The Empire 8 has named several players from the St. John Fisher College football team to its All-Conference team. Seniors
Tim Marion,
Andrew Cottet,
Dan Pollock,
Josh Gottlieb, and
Kenny Bostick each received First Team honors, with
Brad Carlton,
Ben Musall, and
Pete Soehner,
Matt Becton,
Andy Episcopo,
Turell Ahmed,
Chris Pierri, and
Ricky Tatar being named to the Second Team.
Jimmy Smith,
Dan Reger,
Sean Trapper, and
Jason Cirulli were given Honorable Mention.
Marion, who was an all-purpose and special teams First Teamer, and made the Second Team as a wide receiver, leads the Cardinals this season in catches (49) yards (751) and touchdowns (six), while also pacing the team with a conference-best 23 punt returns for 272 yards. A standout kick returner (19.9 yards/return), Marion has recorded at least 100 all-purpose yards in eight of Fisher’s ten games this season, including a career-high 258 yards in the 36-33 overtime loss to Alfred where he totaled 14 receptions for 134 yards, three kick returns for 64 yards, and six punt returns for 60 yards.
Cottet (First Team, Left Tackle), Ben Musall (Second Team, Left Guard), and Pete Soehner (Second Team, Right Tackle) have been integral parts of the run and pass game. Behind solid blocking, the Cardinals rank among the national leaders with 274.1 passing yards per game, and have rushed for a combined 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year. Fisher, who ranked third in the Empire 8 with an average 29.7 points per contest, surpassed 400 yards of total offense five times, including 504 yards in a 37-6 rout of Ithaca College.
Defensive end Pollock, who was an All-Region pick last fall, ranks second on the team with 8.5 tackles-for-loss, including 2.5 sacks, and ranks fifth with 54 tackles (24 solo). The two year starter has recorded at least four tackles in every game so far, with nine tackles (0.5 for loss), and a fumble recovery marking the senior’s most prolific performance in 2008.
Gottlieb is a two-time Empire 8 First teamer who is tied for second on the team in tackles this season. An inside linebacker, Gottlieb has tallied 10.5 tackles for a loss of 47 yards, and two of his three forced fumbles have led to defensive touchdowns for the Cardinals.
In his first year as a full-time starter, cornerback Bostick, who was also named as Fisher’s Sportsman of the Year, leads the Fisher defense with 67 tackles (35 solo), and four interceptions. The senior broke up four passes in Fisher’s win over Buffalo State and recorded a career-high 14 tackles in the Cardinals four overtime loss to nationally ranked Salisbury University.
Junior running back Carlton ranks as the conference’s third leading rusher with 768 yards on 185 carries (4.2 yards/carry). Carlton has found the end zone in each of Fisher’s wins over Ithaca, Norwich, and Utica this season, breaking the 100-yard barrier on three separate occasions as Fisher’s primary rusher.
Matt Becton, a 6-foot-6 355-pound nose guard, has totaled 28 tackles (10 solo), 2.0 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and a fumble recovery from the interior of the defensive line this season. With the score knotted up at 7-7 in a game that would have clinched the Empire 8 Championship, the senior scooped up a fumble and rumbled into the end zone for his first career TD.
Episcopo is tied for second on the team with 62 tackles (33 solo) from his linebacker position. In Fisher’s record-setting win over Utica College, the junior tallied a season-high 12 tackles and recovered a fumble that he returned 20 yards for a touchdown.
Senior corner Ahmed also ranks among the team leaders with 49 tackles, including four tackles for a loss of 13 yards. Ahmed recorded a sack in the Courage Bowl, recovered a fumble against Salisbury, and broke up a pass in the regular-season finale against Alfred University.
Pierri has drilled eight field goals including a 36 yarrder, and has served as the kickoff specialist, while Tatar averages 39.0 yards per punt, and has made five field goals.
Smith, who is second on the squad with 41 catches for 631 yards and three TDs, recorded 191 yards (career-high) in Fisher’s win over Ithaca, but has been out of the lineup each of the last two weeks with an injury.
Reger scored his only touchdown of the year in the win over University of Rochester, but has remained active both as a receiver (nine catches, 122 yards), and as a blocker on the perimeter of the offensive line.
Opposite Pollock, defensive end Trapper has five sacks and 36 tackles (24 solo) this year. Trapper made eight stops with one tackle for loss in the win over Springfield.
Cirulli, a versatile outside linebacker/defensive back, has made six or more stops in six games, including 14 hits against Salisbury, with two interceptions from the secondary this year.
Fisher earned a berth in the ECAC Northeast Championship, and will take on Husson University on Saturday in Bangor, ME. Kickoff is slated for noon.
