2009 PSAC Football All-East Squad
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – West Chester University placed 10 football players on the All-PSAC East squad it was announced this afternoon by the conference. Eight Golden Rams were named to the first team while two were second team honorees.
West Chester (7-4, 5-2 PSAC East) put three offensive players, four defensive players and a return specialist on the first team while logging one more offensive player and defensive player on the second team. All four defensive players were repeat first-team selections. The Golden Rams concluded their 2009 campaign last Saturday with a 45-13 victory over visiting Mercyhurst.
Senior TE Ryan Paulson and WR Steve Miller were repeat all-leaguers. Paulson was a first-teamer a year ago while Miller was a second-team selection, who made the move up to the first team. Making their first appearance on the all-league squad offensively was center Kyle O’Neill.
A pair of defensive linemen and a pair of linebackers highlighted West Chester’s defensive All-East picks. Down linemen Travis Ford-Bey and James Thorpe were both repeat first-teamers. Ford-Bey was a first-team selection a year ago and a second team pick in 2007. Thorpe was a two-time second team honoree in each of the past two seasons.
Last year’s Eastern Division Defensive Player of the Year, Mike Dell, was a first-team linebacker, along with classmate and fellow linebacker Sam Scott. Both Dell and Scott are repeat first-team picks at linebacker.
Senior CB/Return Specialist Kevin Garland was selected as the Eastern Division first-team return specialist. Finding their way on to the second team All-PSAC East team were WR Dan DePalma and CB Corey Rhood.
Paulson caught 28 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown in his senior season. He averaged 10.9 yards per catch. Miller led all receivers at West Chester with 46 catches. He racked up 759 yards and tied for the team lead with nine touchdowns. He averaged 16.5 yards per catch.
O’Neill was the center on West Chester’s offensive line that protected senior quarterback Joe Wright. The Golden Rams ranked third in the conference in fewest sacks allowed (13) while authoring the loop’s top offense. O’Neill shifted over from a guard position last year to fill the void left by Kennis Jones and did a great job anchoring that offensive line.
Defensively, Ford-Bey ranked seventh on the Golden Rams in tackles with 31. He made 8.5 tackles for a loss, including 3.5 sacks. He led the squad with seven QB hurries. James Thorpe, who moved from a defensive tackle position to a defensive end spot this year, finished with 17 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. He registered three QB hurries and recovered a fumble.
Dell, the conference’s reigning defensive player of the year, led the Golden Rams in tackles with 72. He posted 7.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks and forced three fumbles. Additionally, the all-leaguer intercepted a pass, broke up another pass and recorded six QB hurries. He was named the PSAC East defensive player of the week the next-to-last week of the season after leading West Chester to a 30-14 win over 10th-ranked Bloomsburg.
Scott was third on the team in tackles with 62 stops. He led the conference with 16.5 tackles for a loss and posted a team-high 7.5 sacks. He forced two fumbles, intercepted a pass and blocked two kicks on the year. He was also credited with five QB hurries. Scott ranked 38th in the NCAA in sacks per game (0.68) and tied for 18th nationally in tackles for a loss per game (1.55).
Garland led the nation in punt return yards per game with an average of 20.57 per return. He returned 14 punts on the year for 288 yards and a long of 52 yards. Doubling as the team’s starting cornerback, Garland picked off a team-high three passes for 129 yards and returned one of those 61 yards for a touchdown.
Making an appearance on the second team All-PSAC East squad, DePalma led the Golden Rams in reception yards with 832. He hauled in 45 passes on the year, including tying Miller for the team lead with nine touchdown catches. He averaged 18.5 yards per catch. DePalma also averaged 24.4 yards per kick return on 13 tries. He returned two punts for eight yards as well.
Rhood tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 51 stops. He made 31 solo tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss. He intercepted two passes and was credited with seven pass breakups. Rhood also forced a fumble.