SOMERSET, N.J. – With a quartet of first team selections from
Jacari Carter,
Tyler Roberts,
Rodney Samson and
Caleb Holden at the top, the Merrimack College football team cleaned up the NEC All-Conference awards, as announced by the league office Wednesday afternoon.
Merrimack had nine all-conference selections in total, including a pair for Carter, who was named to both the first team offense as a wide receiver and first team special teams group as a return specialist. The Jerry Rice Award finalist for the top freshman in all of FCS had 89 catches for 713 yards and eight touchdowns and had 17 punt returns for 257 yards and a touchdown on a 76-yard house call against Wagner.
Roberts was one of the most dangerous passing options at tight end in the NEC and also served as a top level blocker. He caught 52 passes on the year for 535 yards and six scores. His totals were good enough to finish second on the team in all three categories behind just Carter. He had a two-game stretch in October where he had 16 catches, 214 yards and four touchdowns to spark the Warrior offense.
Not many players in the entire nation had a more dominant final four games of the season defensively than Samson, who found a spot on the league first team list as a linebacker. Those four games included 53 tackles, including four for a loss, one sack and one forced fumble. He closed the season with 82 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two and a half sacks and a forced fumble.
Holden was a handful for opposing offenses all season long, as the graduate student earned a spot on the first team as a defensive back. He concluded the campaign with 26 tackles, including 18 of the solo variety, had eight pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Nicholas Lenon,
Darion McKenzie,
Clay LeGault and
Westin Elliott also earned league recognition, as all four were named to the NEC's second teams. Lenon was named to the all-defensive team at defensive line following a season of havoc for opposing offensive lines. He totaled 27 tackles, but had nearly a third of them for a loss with eight TFL's on the year and he also got to the quarterback three times for a trio of sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He was also credited with two quarterback hurries and a blocked kick. McKenzie was also named to the second team all-defense list at defensive back thanks to his shutdown presence in the secondary. He had 34 tackles, including 24 solo tackles, totaled two and a half tackles for a loss, nine pass breakups and a forced fumble.
LeGault and Elliott both landed on the second team all-offense group after leading one of the top scoring offenses in the NEC. LeGault led the Warrior offensive line from the right tackle position and has developed into a dominant run and pass blocker during his time in North Andover. The Manchester, N.H. native protected Elliott all season long and helped the signal caller complete one of the most prolific seasons passing the football in Merrimack history. Elliott concluded the season with 2,929 yards passing, 30 touchdowns and a 67.8 completion percentage. His 30 passing touchdowns set the NEC single season record and his 91.3 completion percentage against Delaware State broke the program all-time record for a single game.
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