Defense and special teamers highlight All-Conference selections for CMS
PASADENA, Calif. – Of the eight selections the
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team had on the 2014 Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)
All-Conference teams, six were either on defense or special teams.
Much improved play on defense and special teams in 2014 played a
large role in CMS' overall improvement in the win-loss column.
Senior linebacker Max
Winsberg (CMC) earned the top defensive award in the
SCIAC, being named Defensive Athlete of the Year, while senior
linebacker Nick
Nasse (CMC) earned first team All-Conference honors
for his play on special teams. It is the first time in head coach
Kyle Sweeney's four-year tenure at CMS that the Stags have had a
player be named Athlete of the Year in any category. This season
also marks the most All-SCIAC selections in one season CMS has had
during his time at the helm of the program.
Sophomore defensive lineman Paul
Slaats (HMC) was named to the first team while senior
defensive lineman Alex
Chang (CMC), senior offensive lineman Peter
Clancy (CMC), junior wide receiver and punter
Tyler
Stanek (CMC) and sophomore defensive back Griffin
Lazarus (CMC) each were named to the second team.
Stanek was selected to the second team as both a punter and wide
receiver.
In 2014, CMS' defense scored five touchdowns, came up with 19
interceptions and had one safety, while the special teams scored
one touchdown of its own. The special teams' touchdown came against
Redlands off of a blocked punt by Nasse who had three blocked punts
on the season.
On defense, Winsberg proved to be the anchor of a stingy CMS unit
which allowed the fewest points per game in the conference during
the season. He led the team in total tackles (81), tackles per game
(9), forced fumbles (2) and interceptions (5). He had a pair of two
interception games in 2014. He closed out his career with a monster
game in the win over Pomona-Pitzer in which he had 10 tackles, two
interceptions, two forced fumbles a sack and an interception return
for a touchdown.
Slaats and Chang had 32 and 20 total tackles, respectively. Chang
led CMS and finished third in the conference with five sacks on the
season. Lazarus rounded out the defensive All-Conference selections
for CMS. Lazarus finished third on the team with 39 total tackles
and played a key role for a secondary which allowed the third
lowest amount of passing yards per game in the conference. CMS'
defense led the conference in interceptions with 19.
On offense, Clancy helped clear the way for a balanced offense
that averaged 384 yards per game with 206 yards coming through the
air and 178 yards on the ground.
At wideout, Stanek served as CMS' go-to receiver, racking up 45 receptions, 670 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 75 yards per game and nearly 15 yards per catch. He had four games over 100 yards receiving which included a three-touchdown, 10-catch, 167-yard effort in CMS' win over Lewis & Clark. As the team's punter, Stanek averaged 40.1 yards per punt with 11 punts inside the 20-yard line, seven fair catches and one touchback.
CMS finished the season with a 5-4 overall record, 4-3 in
conference play.
Complete All-SCIAC Teams
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