Suozzo’s MVP Honor Headlines 11 All-Conference Selections
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Sophomore James Suozzo
(Everett, MA) was named the 2009 Northeast-10 Football
Most Valuable Player, while 10 of his co-champion teammates were
named to All-Conference teams.
Suozzo is the first MVP in program history and the fourth
Merrimack player ever to win a major football postseason honor, and
the first since Elfren Quiles in 2004.
“We’re extremely proud of James in receiving this
award,” said head coach John Perry.
“He had an exceptional season but like most individual
awards, there are many things that contributed to his success,
including a great team effort and camaraderie.”
Suozzo anchored an offense ranked sixth in the nation, tops in the
region with 23 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing scores. He
averaged 325.1 total yards per game, tops in the league and rushed
for 95.4 yards per game, third in the league and tops among
quarterbacks. A two-time Northeast-10 Player of the Week, Suozzo
also received the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Gold Helmet award
as the top Division II/III player in New England following a 42-21
win over Stonehill.
In all, seven Warriors were Northeast-10 first-team selections,
most in the Northeast-10.
In addition to Suozzo, Anthony Smalls (Dorchester, MA),
Chris Laham (Westwood, MA), Jeremiah Watts (Clovis, CA)
and David Bellmont (Melrose, MA) were offensive
first-team honorees.
“To receive five offensive first-team awards is a great
accomplishment,” said Perry. “But then when you look at
our offensive numbers this year, these five individuals certainly
deserved it. The offensive production is obviously a makeup of all
11 individual efforts. These five distinguished themselves even
above the rest.”
Smalls rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of the eight games
he played in this year, becoming the second 1,000-yard rusher in
school history. He led the conference with 145.1 yards per game and
was second in total yards, while ranking fourth in yards per game
nationally. He was the Northeast-10 Player of the Week after
rushing for a career-high 219 yards against Saint Anselm.
Led by Smalls and Suozzo, both all-rookie selections in 2008,
Merrimack’s rushing attack led the conference with 251.6
yards per game and was sixth in the country in regular season
play.
Laham, now a two-time all-conference honoree, totaled 92.0
receiving yards per game and 13 touchdowns to lead the conference.
He graduates as the all-time school leader in touchdowns (38),
points (228), receiving touchdowns (36), and receiving yards
(2,411).
Combining with Laham to form arguably the top receiving tandem in
conference history, Watts averaged 6.67 catches per game, third in
the league, including a school-record 19 catches in a 52-42 win
over first-place Southern Connecticut. A two-time all-conference
selection and a Consensus Draft Services Preseason All-American,
Watts graduates as the program’s all-time leader in
receptions with 141 and ranks in the top three along with Laham in
every receiving category.
Bellmont, also named a Preseason All-American by Consensus Draft
Services, anchored an offensive line that allowed a league-low 11
sacks. Now a two-time all-conference honoree as a junior, Bellmont
paved the way for Merrimack’s top-ranked offense.
Defensively, the sophomore linebacker tandem of Shawn
Loiseau (Shrewsbury, MA) and Tony Johnson (Lynn,
MA) were Northeast-10 first-team honorees.
“Shawn's and Tony’s selections to the all-conference
team were fitting in that the improvement of the defense throughout
the course of the season was evident, culminating in a terrific
performance against Pace. These two have played at a high level the
entire season, and the rest of the defense molded itself to their
level by the end of the season.”
Loiseau tied for the lead in the country with 12.3 tackles per
game, while setting a school record with 123 tackles this season.
He was named the Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Week
following Merrimack’s thrilling 14-12 win over Bentley.
Johnson, now a two-time first-team selection in his first two
seasons, led the conference with 1.8 tackles for a loss per game,
while ranking second with nine sacks. He also forced three fumbles
and recovered four others. After just two seasons, Johnson owns the
all-time sack record at Merrimack with 20.5 career.
Merrimack had two linebackers in the top five in tackles, with
senior captain Shane Brown (Wakefield, MA), who
was an all-conference selection in 2008, ranking fifth overall.
The Northeast-10 named three Warriors, Jacob Bradley
(Dorchester, MA), Dylan Register (Wayland, MA) and
Nick Desjardins (Somerville, MA) to the
Northeast-10 second team.
Bradley was a first team selection in 2008, while Register was an
all-rookie selection. Teaming with Bellmont, Bradley and Register
led the up-tempo offensive attack, while allowing the fewest sacks
in the conference for the second straight year. The Warriors lose
no offensive linemen to graduation this year.
Desjardins, a starter at defensive end as a sophomore, set the
school record for a season and a career with four recovered
fumbles. He scored his first touchdown, after recovering a fumble
in the end zone against Stonehill and went on to tally 49 tackles
and 4.5 sacks this season.
Freshman cornerback Jesse Fowler (Lynn, MA) was named to the
All-Rookie team. Replacing the injured Anthony Taylor, Fowler
started the final six games at cornerback, tallying two
interceptions and 26 tackles.
Assumption’s Herbert Woodward was named the Offensive Player
of the Year, while Dustin Zitzmann (Assumption) and Matt Zahoruiko
(Bentley) were the Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Southern
Connecticut’s Greg Tuba was the Offensive Lineman of the
Year, while AIC’s Jashawn Williams was the Defensive Lineman
of the Year. Ethan Sylvain from Saint Anselm and Stonehill’s
Jareed Gaines were selected as the Co-Freshmen of the Year, with
Bentley’s Thom Boerman earning Coach of the Year honors.
Merrimack finished 7-3 overall, 6-4 in the Northeast-10, en route
to its second-ever Northeast-10 Conference Championship, tying with
Bentley and Southern Connecticut for the conference title. Under
Perry, the Warriors set offensive season records for points scored,
rushing yards, total yards and first downs.
