ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell University sprint football team placed five members on the first-team All-CSFL squad, as was announced by the league office. The Big Red placed 17 different players on the post-season lists, garnering 18 honors in total, as
Mitch Ottinger was named a second-team offensive lineman, as well as an honorable mention selection as the team's place kicker.
Prys Carvolth,
Matt Goggin and Mike Zambrana were named honorable mention.
For the second consecutive season, Brennan was named to the CSFL first-team. The honor came after a season in which Brennan finished second in the league in reception yards (394) and fourth in receptions (29). Brennan also set the all-time Cornell receiving record in the final game of the season. The senior also excelled on special teams, as he led the Big Red in punt return yards (59) had the longest punt return or the season (12 yards), and ranked second on the team in kickoff return yards (216).
Matteo received a first-team nod after being the Big Red all star utility player. This season, he settled into the defensive back to become one of the shut down corners in the league. Malleo led the Big Red with three interceptions, which were also good enough for fourth in the CSFL. He also led the team with four broken-up passes and was fourth with 36 tackles.
Parke was able to keep himself healthy this season for the Big Red, which made him a huge weapon on defense, leading the CSFL with 64.0 tackles out of the linebacker position. He was a two-time CSFL defensive player of the week, earning one honor after a 15-tackle performance against Penn in week 6.
For the third year in a row Gonos was named an All-CSFL member, earning first-team honors for the second straight year. Gonos was the senior leader of the defensive line, which held opponents to a total of just 355 rushing yards on the season. Gonos finished the year with 17 tackles.
Lincoln was an integral part of an offensive line that allowed only 12 sacks on the season, and helped the Big Red rushers to rack up 697 yards on the ground.
Ottinger received was named to the second-team for his great work on the offensive line and was also named honorable mention for being one of the league's top field goal kickers. Ottinger led the Big Red in scoring with 28 points, thanks to 13 extra-points and a five-of-six performance from field goal range.
Despite struggling early in the season, Dentes finished the season strong to earn CSFL honors for the third straight year. He finished the season ranked second in the league with 1,117 passing yards. Dentes also threw for nine touchdowns and rushed for four more. He finished his career as Cornell's all-time leading passer.
Friedman had a breakout season for the Big Red. During the heart of the season, Friedman was arguably Cornell's best receiver. He finished the year second on the team with 350 yards and 25 receptions.
Sarker was also an important piece on a very impressive Cornell receiving unit. Sarker had a knack for getting open in the endzone, and ranked second on the team with three receiving touchdowns. Sarker also handled the majority of the teams punting duties and averaged 32.9 yard per punt.
The running duties were handed to Smith and he exceeded all expectations by leading the Big Red with 195 yards on the ground. Smith also had three touchdowns, including two through the air.
Hemminger is a first-time recipient of a CSFL honor earning a nod after finishing the season ranked fifth in the CSFL with 51.0 tackles. He also led the Big Red with six sacks, including a four-sack performance against Mansfield.
Levy became a key member of the Big Red defense this past season. He led Cornell with two recovered fumbles and two forced fumbles. He also had 13 tackles.
Kozen, an Ithaca High School graduate, earned second-team honors after serving as a crucial member of the defensive line. He ranked fifth on the team with 27 tackles, with 3.5 of them going for a loss.
Another member of the offensive line, Ortenberg, built on a solid junior season to earn post-season honors as a senior. He was part of an offensive line that allowed only 12 sacks on the season, and helped the Big Red rushers to rack up 697 yards on the ground.
The Big Red ended the 2008 season on a four-game winning-streak to finish with a 5-2 record, the school's third consecutive season with an above .500 record. Cornell took second-place in the CSFL with a record of 3-1 and will have six post-season honorees will be returning for the 2009 season.
