Junior Stephan Neville earned All-Northeast-10 honors at two positions for the second-straight year for Stonehill. (PHOTO BY Robert Klein) |
Neville earns All-NE-10 honors at two positions for second-straight year
Skyhawks place four on All-Conference first team, two on second team
Two Skyhawks selected to NE-10 All-Rookie team
EASTON, Mass. (December 9, 2010) – Six members of the Stonehill College football team have earned All-Northeast-10 Conference honors as selected by the league's nine head coaches. In addition, two Skyhawks were selected to the NE-10's All-Rookie squad by the coaches.
Junior cornerback/return specialist Stephan Neville (Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough) leads the list of All-Northeast-10 selections for Stonehill by being named at two positions for the second-straight year, earning first team honors as a return specialist while collecting second team honors on defense. Joining Neville on the All-NE-10 first team are senior running back Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass./Blair Academy) on offense and senior defensive lineman Clark Leger (Waltham, Mass./Trinity Catholic) and junior punter Chris Rooney (Quincy, Mass./Catholic Memorial) on defense. Senior defensive lineman Brenden Taylor (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) and sophomore linebacker Jonathan Poth (Nahant, Mass./Swampscott) joined Neville on defensive second team.
Poth and freshman safety Tim Bennett (Fillmore, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) both represent Stonehill on the NE-10 All-Rookie team.
Neville |
Neville, the first student-athlete in program history to earn All-Conference honors at two positions in the same season when he collected first team honors as both a cornerback and kick returner as a sophomore, has added two more All-Conference honors to his list. He led the NE-10 for the second-straight year by averaging 30.9 yards per return (3rd nationally) while matching an NCAA Division II record with four returns for a touchdown. Neville returned 25 kickoffs for 773 yards, including a long of 94 yards for a score against NE-10 champions University of New Haven on October 8. He finished second on the team with 848 all-purpose yards, adding six punt returns for 38 yards and 37 interception return yards.
Neville started all ten games for Stonehill this year at cornerback, finishing with 44 tackles (29 solo), two interceptions and nine pass breakups for 11 passes defended (2nd NE-10), a forced fumble and fumble recovery that he returned 35 yards for a touchdown to finish the year with five total returns for scores – just one shy of the NCAA Division II record for total touchdown returns.
Neville, a three-time All-NE-10 selection as a return specialist has played 30 games over his career and returned 64 kicks for 2,109 yards (32.95/return), with an NCAA Division II record matching eight returns for touchdowns - including two for a career-long 94 yards. His first 94-yarder came on the opening kickoff of last year's 23-21 victory over No. 24-ranked Bentley University in the final game of the season. An All-Rookie Team pick as a freshman, Neville led all of Division II when he averaged 36.7 yards per return his sophomore season.
Neville has totaled 134 tackles (91 solo) over his career on defense for Stonehill, posting 2.5 career tackles for a loss, 11 interceptions with another 20 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Vachon |
Vachon earn All-Conference honors for the third-straight year with his first selection to the first team. He started all ten games in his final collegiate season for Stonehill and carried the ball 226 times for 1,117 yards (4.9/carry) and 12 touchdowns, ranking second among NE-10 leaders with his 111.7 yards per game, posting just the third 1,000-yard rushing season in program history and finishing second on the program's single-season list while breaking the program record with 14 total touchdowns.
Vachon ranked fourth in the NE-10 with 1,408 all-purpose yards (140.8/game) as he added 18 receptions for 168 yards (9.3 per catch) and two scores, seven kickoff returns for 93 yards (13.3/return) and three punt returns for 30 yards (10.0/return). He rushed for over 100 yards six times this season (11 career), including a season-best 191 yards with three touchdowns in a home win over Pace University on September 10 to earn NE-10 Player of the Week honors.
Vachon finished his career with a program-record 4,689 career all-purpose yards, carrying the ball a program-record 646 times for a record 3,019 yards and record 27 touchdowns. His 34 career touchdowns in all are also a new school record as he finished his career with 888 career receiving yards, 672 yards on kickoff returns and 110 punt return yards.
Rooney |
Rooney earns All-NE-10 first team punting honors for the second-straight year for Stonehill after averaging 35.7 yards per kick (1st NE-10), including four inside the 20 yard line, two touchbacks, two fair catches and two punts of 50-plus yards. He was also dangerous with his legs on fourth down, adding three carries for 53 yards (17.7/rush) – all coming on fourth down on fake punts.
Rooney led the NE-10 in punting average as a sophomore (38.9) and has totaled nine career punts over 50 yards, including a career-best 58 yarder at Glenville State University in 2009, 15 career punts inside the 20 and eight career kicks inside the five yard line.
Leger |
Leger earns his first All-Conference selection in his final season with a spot on the first team. He started all ten games this season and finished fourth on the team with 45 tackles (19 solo), including 8.5 for a loss of 35 yards (7th NE-10) with a team-best six sacks (3rd) for a loss of 32 yards, seven quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Leger was dominant in the Skyhawks 18-0 win over Assumption College on November 6 with nine tackles (four solo), including 2.0 for a loss of nine, with a sack, forced fumble and two QB hurries.
Leger has played 33 games over his career and totaled 151 tackles (69 solo), including 24.0 for a loss of 122 yards with 13.0 sacks for a loss of 66, 16 quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, six forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries with one blocked kick.
Taylor |
Taylor is also a first time All-NE-10 honoree with his second team selection. He started all ten games in his senior season for Stonehill and finished with 35 tackles (26 solo), including 6.0 for a loss of 12 yards, a sack for a loss of a yard, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Taylor posted four solo tackles, including 2.0 for a loss of four yards, with a sack in the Skyhawks 41-27 win at Saint Anselm College in the Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk on October 30.
Taylor played all 40 games over his career at Stonehill and finished with 94 tackles (47 solo), including 13.0 for a loss of 26 yards, with 1.5 sacks for a loss of three, seven quarterback hurries, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, blocked kick and interception.
Poth |
Poth earns his first All-Conference selection while also collecting All-Rookie team honors. He had a breakout season in 2010 after not seeing the field as a freshman. He played all ten games this fall and led the team with 100 tackles (52 solo), ranking second among NE-10 tackle leaders, including 5.0 for a loss of 18 yards, two sacks for a loss of 12, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. He posted the sixth 100 tackle season in program history, posting a season-high 20 stops (eight solo) against Merrimack College on September 24, registering double-figure tackles five times.
Bennett |
Bennett also earns All-Rookie team honors after emerging as a starter in his first collegiate season. He played all ten games and finished with 39 tackles (29 solo), including 3.0 for a loss of seven yards, a team-high four interceptions (3rd NE-10) returned 62 yards, including one for a touchdown and three pass breakups. Bennett earned NE-10 Rookie of the Week honors twice during the season, the latter after the Skyhawks 41-27 win at Saint Anselm in the Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk when he finished with five tackles (four solo), including 1.5 for a loss of four yards, two pass breakups and an interception he returned 30 yards for a touchdown to give Stonehill a two touchdown lead midway through the third quarter.
Stonehill finished the season with a 5-5 record overall, 3-5 in the NE-10, marking the third time in four years under head coach Robert Talley the Skyhawks have finished with a .500 record.
