By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Morrisville, NY – Nov. 22, 2013) The 2013 season laid the foundation for something great, a new head coach with a fast moving offensive system, new record leaders written into the books, and now, another – a record nine Morrisville State College selections by the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) to its 2013 football all-conference teams.
The Mustangs placed seven on its offense first, second and honorable mention teams; while two earned all-conference defensive team honors.
Junior quarterback Lemar Johnson (Ossining, N.Y.), sophomore running back Cristian Pena (Ridgewood, N.Y.), junior wide receiver Josh Powell (Yonkers, N.Y.) and senior offensive lineman Nate Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y.) were all acknowledged with first team honors, while sophomore Anthony Gray (Smallwood, N.Y.) and junior center Adrian Cabrera (New York, N.Y.) earned second team accolades. Junior offensive lineman Ryan Mogensen (Westernville, N.Y.) earned honorable mention honors for the first time in his career.
Defensively, senior lineman David Williams (Central Islip, N.Y.) and senior safety Jeremy Stewart (Moravia, N.Y.) repeated all-conference honors, earning second team and honorable mention accolades, respectively.
Johnson, who headlines the first team with offensive player of the year accolades to his backing in 2013, led the Mustang offensive charge that finished the season with 17 new team records, including total offense (5,047 yards) behind the combined efforts of those selected to the all-conference teams.
Johnson completed 212-of-364 passes for 2,510 yards and 23 passing touchdowns in 10 games for Morrisville State this season; adding 639 net yards on 132 rushing attempts for nine more scores.
His efforts on the field earned him NJAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades twice this season, as well as Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Corvias Southeast Division III Offensive Player of the Week honors those same weeks.
Johnson sits atop the NJAC in five different statistical categories and is second in four more, while ranking in the top 20 in all of Division III in three. His 132.1 passing efficiency is first in the conference, along with passing touchdowns (23), points responsible for (192), points responsible for per game (19.4), and total offense (314.9 yards per game). Johnson sits second in completions per game (21.2), completion percentage (.582), passing yards (2,510), and passing yards per game (251.0).
Pena earns all-conference recognition for the first time in his collegiate career. The sophomore moved from the defensive side of the ball last season to running back in 2013 and put up 1,347 rushing yards and nine scores behind 241 attempts in 10 games. Seven times this season Pena carried the ball 100+ yards, recording a collegiate best 216 against William Paterson. He also caught 25 passes for 289 yards and three scores, accounting for 163.6 all-purpose yards a game.
Pena’s efforts on the field earned him NJAC Offensive Player of the Week and ECAC Corvias Southeast Division III Offensive Player of the Week accolades in September, and D3football.com Team of the Week honors in October. He became the first Division III Mustang to register more than 1,000 yards in a single season, and the first to boast such numbers since 2001.
He sits atop the NJAC in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, all-purpose yards, and is fifth in total offense.
Powell also earns all-conference honors for the first time in his career. The junior wide receiver recorded 983 yards and 11 touchdowns on 74 receptions this season, posting 100+ yard receiving games six times alone this year. Powell recorded a collegiate best and single game record setting, 207 yards on 12 receptions, against William Paterson in October.
Against Cortland, Powell’s 130 yard receiving game put him over the all-time career threshold in receiving yards. That same game he wrote his name in the single game record books twice, with 15 receptions and four touchdown scores.
Powell is ranked second overall in the NJAC in all-purpose yards (146.1/game), second in receiving yards, receiving yards per game, and receiving touchdowns, while leading the conference in receptions per game (7.4).
A two-time honorable mention selection and 2013 USA Small College Division III preseason honorable mention All-American, Ryan joins an elite group of offensive linemen on the first team.
Starting all 10 games for the Mustangs at left guard, the senior was responsible for creating opportunities for the high powered offense that ranks ninth overall in total offense in the nation, and first overall in first downs. Ryan often created holes in the line for Johnson and Pena in the running game, and held the opponent from being able to get behind the unit.
A quiet but deadly threat, Gray earns second team honors following a stellar sophomore season. Second on the Mustang team in receiving, he compiled 732 yards on 66 catches for eight touchdown scores, ranking third overall in the NJAC in receiving.
Gray posted 100+yard receiving games three times throughout the year, including a collegiate high 187 on 13 catches against Cortland. Earlier in the season he posted a collegiate high three touchdown scores, leading Morrisville State to a homecoming win over St. Lawrence University.
The play of second team selection Cabrera at center and honorable mention selection Mogensen at left tackle was key to the Mustangs offensive success this year. Morrisville State’s offensive game boasted a top conference rank in passing and rushing offense, and neither could have been obtained without the ability of Cabrera and Mogensen standing firm on the line, creating offensive possibilities for the Mustangs.
Williams is a two-time second team selection at defensive line. The senior made 52 total stops on the year, 13 solo, while posting three sacks for a loss of 25 yards. Six of this tackles were for a loss of 29 yards, while he forced a fumble and recovered three.
A preseason USA Small College All-American, Williams registered a game high 12 tackles against Brockport, his final as a Mustang. His three fumbles recovered ranks first in the NJAC, 20th overall in Division III.
Stewart wraps up his career as a three-time all-conference honorable mention selection, the lone Mustang to do so. In 10 games at safety, Stewart posted a team high 70 total tackles, including 42 solo stops, while recovering a fumble and intercepting three. He’s ranked sixth overall in the NJAC in interceptions.
Stewart led the defensive charge against Rowan, registering a game changing interception late in the fourth quarter that led to a Mustang score to secure the win over the NJAC champions. His efforts earned him D3football.com Team of the Week honors, the second to be named to the team this season.
Stewart posted a game high 10 tackles against Montclair midway through the season, before adding eight to his tallies against Cortland to become the all-time career leader in tackles at Morrisville State (225).