CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Patriot League Football Champion Holy Cross and Lafayette split the League’s four major awards when 2019 postseason honors were announced on Tuesday.
Crusaders’ senior running back Domenic Cozier was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and Head Coach Bob Chesney received the Dick Biddle Coach of the Year Award.
Lafayette sophomore Malik Hamm collected Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors and freshman quarterback Keegan Shoemaker was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
2019 Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Year
Domenic Cozier, Holy Cross, Sr., RB, Milford, Mass./Milton Academy
*Cozier, a two-time All-League selection, led the Patriot League and finished 20th in the FCS in rushing (95.5 ypg), while placing 13th in the nation in yards per carry (6.3) to lead Holy Cross to its first Patriot League Championship since 2009.
*In six League games, Cozier averaged 135.2 rushing yards per game and 7.3 yards per carry while capturing offensive player of the week honors in three of the last four weeks of the season.
*The STATS FCS Walter Payton Award candidate became the fifth Holy Cross running back, and first since 1991, to eclipse 1,000 yards (1,050), while adding seven touchdowns, including four in League play.
2019 Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Year
Malik Hamm, Lafayette, So., DL, Baltimore, Md./City College
*Hamm finished the season with 43 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss (TFL) of 55 yards, 8.0 sacks, eight quarterback hurries and three pass breakups to lead Lafayette to a second-place finish.
*The 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year recorded at least 1.0 sack in each of his final seven games of the season, finishing with 7.5 TFLs and 7.0 sacks in League play.
*Hamm has recorded at least 1.0 sack in 10 of the 12 League games played during his two-year career at Lafayette and is 10th among all active FCS players averaging 0.72 sacks per game during his career.
2019 Patriot League Football Rookie of the Year
Keegan Shoemaker, Lafayette, Fr., QB, Prosper, Texas/Prosper
*Shoemaker led the Patriot League in total offense (241.1 ypg), while finishing second in passing yards (212.1 ypg) and touchdown passes (14) with a pass efficiency of 124.4 to lead Lafayette to a second-place finish
*The three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and four-time Rookie of the Week eclipsed 300 passing yards twice and posted five games with two or more touchdown passes.
*Shoemaker received STATS FCS National Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 14 after throwing for 391 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 124 yards and two more scores against Sacred Heart.
2019 Patriot League Football Dick Biddle Coach of the Year
Bob Chesney, Holy Cross
*Chesney led Holy Cross to the program’s seventh Patriot League title and first since 2009 with a 7-5 overall record and 5-1 record in League play.
*The Crusaders sit atop the Patriot League in scoring offense (28.2), scoring defense (15.2), total offense (409.0), rush offense (189.0) and rush defense (79.5) in League play.
*Chesney has posted a winning conference record in each of his 10 seasons as a collegiate head coach, while going 9-3 in two seasons in the Patriot League.
2019 Patriot League All-League By the Numbers
Bucknell fifth-year punter Alex Pechin and Georgetown senior defensive lineman Khristian Tate became the 17th and 18th Patriot League student-athletes to earn All-League honors four times. Pechin is the fourth player selected to the first-team in each of his four seasons and Tate is the first Hoya to join the four-year club. Colgate senior Abu Daramy-Swaray is a three-year All-League selection and has received first-team honors at defensive back and return specialist for the second-consecutive season. He is the second student-athlete in League history to be recognized at multiple positions in a single season more than once, joining Fordham wide receiver/return specialist Brian Wetzel, who accomplished the feat in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Bucknell junior linebacker Simeon Page, senior defensive lineman Nick Wheeler, Fordham junior linebacker Glenn Cunningham and Georgetown sophomore defensive back Ahmad Wilson all received All-League honors for the third time.
Cozier and Hamm highlight a group of 16 student-athletes to receive All-League recognition for the second time. Colgate junior offensive lineman Jack Badovinac, senior tight end Nick Diaco and junior linebacker Nick Ioanilli; Fordham sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen, junior placekicker Andrew Mevis and junior offensive lineman Nick Zakelj; Georgetown senior wide receiver Michael Dereus and junior defensive lineman Duval Paul; Holy Cross junior offensive linemen Brian Foley and Brett Boddy; Lafayette senior offensive lineman Jake Marotti, senior wide receiver Nick Pearson and senior defensive back Yasir Thomas; along with Lehigh senior defensive back Sam McCloskey and junior wide receiver Jorge Portorreal are all two-time honorees.
