Wallace, Mulrooney, Croce Lead AMCAT ECFC Honors
PAXTON, MA : Seven AMCATS from the Anna Maria College football team were voted to the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) All-Conference team in an announcement by the ECFC on Monday afternoon.
Anna Maria sophomore wide receiver Deandre Wallace (Waterbury, CT) was voted ECFC Rookie of the Year, after an outstanding first season that saw him haul in 42 receptions for 820 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Wallace made one of the most explosive plays of the year against Mass. Maritime on September 18th, catching a pass over the middle and taking it to the endzone on a 98-yard touchdown reception. Three times this season, Wallace was recognized as the ECFC Rookie of the Week.
Anna Maria head coach Dan Mulrooney was voted Head Coach of the Year as he took a program that had gone 12-97 all-time and led them to a 7-2 record and their first-ever ECFC Championship and NCAA playoff berth. The AMCATS won more games in their 2021 season than in the previous seven seasons combined.
Anna Maria Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Steven Croce was voted ECFC Assistant Coach of the Year accolades after helping lead the AMCATS to a regular season title and NCAA postseason bid. The Anna Maria offense exploded this season, setting and breaking numerous program and individual records. Notably, he coached an Anna Maria passing offense that finished ranked eighth nationally in all of Division III, averaging 334.4 yards per game through the air.
Three AMCATS were voted All-ECFC First Team. In addition to Wallace, senior defensive lineman Jude Sampson (Waterbury, CT) was a dominating force on the defensive line, breaking the school single-season record for sacks with 8.5, ranking him second in the conference. The team captain also tallied 57 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss (tying a school single-season record), two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks. Sampson was voted D3football.com Team of the Week once this past season, as well as one ECFC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Anna Maria senior defensive back Armstrong Antoine (Stratford, CT) was the third player to make first team, as he led an AMCATS secondary all season long. Antoine tied a school record with seven pass breakups in a season to go along with a team-high 65 tackles in just nine games. Armstrong also recorded a 70-yard interception return and a forced rumble. Armstrong earned one ECFC Defensive Player of the Week award this season.
Anna Maria senior quarterback Alex Cohen (Plymouth, MA) was one of four AMCATS voted second team all-conference, leading the ECFC in passing yards (2926), completion percentage (61.7 percent), passing yards per game (325.1), passing touchdowns (23) and quarterback efficiency (156.1). Cohen also scored six touchdowns on the ground, and ranked fifth in the nation in total offense at 341.1 and ninth in yards per pass attempt at 9.35. He was recognized during the season with three ECFC Offensive Player of the Week awards and one NEFW Golden Helmet. Cohen rewrote the AMCAT record books, setting school records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage nad passing yards per game.
Anna Maria senior wide receiver Justin McMillian (Middletown, CT) was one of Cohen's top targets, finishing with 43 receptions for 686 yards and six touchdowns in just nine games. McMillian put on one of the greatest performances in AMCAT history against Gallaudet, catching eight passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns. His three scores tie an Anna Maria single-game record while his 211 yards were the second-most in school history.
Anna Maria senior offensive lineman Devin White (Worcester, MA) anchored an offensive line that blocked for the eighth-ranked passing attack in the country. The AMCATS were 41st in the nation in avoiding the sack.
Anna Maria junior defensive lineman Elijah Allston (Cheshire, CT) finished with 23 tackles, representing a defense that ranked tenth in the nation in tackles for a loss.
Honorable mention selections included junior wide receiver David Robinson (Boston, MA), sophomore offensive lineman Collin McCarthy (Gaithersburg, MD), sophomore kicker Ryan Kent (Marlton, NJ), senior defensive lineman Jarred Grant-Spann (Syracuse, NY), senior defensive lineman Jarred Grant-Spann (Syracuse, NY), senior linebacker Danny George (Leicester, MA), senior linebacker Swavaughn Small (Mattapan, MA) and junior defensive back Lamar Wilkes (Philadelphia, PA).
Congratulations to the entire team an outstanding conference season!
UP NEXT:
Anna Maria is headed to the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. They are travelling to Doylestown, Pennsylvania to play Delaware Valley University in the first round of the playoffs this Saturday, November 20th with a 12:00 p.m. kickoff.
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