Nov. 24, 2004

The Patriot League announced its 2004 football All-League teams and major award winners on Wednesday. Co-League champion Lehigh, ranked 16th in the nation and set to host a playoff game against James Madison on Saturday, led the way with 15 selections, including eight on the first team. The Mountain Hawks were, however, shut out from the five major awards in the voting of the seven PL head coaches.

2004 Patriot League Football All-League Teams and Major Award Winners
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Lafayette, the League's other champion and the automatic qualifier into the I-AA playoffs, picked up two of the major awards, including the Offensive Player of the Year trophy for senior running back Joe McCourt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic). The Leopards are headed for their first-ever playoff game on Saturday at defending national champion Delaware thanks to a 5-1 record in the Patriot League that includes a 24-10 win over Lehigh on the final day of the season in a game that represented the 140th installment of college football's most-played rivalry. The Leopards were 8-3 overall, and are ranked No. 25 according to The Sports Network, largely because of McCourt's contributions offensively.

McCourt was the League's top rusher in PL games, averaging 119.8 yards per contest. Overall, he finished the regular season third in rushing, behind Colgate's Jamaal Branch and Bucknell's Daris Wilson, a pair of first team All-PL performers. McCourt rushed for 1,143 yards and 15 touchdowns in all games, marking the third year he has topped 1,000 yards on the ground. He was also LC's second-leading receiver, catching 22 passes for 184 yards and a TD.

In the latest NCAA statistics, McCourt ranks 24th in rushing, tied for 15th in scoring and 45th in all-purpose yards. He will finish his career as the Patriot League's all-time leading scorer, with 320 points through 44 games thus far. McCourt is currently second in League history with nearly 6,000 all-purpose yards.

McCourt's coach, Frank Tavani, was the unanimous choice for Coach of the Year honors in the PL. Tavani's Leopards were picked to finish fifth in the seven-team League during the preseason, but instead won their third League title and first since 1994. Lafayette is the least-penalized team in Division I-AA, a direct result of the work of Tavani and his staff, who are in their fifth season in Easton, Pa. Tavani is also one of 16 finalists for the 2004 Eddie Robinson Award, given to the top coach in I-AA.

Bucknell, which tied for third in the PL standings, also took home a pair of major awards. Junior defensive lineman Sean Conover (Whitman, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) was voted Defensive Player of the Year after anchoring a unit that placed third in the Patriot League in scoring defense and rushing defense. He tied for the PL lead and also tied for eighth in the country with 10.5 sacks this season. Conover forced 0.45 fumbles per game, also tops in the Patriot League and third nationally. He accumulated 54 total tackles in 11 games played, and his mark of 16.5 tackles for a loss was the 18th best total in the nation.

Conover's teammate, junior return specialist Dante Ross (Groton, Conn./Robert E. Fitch), was the recipient of the Patriot League's first-ever Special Teams Player of the Year award. Ross, a starting defensive back for the Bison, made his mark on the national football scene on Oct. 4, when he returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns in a win over Georgetown. For the game, he racked up 198 yards in kickoff returns and 69 yards in punt returns. The two touchdowns set a new League record, and the kickoff return yardage shattered the BU mark for a single game.

Ross earned national accolades for that performance by The Sports Network and I-AA.org, but it certainly was not a one-time thing. For the season, he ranked fifth in the nation with 29.06 yards per kickoff return and 34th with 9.46 yards per punt return. Ross showed his all-around prowess in the final week of the regular season, when his three-interception effort against Duquesne earned him repeat honors from the Patriot League and I-AA.org.

The final major award winner for the 2004 season is Fordham freshman running back Jonte Coven (Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson), the League's Rookie of the Year. In a season dominated by upperclassmen - 20 of the 24 first team selections are seniors - Coven showed off his athleticism when filling in for the Rams' starting running back, sophomore Jamaal Hunte. Coven appeared in 10 games and carried 52 times for 223 yards (4.3-yard average), including a long run of 26 yards. He also returned one punt for 33 yards. Coven's best game of the season came on opening day, when he rushed eight times for 58 yards in a one-point loss to Rhode Island.

The Patriot League's depth at the running back position is evident considering that the 2003 Walter Payton Award winner, the nation's top offensive player in I-AA football, was beaten out for Offensive Player of the Year honors. Colgate's Branch, who is one of the 16 finalists for this year's award, repeated as an All-PL first team selection this season. In a preseason vote of League head coaches, Branch was picked as Offensive Player of the Year and his Raiders were selected to repeat as champions.

