|
| D'Andre Brown |
|
| Jacob Lewis |
Junior defensive tackle D'Andre Brown and junior tight end Jacob Lewis were elevated to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference first-team and headlined the 11 College of Wooster football student-athletes who were named all-conference, as announced by the league office on Thursday morning. Senior running back Antonio Bailey, senior defensive tackle Marcus Bowers, sophomore left tackle Eli Lohrey, and sophomore punt returner Cam Pollard were named to the all-conference second-team, while the quintet of junior left guard Adam Clark, sophomore defensive backs Beau Greenwood and Mark Herron, junior defensive back Christian Santos, and junior wide receiver Nick Strausbaugh all earned honorable mention certificates.
Brown, a second-team selection a season ago, led Wooster's defensive line with 53 tackles, and tied for first on the team with 10 tackles for loss, while ranking second with five sacks. Brown led a defense currently ranked 30th in NCAA Div. III with 3.20 sacks per game, and the Scots' had their best showing in terms of rushing defense since 2008 by holding the opposition to 113.0 yards per game on the ground.
Lewis enjoyed a career year on the gridiron and is currently seventh in the NCAC in receiving yards at 654. The two-time all-conference honoree logged a career-high nine receptions for 161 yards against Hiram College on Oct. 20, and reached the century mark for the first time during Wooster's 24-21 win over DePauw University on Sept. 22. The tight end hauled in at least four receptions in seven games this season and averaged at least 15.0 yards per catch in seven games.
Bailey, a two-time all-conference honoree, capped his time in a Scots' jersey with a career-high 171 yards rushing, and that bumped the four-year starter up to fourth league-wide with a career-best 881 yards. Bailey's nine rushing touchdowns ranked in the top-10 league-wide, and his 1,167 all-purpose yards were the sixth-most in the conference.
Bowers, a 3.5-year starter, began the season by transitioning to his third starting position on the defense in as many years. The interior anchor tied for fifth on the team with 47 tackles and was tops on the squad with 5.5 sacks. Bowers added six tackles for loss and a forced fumble this season.
Lohrey transitioned over to left tackle after ending last season as the Scots' starting right guard. The sophomore helped pave the way for one of the two offenses in the NCAC that had a running back and a wide receiver with over 800 yards. In fact, Wooster's passing offense ranks in the top-30 nationally, and the Scots' are currently second within the NCAC at 276.3 yards per game.
Pollard led the NCAC with 20.7 yards per punt return this season. The explosive sophomore logged a career-long 65-yard punt return against Kenyon College on Oct. 27 and had two punt returns for 45 yards at Ohio Wesleyan University on Sept. 15.
Clark, a three-year staple at left guard, has now been a part of three offenses ranked in the top-30 within Div. III in passing. This season, Clark's blocking helped Wooster average nearly 400 yards per game of total offense, and the Scots finished second in the NCAC with 222 first downs.
Greenwood, a two-year starter, ranked third on the team with 58 tackles, while his three interceptions marked the team high. Greenwood logged a two-interception afternoon versus DePauw with his first pick coming in the end zone on the Tigers' opening drive, and the second one coming late in the fourth quarter with Wooster leading by three.
Herron emerged as one of the Scots' top all-around defenders from the get-go in his first season as a starter. The weakside safety led the team with 72 tackles and had at least six stops in eight games. Herron logged a career-best 13 tackles versus Hiram and had nine tackles against Ohio Wesleyan, DePauw, and Denison University.
Santos wreaked havoc all over the field from his defensive back position. The junior finished the year second on the team with 65 tackles, third with 9.5 tackles for loss, and was one of six players with at least three sacks on the season. Santos logged a 37-yard pick-six against Hiram and then went on to log 24 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, over the final three games.
Strausbaugh's 972 yards receiving are the fourth-most in the NCAC this season and the second-most in Wooster's single-season program history. The junior snared eight touchdown receptions and had four 100-yard games including against NCAC tri-champions Denison and Wabash College.
Wooster finished the season at 5-5, including a 4-5 ledger in league play. The Scots' 11 all-conference honorees mark the most since Wooster also had 11 honorees in 2010.