November 16, 2007
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20 Malone Football Players Receive All-MSFA Mideast League HonorsIn voting announced this morning by the Mid-States Football Association, eight members of the Malone College football team have earned All-MSFA Mideast League First or Second Team honors while 12 additional players have received Honorable Mention distinction. The total of twenty players earning All-MSFA Mideast accolades is the highest number of conference award winners in the history of Pioneer football, surpassing the 1996 squad’s previous record of 15 All-MSFA players.
Senior running back Bernard Payton of Pomona, California (Valley View H.S.), senior tight end LaRoi Johnson of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Peabody H.S.), and senior middle linebacker Dan Hromada of North Royalton, Ohio (Padua Franciscan H.S.) were each named to the First Team.
Payton has put together a truly remarkable year as he has rushed for 1452 yards on 287 carries in addition to catching 52 passes for 533 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns (16 rushing, five receiving). Payton ended the regular season ranked second in the 16-team MSFA in rushing yards per game (132.0) and led the conference in both all-purpose yards per game (180.5) and scoring per game (11.6 points). He has rushed for 100 or more yards in nine of the Pioneers’ 11 contests this season (including each of the last seven games) and has already set eight new Malone offensive records on the year.
Johnson has pulled in 38 passes for 400 yards and one touchdown this season. Hromada paces the Pioneer defense with 111 tackles on the year, including a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, one blocked field goal and two pass break-ups.
Earning Second Team accolades were senior defensive lineman Jeff Jeffries of Dayton, Ohio (Meadowdale H.S.), senior defensive back Dan Beachy of Hartville, Ohio (Lake H.S.), and offensive linemen Bill Jones II of Canton, Ohio (Jr., McKinley H.S.), Bryon Arena of Canton, Ohio (Jr., McKinley H.S.) and Donald Lees of Wooster, Ohio (So., Wooster H.S.).
Jeffries has tallied 33 tackles this season with seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and three pass break-ups. Beachy has notched 39 tackles from his safety position with three tackles for loss, one sack, seven pass break-ups, and one interception that he returned 46 yards for a touchdown. Jones II, Arena, and Lees have provided strong, consistent blocking throughout the season and have been major contributors to an offense that through 11 games has averaged 31.6 points per outing while piling up 288 first downs and 5236 total yards.
Malone also had 12 additional players tabbed as MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention including junior quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh of Eastland, Texas (Eastland H.S.), junior wide receiver Derek Deardorff of Kenton, Ohio (Kenton H.S.), senior wide receiver Mike Clapham of North Ridgeville, Ohio (Elyria Catholic H.S.), junior offensive lineman Nathan Broaddus of Anaheim, California (Canyon H.S.), senior defensive lineman Tino Roland of Monroe, Georgia (Monroe Area H.S.), sophomore defensive lineman Ronell Lee of Cleveland, Ohio (Collinwood H.S.), senior defensive back Chris Cruise of Mogadore, Ohio (Field H.S.), junior defensive back Doug Alford of Cleveland, Ohio (St. Peter Chanel H.S.), junior defensive back Dennis Thornton of Shaker Heights, Ohio (Shaker Heights H.S.), and senior linebackers Justin Murphy of Minerva, Ohio (Minerva H.S.), Jamal Gambrell of Maple Heights, Ohio (Maple Heights H.S.) and Kevin Kapostasy of Fairport Harbor, Ohio (Fairport H.S.).
Orsagh has completed 226 of 340 pass attempts this year (66.5%) for 2998 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. At the end of the regular season, he ranked second in the conference in passing yards per game (272.5) and third in pass efficiency (153.9). He has also set numerous Pioneer records in 2007 including establishing new single-season marks for passing yards (2998) and total offense (3036).
Deardorff, Orsagh’s favorite target throughout the year, has posted 56 receptions for 985 yards with 11 touchdowns. In last Saturday’s season finale at Ohio Dominican University, Deardorff tied the Malone single-season mark for touchdown receptions (11) and he needs just 15 more yards to join Eric Miller as the only Pioneers to tally 1000 receiving yards in a single season.
Clapham has pulled in 33 catches this year for 410 yards and two touchdowns. Broaddus has started all 11 games at the left tackle position, protecting Orsagh’s blind side and leading the way on many of Payton’s runs.
Lee and Roland have both played well on the defensive line throughout the year as Lee currently leads the squad with four sacks in addition to having registered 77 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one blocked punt. Roland, meanwhile, has posted 15 total tackles with three tackles for loss.
Cruise has totaled 39 stops this season with three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one fumble recovery that he returned 77 yards for a touchdown. Alford, who leads the team with 10 pass break-ups, has tallied 29 total tackles with one tackle for loss and one interception. Thornton paces the squad with two interceptions and has tallied 55 tackles with nine pass break-ups.
Murphy is second on the team with 87 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He has also forced a fumble, snagged one interception, and broken up five passes during the 2007 regular season.
Gambrell has notched 59 stops with one tackle for loss and one pass break-up while Kapostasy has registered 64 total tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and four pass break-ups.
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