Branch (Mashpee, Mass./New Hampton) joined McCourt on the first team and wrapped up his stellar collegiate career with 4,108 rushing yards - fifth all-time - and 4,379 all-purpose yards. His 288 points in 45 games marks the third-highest total in League history. Branch led the Raiders to a 7-4 mark, including 4-2 in the Patriot League, by rushing for a PL-best 1,190 yards to go along with 16 touchdowns. His top effort of the campaign was a 208-yard, four-TD performance in an Oct. 23 victory over Holy Cross.

Only one player in the Patriot League crossed the goal line more times than Branch in 2004, and that was Wilson (Kenner, La/Archbishop Rummel), a senior quarterback from Bucknell. Wilson literally carried the Bison to four straight wins to close out a seven-victory campaign, combining for 737 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns and two PL Offensive Player of the Week awards over the season's final month.

He was second in the League in rushing for the season with 1,149 yards, and ended his career as the leading rusher among quarterbacks in PL history. His passing numbers were solid as well, as he completed 66.0 percent for 852 yards and six scores while leading the Bison to a draw with Colgate in the final standings.

It was a pair of Raiders named to the first team at the wide receiver position, which should come as no surprise. Seniors Luke Graham (Hamilton, N.Y./Bridgton Academy) and DeWayne Long (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling) consistently made highlight reel catches throughout the season. Graham led the League with 70 receptions for 933 yards and six touchdowns. He is Colgate's all-time receptions leader and second in the history of the Patriot League with 221 catches. His total of 3,381 yards receiving is third all-time in the PL.

Long gave quarterback Chris Brown another reliable target to throw to, hauling in 55 catches for 737 yards and eight touchdowns. In the latest NCAA statistics, Graham ranked 14th and Long 53rd in receptions per game, while the two checked in at Nos. 25 and 65 in yards per game, respectively.

As good as Graham and Long were, the player who gave opposing pass defenses the biggest headache this year may have been All-America candidate Adam Bergen (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford), a senior tight end from Lehigh who joins Branch as the only two repeat first teamers. Bergen, who checks in at 6-foot-5, 261 pounds, caught 51 passes for 611 yards and eight touchdowns this year.

Bergen shared the line of scrimmage with a pair of first team All-PL offensive linemen in seniors Justin Terry (Orrtanna, Pa./Gettysburg) and Jason Morrell (Thorofare, N.J./West Deptford) of Lehigh. Rounding out the selections on the offensive line were seniors Stephen Bono (Upper Saddle River, N.J./North Highlands), a team captain, and Joe Ungrady (Hollandale, Fla./South Broward), both of Lafayette, which boasts the League's No. 2 rushing offense, and Fordham senior Jared Amatuzzo (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell).

Another Ram, sophomore kicker Micah Clukey (St. Augustine, Fla./St. Augustine), was the final first team offensive pick. Clukey, the preseason Special Teams Player of the Year, was successful on 10-of-12 field goals this year, including a long of 44 yards, and he also converted 34-of-35 extra points.

The first team defense was dominated by Lehigh, which picked up five of the 12 selections. With 15 student-athletes honored overall, the Mountain Hawks have now reached double figures in postseason League award winners for the third straight year.

A pair of defensive linemen, seniors Tom Alfsen (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) and Tristan Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial), lead the list. The Mountain Hawks own the top scoring and rushing defenses in the Patriot League, and their overall defense is the 19th-ranked unit in the NCAA. Alfsen is one of the 16 finalists for this year's Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the country, and his 10 sacks are 11th in the nation.

Senior linebacker Anthony Graziani (Pen Argyl, Pa./Pen Argyl), senior defensive back Karrie Ford (Sopchoppy, Fla./Wakulla) and senior punter Kyle Keating (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) were the other Mountain Hawks named to the first team. Graziani had his coming out party this year in Lehigh's 21-14 win over Colgate on Oct. 30 in a contest recognized as CSTV's "Game of the Week." He earned PL Defensive Player of the Week honors after registering a career-high and game-best 18 tackles, nine of which were solo. He also had three tackles for a loss and half a sack, on his way to a season that saw him tally 101 tackles - 42 more stops than the next-closest Mountain Hawk.

