVPs (as they are announced), CLICK HERE