Football

NJAC Honors 15 Football Players on All-Conference Squads

POMONA, N.J. (11/21/06) - The Kean University football team had 15 players named to the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) all-conference squads, as voted by the NJAC coaches and announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Junior quarterback A.J. Roque (Matawan, N.J.) and Head Coach Dan Garrett highlighted the list of honors, as Roque was named NJAC Offensive Player of the Year and Garrett garnered Coach of the Year honors.

Senior offensive lineman Malcolm Manning (left) joins Roque as a first-team selection. Sophomore Durell Dukes garnered second-team offensive honors, while seniors Jarius Kendle, William Parks and Aahron Kiett were tabbed with second-team defensive honors. Junior Brian Williams was selected as a member of two units, second-team special teams as well as honorable mention as a wide receiver. Joining him as honorable mention award winners are freshman Jared Chunn, junior Anthony Stewart, senior Murat Ambaroglu, senior Rob Rynkiewicz, senior Mo El Sherbini, junior Ryan Staton and sophomore Guy Ulmer-Santos.

Roque, a three-year starter, became the first player in program history to eclipse 5,000 passing yards in a career and 2,000 passing yards in a season. This season, he finished with 2,320 yards passing and 19 touchdowns to break his own school record in both categories. In 30 career games under center, he has 5,980 passing yards and 46 career passing touchdowns. Roque finished the season leading the conference in passing yardage per game (210.9), total offense per game (216.7) and passing efficiency (137.7).

Garrett guided the Cougars to their first winning record in over a decade. In his first season at the helm of the program, Garrett led the Cougars to a 7-4 overall mark. After being selected to finish eighth in the preseason poll, the Cougars finished the year fourth with a 4-3 mark in the NJAC, the most conference wins in a season since the 1987 squad finished with a 5-1 NJAC record.

Manning (Franklin, N.J.), who also earned all-conference honors in 2004 and 2005, helped an offensive core who just two years ago ranked last in the NJAC in scoring offense, rushing offense and total offense. This year's offensive line award winners Manning, Ambaroglu (Paramus, N.J.) and Rynkiewicz (Carteret, N.J.) were part of a unit that this season led the conference in passing offense, rushing offense, total offense, pass efficiency and first downs.

The Cougars' top two receivers both garnered honors. Dukes (Elizabeth, N.J.) finished the season with 846 yards on 49 receptions, including nine touchdowns. Williams (Pleasantville, N.J.) recorded four touchdowns with 34 receptions and 363 receiving yards. Williams, who was also selected as a special teams member, recorded 11 kick returns for 355 yards including two touchdowns.

Running backs Chunn (Tinton Falls, N.J.) and Stewart (Atlantic City, N.J.) round out the offensive team members. Chunn, who led the Cougars with 391 yards, also registered three touchdowns. Stewart led Kean with 90 rushes and four rushing touchdowns while averaging 36.8 yards per game.

Six members of this year's defensive unit that ranked second in the NJAC in scoring defense were tabbed with honors. In 11 games, Kendle (Asbury Park, N.J.) recorded 42 tackles including 11 for a loss and seven sacks. He also registered one interception, forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble. Parks (Newark, N.J.) finished second on the team with 74 total tackles, as well as a team-high 12 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. Kiett, a two-time NJAC honoree, had a team-high three interceptions to go along with 45 total tackles. Kiett also had an impressive 20 pass breakups to lead the NJAC and rank second in the nation in passes defended per game.

El Sherbini (Carteret, N.J.) tallied 39 tackles as well as four sacks. Ulmer-Santos (Jersey City, N.J.) recorded a stat in just about every defensive category including 66 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, six sacks, two interceptions, three breakups and a forced fumble. Staton (Mays Landing, N.J.) led Kean with 77 total tackles, including 49 solo tackles. He also recorded two interceptions and forced a fumble.

This season, Kean captured just its second Eastern College Athletic Conference title with a 37-0 shutout over King's College in the ECAC Southeast Bowl Championship. In the 37-year history of the program, the Cougars finished with a winning record for just the eighth time and first since the 1994 team finished 7-2-1 overall and won the school's first ECAC championship.