Edgewood grad Lilja named on the final 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works team
Oct. 6—Staff Report
Mount Union senior defensive lineman Matt Lilja was recently named on the final prestigious Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team®.
The 31st Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® recognizes 22 college football student-athletes and an honorary head coach for outstanding contributions to their communities.
Lilja is only one of four NCAA Division III players in the country to earn a spot.
"It is a great honor being with this group of guys as well as the athletes the previous 30 years," Lilja said.
A team captain this season, Lilja, an Edgewood graduate, has been an All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and Academic All-OAC honoree.
Lilja is dedicated off the field with numerous volunteer and community services.
He mentors through Alliance's Raider Buddies and the Mount Union football team.
He also joined the Alliance Community Clean Up initiative. Additionally, Lilja has volunteered with Mount Union's Be The Match, Alex's Lemonade Stand, Lake Shore Park Clean Up, American Heart Association, and Kent State Ashtabula America Red Cross.
Team officials from across the country nominated players from their schools for the prestigious award based on their work off the field.
A list of 114 nominees was announced in July before the final 22-player roster was chosen by the selection panel, which includes former Good Works Team players, journalists and officials from Allstate and the AFCA. The panel looks for players that demonstrate exceptional leadership on and off the football field.
The final roster features 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision; 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics; and one honorary head coach.
The second-ranked Purple Raiders (4-0, 3-0) are scheduled to host Heidelberg at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The defense has given up just seven points through four games.
On the season, Lilja has recorded seven tackles, including one for loss, and half a sack.
"We are taking each game one week at a time and working together as a team to generate the outcome we want," he said.
