November 16 , 2004

Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year Chris Purtell Photo by Art Foxall

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart football team landed nine players on the All-Liberty League first-team, three more on the second-team, and five additional players garnered honorable mention. Head Coach Mike Cragg and senior defensive end Chris Purtell (Pioneer/Sardinia, N.Y.) headlined the Statesmen’s honors, earning Defensive Player of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Senior kicker Eric Ampuja (Brockton/Brockton, Mass.), senior offensive guard Alex Bell (Wallkill/Modena, N.Y.), senior defensive tackle Walt Bennett (Waterloo/Waterloo, N.Y.), senior offensive tackle Jeff Bruckman (Churchville Chili/Churchville, N.Y.), senior wide receiver Dan Suozzi (New Hampton/New Canaan, Conn.), junior defensive back Jamie Anderson (Canandaigua/Canandaigua, N.Y.), junior linebacker Tony Clemente (Troy/Troy, N.Y.), and sophomore quarterback Shawn Mizro (Newark/Newark, N.Y.) joined Purtell on the All-Liberty League first-team.

Senior running back Jack Holleran (Choate Rosemary Hall/Sharon, Mass.), senior wide receiver Rick Piñero (Smithtown/Hauppauge, N.Y.), and junior corner back Dyshawn Washington (Kent School/Piscataway, N.J.) earned a spot on the second-team.

Senior running back Ty Godinho (Lancaster/Lancaster, N.Y.), junior linebacker Jimmy Gradis (Elwood John Glenn/Greenlawn, N.Y.), sophomore linebacker Nolan Robinson (Johnson City/Johnson City, N.Y.), first-year linebacker Jeff Sanders (Camden/Camden, N.Y.) received honorable mention.

Suozzi also earned honorable mention as a punter.

Cragg and his assistants led the Statesmen to an 8-1 overall record, including a perfect 7-0 mark in the Liberty League. Hobart captured its third straight Liberty League Championship, and will host Curry College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at noon, on Nov. 20. In 10 seasons as Head Coach, Cragg has a 63-34 (.649) overall record, including a 30-13 (.698) mark and five championships in the Liberty League.

The leading tackler for the Statesmen, Purtell was a three-time D3football.com Team of the Week selection. He had more tackles for a loss (14½) than any two of his teammates, including a team-high 4½ sacks. Purtell anchored a Hobart defense that did not allow a 100-yard rusher all season and ranked first in the league in rushing defense (94.7 yds/g), scoring defense (17.9 ppg), and red zone defense (57.1 percent).

A three-time All-Liberty League selection, Ampuja led the conference in points by a kicker (53), PATs made (35), PAT percentage (97.2), and field goal percentage (85.7). He converted 40 consecutive PATs between Nov. 15, 2003, and Oct. 23, 2004. Ampuja holds the Hobart career records for extra points made (116), field goals made (19), and points by a kicker (173).

Bell, a four-time All-Liberty League selection, and Bruckman, a three-time honoree, are the anchors of Hobart’s offensive line. The Statesmen led the league in rushing offense (210.6 yds/g) and pass efficiency (163.3). For the most part healthy throughout the season, Hobart has allowed just 15 sacks this season, compared to 39 through nine games in 2003. Named to two All-America teams a year ago, Bell is expected to collect even more postseason praise this season.

Bennett is making his second straight appearance on the Liberty League first-team. He is fifth on the team in tackles (48). He had a season-high nine tackles against Dickinson on Sept. 11. For his career, Bennett has 146 tackles, including 20 for a loss.

A nine-time All-Liberty League selection, Suozzi is one of the most talented and versatile athletes in Division III football. He has been selected to the All-Liberty League teams at wide receiver, punter, and return specialist three times each.

This season, Suozzi leads the league in scoring (8.7 ppg) and receiving touchdowns (13). He has 46 receptions for 831 yards and a single season record 13 touchdowns. Suozzi holds the Hobart career records for receptions (170), receiving yards (2,680), and receiving touchdowns (25). He has caught at least one pass in 30 consecutive games.

On special teams, Suozzi averaged 33.8 yards per punt, landing 10 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He averaged 24.9 yards per kickoff return and 9.6 yards per punt return this season.

A second-team selection in 2003, Anderson tied for the league lead in interceptions with five. He also boasts 28 tackles (19 solo). Anderson made a career-high 10 tackles in the season opener against Dickinson. He recorded five interceptions last year as well.

Last season’s League Defensive Player of the Year, Clemente finished the regular season second on the team in tackles with 59 (28 solo). He made a season-high 14 tackles and forced a fumble against Union.

Mizro, in his first season as a starter, has been extremely impressive, completing 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,899 yards (3rd highest season total in Hobart history) and 27 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He threw more touchdown passes in eight games (23) than any previous Statesman had thrown in an entire season (22 in 10 games). Mizro leads the league and ranks seventh nationally in pass efficiency (163.22). He threw for a season-high 339 yards (third highest single game total) and a Hobart record five touchdowns against Union.

Holleran set career-highs for carries (142), rushing yards (790), and rushing touchdowns (7) this season. He leads the league in yards per carry (5.6, min 15 carries per game) Holleran had three 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 169 yards and two TDs at St. Lawrence.

A second-team selection in 2003, Piñero has 32 receptions for 557 yards and 10 touchdowns. He leads the league in touchdowns per reception, scoring once every 3.2 catches. Piñero’s tied for third in the league in points (6.7 ppg) and touchdowns (10). He caught a Hobart record four touchdowns against WPI, and had six catches for a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown at Rensselaer.

A two-time All-Liberty League selection, Washington is one of the toughest corner backs in the nation. He ranks second in the conference and 11th in the nation in passes defended (1.6). Washington has 22 tackles (11 solo) and two interceptions.

A four-time All-Liberty League selection, Godinho is one of the most productive running backs in Hobart history. This season, he ran for 785 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, Godinho ranks third in carries (810) and fourth in rushing yards (3,664), averaging 96.4 yards per game. He sports 20 career 100-yard rushing games, three shy of the Hobart record.

Gradis enjoyed another banner season, but slipped from a two-time second-team selection to honorable mention. He posted career-highs in tackles (54) and tackles for a loss (8), while breaking up four passes, recovering a fumble, and blocking a field goal attempt. Over the past three seasons, Gradis has 156 tackles (101 solo), 11½ for a loss, and 15 passes defended.

Last season’s league Rookie of the Year, Robinson was fourth on team in tackles (50), and second in sacks. He recorded a game-high 13 stops in Hobart’s win at Rensselaer. In two seasons, Robinson has collected 108 tackles, including 11 for a loss and six and a half sacks.

The only first-year to start this season for Hobart, Sanders led his classmates in tackles and ranked sixth on the team overall with 45 stops. He logged a season-high nine tackles and forced a fumble in Hobart’s 33-27 overtime victory against Union on Nov. 6.