Springfield Gardens, New York, rising junior running back recognized after breakout sophomore season
College Football America Yearbook 2020 Division II Preseason Starting Lineup
EASTON, Mass. (July 9, 2020) – Preseason recognition for the upcoming 2020 season have begun to come in and Stonehill College rising junior running back Justin Felder has been selected to the College Football America Yearbook Division II Preseason Starting Lineup the outlet announced this week.
Felder adds the first preseason All-America recognition to his resume after a breakout sophomore season that saw him become Stonehill's first Harlon Hill candidate and receive a pair of All-America plaudits. He was selected to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' All-America second team as well as the Don Hansen All-America second team last fall, while being named an honorable mention All-American by D2Football.com. He also received the New England Football Writers College Division Gold Helmet Award as the top Division II/III player in New England and was named the Northeast-10 Conference's Most Valuable Player and D2Football.com NE10 Offensive Player of the Year.
Felder is the lone NE10 player selected to the CFA Preseason Starting Lineup, and one of just five from Super Region 1, including fellow running back selection and Harlon Hill finalist Jaleel McLaughlin of Notre Dame (Ohio) College who rushed for 2,316 yards and 30 touchdowns in the Falcons NCAA quarterfinal run. 27 different Division II programs are represented on this year's preseason Dream Team. Lenoir-Rhyne University offensive lineman Jason Poe and Concordia University-St. Paul defensive lineman Chris Garrett are, along with McLaughlin, holdovers from the 2019 College Football America Yearbook preseason Starting Lineup.
Felder, an All-Super Region 1 selection from Don Hansen (first team) and D2CCCA (second team) while also being selected to the New England Football Writers Division II/III All-Star Team and All-NE10 first team, enjoyed a breakout sophomore season for Stonehill in 2019. He started the last eight games of the season after serving as the number two running back for the Skyhawks the first two weeks and went on to set program records for rushing attempts (236), yards (1,513), touchdowns (16), total touchdowns (18), scoring (108 points) and all-purpose yards (1,611). Felder led the NE10 in each category listed above, ranking fourth in Division II for rushing yards per game (151.3), sixth for rushing yards, tenth for rushing touchdowns, 11th for total touchdowns, 12th in all-purpose yards, 17th in points scored, and 23rd for rushing yards per attempt (6.4).
Felder earned NE10 Offensive Player of the Week honors a program-record four times over the course of the season. He also received the New England Football Writers Division II/III Weekly Gold Helmet Award on November 10 and posted the first 100-point and 1,500-yard rushing season in program history, surpassing 100-yards in seven of ten games and is the first running back in NE10 history to rush for over 300-yards in back to back weeks. Felder set a school-record with his 314 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns, averaging a program-best 13.1 yards per carry, in Stonehill's 41-20 win over Southern Connecticut State University on November 2. He followed that up with 311 yards on a career-high 40 carries and four touchdowns, with three rushing and another receiving, in the Skyhawks 34-22 win over Pace University on November 9.
Felder, after just 18 games played through his first two seasons, enters his junior season ranked third in program history with his 18 career rushing touchdowns, which is just six shy of the program record of 24 by Eddie Vachon '11 and teammate Brian Kearns, Jr., while ranking seventh with 1,942 career yards, eighth with 21 total touchdowns and ninth with 331 rushing attempts.
Stonehill finished its 2019 season with a 6-4 record overall, including 5-3 in the NE10 to finish in third place in the Conference, a game out of first place. The NE10 and College continue to work toward a safe return to play for the 2020 season, with a schedule to be released on a later date.
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