Three Bombers Picked To Play In D3Senior Football Classic
Salem, Va. -- Three members of the Ithaca football team will be playing in Saturday's Division III Senior Football Classic in Salem, Va. Defensive end Matt Dibble (Columbia/East Schodack), defensive tackle Andrew Haim (Douglas MacArthur/Levittown) and offensive tackle Leland King (Burlington/Burlington, Vt.) were among the 93 players chosen to play in Saturday's game in Salem, Va. Only one school had more players selected for the game, which is in its second year.
A second-team Empire 8 all-star, Dibble started every game at defensive end and made 51 tackles. He led Ithaca with 21 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Dibble broke up two passes, forced one fumble and recovered another. He was named Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week after Ithaca’s win over Springfield and was picked as Ithaca’s Honorary Defensive Captain after that game as well. Dibble was selected the Bombers’ Outstanding Lineman after the Hartwick victory. In his career he played in 28 games, starting 19 times. He made 92 tackles, 33 tackles for loss and collected 14 sacks. Dibble broke up four passes, forced two fumbles and recovered two.
Haim earned first-team Empire 8 all-star honors. He started every game at nose tackle, collecting 42 tackles. He made 11 tackles for loss, including a sack, and broke up four passes – the most among Ithaca’s defensive linemen. He was named Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week following Ithaca’s win over Utica and earned a spot on D3football.com’s Team of the Week after that performance. Haim was selected as Ithaca’s Outstanding Lineman following the wins over Widener and Springfield and was picked as the Bombers’ Honorary Defensive Captain after the St. John Fisher game. He finished his career with 64 tackles, including 14 for loss, along with five pass break-ups in 32 games (16 starts).
King was a two-year starter on Ithaca’s offensive line, making 16 starts at left tackle over the past two seasons. He was named Ithaca’s Honorary Offensive Captain after the Alfred game and was also picked as the team’s Outstanding Lineman after that game.
The Bombers posted a record of 6-4; their stretch of 40 straight winning seasons is the second-longest streak at any level of college football and makes them one of only seven teams to ever record 40 winning seasons in a row over the 140 years college football has been played.