By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Morrisville, NY – July 2014) USA Football announced its 2014 Division III Preseason All-America teams recently, naming six Morrisville State Mustangs to its second, third and honorable mention teams.
Seniors Lemar Johnson (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining HS) and Josh Powell (Yonkers, N.Y. / Archbishop Stepinac HS)each earned second team recognition, while junior Cristian Peña (Ridgewood, N.Y. / Enterprise HS) was recognized with third team honors.
Senior’s Adrian Cabrera (New York, N.Y. / George Washington HS), Ryan Mogensen (Westernville, N.Y. / Holland Patent HS) along with junior Anthony Gray (Smallwood, N.Y. / Monticello HS) were named to the honorable mention team.
Each of the above named recipients reside on the offensive side of the ball for the Mustangs, Johnson under center at quarterback, Powell and Gray as wide receivers, Peña in the backfield at running back, and Cabrera and Mogensen on the offensive line.
Together the offensive unit exploded in the 2013 season, rising to the top of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) leaderboard in six different categories, including first downs offense (286), passing offense (284.8 ypg), rushing offense (222.6 ypg), scoring (32.4 ppg), passing efficiency (133.93), and total offense (507.4 ypg).The Mustangs offense became one of the top ranked offenses in the NJAC and gained national recognition as they finished the season with several top national rankings.
Morrisville State for the first time in the history of the program, finished the season ranked seventh among all of Division III in total offense, and was ranked 13th overall in first downs, 23rd in passing and 38th in rushing.
“All of the players that garnered pre-season All-American status are very well deserving of the recognition,” said Morrisville State head coach Curt Fitzpatrick.
“Lemar, Josh, Cristian, Anthony, Adrian, and Ryan are the backbone of our offensive unit and leaders on our team,” he continued. “However, pre-season accolades are only worth something if you prove your worth during the season. I am confident that these awards, while a great honor, will only drive us to play better this season.”
Johnson earned the starting job last August and threw 212 completions for 2,510 yards and 23 touchdowns; adding 639 yards on the ground to go along with nine more scores. His efforts landed him NJAC first team all-conference recognition, and NJAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades come season end.
Powell appeared in all 10 games for the Mustangs, posting a 983 yard, 11 touchdown season behind 74 receptions, also earning first team All-Conference honors.
Peña wrapped up a stellar sophomore campaign with 1,347 yards rushing on 241 carries, with nine touchdown scores in 10 games for Morrisville State. His move to the offensive side of the ball this past season landed him first team All-Conference recognition.
Gray appeared in all 10 games for the Mustangs, posting a total 732 yards and eight touchdowns on 66 receptions, earning second team All-Conference honors.
Cabrera and Mogensen anchored the offensive line, starting in all 10 games, and took home second and honorable mention All-Conference recognition, respectively, at the conclusion of the season.
Over the course of last season, Fitzpatrick guided the Mustangs to several record breaking performances: 28 individual single game, season and career marks; along with 10 new single game and 16 season team records. Of which, 25 alone came from those honored with preseason All-America accolades.
Morrisville State is set to open preseason camp Aug. 13, with the first outing of the 2014 season scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6, as the Mustangs take on former rival Alfred State College at 1 p.m. on Drake Field.