Lafayette placed a League-high 13 student-athletes on the two All-League teams, including four first-team members. The Crusaders garnered 12 All-League selections with five on the first-team, followed by Fordham and Georgetown with nine apiece. The Rams had a League-best six first-team selections. Colgate (8), Lehigh (6) and Bucknell (5) round out the All-League-by-team numbers. Twenty-four of the 62 All-League team members are seniors, in addition to 22 juniors, 11 sophomores and five freshmen. Of first-team selections, there are 13 seniors, 10 juniors, five sophomores and one freshman.
The Major Awards and All-League teams were voted on by the seven Patriot League football head coaches who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2019 Football Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Domenic Cozier, Holy Cross, Sr., RB
Defensive Player of the Year: Malik Hamm, Lafayette, So., DL
Rookie of the Year: Keegan Shoemaker, Lafayette, Fr., QB
Dick Biddle Coach of the Year: Bob Chesney, Holy Cross
2019 Football All-Patriot League Teams
First-Team Offense (15)
QB: Tim DeMorat, Fordham, So.
RB: Domenic Cozier, Holy Cross, Sr.
RB: Zach Davis, Fordham, Jr.
FB/HB: Zadok Scott, Lafayette, So.
WR: Brandon Sanders, Bucknell, So.
WR: Michael Dereus, Georgetown, Sr.
WR: Devon Bibbens, Lehigh, Sr.
TE: Nick Diaco, Colgate, Sr.
OL: Jack Badovinac, Colgate, Jr.
OL: Nick Zakelj, Fordham, Jr.
OL: Brian Foley, Holy Cross, Jr.
OL: Brett Boddy, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Jake Marotti, Lafayette, Sr.
PK: Andrew Mevis, Fordham, Jr.
RS: Abu Daramy-Swaray, Colgate, Sr.
First-Team Defense (14)
DL: Nick Wheeler, Colgate, Sr.
DL: Duval Paul, Georgetown, Jr.
DL: Benton Whitley, Holy Cross, Jr.
DL: Malik Hamm, Lafayette, So.
LB: Simeon Page, Bucknell, Jr.
LB: Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham, So.
LB: Glenn Cunningham, Fordham, Jr.
LB: Keith Woetzel, Lehigh, Sr.
DB: Abu Daramy-Swaray, Colgate, Sr.
DB: Ahmad Wilson, Georgetown, Jr.
DB: Chris Riley, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Yasir Thomas, Lafayette, Sr.
P: Alex Pechin, Bucknell, 5th
Special Teams Non-Specialist (STNS): Jack Bush, Lehigh, Fr., DB
Second-Team Offense* (16)
QB: Connor Degenhardt, Holy Cross, Jr.
QB: Keegan Shoemaker, Lafayette, Fr.
RB: Selwyn Simpson, Lafayette, Jr.
RB: Trey Sneed, Fordham, Jr.
FB/HB: Isaac Schley, Georgetown, Sr.
WR: Ayir Asante, Holy Cross, Fr.
WR: Nick Pearson, Lafayette, Sr.
WR: Jorge Portorreal, Lehigh, Jr.
TE: Derek Mountain, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: PJ Barr, Bucknell, Jr.
OL: Phil Saleh, Fordham, So.
OL: Ryan Jelinek, Georgetown, Sr.
OL: Gavin Barclay, Lafayette, Jr.
OL: John Burk, Lafayette, Jr.
PK: Jeffrey Kordenbrock, Lafayette, Jr.
RS: William Gruber, Colgate, So.
Second-Team Defense* (17)
DL: Ellis Taylor, Fordham, Jr.
DL: Khristian Tate, Georgetown, Sr.
DL: Mark Ebo, Holy Cross, Sr.
DL: Keith Earle, Lafayette, Sr.
LB: Nicholas Ioanelli, Colgate, Sr.
LB: Xavier Reddick, Georgetown, Jr.
LB: Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, Fr.
LB: Major Jordan, Lafayette, Jr.
LB: Pete Haffner, Lehigh, Jr.
DB: Gavin Pringle, Bucknell, Fr.
DB: Collin Heard, Colgate, So.
DB: Corey Stefanik, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Sam McCloskey, Lehigh, Sr.
P: Brad Hurst, Georgetown, Sr.
STNS: Palmer Nix, Georgetown, So., LB
STNS: Terrell Prince, Holy Cross, So., LB
STNS: Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, So., LB
*Additional players were selected to the second-team offense and defense due to ties in voting.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.