Tuesday,
November 18, 2003
Written by Elliott Wiley, Jr.
MEDFORD
-- The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Football coaches
met at Tufts University on November 12 to select the 2003 All-NESCAC football
teams. Among the First and Second teams, eight Tufts University Jumbos fill out
nine positions as the teams were announced on Monday. The eight selections are
the most ever for Tufts for All-NESCAC, which was expanded to two teams for the
2000 season.
Tufts'
four First Team representatives are all seniors. Quad-captain and center Justin Kelley (Northfield, MA/Deerfield Academy), place-kicker Marcellus
Rolle (Smyrna, GA/Lovett), quad-captain and defensive lineman Caleb
Hudak (White River Jct., VT/Hartford), and cornerback/return specialist Mark
Tilki (Derby, CT/Derby) were all chosen to the First Team.
The
Jumbos have an equal number of players on the Second Team, with senior defensive
lineman Matt Keller (Salem, MA/Salem), quad-captain and senior linebacker Reid
Palmer (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca), junior offensive tackle Rich
Aronson (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh), and junior wide receiver Kevin Holland (Williamstown, MA/Mount Greylock) all earning Second
Team nods.
Kelley
was the heart and brains of the offensive line at center, anchoring the group on
the field and often motivating players off of the field. The Jumbos ranked fifth
in NESCAC with 149.9 yards rushing per game and had a 100-yard back in half of
its games. Kelley is a four-year starter on the Jumbos' line and first-time
all-star.
Rolle
finished the season with a Tufts and NESCAC record 10 field goals this season.
The kicker led Tufts in scoring with 42 of the team's total 134 points. He made
10 of 13 field goals overall with a long of 37 yards against Trinity on October
11. In addition, Rolle was 12 of 15 on extra points. His 42 points were the most
by a Tufts kicker since Mark Litner scored 42 during the undefeated 1979 season.
Hudak
is a veteran of the All-NESCAC team. As a junior and sophomore, the defensive
lineman was also named to the First Team. This season, Hudak was Tufts
second-leading tackler with 58 total. Of those, 35 were solo. Hudak's
penetration of opposing offensive lines created a team-high 14 tackles for a
loss, including three sacks. Possibly the best moment of the Tufts season was
when Hudak intercepted a deflected pass in overtime against Amherst, sealing the
Jumbos 24-17 victory.
Tilki
took up two positions on the First Team. With a team-high five interceptions and
29 tackles, Tilki was selected as a First Team cornerback. His presence often
made opposing offenses throw the ball away from him, contributing to Tufts'
number one rated pass defense that only yielded 127.1 passing yards per game. He
returned two interceptions for touchdowns, 40 yards at Bates on September 28 and
51 yards against Bowdoin on October 4. He averaged 26.2 yards on interception
returns overall.
In
addition, Tilki made the squad as the return specialist for the third straight
year. The multi-talented player returned 11 kickoffs for 343 yards, an average
of 31.2 yards per return that currently ranks sixth in the country. Tilki broke
one kick return for a 96-yard touchdown in the season-opener at Hamilton on
September 20. He also returned 19 punts with an average of 10.6 per return.
Tilki
was also named NESCAC Player of the Week in back-to-back games after his
performances at Bates and on Homecoming against Bowdoin.
Keller
was fourth on the team with 47 total tackles. While the nose guard did not have
a sack this season, he did break into the backfield and cause six tackles for
losses. He had 11 tackles in the season-highlight win over Amherst. The Jumbo
defense was fourth in NESCAC against the run (131 yards per game), and the man
in the middle was a huge reason.
In
the Tufts system, Palmer was officially a defensive end, but played similar to a
linebacker, thus he made the Second Team as a linebacker. He did everything this
year, finishing third on the team in tackles (50), coming up with four tackles
for 24 yards in losses, making one sack, and intercepting two passes. He
returned one 91 yards for a touchdown late in the second half at Bates. He also
played into the Jumbos' league-leading pass defense by dropping back in pass
coverage, guarding against out patterns and running backs in the flat.
Aronson
was Tufts' leading sacker last year while playing on the defensive line. This
season he switched positions and started guarding against the sack. He showed
his versatility by learning the new position of offensive tackle and then
playing the position well. Listed a 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, Aronson is built like
a truck and quickly became one of the league's best. He is one of the top
talents on the line during Head Coach Bill Samko's tenure.
Last,
but not least on the All-NESCAC teams for Tufts is junior wide receiver Kevin
Holland. Holland had a breakthrough season, pulling in tremendous jumping
catches in addition to making routine catches on curl and out patterns. Of the
team's total 108 receptions, 43 were to Holland for 533 yards, and a team-high
three touchdown receptions. Holland ranked fourth in the NESCAC in reception
yards per game (66.6) and fifth in receptions per game (5.38). He had seven
catches for 121 yards and a score in the Amherst game.
Tufts
finished 5-3 overall, finishing in a tie for third place in NESCAC. As
mentioned, they had the top rated pass defense in the league and were third
overall in total defense (258.1 yards per game). The Jumbos were eighth in total
offense with 296.0 yards per game.
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