Manchester, NH --- Worcester State has landed ten players on the New England Football Conference Bogan Division All-Conference team as announced by league publicist Roger Crosley.
Freshman standout Tyler Asam (Milford, MA) was honored as the NEFC Bogan Division Defensive Rookie of the Year while head coach Brien Cullen named by his peers as the Bogan Division Coach of the Year
Senior classmates Cliff Oratokhai (Worcester, MA/South- DB), Ray St. Laurent (Shrewsbury, MA), Adam Peloquin (Spencer, MA – OG), Robert Johnson III (Leicester, MA – OT), Marcus Price (Worcester, MA/Doherty) and Tony Tokarz (Holden, MA – QB) were all on the NEFC Bogan Division first team.
The second team selections included fourth-year teammates DJ Martin (W. Mendon, MA – C) and Kenny Russell (Bedford, MA – WR), junior Richie Dube (Shrewsbury, MA – RET), sophomore AJ Scerra (Marlboro, MA – WR) and freshman Casey Hippert (Douglas, MA – TE).
Tokarz used his last season to post his best as he finished the regular season with totals of 1,759 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while he was second on the team in rushing with 377 yards on the ground with five scores. Among conference leaders, Tokarz was second in passing touchdowns, yardage, total offense (213.6 YPG), pass efficiency (148.1) while he was also third in passing average (175.9 YPG).
In 30 career games, Tokarz has noteworthy totals of 4,541 passing yards (151.4 YPG) and 46 touchdowns, marks which are fourth and second in the record book, respectively. Tokarz is also the school's all-time leading rusher for a quarterback as he has 1,163 yards and 14 touchdowns (4.31 yards per rush). He is eighth on the all-time rushing list.
Price, who has been injured in his last two games, had a phenomenal run in his first eight contests as he scampered for 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns including seven games going over the century mark. His yardage this season eclipsed the previous school record which was held by Lancer Hall of Famer Greg Wood (2002). Price is only 111 yards away from tying Wood's all-time mark (3,002).
Price is currently 12th in the NCAA Division III in average rushing (132.6 YPG) while his total is 13th.
Peloquin, Johnson and Martin have played an instrumental role in the Lancers success offensively. The trio have helped backstop WSU to place second in the 16-team NEFC in scoring offense (34.1 PPG), total offense and rushing offense (217.4 YPG). The squad is 31st nationally in rushing yardage and sixth in New England.
Worcester State is also first in third-down conversions (46 percent – 64-for-159) and allowed just 10 sacks in 10 games – a total which is just one off the conference lead shared by three other teams.
St. Laurent has given opposing offensive coordinators headaches this season as he currently leads the NEFC in sacks with 9.5. His 57 tackles (39 solo) are second on the team while he also has 13 tackles for a loss of 66 yards to go along with one fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
St. Laurent has posted the fifth highest single-season sack total in school history and the most since Russ Watson threw down 12.5 sacks in 2001. St. Laurent is sixth in Division III in total sacks while his average is 14th (0.95).
Oratokhai has helped the Lancers have the sixth-best pass defense in the NEFC as the secondary has limited opponents to 141.8 yards per game. Individually, Oratokhai is tied for the league lead in interceptions (6) and he is eighth in tackling (36 stops – 29 solo) with a pair of pass breakups and one fumble recovery.
Asam, a defensive end, has impressed in his first-year campaign with 40 tackles (27 solo), 10 tackles for a loss of 37 yards and three sacks. He has also added two pass deflections, one forced fumble and a recovery.
Along with St. Laurent the Lancers are tied for fourth as a team in sacks with 20 – a mark that is second in the Bogan Division standings. Asum is the squad's first defensive rookie honoree in the NEFC since Danny Harris was recognized in 2003.
Russell and Scerra have been a lethal one-two punch for the Blue and Gold in the passing game. Scerra leads the squad with 40 receptions for 627 yards and 10 scores while Russell has 33 catches for 552 yards and nine touchdowns.
In just 20 games for the Lancers, Russell has posted impressive totals of 86 catches for 1,243 yards to go along with 17 touchdowns – all of which are inside the top eight in the record book. Scerra's 12 career touchdown catches are half-way to the all-time mark of 24 which is held by Bryan Keats. Scerra is just 145 yards away from 1,000 for his career.
Hippert has also been solid on the offensive line and through the air for Worcester State in his first season after transferring in from Sacred Heart as a red-shirt freshman. In eight games, Hippert is third on the team in receiving with 15 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Showing his ability to help out the Lancers in the clutch, nine of his 15 receptions have been on either third or fourth down.
Dube has been solid on special teams showing his ability to open up the field primarily on punt returns.
Averaging 15.8 yards per return, Dube is eighth in Division III in average while he has 29 returns for 300 yards – including a 63-yard score in their victory against Nichols. Dube also has four kick returns for 63 yards (15.8 YPR). Dube also eclipsed the school record with three returns for 117 yards in their triumph against the Bison.
In his 29th season as a head coach – 26th since Worcester State has been a varsity team – Cullen has helped guide the squad to an 8-2 record (5-2 NEFC Bogan), the first winning campaign since 2004. The Lancers are in prime position to land a possible ECAC Bowl bid, which would be their first since they went 8-3 in 2003.
Cullen has been garnered with his fifth coach of the year honor for turning around a team that went 1-9 just two seasons ago.