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University of Massachusets Athletics
Baylark, Hatchell, Ihedigbo, Miller Named To Don Hansen All-Region Team
March 03, 2007 | Football
March 3, 2007
NORTH AURORA, Ill. - Tailback Steve Baylark, linebacker Jason Hatchell, safety James Ihedigbo and center Alex Miller were named to the Don Hansen All-Northeast Region First Team. Don Brown was named the Region Coach of the Year. Ihedigbo was honored as the Northeast Defensive Back of the Year.
Linebacker Brad Anderson, offensive lineman Matt Austin, cornerback Tracy Belton, punter Christian Koegel and kicker Chris Koepplin were named to the Second Team.
Courtney Robinson was named to the Third Team as a kickoff returnman. Wide receiver Brandon London and linebacker Charles Walker were Honorable Mention honorees.
Here's Don Hansen's complete release.
Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Taylor from Fordham, 1-AA record breaking touchdown reception leader, David Ball from New Hampshire and, the Massachusetts tenacious tackler and team captain, James Ihedigbo headline a talented 2006 Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA 1 FCS Northeast All-Region team. Massachusetts, Don Brown, led Massachusetts to the A-10 North Division title with a mark of 8-0 in league play, the first undefeated season in Conference play since Villanova in 1997. His team finished with an overall record of 13-2 after losing in the 1-AA title game to Appalachian State, 28-17, was named Regional Coach of the Year. Taylor claimed linebacker of the Year while Ball was named the Offensive Receiver the Year and Ihedigbo was awarded with Defensive back of the Year. Senior Ed McCarthy from Yale earned Offensive Lineman of the Year honors, while Justin Hairston from Central Connecticut State claimed Offensive Back of the Year honors. Hofstra's Rob Zarrilli is the Special Teams Player of the year and Defensive Lineman Player of the Year honors go to Matt King from Maine.
Taylor, a senior, from Silver Spring, Maryland, is the 2006 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Rams with 116 total tackles, 53 solo, including a team-high 12 tackles for a loss...Also recorded four quarterback sacks in 2006 and intercepted a team-best three passes while breaking up four others...Forced four fumbles this fall and he recovered four fumbles, one of which he returned 43 yards for a touchdown against Patriot League champions, Lafayette. Taylor led the league in both forced fumbles and fumbles recovered while ranking second in total tackles, tied for fifth in sacks and sixth in tackles for a loss.
Ball, a junior, from Orange, Vermont, had an amazing year for the UNH football team and received tremendous media coverage after breaking several NCAA receiving marks, including the I-AA record for touchdown receptions in a career. He surpassed the mark of NFL legend Jerry Rice, who caught 50 touchdown passes while playing at Mississippi Valley State. Ball completes his career with 58 touchdown catches. Ball also finished second among the NCAA leaders with 4,655 receiving yards and he tied Rice's mark for 100-yard receiving games with 23. He also finished second all-time among the top I-AA players with 28 games with at least one touchdown catch. In 2006, Ball led the Atlantic 10 Football Conference with 13 touchdown receptions and was ranked among the top 10 in the nation in nearly every receiving category. His 93 receptions in 2006 broke his own University mark of 87, which he set last season. In addition, he completed his third straight campaign with over 1,000 receiving yards after compiling 1,114 yards in 2006 and averaging 85.7 receiving yards per contest. Ball was also named a Walter Camp All-American and an AFCA First-Team All-American.
Ihedigbo, a senior, from Amherst, Massachusetts, and team captain who has started at strong safety for the last three seasons. Tremendous leader with tenacity which shows with his great blitzing ability. He is First-Team All-Atlantic-10 selection. He totaled 72tackles (36 solo), including 5.5 tackles for loss (-41 yards) with five sacks (-39 yards). Ihedigho also registered four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, five pass break-ups and three interceptions for 66 yards.
