Ten Buccaneers Earn MASCAC All-Conference Honors; Cameron Named Coach of the Year
WESTFIELD, Mass – Wednesday afternoon the MASCAC released the 2019 football All-Conference teams. 10 Buccaneers were named to the teams including four seniors and a freshman and one player who was named to both the first and second teams.
The first team selections for the Buccaneers are highlighted by senior defensive end Kyle Johnston (Raynham, Mass). Johnston recorded a career-high 12.5 sacks this season, tops in the conference and fifth in the nation. Kyle also recorded a career-high 19.5 tackles for loss, second in the MASCAC, while forcing three fumbles. This is Kyle's second first team All-Conference selection after being named to the first team in 2018.
There were two first team offensive selections for the Bucs. Senior captain and guard James Cooke (Wrentham, Mass) was selected to the first team offense. Cooke was a four-year starter for the Bucs and played in every game for the last three season. Joining the seniors on the first team is freshman Ja'iel Johnson (Dodge City, Kan). Johnson was selected to the team as the return specialist. He is one of two players in the conference to return a kickoff for a touchdown. His was an 87-yard return to the house against Framingham State.
On the second team, senior defensive back Austin Stahmer (Wareham, Mass), sophomore defensive back Kyle Rogers (Abington, Mass), junior linebacker Jack Fontana (Grafton, Mass) and junior defensive lineman Colin McCabe (Dartmouth, Mass) each earned spots on the defense. Stahmer led the MASCAC in 2019 with a career-high five interceptions while also breaking up 10 passes, recording 63 total tackles, two for loss. He also forced a fumble and recovered another. Rogers trailed Stahmer by one in the interception category reeling in a career-high four INTs, second in the conference, and tallying 49 total tackles. Fontana earned a spot on the second team by leading the conference in tackles with a career-high 103 on the season, averaging more than 10 a game. He also recorded 2.5 sacks on the year and 5.5 tackles for loss. McCabe earns his second All-Conference honors in as many seasons, after being named to the first team in 2018, thanks to a 60 tackle, 9.5 sack, 15.5 tackle for loss season. He also forced three fumbles and recovered four fumbles, including on in the end zone for a touchdown against Worcester State on Homecoming weekend. McCabe finished third in the conference in sacks and fourth in the conference in tackles for loss.
The second team offensive selections for the Bucs are junior tackles Matt Wyzykowski (Old Saybrook, Conn) and senior wide receiver Will Bennett (Sandwich, Mass). Wyzykowski played in every game for the Bucs in 2019 and has played in 26 of a possible 30 in his career. Bennett gets his first All-Conference selection after finishing fourth in the MASCAC in receiving yards with 599. He caught two touchdowns passes and threw for one as well against UMass-Dartmouth, accounting for three of five passing/receiving touchdowns by the Bucs this season.
Kicker/punter George Lampros (Bridgewater, Mass) was not only named to the first team but also to the second team. He represents the Bucs on the first team as a punter and on the second team as the place kicker. Lampros led the conference in yards per punt at 41.6. He punted 33 times on the season for 1,373 yards with a long of 62 yards. He pinned opponents inside their own 20 yard line on six occasions. In the kicking game, George finished second in the league in points by a kicker with 44. He made four of his six field goal attempts on the season with a long of 32 yards and converted a career-high 32 of 33 extra point attempts on the year. His career-high 97% conversion rate on PATs was tops in the league by qualified players.
The 11 All-Conference selections is the most by any team in the MASCAC and the most for the Bucs in head coach Jeremy Cameron's career in one season. The number of selections is a testament to the great job that the Buccaneer coaching staff continues to do on a daily basis. That is likely why Coach Cameron has been selected as the Champions Choice MASCAC Coach of the Year by his peers.