Eleven Gridders Honored by League

Nov 21, 2007

CLEVELAND - The Allegheny College Gators placed 11 players on one of the three All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams announced by the league office on Wednesday morning, including three players, center Andy Fleming (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional), inside linebacker Mateo Villa (Windsor, Ohio/Middlefield Cardinal) and defensive back Andy Toner (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park).

Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria), Billy Jones (New Castle, Pa./Laurel), Craig Lawrence (Fairview, Pa./Fairview), Curt Anderson (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia Notre Dame), Nick Jones (Blairsville, Pa./Homer-Center) and Jason Black (Warren, Ohio/Champion) each earned second team All-League honors, while Doug Macik (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and Ross Simcoe (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) were named to the honorable mention squad. In all, eight of the team’s 11 selections were from the defensive side of the football.

Fleming started all ten games for the Gators in the middle of the offensive line, helping the team average 117.3 yards on the ground and 196.6 through the air, giving them an average of 314.1. The senior also aided in helping the team hold onto the ball for an average of 30:59 of the game, second highest total in the league this season. The Gator offense had their strongest output of the season on October 13 at Kenyon, when the team racked up 485 yards of total offense, 206 on the ground and 279 through the air.

Villa was the team leader in tackles with 100 (41 solo, 59 assisted), while also recording 3.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Earlier in the season he was named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, honoring student athletes for their on- and off-field accomplishments. Six times this season Villa ended a contest with double figure tackles, including 14 against Hiram and 13 against both Wooster and Oberlin.

Toner finished third on the team in tackles in 2007 with 79, while breaking up seven passes and intercepting one. Arguably the biggest hitter on the squad during the season, he also had two quarterback sacks and two and a half tackles for loss in addition to blocking one kick. Toner recorded double-figure tackles three times during the year, including a career-high 20 stops in the team’s victory over Carnegie Mellon on September 22.

Lieb, the school’s single season reception record holder, hauled in 67 passes for 704 yards and three scores from his wide receiver position. Three times during the season he recorded over 100 receiving yards, and twice caught more than ten passes in a contest. His highlight game of the season came against Kenyon College when he caught a dozen passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. He ends his career with the second highest reception total in school history (150), and 1,727 yards, good for third in the Allegheny record books. His 6.7 catch per game average ranked him 28th in Division III, and his receiving yard per game average of 70.4 was 105th.

Jones, a defensive tackle that started nine but played in all 10 games during the season, picked up 38 tackles during the year, 13 of which were solo while adding four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack. The junior was a key member of a defensive line that helped pave the way for a defense that allowed just 156.6 yards through the air and 121.8 on the ground, for an average of 278.4, tops in the NCAC and 31st in Division III.

Lawrence, a junior outside linebacker, finished the season with a team-high 5.5 quarterback sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. He had 56 tackles on the season, 24 of which were solo, while picking up four fumbles and forcing two. Against Carnegie Mellon, he had a hand in three different turnovers, forcing two fumbles and jumping on a third. He was also one of the top catalysts for a defensive pass rush that recorded 25 quarterback sacks, more than doubling their 2006 total of 10.

Anderson, who was an All-NCAC First Team selection a year ago, finished fourth on the squad in tackles with 67 (25 solo), while intercepting two passes, returning them for a combined 19 yards. He broke up seven passes to tie for tops on the team. Anderson bookended the season with double figure tackle game, recording 11 in the opener gainst Westminster on September 1, and then 12 more in the finale against Oberlin on November 10. He added five tackles for loss for the squad from his safety position.

Nick Jones, the third person from the Allegheny secondary to be named to the All-League team, was a dual threat for the Gators, as he was also the team’s top punt returner for the year. He had 43 tackles from his cornerback position, including three for loss and a shared quarterback sack. He picked off a team-leading five passes, which also ranked second in the NCAC and 50th in Division III, returning them for a total of 71 yards. His top game came on November 3 against Wittenberg, when he picked off two passes, including the first offensive play of the game, while adding five tackles. As a punt returner, he averaged 12.4 yards per return, 27th best in Division III.

As a punter, Black averaged 39.5 yards per punt, fourth best in the conference and 30th in Division III. He averaged over 40 yards per kick in three of the games during the year, including averaging 47.4 yards per punt against Wabash on October 6. The senior was also a model of accuracy, as he pinned the opponent inside of their 20 yardline 17 times during the year, nearly doubling his previous single season high (10). He booted the ball over 50 yards eight times during the year, and had just four touchbacks on his 61 punts. His average in 2007 was enough to push him into the top position in punting average for a career, as his four-year total adds up to 38.4 yards per punt, just higher than T.J. Florkiewicz’s two-year total of 38.1 from 1991 and 1992.

Macik, a sophomore defensive lineman, recorded 37 tackles, just behind Jones for most on the defensive line this season. He started in nine of the 10 games this season, starting at two of the three different defensive line positions during the season. He helped the defensive line to the tune of 2.5 quarterback sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss, hurrying the quarterback six times and forcing one fumble. His top game of the season came against Wooster when he picked up seven tackles, and added on four of his quarterback hurries.

The final member of the All-NCAC team is senior linebacker Ross Simcoe, who was second on the team with 91 tackles. He added 2.5 quarterback sacks and five tackles for loss, in addition to breaking up two passes. Five times during the year he had double-figure tackle totals, including a stretch of four times in a five-game span during the middle of the season. On October 20 against Wooster he had a career-high 16 tackles, while adding 13 in a September 29 victory over Denison.

The Gators ended the 2007 season with a 5-5 record. The team will look to improve on its .500 record next season, which starts opens with a trip to Juniata on September 6 before traveling to Westminster a week later on September 13. The team opens its league slate on September 27 following a bye week when the squad hosts Oberlin College in homecoming for the Gators.

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