McCarthy, a senior, from Fairfield, Connecticut, had 39 straight starts and has played every position on the offensive line and was honored by Ivy League all four years. 2006: AFCA First-Team All-America, First-Team All-Ivy, National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete and was a finalist for the Draddy Award.. Was a Sports Network I-AA Pre-Season first-team All-American. Firstteam Don Hansen\'s Football Gazette pre-season I-AA All-America... Led Yale to share of league championship with 8-2 (6-1 Ivy) record. He helped Bulldog offense rank No. 1 in rushing among Ivy teams and 15th in I-AA with 200.80 yards per game.
Hairston, a senior, from New Britain, Connecticut, was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Year and was an All-New England selection and is a First-Team AFCA honoree. He had two of the top seven and three of the top 11 individual rushing performances in the nation this season including a 332-yard performance on homecoming vs. St. Francis (PA). In that game Hairston set an NCAA record with 197 rushing yards in the first quarter alone. Hairston finished the year with an NEC and school record 1,847 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. On the season he had eight 100 yard rushing games, four 200 yard games and one 300 yard game. He averaged a national-best 167.9 rushing yards per game and scored 20 rushing touchdowns. He also led the nation in all-purpose yards per game at 199.8 yards per game.
Zarrilli, a senior, from Orlando, Florida, who earned the second All-Atlantic 10 first team selection of his career and the first Special Teams Player of the Year award, led the Atlantic 10 and was second in I-AA in field goals (1.64), and was sixth in scoring average in the conference. Zarrilli connected on 18 of 21 field goals in 2006 to top his total (17-19) of a year ago. He made at least two field goals in five of Hofstra's 11 contests, including three against Towson, William & Mary and Villanova, and was 6-for-7 on field goal attempts of 40 or more yards, with a season long of 52 coming at both Maine and Massachusetts. Zarrilli also converted 15 of 17 extra-point attempts to finish with 69 points. Zarrilli is also a First-Team Walter Camp All-American.
King, a senior, from Stoughton, Massachusetts, led the Atlantic 10 in sacks (1.05 per game) and tackles for loss (18.0), while ranking second and sixth, respectively, in the national rankings. King recorded at least one tackle for loss in all 11 games this season, including a 3.5 sack performance in Maine's 30-3 victory over Northeastern. King finished 2006 with 60 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss (-103 yards) with 11.5 sacks (-86 yards). He also caused three fumbles, recovered two fumbles and broke up two passes.
Don Brown earned his second Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honor for leading Massachusetts to the North Division title with a mark of 8-0 in league play, the first undefeated season in Conference play since Villanova in 1997. Under Brown's direction, a league-record 20 student-athletes were named to the 2006 All-Conference team. Brown guided his team to the FCS Championship game where his troops lost to two-time defending national champs, Appalachian State, 28-17.In his third season in Amherst, Brown owns a 78-37 overall record and 26-11 at Massachusetts. Named the 2002 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year while at Northeastern, Brown joins Jim Reid as the only coaches in league history to lead two different teams to Conference titles and earn Coach of the Year honors at two different schools. Brown guided the Huskies to the 2002 league crown. From 1993-1995, Brown spent three seasons as the head coach at Plymouth State (N.H.) College. He led the Panthers to a pair of Freedom Conference titles in 1994 and 1995, while posting an overall record of 25-6 (6-4 in 1993, 10-1 in 1994 and 9-1 in 1995). Brown was named Freedom Conference Coach of the Year during each of his three seasons, and led Plymouth State to a pair of Division III playoff appearances in 1994 and 1995. In addition, he was named the American Football Coaches Association District I Coach of the Year in 1994. A native of Spencer, Mass., Brown began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Dartmouth in 1982, helping the Big Green to the Ivy League title. He moved on to Mansfield (Pa.) University as an assistant coach in 1983, before returning to Dartmouth as defensive coordinator from 1984-1986. Brown then served as defensive coordinator at Yale from 1987-1992, helping lead the Elis to the 1989 Ivy League crown. His coaching career started at Hartford High School in White River Junction, Vt., where he served as an assistant football coach and physical education instructor from 1977-1982. The 49-year old Brown (born July 31, 1955) is a 1977 graduate of Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., where he starred as a running back for the Cadets' football team. He went on to earn a master's degree from Plymouth State College in 1996.