Fourteen Honored on All-NCAC Team, Including Five First-Teamers; Schmitz Coach of the Year

» Complete All-NCAC Team

After coming in second in the North Coast Athletic Conference – its highest finish since the 2004 championship season – The College of Wooster was awarded with 14 of its players being named to the All-NCAC Team, highlighted by first-team selections Bryan Albani (Warren, Ohio / Howland), Steve Custenborder (Rocky River, Ohio / Rocky River), Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary), Kevin Friedman (Pepper Pike, Ohio / St. Peter Chanel), and Storm Tropea (Hollywood, Fla. / Hollywood Hills), as well as with Mike Schmitz earning NCAC Coach-of-the-Year accolades for the second time in his nine-year tenure.

Second-team all-NCAC status went to Luke Drake (Valrico, Fla. / Newsome), Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe), Cam LeMasters (Cross Lanes, W. Va. / Nitro), John Obery (South Euclid, Ohio / Brush), Jordan Ross (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Cuyahoga Falls), and Dustin Sheppard (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) of the Fighting Scots, while honorable mention recipients consisted of Pat Byrne (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Central Catholic), Josh Clark (Dennison, Ohio / Tuscarawas Central Catholic), and Mike Francescangeli (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick).

Albani, a junior cornerback, anchored a defensive backfield that set a Wooster record with 20 interceptions. He tied for the league lead with five total picks, including one in each of the last three games, and added four pass breakups. Albani was the squad's sixth-leading tackler (43), with a career-high seven solos against Denison University. Also of note, he forced a fumble inside the red zone early in the game at NCAC-champion Wabash College.

Custenborder was one of just four underclassmen on the All-NCAC First Team. The sophomore middle linebacker ranked among the top-10 in the conference in tackles with 87. He recorded double digits in five games, including 12 against both Ohio Wesleyan University and Wabash. Additionally, Custenborder tallied four pass breakups, 2.5 sacks for 25 yards, a team-high two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception, which he returned 36 yards for a score against Washington University-St. Louis.

DeGrand, now a two-time all-conference pick (honorable mention last year), led the entire NCAC with 113 tackles from his outside linebacker position. The junior was the Scots' leader in that category in seven of the 10 games, highlighted by 17 at Denison. That number marked the most by a Wooster player since Tim Cline at Ohio Wesleyan in 2001. In addition to his tackles, 9.5 of which went for losses, DeGrand totaled 3.5 sacks for 17 yards, three interceptions, and one fumble recovery on the season.

Friedman, a senior, finished atop the conference in punting average for the second year in a row, averaging 41.1 yards this fall, 4.4 better than anyone else in the NCAC. Of his 39 punts, seven landed inside the 20-yard line and three were fair caught, as the Scots also led the league in net punting (35.3 average). The two-time all-NCAC honoree boomed a career-long 65-yarder during a cool, wet game at Oberlin College Nov. 8.

Tropea, a junior left guard, was the cornerstone of an offensive line that cleared the path for Wooster's offense, which ranked second in the NCAC at 389.3 yards per game. His first postseason honor came as the result of grading out at a team-best 77 percent, according to the coaching staff's statistics. Tropea also was credited with 63 knockdown blocks, while the Scots averaged a conference-high 5.1 yards on rushing attempts and only yielded eight sacks overall.

Drake served as Wooster's top defensive lineman, as the sophomore end paced the team with 4.0 sacks for 30 yards while also ranking as its fourth-leading tackler overall with 52 stops. Drake's top game came in the 27-6 season-finale win over rival Wittenberg University, when he made eight tackles, including a 16-yard sack.

Holter had a breakthrough season, earning a reputation as one of the top offensive players in the NCAC. A dual threat, the junior quarterback led the league in total offense (271.2 ypg) while setting a single-season team record in that category with 2,712 yards. He ranked fifth in the league in rushing at 75.5 yards per game and third in total passing yardage with 1,957, while being part of 22 touchdowns (nine rushing, 13 passing). Holter, who completed 56.2 percent of his passes (167-for-297), registered three 100-yard rushing and three 250-yard passing games, highlighted by 103 rushing and 258 passing against Allegheny College on Nov. 1.

LeMasters, a senior, was the key cog on the right side of the offensive line. According to the coaching staff's statistics, the 6-4, 285-pound tackle led the unit with 79 knockdown blocks while grading out at 70 percent. LeMasters helped the offense average 24.2 points and 389.3 yards.

Obery, one of the biggest players in college football at 6-8 and 305 pounds, started all 10 games at left tackle, protecting Holter's blindside. He totaled 70 knockdown blocks for the year and graded out at 71 percent as an integral member of the Scots' offense, which ranked second in the NCAC (389.3 ypg).

Ross lined up on the other corner, opposite Albani. He wound up fifth on the squad in tackles with 47, including 6.5 for losses, while also tallying two interceptions, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble. A 5-7, 170-pound sparkplug and team captain, Ross' senior season included a nine-tackle, two-pass breakup outing at Denison and a 2.0-sack performance at Oberlin.

Sheppard, also a team captain, overcame an injury-plagued senior campaign to notch his third mention on the All-NCAC Team (second-team as a junior, honorable mention as a sophomore). In seven games, he netted 565 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as well as 17 receptions for 181 yards. Sheppard closed his career in style with back-to-back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, including 118 on 24 carries in the victory over Wittenberg.

Byrne was the anchor of Wooster's interior defensive line, as the senior tackle and team captain contributed 2.0 sacks and 32 total stops to tie for 10th on the squad in the latter category. He equaled a career high with six tackles at Case Western Reserve University, and also had a forced fumble against Ohio Wesleyan and a fumble recovery at Wabash.

Clark, who missed last season due to a serious illness, returned and was one of the conference's top centers. The coaching staff graded him at 75 percent with 56 knockdown blocks, while playing a key role on an offense that gained more than 400 yards in four games, including a season-high 503 against Allegheny. Listed as a senior, Clark is expected to use his final year of athletic eligibility in 2009.

Francescangeli, after playing running back and linebacker previously, settled in as the Scots' top target in the passing game. He finished ninth in the NCAC in both receptions (4.10 per game) and receiving yards (57.3 ypg), while totaling 41 for 573 yards and five touchdowns. Francescangeli had three 100-yard games, highlighted by the 12th-best receiving day in school history with 150 yards on nine catches at Wabash.

Entering 2008 with just three returning all-NCAC players and 12 starters, Wooster exceeded expectations with an 8-2 overall record. The lone losses came to Case Western Reserve and Wabash, both of which reached the NCAA Div. III Football Championship, and the Scots secured sole possession of second-place in the conference (6-1).