Teams: Football: Press Releases

Thursday, November 15, 2007

SIX JUMBOS VOTED TO ALL-NESCAC FOOTBALL TEAMS, MOST SINCE 2003

MEDFORD -- The Tufts University football team competed for a share of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championship until the final minutes of the season this fall. Six players who helped Coach Bill Samko's team post its best season in four years have been named to the All-Conference teams announced today.

Tom Tassinari

Kevin Gleason

Kevin Anderson

Senior fullback and tri-captain Kevin Anderson (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton) was selected to the All-NESCAC First Team Offense for the second straight season. Also on the First Team for Tufts was senior tight end and tri-captain Kevin Gleason (Holden, MA/St. John's Shrewsbury) and sophomore defensive back Tom Tassinari (Andover, MA/Phillips Andover). The All-NESCAC Second Team includes Jumbos Thomas Ames (Cotuit, MA/New Hampton School) on the offensive line, David Halas (Southbury, CT/Taft) at wide receiver and Tyson Reynoso (Bellevue, ID/Wood River) at linebacker.

The Jumbos enjoyed one of their best years offensively in recent history, scoring 21.6 points per game to rank fourth in NESCAC. They averaged 305.2 yards per game. Anderson again excelled as a bull of a lead blocker for the Tufts ground game. Despite numerous injuries in the backfield, the Jumbos used a rotation of four backs behind Anderson who helped compile an average of 105.5 yards rushing per game. Anderson did not have a rushing attempt this fall, but he caught 14 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield. Beginning late last season, Gleason evolved into the conference's best tight end. This fall he was one of the primary targets for Tufts quarterback Matt Russo (Longmeadow, MA/Longmeadow), finishing second on the team with 28 catches (for 264 yards) and three touchdown receptions. He had 10 receptions for 94 yards in the Middlebury game. Halas was a consistent threat at wide out. His 482 receiving yards was fourth in NESCAC and his 34 receptions ranked seventh. He had 10 catches for 149 yards at Williams. Ames was moved to center for his senior season and flourished. A four-year starter who played all of the other positions on the line during his career, he was the apex of an offense that scored the most points by a Tufts team since 2001.

Tyson Reynoso

David Halas

Tom Ames

Tassinari and Reynoso were All-Conference selections on a Tufts defense that ranked fourth in the league with 16.8 points per game and 301.8 yards per game allowed. A 6'3" and 200 pounds safety, Tassinari was one of the league's top playmakers on defense. Including statistics he compiled on the Jumbo kickoff and punt coverage teams, he was second on the squad with 51 tackles (29 solo stops), including 1.5 for losses. He led Tufts and was second in the league with five interceptions, including a sensational 87-yard return for a touchdown against Bowdoin. He also defended four passes, forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble. Reynoso has developed into a force in the middle of the Jumbo D. He led the way this fall with 60 tackles (34 solos), including six for losses and a sack. He also knocked down three passes, was credited with two quarterback hurries, forced two fumbles and recovered one.

With their 5-3 finish, Tufts was ranked #7 in the final New England Division III poll. It was their first winning season since 2003. The Jumbos defeated a Trinity College team, 16-10, that had won 40 of its previous 41 games. A 29-10 Tufts victory over Amherst was the largest margin of victory for the Jumbos over the Jeffs since the 1992 season. The six players elected All-NESCAC are the most since eight were named to the First and Second Teams for 2003.

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