Football Earns Worcester All-Area Honors
Falcons name nine players to the 2014 Worcester All-Area Team
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Area Football Association has announced the 24th Annual Steve "Merc" Morris All-Star Team as selected by the eight sports information directors of Worcester County who sponsor football.
Representing Fitchburg State were sophomore quarterback Garrett Dellechiaie, classmate Devin Summiel, seniors Brendan Coan, Phillip Saint-Juste, Talib Barksdale and Elizear Torres as well as juniors Taron Seaforth and Luis Feliz were all named to the 2014 Worcester All-Area first team, while junior defensive tackle Pedro Camilo garnered second team honors.
The major award winners included junior running back Kemani Jones of Worcester State as the Offensive Player of the Year while senior defensive end Derrick Mann of Assumption was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Jones scampered for a school-record 1,275 yards and 13 touchdowns and his 6.0 average yards per rush led the MASCAC. He still ranks among the top 15 in the NCAA Division III in all-purpose yardage (172.9 YPG) and the top 20 in rushing (127.5 YPG).
Mann earned Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors as he paced the Greyhounds with 70 tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, 14.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and three recoveries. His sacks are currently fifth in the NCAA Division II and his TFLs are inside the top 15.
Jones and Mann were also received Division II/III New England Writers team nods two weeks ago and will be officially recognized at the New England Writers Captains and Awards Banquet on Thursday, December 11.
Assumption return specialist De'Ontray Johnson copped Special Teams Player of the Year accolades while freshman teammate Ashton Grant earned a nod as the Freshman of the Year.
Johnson, who earned a spot on the Daktronics Division Region 1 Second-team honors, led New England with an average of 30.8 yards per kickoff return as he added 431 yards and two kickoffs returned for scores. His 107.9 yards per return were third in the Northeast-10.
Grant, an All-Northeast-10 Rookie Team honoree, was second on the squad with 29 receptions for 446 yards and he hauled in three touchdowns while averaging 15.4 yards per catch.
Bob Chesney of Assumption and Brien Cullen of Worcester State both shared Worcester Area Coach of the Year honors.
In just his second season at the helm, Chesney guided the Greyhounds to a 7-4 mark (6-3 Northeast-10) which tied for third in the regular season standings. Assumption claimed bragging rights to third-place outright by defeating New Haven, 16-7, on championship weekend for the exclamation point on a second consecutive winning campaign.
Cullen helped pilot the Lancers to a 7-3 slate and a 5-3 MASCAC record. In his 32nd season at the helm, WSU was third overall in the conference and featured a five-game winning streak at the midway point of the season.
The Worcester Area Football Association All-Star Team is named in memory of Steve "Merc" Morris, the longtime Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations and Assumption Hall of Famer. Morris was a 1972 graduate of Assumption and was a member of the athletics staff for 39 years before he passed away in January of 2011.
In addition to being the founder of the Worcester Area Association All-Star Program, Morris was a tireless supporter of collegiate athletics and had a key role in the lives of thousands of student-athletes.