The Empire 8 announced its 2011 Football All-Conference team with senior linebacker Nick Clark of Alfred University repeating as Defensive Player of the Year and junior quarterback Dan Griffin of conference champion Salisbury University being named Offensive Player of the Year.
Clark, who was the unanimous choice as top defensive player and was named to the all-conference first team for the third time, averaged 10.3 tackles per game in the regular season. He registered nine tackles for loss for a total of 30 yards, three sacks, forced two fumbles, and intercepted two passes. The Saxons’ defense allowed just 110.6 yards rushing per game.
Griffin led Salisbury to an undefeated conference record and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship. He has accounted for 27 touchdowns (13 passing, 14 rushing) and became the school’s first 1,000-yard passer since 1998 with a 239.77 pass efficiency rating without throwing a single interception. Griffin has also rushed for 623 yards.
Senior Dan Ruffrage of Ithaca College was named the Special Teams Players of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors as a return specialist and all-purpose player. He averaged 26.2 yards per punt return and 26.6 yards per kick return, returning two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns. Ruffrage added 568 receiving yards, averaging 142.1 yards all-purpose per game.
Running back J.D. Hook of Frostburg State University was selected as Rookie of the Year, averaging a conference-high 96.7 yards per game with four touchdowns.
Sherman Wood was selected as Empire 8 Coach of the Year for leading Salisbury to the conference title in its first season in the league.
Eight other Salisbury players joined Griffin on the all-conference first team. Senior running back Randall Smedley enters NCAA play averaging 79.2 yards per game, 6.2 yards per carry, and rushing for eight touchdowns. Senior right guard Christian Emeze and senior left guard Alex Smith anchor the Sea Gulls’ offensive line that ranks second in the nation with 3,402 rushing yards and has yielded only 11 sacks.
Senior defensive end Matt Leon leads the conference in tackles for loss with 15.5 and has recorded 46 tackles, five sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Senior linebacker Jamey McClendon and junior linebacker Matt McMurdo clogged the middle of the Sea Gulls’ defense that has limited opponents to 126 yards rushing per game. McClendon is averaging 7.2 tackles per game with 8.5 tackles for loss, while McMurdo is averaging 5.8 tackles per game with four tackles for loss. Junior defensive back Chris Everett and sophomore defensive back Andre Carter also garnered first-team honors. Everett ranks second on the team in tackles and has broken up six passes, while Carter has picked off five passes, returning one for a touchdown.
Three players from NCAA participant St. John Fisher College were named to the all-conference first team. Senior right tackle Corey Balcerzak was a repeat selection, anchoring the offensive line. Senior defensive lineman Chris Sawyer and senior defensive back David Vosburgh were named to the first team for the first time. Sawyer, who also played linebacker, ended the regular season averaging 4.6 tackles per game with 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Vosburgh enters postseason play with 9.9 tackles per game, 11.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, 2.5 sacks, and a pair of interceptions.
Four players from Alfred joined teammate Clark on the all-conference first team. Junior defensive lineman Mike Raplee, senior placekicker Eric Rockwood, and sophomore Austin Dwyer were repeat honorees. Raplee leads the Saxons with 4.5 sacks for a total loss of 38 yards and is averaging 6.8 tackles per game. Rockwood, the program’s all-time leader in kicking points and extra points, leads the team in scoring and has hit 12 of 13 field goals. Dwyer is averaging 93.3 yards per game rushing with nine touchdowns and 145.2 all-purpose yards per game.
Senior defensive lineman Marcellus Jones garnered first-team accolades. Jones averages 4.5 tackles per game with 5.5 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks.
Three Utica College players were named to the all-conference first team unit. Sophomore wide receiver Anthony Acevedo is among the national leaders with 139.5 all-purpose yards per game and he added 6.2 receptions per game and seven touchdowns. Junior tight end Matt Dunn led the conference in receptions, yards, and yards per game, finishing with 48 catches and four touchdowns. Senior punter Seth Mitchell averaged 40.8 yards per punt, the second-highest punting average in the program’s history.
Senior right tackle Sean Meagher of Springfield College, a second-team choice last season, was named to the first team this year. The Pride led the conference in rushing offense and total offense.
Senior defensive back Spencer White of Ithaca repeated as a first-team selection. He averaged six tackles per game, forced four fumbles, recovered three fumbles, broke up seven passes, and blocked a kick.
Sophomore offensive lineman Darius Arrington of Frostburg was named to the all-conference first team in his first year in the Empire 8.
Senior wide receiver Jordan Wilkins of Hartwick College earned first-team honors. He led the conference with 1,119 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2011 Football Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Empire 8 2011 Football All-Conference Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Dan Griffin, Salisbury University
Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Clark, Alfred University
Special Teams Player of the Year: Dan Ruffrage, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Year: J.D. Hook, Frostburg State University
Coach of the Year: Sherman Wood, Salisbury University
2011 Empire 8 Football All-Conference Release