Small Selected WAFA Offensive Player of the Year
Worcester, MA --- The Worcester Area Football Association has announced the 23rd Annual Steve "Merc" Morris All-Star Team as selected by the eight sports information directors of Worcester County.
The major award winners included senior running back Robert Small (Sleepy Hollow, NY) of Anna Maria as the Offensive Player of the Year and junior defensive end Derek Mann (Sharon, MA) of Assumption who was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the Year.
Small, who rushed for 1,224 yards and 15 touchdowns, was named the ECFC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in average rushing yards (136.0 YPG) and yards per carry (6.2).
Anna Maria also earned five additional selections to the all-star team. Senior Jordan Koehler was selected as a first team linebacker, while senior Tony Valente posted second team status. Also on the defensive side, senior Demetri Underwood was second team defensive back. Sophomores William Ricard (wide receiver) and Kevin Grey (offensive tackle) were tabbed to the second team in their respective positions.
Mann, the Northeast-10 Defensive Lineman of the Year, paced the Greyhounds with 11 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and a trio of interceptions from his position up front.
Senior placekicker Tad Beuchert (Danvers, MA) earned Special Teams Player of the Year honors while freshmen quarterbacks Garrett Dellechiaie (Leominster, MA) of Fitchburg State and Peter Pujals (Glenview, IL) shared Freshman of the Year laurels.
Beuchert has booted an eye-popping 15 field goals in 11 games for the eighth-highest total in Division II – including seven which have gone for 35 yards or greater. He was also 34-of-35 on PATs and netted 79 points to lead the Northeast-10 in kick scoring.
Dellechiaie and Pujals were both recognized as the Rookie of the Year in their respective conferences.
Dellechiaie led the MASCAC with a school-record breaking 25 passing touchdowns to go with 1930 yards and a .598 completion percentage. Pujals impressed with both the second highest passing yardage total (2,261) and scores through the air (19) in the Patriot League as he converted a remarkable .636 percent of his throws.
Mann and Beuchert were also received Division II/III New England Writers team nods last week.
For his efforts in guiding Fitchburg State to a 6-4 mark, a four win improvement from the 2012 campaign, head coach Pat Haverty was recognized as the Coach of the Year. Haverty, the Champion MASCAC Coach of the Year, guided the Falcons to a 5-3 mark which was good for a tie for third in the final season standings and their first winning season since 2005.
The Worcester Area Football Association All-Star Team is named in memory of Steve "Merc" Morris, the longtime Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations and Assumption Hall of Famer. Morris was a 1972 graduate of Assumption and was a member of the athletics staff for 39 years before he passed away in January of 2011.
In addition to being the founder of the Worcester Area Association All-Star Program, Morris was a tireless supporter of collegiate athletics and had a key role in the lives of thousands of student-athletes.
