Written by Lee Kellogg
Monday, November 29, 2004

LAWRENCE NAMED TO NEW ENGLAND FOOTBALL WRITERS' TEAM

MEDFORD -- After a season of team-leading performances on the defensive line for the Tufts University Football team, senior Chris Lawrence (Falmouth, MA/Falmouth) has been named to the prestigious 2004 New England Football Writers' Division II/III Team.

He and 27 other players from Division II and III in New England named to the team will be honored at the New England Football Writers Awards and Captains Banquet at Lantana Restaurant in Randolph on Thursday (Dec. 2). Lawrence is one of seven New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) players named to this all-star squad. He was selected to the All-NESCAC First Team earlier this fall.

Lawrence put up some fantastic numbers during his final season in a Jumbo uniform.  As a defensive tackle he recorded 72 tackles in eight games, 31 of them on his own.  He was second on the team in both categories.  His 9.0 tackles per game tied for ninth in the NESCAC this fall. He was the only defensive lineman in the top 10. Eight of his tackles this season were for losses, which totaled 37 yards.  He got to the quarterback three times for a total of 25 yards lost.  He also batted down four passes and recovered one fumble.

            Lawrence's final game stuck out as a particularly strong performance.  Against Middlebury on November 13, he recorded six solo tackles, four tackles for losses totaling 18 yards, and one and a half sacks totaling ten yards.  All of these were season-highs for Lawrence. He had a season-high 12 tackles twice, against Bates on October 2 and against Williams on October 23.

Although Tufts was just 2-6 overall this fall, Lawrence displayed talent and intensity week in and week out. He was one of the team's defensive Players of the Game five times.

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