Five Greyhounds Earn All-Centennial Conference Honors
LANCASTER, Pa. --- Sophomore defensive back Anthony Orlando has been named to the All-Centennial Conference First Team, highlighting a group of five Moravian College football players to earn recognition from the conference to cap off the 2013 season.
LANCASTER, Pa. --- Sophomore defensive back Anthony Orlando has been named to the All-Centennial Conference First Team, highlighting a group of five Moravian College football players to earn recognition from the conference to cap off the 2013 season.
Freshman running back Chris Negron and junior defensive back Ricky Sinnig were selected to the All-Conference Second Team while junior linebacker Kevin Bracken and freshman defensive lineman John Snyder earned Honorable Mention accolades.
Orlando started all 10 games for the Greyhounds this season after transferring from Colgate University. Orlando was second on the team with 103 tackles including a team-leading 64 solo stops. He added five tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass break-up, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. Two of Orlando's fumble recoveries were returned for touchdowns, including a 45-yard return versus Franklin & Marshall and a 44-yard run back against Gettysburg College.
"Anthony made a huge impact on our defense this year," stated third-year Head Coach Jeff Pukszyn, who just completed his 20th season with the program as a player and then member of the coaching staff. "He played both safety and the nickel linebacker for us and did a tremendous job this year. He has a high football IQ and is playmaker out on the field."
Negron became just the third running back in Moravian history to surpass 1,000 yards in a season and the first to accomplish the feat as a freshman. Negron compiles a Centennial rookie record of 1,052 yards, which ranks second among Moravian's five 1,000-yard seasons, on just 169 carries for an average of 6.2 yards per carry while starting all 10 games. He averaged 105.2 yards per game with five games over the century mark and a pair over 200 yards as he became just the eighth player in Centennial history to record back-to-back 200-yard games. Negron scored seven touchdowns this fall, and he had a season-high 251 yards versus Gettysburg, the third-best game in school history. The freshman also contributed four receptions for 61 yards, and he returned 10 kickoffs for 181 yards.
"Chris got better and better as the season went on," explained Pukszyn. "Not only has he shown his explosiveness but his durability is second to none. I am excited to see Chris develop over the next three years."
Sinnig was one of Moravian's tri-captains this season in his second year as a starting safety. Sinnig, who was one of the 12 players in the Centennial to earn both All-Conference and All-Academic honors, was third on the squad with 84 tackles this fall with 45 solo stops. He also contributed one tackle for loss, two interceptions and a total of seven passes defended while starting all 10 games.
"Ricky is the quarterback of the defense," Pukszyn said. "He has tremendous work ethic and is a fierce competitor. Being elected captain as a junior shows the leadership qualities he has."
Bracken led the Greyhounds' defense with 107 tackles, including 59 solo stops, and Bracken and Orlando became the first Moravian teammates to record more than 100 tackles in a season since 1999, and 2013 was the first time the Greyhounds had a player register 100 tackles since 2002. Bracken also led Moravian with four interceptions that he returned a total of 58 yards and 10 passes defended. He also contributed a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this fall while starting all 10 games.
"Kevin was as consistent as any other linebacker in the conference," stated Pukszyn. "He has a nose for the football and showed his athleticism with having four interceptions on the year."
Snyder made an immediate impact for the Greyhounds starting seven of the nine games he played in at nose tackle. He led the defensive linemen with 39 tackles, and he led the entire Moravian defense with two and a half sacks. Snyder recorded a total of five and a half tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and he also recorded three pass break-ups after knocking down passes.
"John is a very physical football player and everyone saw that week in and week out," Pukszyn said. "He has his best football ahead of him and I am excited to have him for three more years."
The Greyhounds finished the season with a 2-8 record, winning two of their final four games, and are scheduled to return 80 players and 18 starters next fall.
To see the entire 2013 Centennial All-Conference Teams, visit http://www.centennial.org/sports/fball/2013-14/releases/11-19-All-CC.
