NOVEMBER 16, 2004
BOB ZIADIE
SIX MONARCH GRIDDERS NAMED ALL-MAC
WILKES-BARRE -- Six members of the King's College
football team were named to the All-Middle Atlantic Conference squad, the
MAC Office announced Tuesday.
Earning first-team berths were senior safety and
team captain Derek Zambino, sophomore linebacker Tore Alaimo, and senior
center Jason Kelly. Second-team choices included senior tailback Richard
Jackson
of
Lackawanna Trail, junior tight end Matt Nicodemus, and junior guard Ed
Huth.
Zambino was outstanding in his first season at
safety, after spending his first three seasons at cornerback for the
Monarchs. Zambino was second on the team with 74 tackles, including a
team-high 53 solo stops. He also added three interceptions and broke up
six passes, setting a King's career record with 36.
Alaimo enjoyed a banner season after posting a
team-high 82 tackles with 51 solo hits despite missing one game with an
injury. The 6-0, 225-pound Alaimo had 4.5 tackles for 26 yards in losses,
two sacks, three interceptions. He helped anchor a Monarch defense ranked
second in the MAC in yielding just 124.9 rushing yards per-game.
Kelly was the top lineman on a King's team which was
third in MAC rushing with 190.7 yards on the ground each game. The 6-1,
255-pound Kelly set a King's three-lift record of 1,405 combined pounds in
the incline bench press, squat, and power clean.
Jackson was a disappointing second-team choice after
rushing for 1,550 yards and averaging 155.0 yards per-game with 19 rushing
touchdowns and an MAC leading 21 total scores. Jackson finished his career
as the second leading rusher in MAC history and stands seventh in NCAA
Division III history with 5,365 yards.
The 6-2, 220-pound Nicodemus had 16 catches for 224
yards and averaged 14.0 yards each reception but was also a dominant
blocker from his tight end position. The 6-2, 270-pound Huth was solid in
his first year as a starter and joined Kelly in helping pave the way for
Jackson and the rest of the Monarch offense.
