Six Named to Football Gazette’s All-Super Region Team

NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Six Merrimack football players, the most in the Northeast-10 and third-most in the region, were named to the 2009 All-Super Region 1 Team selected by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette.

Anthony Smalls (Dorchester, MA) and Chris Laham (Westwood, MA) were second-team offensive selections.

Third team honorees included James Suozzo (Everett, MA), Jeremiah Watts (Clovis, CA), David Bellmont (Melrose, MA) and Tony Johnson (Lynn, MA).

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 and was second nationally with 145.1 yards per game.

Laham 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).

Suozzo anchored an offense ranked fifth 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.

Watts averaged 6.67 catches per game, third in the league, including a school-record 19 catches in a 52-42 win over Southern Connecticut. 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.

Johnson led the country with 1.8 tackles for a loss per game, while ranking second in the conference 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.

The first and second team selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2009 NCAA Division II Football Gazette All-America team will be selected in the next week.

West Liberty led with 10 players on the team, while NCAA Division II semifinalist California had 9, Merrimack and Bloomsburg 6 each, and Shippensburg and Clarion 5.

The Super Region 1 (formerly Northeast Region) is compiled of universities from four conferences including the PSAC, WVIAC, NE10 and the CIAA. A total of 108 players representing 38 universities are represented on this team.