Football News

TEN AGGIES SELECTED TO ALL-MAC FOOTBALL TEAM

ANNVILLE (PA) - The Delaware Valley College football team placed 10 of its players on the 2007 all-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) team as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.

Six Aggies received first-team accolades led by senior linebacker John Pursell's (Middletown, DE/Middletown) third straight selection to the first unit. Joining Pursell on the first team defense were senior nose guard Travis Albanesius (Green Lane, PA/Upper Perkiomen), senior safety Kyle Mancuso (Thorofare, NJ/West Depford) and senior end Sean Raftery (Ocean City, NJ/Ocean City). Senior tailback Jake Sheffield (Glenolden, PA/Interboro) and junior guard Ralph Stambaugh (Westminster, MD/Francis Scott Key) earned spots on the first team offense.

Delaware Valley also had four players pick up second-team, all-MAC honors: freshman tailback Matt Cook (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove), senior wide receiver Joel Foreman (Bernville, PA/Hamburg), sophomore quarterback Mike Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) and senior safety Quincy Thaxton (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne).

Pursell led the Aggies and ranked third in the MAC with 93 tackles. He also tied Albanesius and one other player for second in the conference with 15 stops behind the line of scrimmage. Pursell ended his career as the school's third all-time leading tackler with 319 stops.

Albanesius was named to the first team for the first time after garnering second-team honors a year ago. He tied Pursell and one other for second in the MAC with 15 tackles for losses. He finished third on the team in sacks with four and was fourth in total tackles with 53.

Mancuso picked up the first all-conference honor of his career. He was second on the team and 11th in the MAC with 65 tackles and also added two interceptions, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.

Raftery earned all-MAC accolades for the second time in his career as he was a second-team selection as a sophomore in 2005. He wrapped up the '07 campaign with 36 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery.

The fifth all-time leading rusher in school history (3,044 yards), Sheffield was named to the all-conference team for the first time in his four-year career. He battled through injuries in the early part of the season and finished with 366 yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries while also adding 30 catches for 230 yards and one score. Sheffield's numbers placed him seventh in the MAC in both rushing and scoring and 10th in all-purpose yardage.

A 6-foot-2, 300-pound lineman, Stambaugh earned a spot on the first team for the first time. He was the anchor of an offensive line that helped the Aggies place second in the MAC in scoring (25.3 avg) and third in total yardage (327.0 avg).

Cook split tailback duties with Sheffield and earned second-team honors in his rookie campaign. He finished second in the MAC in rushing and sixth in scoring with 596 yards and seven trips to the end zone on 127 carries.

Foreman's first year as a starter resulted in his first selection to the all-MAC team. He paced Delaware Valley and finished seventh in the conference in both receptions and yardage with 41 catches for 589 yards and six touchdowns.

Isgro was an all-conference honoree for the first time as the two-year starter completed 166 of 282 passes for 1,867 yards and 15 touchdowns while also rushing for 292 yards and four scores on 111 carries. He was second in the MAC in both passing efficiency (127.78 rating) and total offense (215.9 avg) and was fourth in passing yardage. Isgro is already third in Aggie history in total offense (4,275 yards) and fifth in passing (3,616 yards).

Thaxton capped his collegiate career with his first selection to the all-MAC squad. He tied for the team lead in interceptions with three and also added 40 tackles, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Delaware Valley finished the 2007 season with a 5-5 overall record (5-4 against Division III opponents) and a 5-2 mark and a second-place finish in the MAC.