Monday, November 25, 2008
Contact: Chris Kilcoyne
804-335-4453 / christopherkilcoyne@rmc.edu
R-MC Football Places 10 on All-ODAC Squad; Arruza Named Coach of the Year
ASHLAND, VA – On the heels of a its first ODAC Championship since 1997, the Randolph-Macon College football team placed 10 student-athletes on the league’s all conference team and head coach Pedro Arruza was honored by his peers as the coach of the year.
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Arruza led R-MC to its first ODAC title since
1997 and first NCAA Tournament since 1984. |
Arruza enjoys his first ODAC top coaching honor having just completed his fifth season at Randolph-Macon in 2008. Following a 1-2 start to the Yellow Jackets’ conference schedule, Arruza regrouped his squad and led them to four straight wins down the stretch, including three ODAC victories. The run helped clinch a tie for first place in the conference standings at 4-2, and R-MC’s success against the other three tied teams propelled the Jackets into the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 1984. R-MC also secured its first back-to-back winnings seasons since the 1996 & 1997 campaigns. This year marked the second straight strong season for R-MC football under Arruza as the program experienced the biggest turnaround in the nation in 2007, finishing with an 8-2 overall record and school-best five-conference victories.
Junior running back Zak Thornton earned his second consecutive First-Team All-ODAC honor after leading R-MC and the ODAC with 124.9 yards per-game on the ground. Thornton also led the ODAC in total yards with (1,219) and carries (269). He also averaged 4.9 yards per rush and scored five rushing touchdowns on the season.
Joining Thornton on the first-team was senior offensive lineman Kevin Wagner. Wagner anchored an offensive line that helped block for a 3,691 yards of total offense. The lone senior on the o-line helped R-MC to the best rushing attack in the league with 171 yards-per-game via the ground and the Yellow Jackets offense ranked fourth in the ODAC with 348 yards per game.
Fellow offensive lineman Morgan Cross earned second-team laurels for R-MC as well. He was joined on the second-team offense by tight end Stuart May and all-purpose back Alex Ramirez.
May had 20 catches on the season for 286 yards; seven of his catches were for touchdowns and averaged over 14 yards per catch.
Ramirez was second on R-MC team with 40 catches on the season. The senior Recorded 468 yards receiving and scored four touchdowns. He along with May and Cross-helped block for 1, 770 yards of rushing offense this season as well as 13 rushing touchdowns.
The league’s second-team defense was highlighted by three selections from the Jackets that ranked second overall in the ODAC this season.
Linebacker Christian Stahl earned second-team accolades after her finished ranked tops on R-MC’s defense and 17th in the league with 72 total tackles ( 40 solo and 30 assisted). He also registered 3.5 sacks on the season and returned his only interception for a touchdown.
Defensive backs Eric Dardozzi and Scott Ahonen were named to the second-team as well. Dardozzi finished with 61 total tackles on the season, including 40 solo stops. He had two interceptions, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble to go along with two defensive touchdowns.
Ahonen finished tied for third in the ODAC with four interceptions on the season. He returned one interception 93 yards for a touchdown against Bridgewater. H also racked up 31 solo and 26 assisted stops for a total of 57 total tackles on the season. He helped R-MC to the second-rated defense in the ODAC, allowing just 335 yards a game and just 128 through the air.
Defensive back Gabe Jones was named to the honorable mention team along with punter Ben Keyser. Jones had 44 tackles on the season to go along with one interception and one fumble recovery.
Keyser averaged 36 yards per punt this season in just 10 games and only 46 attempts. He forced 22 fair catches, 13 inside the 20 yard line and 3 touchbacks, helping R-MC to a league best 0.7 yards per game in the punt return game.
-Yellow Jackets-