Senior captain Sterry Codrington earned his third career NE-10 Defensive Player of the Week award. (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix) |
Seniors play pivotal role in Skyhawks Saturday night win over Merrimack
EASTON, Mass. (October 2, 2014) – Two members of the Stonehill College football team received weekly honors from the Northeast-10 Conference on Monday for their efforts in Saturday night's 33-19 victory over Merrimack College at W.B. Mason Stadium.
Stonehill senior safety Sterry Codrington (Freehold, New Jersey/Freehold Boro) has been named the Northeast-10's Defensive Player of the Week, while senior wide receiver Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Massachusetts/Attleboro) has been recognized as Special Teams Player of the Week. Codrington earns Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time this season (third career), while Robitaille earns Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time in his career, having also been named Offensive Player of the Week once as a junior.
Codrington led a Stonehill defense which yielded just 207 yards after the first quarter in which Merrimack built a 12-2 lead to help spark the Skyhawks to victory. He posted a career-high matching 11 tackles (career-best ten solo) and a pass breakup to go with two blocked kicks for the second week in a row. Codrington blocked the extra point on each of the Warriors first two extra point tries, the second of which was returned for a safety to get Stonehill on the scoreboard.
Codrington ranks second on the team with his 33 tackles (10th NE-10), including a team-high 21 solo (3rd), with 1.5 tackles for a loss of three yards, a team-leading four pass breakups (3rd) and program single-season record four blocked kicks. The four blocks surpass the previous single-season mark of three set by Jabari Prince in 2006 and currently leads all of Division II.
Codrington |
Robitaille |
Codrington, a second team All-Northeast-10 selection last fall, has played 33 games over his career at Stonehill and the Skyhawks captain has matched the program's career record of six blocked kicks set by former teammate and All-American Jareed Gaines, '13. Codrington has totaled 154 tackles (104 solo), including 11.0 for a loss of 24 yards, 2.0 sacks for a loss of 21, four interceptions, 16 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He ranks ninth all-time for career pass breakups. He was also named to the NE-10 All-Championship team last fall.
Robitaille's 52 yard punt return for a touchdown with 2:15 remaining in the fourth quarter broke a 19-19 deadlock and sent Stonehill on its way to victory on Saturday night. He posted a team-high 181 all-purpose yards with his five punt returns for 69 yards, a 24 yard kickoff return that set up a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half and five receptions for 88 yards on the night.
Senior Nate Robitaille is the NE-10 Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Robitaille, a preseason All-American by Beyond Sports Network, leads Stonehill with 18 receptions (10th NE-10) for 275 yards (10th) and a touchdown, averaging 68.8 yards per game and 15.3 yards per catch (6th). He is second on the team with 390 all-purpose yards (97.5/game – 12th NE-10), adding 71 yards on seven punt returns (10.1/return – 2nd NE-10) and 44 yards on a pair of kickoff returns. Robitaille entered Saturday night's game with 17 career punt return yards before breaking off the 52 yard touchdown return, marking just the eighth punt return for a touchdown in program history. He ranks 28th nationally in Division II for punt return yard average.
Robitaille, a Daktronics and Don Hansen All-Super Region 1 performer last season, enters this weekend's games with a program record matching 22 career touchdowns, along with Dan Cahill, '95, while also ranking second all-time with 142 career receptions and third with 1,984 receiving yards in 34 career games played. His 4.2 career receptions per game is the third-highest career average in program history, while he also ranks ninth all-time with 2,493 career all-purpose yards, is tied for fourth all-time with 23 career touchdowns and ranks fifth for career scoring with 140 points.
Robitaille, an All-New England and All-Northeast-10 pick last fall as well, enters Saturday's game just 16 receiving yards shy of becoming just the third 2,000 yard receiver in program history, behind Cahill (2,245) and former teammate John Gomes, '13 (2,442). Robitaille is also just 31 receptions shy of Gomes' career record of 173 catches. He posted the first 1,000 yard season by a receiver in program history in 2013, leading the NE-10 with a program-record 1,229 yards and a program-best 91 receptions with his record matching 13 touchdown catches.
Stonehill (2-2, 2-1 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it hosts the University of New Haven (1-3, 1-2 NE-10) for an NE-10 matchup at W.B. Mason Stadium at 6 p.m. The College will welcome back members of its 1989 New England Football Conference Championship team for a 25th anniversary reunion.
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