SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — Tenth-year Susquehanna University head football coach Steve Briggs, orginally of Lee, Mass., is the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League Coach of the Year as he guided his team to its second-straight league championship this season, as well as its best record since 1992 with a 7-3 mark.
Freshman cornerback/return specialist Antonio Nash (Washington, D.C./Spring Brook, Md., H.S.) is also the league Rookie of the Year and tops a list of four Crusader first-team and six second-team All-Stars.
Joining Nash on the first-team are senior defensive end and tri-captain Denny Bowers (Westminster, Md./Westminster H.S.) and junior offensive tackle Randy Zook (Belleville/Indian Valley H.S.) — both repeat first-team picks — as well as senior guard Todd Werley (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic H.S.).
Nash made the first-team as a defensive back, and was a second-team All-Star as a return specialist. Other Susquehanna second-teamers were senior halfback and tri-captain Jose Delgado (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic H.S.); two juniors in tri-captain and free safety/cornerback Mario Cromartie (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna H.S.) and center Dave Wonderlick (Shenandoah/Shenandoah Valley H.S.); and sophomores Dominick DeSteno (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Bergen Catholic H.S.) and Frank Hanlon (Mahanoy City/Mahanoy Area H.S.) at linebacker and defensive end respectively.
The honor marks the first time Briggs has been Coach of the Year in his career, which includes being the winningest head football coach in the 101-season history of Susquehanna football, now at 68-34 (.667). He has led his teams to .500-or-better records in each of his 10 seasons, with three-straight winning seasons and eight total, and began the year ranked 36th among active NCAA Division III head football coaches in winning percentage. He is also on the NCAA Division III South Region Advisory Committee.
“This honor is not just me — it’s the staff. When the honor comes out, it’s my name on it, but it’s really a reflection of the staff and what all we’ve done,” said Briggs, who has guided the program now to 10 of its 14-straight non-losing seasons.
The 5-9, 170-pound Nash is a transfer from Division II Cheyney University and tied the Susquehanna school record for single-season interceptions with 10 (Other Record Holders: Mike Fabian, 1971; Cory Mabry, 1988; Jeremy Zeisloft, 1996), leading the MAC while tying for third in NCAA Division III (1.0 per game). He had a 9.0-yard interception return average. Nash also led the team in pass break-ups with seven, also blocking a kick and posting 50 tackles (33 solo) — two of them for losses of two yards. He also led the MAC and was tied for 17th in NCAA Division III punt return average at 13.2. That average was third-highest in a season at Susquehanna, and includes 224 yards in 17 returns with a touchdown. Nash was one of just two players to repeat as the team’s Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week Award, sponsored by the Golden Corral Family Restaurant.
“We’ve had a lot of guys come through here, but I don’t think we’ve ever have any make a bigger impact than Antonio. He did a lot of things for us and is a big reason why we repeated as league champions,” said Briggs.
Nash is an accounting major and the son of Joann and Sampson, Nash, Jr.
The 6-2, 235-pound Bowers is a back-to-back first-team All-Star as he led the team with 16 tackles for losses of 68 yards, including a team best seven quarterback sacks, among his 35 tackles (24 solo). He also had a team high three blocked kicks, including a field goal last Saturday in the 27-20 win at Albright, as well as a pass break-up. He was the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on October 9.
Bowers finished his Crusader football career second in career tackles for loss with 42 for 177 yards (Record: 43 for 152, John Heim, 1990-92), and fourth in career sacks with 19.5 (Record: 24, Heim, 1990-92). He had 114 tackles in his career.
“Denny is the best rush lineman in the league and the conference, and one of the best in Division III. He was a force offenses had to pay attention to, and he still made the plays,” said Briggs.
Bowers is a mathematics major and the son of Dennis and Pamela Bowers.
The 6-5, 260-pound Zook earned first-team All-Star honors for the second time in as many seasons as a starter, while Werley earns post-season honors for the first time. They were top linemen on a Crusader offense which ranked second in the MAC in rushing (163.5 yards per game), and fifth overall (345.7 yards per game). The line was the team’s Gus Weber Crusader Players of the Week in a 27-7 win at Juniata on October 9. That group led a punishing attack which rolled up 285 yards rushing, 28 first downs, and didn’t allow a sack, while keeping the ball for 37:28 against a Juniata defense which was ranked 11th in NCAA Division III against the rush (61.8 yards per game) at the time.
“Both Randy and Todd are very deserving of these awards. More specifically, all the other coaches know how much we like to run the football and how important these guys are to our attack,” said Briggs.
Both of them are public relations majors, with Zook being the son of Raymond and Joann Zook, while Werley is the son of Stanley Werley and Nikki Werley — both of Allentown.
The 5-7, 170-pound Delgado was second on the team in all-purpose yardage with 860 yards (86.0 per game), finishing third in both rushing with 326 yards in 76 carries (4.3 avg.), and receiving with 24 catches for 196 yards (8.2 avg.) and two scores. He was also second in kickoff returns with 18 for 338 yards (18.8 avg.). Delgado finished his Crusader career ranked eighth at the school in all-purpose yards with 2,366 in his three seasons since transferring from Division I-AA New Hampshire.
He is a sociology major and the son of of Minerva and Roman Delgado.
The 6-1, 195-pound Cromartie earns second-team All-Star honors for the second-straight year as he led the secondary in tackles with 62 (32 solo), finishing third on the team. Two of his tackles were for three yards in losses, and he also had a pair of pass break-ups and a fumble recovery. He started all but one game at free safety, starting that game at cornerback.
Cromartie is a public relations major and the son of Nettie Cromartie.
The 5-10, 245-pound Wonderlick was in his first season as a full-time starter, and also became one of the top performers on the line. In addition to the team stats, Wonderlick did not allow a sack in 289 pass plays, giving up just three-and-a-half hurries. He also led the squad in knockdown blocks with 16.
Also an Academic All-American candidate as a communications/theatre arts major with perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average, he is the son of Len and Louise Wonderlick.
The 5-11, 220-pound DeSteno was the team’s top blitzing linebacker from his Bill backer position — leading ther team in yardage lost with 14 tackles for 69 yards lost. He was third in sacks with four-and-a-half. DeSteno had 56 total tackles (56 solo), ranking fourth on the team, and also had three pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries — returning one for a touchdown at Dickinson — and two forced fumbles. In addition to his numbers, DeSteno was Division III National Defensive Player of the Week by Don Hansen's Football Gazette for his game vs. Dickinson, also earning the team’s Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week twice. He transferred to Susquehanna this season after stints at both Division I-AA Fordham and Lafayette — only playing spring ball for the Leopards.
DeSteno is a history major and the son of Stefano and RoseAnn DeSteno.
The 6-4, 210-pound Hanlon also transferred to Susquehanna, coming from Division II Mansfield University. Hanlon was second to Bowers in quarterback sacks this season with five-and-a-half, also finishing third in tackles for loss with 13 for 58 yards. He had 53 total tackles (21 solo), with a pass break-up, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery which he returned 55 yards. He had a pair of sacks and four tackles for 22 yards in losses among his eight tackles in the team’s league championship-clinching win last Saturday at Albright.
Hanlon is a history major and the son of Frank and Jean Hanlon.
| The James W. Garrett Sports Complex, Publications, and Sports Information |
| Hours: 8:15 - 4:30 M-F (Academic year) 8:00 - 4:00 (Summer) | |
| Phone: 570-372-4119 Fax: 570-372-4048 E-mail: supubrel@susqu.edu |