D3Football.com Names Four Cardinals to All-East Region Team
D3football.com has released its All-East Region Team, highlighting four members of the St. John Fisher College football team. Coach Paul Vosburgh was named the region’s Coach of the Year, while his son, Dave, along with Troy Sant, were named to the Defensive First Team. Representing the Cardinals' offense was lineman Corey Balcerzak, who was also named to the First Team.
Coach Vosburgh, in his 21
st season as the head coach of Fisher, was named the East Region’s Coach of the Year for leading the Cardinals to a 10-3 season without a starting quarterback. Vosburgh used converted running back Ryan Kramer to to help lead the offense. Kramer and Vosburgh led the Cardinals back to the NCAA Division III Championship for the first time since 2007. Even after losing Kramer early in the NCAA First Round game, Vosburgh was able to lead Fisher past two previously unbeaten conference champions, Johns Hopkins University and Delaware Valley College. With the 10-3 mark, Vosburgh finishes his 21
st season with a 120-99 overall record, and has earned several honors, including being named the 2006 Division III
Football Gazette Coach of the Year.
Dave Vosburgh, the coach’s son and standout safety, was honored with a First Team selection for leading a dominant defense deep into the playoffs. Vosburgh led the team with 126 tackles (7th all-time at Fisher), 78 of which were solo. The safety also led the team in passes defended (14) and tackles for a loss (14.5 – 64 yards). Vosburgh intercepted four passes on the season, including two in the first round game against Johns Hopkins, whose quarterback, Hewitt Tomlin, is a Gagliardi Trophy Finalist, Division III’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
The senior was named to the Empire 8 Conference’s First Team All-Defense as well as d3football.com’s Week 5 Team of the Week for his 13 tackles and forced fumble against then No. 14 Alfred University. Through Week 14, Vosburgh is 66
th in the nation for tackles this season. For his career, Dave ranks first at Fisher in career forced fumbles (9), fourth in career tackles (300) and sixth in career interceptions (8).
Sant was also named to the Defensive First Team, as one of the best interception men in the nation. Currently Sant is tied for 30
th in the nation with .54 interceptions per game. That statistic does not include that fact that Sant did not begin starting for the Cardinals until the fourth game of the season against Alfred. Sant made his presence known, intercepting one against Alfred, two the following week in a 13-10 overtime victory against rival Ithaca College and then one more in his third game, this one he returned 34 yards for a touchdown just 38 seconds into the game against Frostburg State. Sant added a pick against Utica and then used two interceptions against Hartwick in a game that Fisher needed its largest comeback in program history to defeat the Hawks 55-28, leading to the at-large bid by the NCAA Selection Committee the following day. Sant was named to the Empire 8 Conference’s Defensive Second Team and d3football.com’s Week 7 Team of the Week for his game against Frostburg State. The junior finished the season with 45 tackles and nine passes defended.
Balcerzak, a senior right tackle, was recognized on the Offensive First Team for his stellar protection throughout the season. Balcerzak anchored an offensive line that has produced 4,511 yards of total offense (2,550 rushing and 1,961 passing) for an average of 29.2 points per game. The Cardinals are currently ranked 39
th in sacks allowed in the nation (1.08) and 54th in rushing offense (196.2 yards/game). The senior was also named to the Empire 8 Conference’s Offensive First Team.