Ford, meanwhile, turned in 45 tackles, one interception, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Keating is considered the League's top punter after averaging 38.2 yards on 48 punts. He had a long punt of 57 yards and placed 14 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Two Bucknell student-athletes joined Conover on the first team defense, both in the secondary. The duo of seniors Virgil Rush (Bear, Del./Christiana) and Jerome Acy (Orange, Ohio/Orange) combined for 18 interceptions during their career in Lewisburg, including five this year. Rush led the Bison with 97 tackles and Acy was third with 87 stops.

The fourth member of the first team secondary on defense was Fordham senior Thaddeus Kornegay (Trenton, N.J./Hamilton West), a first team selection a year ago. Kornegay was the preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the Patriot League and is a finalist for the Buchanan Award. He did not disappoint in producing eight interceptions this year, which tied for the highest total in the country. Kornegay broke up eight additional passes, and finished his career third all-time in the PL with 14 interceptions, which he returned for 221 yards.

Kornegay's teammate, senior linebacker NaQuinton Gainous (Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln), was also a first team defense pick. Gainous once again established himself as one of the most intimidating presences on the field in the Patriot League this year, ranking first in the PL and 16th in the nation with 119 total tackles.

The final two players to qualify for All-Patriot League first team defense honors were junior linebacker Maurice Bennett (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington) of the League champion Lafayette Leopards, and junior defensive linemen Michael Ononibaku (Amherst, Mass./Amherst) of Georgetown. Bennett eclipsed the century mark with 108 tackles, while Ononibaku made his presence felt among opposing quarterbacks, recording 10.5 sacks.

Ononibaku was the Hoyas' lone representative on the first team. Holy Cross did not land any players on the first team, but placed three on the second team in senior running back Steve Silva (East Providence, R.I./East Providence), who also handled kick return duties, junior offensive lineman Dave Cannon (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) and sophomore kicker Mike DeSantis (Belle Mead, N.J./Immaculata). The Hoyas' lone second team honoree was junior defensive back Maurice Banks (Clinton, Md./Gwynn Park).

Lehigh was the leader among second team performers as well, with junior quarterback Mark Borda (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), junior running back Eric Rath (Mt. Pocono, Pa./Pius X), junior wide receiver Gerran Walker (Atlanta, Ga./Alonzo A. Crim), junior offensive lineman Adam Selmasska (Easton, Pa./Easton), junior defensive back Kaloma Cardwell (Philadelphia, Pa./Central), senior defensive back Neil Boozer-Gallman (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork) and junior defensive back Andrew Nelson (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) all earning recognition.

The biggest name on that list is Borda, who could have easily been a first team selection with the numbers he posted. In leading LU to a 9-2 record, including 5-1 in the PL, Borda distanced himself from the field in passing statistical categories, compiling a 155.2 rating while completing 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,467 yards and 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions. His quarterback rating is eighth in the country, and was boosted by an October run in which he earned PL Offensive Player of the Week honors three times in a row.

Fordham earned six spots on the second team. The two offensive honorees were senior wide receiver Steve Porco (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) and junior tight end James Caffarello (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick). Representing the Rams on the defensive side of the ball were senior defensive linemen Eddie Gordon (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) and Aki Jones (Jamaica, N.Y./Deerfield Academy), senior linebacker Tyrone Thorne (Bronx, N.Y./JFK) and junior punter Anthony DiFino (Syracuse, N.Y./CBA). Jones was honored by the Patriot League a year ago as a first team selection.

Bucknell and Colgate each put two on the second team defense, with senior defensive lineman Corey Mayo (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area) and senior linebacker Kevin Ransome (Bear, Del./Christiana) representing the Bison and junior linebacker Jared Nepa (Carbondale, Pa./Carbondale Area) and sophomore defensive back Geoff Bean (Oneonta, N.Y./Oneonta) representing CU. Bean led a Raiders secondary that ranked No. 1 in the PL in passing defense.

BU also added two to the second team offense, both offensive linemen. Seniors John Scharf (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) and Aaron DeGraffenreidt (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) were the selections.

The Leopards had three players garner second team distinction: senior Drew Buettner (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) as an offensive lineman, junior Blake Costanzo (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Ramapo) at linebacker and senior punter Mike Davis (La Plata, Md./M.J. McDonough), the third punter to gain all-star status due to a tie in the voting.