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EDINBORO, PA – The honors continue to come
in for Edinboro University football players as the 2006 Football
Gazette All-Northeast Region Team was announced today. A total of
eight Fighting Scots were named to the team, with four on the
first unit, three on the second, and one selected to the third
team.
Defensive tackle Chris Amico (Webster,
NY/West Irondequoit), strong safety Damian Malott (Akron,
OH/Akron North), inside linebacker Ben Stroup (Columbus,
OH/ Hilliard Davidson) and tight end Kyle Witucki
(Tarentum, PA/Highlands) were first team selections. They were
joined on the second team by center Chris Kaczor (Brook Park,
PA/Berea), outside linebacker Jim Soltis (Garrettsville,
OH/ Cardinal), and wide receiver Ryan Valasek (Natrona
Heights, PA/Highlands). Noseguard A.J. Cousins
(Chillicothe, OH/Chillicothe) was named to the third team.
This is another in a host of awards for Stroup
and Witucki. Stroup has already been named a first team AP Little
All-America and was also selected a second team Daktronics
All-American and a D2Football.com honorable mention All-American.
Witucki was also accorded second team Daktronics All-American
honors and joined Stroup as an honorable mention D2Football.com
All-American.
Stroup, a 6’1”, 213 lb. senior, was
named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year. He spearheaded
an Edinboro defense which ranked first in the PSAC in rushing
defense and total defense, and third in scoring defense, along
with ranking sixth in Division II in rushing defense, 24th in
scoring defense and 26th in total defense. He led the Fighting
Scots with 105 tackles, the most since 1996. He also paced the
team in tackles for losses (17.5), sacks (5.5), and passes broken
up (7), while intercepting two passes and forcing a pair of
fumbles.
Stroup had a career-high 19 tackles against
California(Pa.), and had 14 tackles with a pair of sacks vs.
Bloomsburg. He led the PSAC in tackles and ranked 18th in Division
II, along with being ranked fourth in the league and 22nd
nationally in tackles for losses. He was also an All-PSAC-West
first team selection a year ago, when Edinboro’s defense led
Division II in scoring defense, rushing defense and total defense.
Witucki landed on the team in his first year as
a starter, and also earned first team All-PSAC West accolades.
After catching 22 passes for 6 TDs in his first two seasons, the 6’3”,
237 lb. junior hauled in 31 passes for 455 yards with 5 TDs. He is
already tied for eighth in career touchdown receptions with 11.
Witucki caught at least one pass in all but one game, with two
touchdown receptions vs. Shippensburg. He had a career-best 5
catches for 80 yards and a touchdown against St. Anselm.
Eight Fighting Scots Named to 2006 Football
Gazette All-Northeast Region Team – add 222
Amico was a first team Football Gazette
All-American a year ago after also being named the 2005 PSAC West
Defensive Player of the Year. He earned first team Football
Gazette honors and first team All-PSAC West accolades for the
second straight year at defensive line. The 6’0”, 253
lbs. junior finished fifth on the team in tackles with 61,
including 9.5 for losses and 4.5 sacks. He now has 17.5 career
sacks, good for eighth all-time.
Malott moved from free safety to strong safety
this season, and had a big year. The 5’10”, 181 lb.
senior finished as the fourth-leading tackler with 62 stops,
adding 3 tackles for losses and a sack. He tied for the team lead
with 4 interceptions, returning one 41 yards for a touchdown
against Shippensburg. He ranked fourth in Division II in forced
fumbles (5), recovering a pair of fumbles and breaking up four
passes.
Kaczor was a third team Football Gazette
All-American a year ago, in addition to being named to the first
team All-Northeast Region team in 2005. The 6’2”, 293
lb. senior became one of the few Fighting Scots to earn All-PSAC
honors four times. He was selected to the first team at center the
last two years after earning second team honors at center in 2004.
As a redshirt freshman in 2003, he was a second team choice at
guard. He ended up starting all 45 games in his career.
Valasek is a diminutive 5’9”, 175 lb.
wide receiver who set school record for receptions in a season
while becoming just the second player in Edinboro history to catch
passes for more than 1000 yards in a season. He ended the year
with 64 receptions for 1,032 yards with 10 TDs, ranking second in
the PSAC in receptions per game and fourth in yards receiving per
game, along with 10th and 22nd in Division II, respectively. He
ended his career with at least one reception in the last 26 games,
and in 2006 caught at least two passes in every game. Valasek had
five games with 100-or-more yards, including 10 catches for 159
yards against Shippensburg and 7 receptions for 142 yards vs.
Slippery Rock. He concluded his career ranked third in receptions
(132), second in yards receiving (2,265) and second in TDs (20).
Soltis landed a spot on the Football Gazette
All-Northeast Region second team after previously being named to
the All-PSAC West second team for the second straight year. The 6’3”,
196 lb. senior finished as the second-leading tackler for the
second straight year. He finished with 81 tackles, and was also
second in tackles for losses (14.5) and sacks (5.0). He also had 5
passes broken up, a pair of interceptions and forced two fumbles,
with one fumble recovery. Soltis had a career-high 16 tackles with
a sack against Slippery Rock, and a week later had 10 tackles, a
sack and an interception vs. Shippensburg.
Cousins teamed with Amico to give Edinboro a
powerful one two punch on the line. The 6’1”, 278 lb.
senior was a second team Football Gazette All-Northeast Region
choice last year. This also marked his third straight season as a
first team All-PSAC West selection. Cousins finished with 49
tackles, with 4 for losses and a sack. He ranks tenth in career
sacks with 15.
Edinboro finished its first season under head
coach Scott Browning with a 6-5 record.
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