Golden Valley High alumnus Zack Chevalier, a football player at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa, was announced Wednesday as the 2024 Walter Camp NAIA Player of the Year.  “It was awesome. It was definitely really cool to see that,” Chevalier said in a phone interview on Friday. “Just another thing I get to celebrate with my teammates here that kind of reflects on the season that we all had together.”  It’s the first year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation honored players at different levels of college football after previously only looking at NCAA Division I players. University of Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter was the 2024 recipient at the DI level after also being honored as the Heisman Trophy winner.  “It’s such a blessing,” Chevalier said, “and there’s a lot of other good players that, you know, DII and DIII, that I saw get rewarded, and so seeing these other levels get rewarded is such a blessing as well.”  Starring at quarterback for the Morningside Mustangs, Chevalier helped them to a national semifinal appearance, a Great Plains Athletic Conference championship and a 12-2 overall record. It was the 13th conference title in 14 years for Morningside after missing out on the 2023 title.  He led the nation in total passing yards (4,682), passing yards per game and passing touchdowns with 45. His exploits led to him being named an All-American by the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association and the NAIA.  Chevalier threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns in the NAIA quarterfinals as the Mustangs beat Montana Western, 31-24.  In the semifinals, he threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns, but the Mustangs fell to second-ranked Grand View, 36-13.  “It was a super fun ride,” Chevalier said. “You know, we fell short, ultimately, of our goal, but we had a great year and luckily we were able to send some seniors off with another GPAC championship, so it was great. It was a great year for us.”  Chevalier is planning to return to Morningside for the 2025 campaign as a graduate athlete as he looks to get his master’s degree in education.  “I’m very excited,” Chevalier said. “One more year with these guys. We’re returning a lot of guys on offense so I’m really excited.”  The post Golden Valley alum Zack Chevalier named NAIA Walter Camp Player of the Year  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.