FROM KEITH GROLLER
Lehigh football has been in the news a lot lately for things coming up in the future -- the incoming recruiting class, the Patriot League allowing scholarships beginning with the next recruiting class; potential special plans for the 150th meeting between Lehigh and Lafayette in 2014, etc. etc.
But on Saturday night at Iacocca Hall on its Mountaintop Campus, Lehigh honored the recent past -- its 2011 championship team.
I was invited for the first time and witnessed a great night for the program filled with some well-deserved honors and tributes.
It took watching the 25-minute video highlight video -- no highlights from the team's two losses against New Hampshire and North Dakota State were shown -- to fully appreciate how talented the 2011 team was and how much talent the team will graduate this spring.
Coach Andy Coen showed great appreciation for the 25 graduating seniors who played a major role in turning around the program after it went 5-6 in 2008 and 4-7 in 2009 to go 21-5 over the past two seasons.
In all, this graduating group went 20-4 in Patriot League play and won its last 14 league contests. They also went 4-0 against Lafayette, turning around the series after the Leopards had won the previous four meetings.
They won the Lambert Cup, saluting them as the East's best in FCS-level football and finished ranked No. 5 in the nation after their second consecutive league championship.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the championship rings -- nice, big and shiny -- that came in a fancy box that lighted up. The team's motto in 2011 was WAR -- We're About Rings.
Those honored at the banquet were:
Top offensive back -- Zach Barket
Top receiver -- Ryan Spadola
Top offensive lineman -- Troy McKenna
Top defensive back -- Jonathan Littlejohn
Top linebacker -- Mike Groome
Top defensive lineman -- Ben Flizack
Top special teams player -- Shane Ryan
Nick Timko Hustle Awards -- Matt Douglas, Tashan Mitchell
Scholar-Athlete -- Tanner Rivas
Barry Fetterman Award -- Mark Wickware, Colin Newton
Alexander G. Hahalis Award -- Andrew Knapp.
James P. McConologue -- Jake Drwal
John C. Whitehead "Big LU" Award -- Keith Schauder.
Archibald Johnston Cup -- Chris Lum.
http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/
On this page I will have all information on sports events from Nazareth High School and all other sports events in the country. I will also have news about myself and other people.
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