Six Falcons Earn NEFC All-Conference Honors

De La Rosa and Austin headline Falcon award winners with first team nominations

STEVE AUSTIN

FITCHBURG, Mass (November 16, 2009) - The Fitchburg State football team named six players to the New England Football Conference (NEFC) All-Conference team as announced by conference officials this weekend.

Senior running back Steve Austin (Tequesta, Fla./Stony Brook) and junior Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) headlined the list of honorees earning All-Conference first team honors, while seniors Dale Whittredge (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill), Steve Witherell (Westchesterfield, N.H./Brattleboro Union), Kyle Callahan (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) and junior Anthony Bizzotto (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) picked up second teams nods.

Steve Austin collects his first All-Conference honors after leading the Fitchburg State running attack with 839 yards this season. Austin averaged nearly 100 yards per game with 4.6 yards per carry and five touchdowns. The senior captain also added 156 yards receiving with 20 catches, while being selected to play in the prestigious Stars and Stripes Bowl hosted in Mexico City.

CARLOS DE LA ROSA

De La Rosa joins Austin on the All-Conference first team with his first post-season accolade of his career. De La Rosa registered a breakout season, totaling career highs in yards, catches and touchdowns. He ranked fifth in the NEFC with 773 yards receiving, while breaking Fitchburg State's single season mark with 10 touchdowns. In addition to his single season records, De La Rosa also became the program's all-time leading touchdown receptions leader, registering his 17th career TD to surpass former standout, Carmy Cesaire, Jr's (2004) mark of 16.

On the defensive end, Anthony Bizzotto and Dale Whittredge head the list of Falcon All-Conference second team members after combining for 176 tackles this past season. The duo represented Fitchburg State's 1-2 defensive punch, totaling 11 tackles for a loss (TFLs), 3.5 sacks and four fumble recoveries. Bizzotto posted a solid season for the Falcons, ranking fourth among tacklers in the NEFC (96 stops), while Whittredge capped his four-year career with 70 tackles and two interceptions.

Rounding out the Fitchburg State honorees was defensive-linemen Steve Witherell and punter Kyle Callahan. Witherell, a two-year captain for the Falcons, ranked second on the Fitchburg State squad with 11 TFLs (2 sacks) and 33 total stops, while Callahan ranked fourth in the NEFC for punting, averaging nearly 40 yards per kick with a long of 64 yards.

The Fitchburg State football team finished its 2009 campaign with an overall record of 4-6 and a 2-5 mark in the NEFC.