Eleven Panthers named to All-SCIAC football team
ORANGE, Calif. – A historic season in which the Chapman University football team matched a school record with an 8-1 finish was recognized by the SCIAC conference as 11 Panthers earned All-Conference selections as voted on by the head coaches in the SCIAC. Nine of the 11 Panthers were named to the All-SCIAC first-team with junior QB Michael Lahey earning Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Lahey headlines the list of All-SCIAC selections following one of the most impressive offensive seasons in Chapman history. The junior led the nation with a 75.4 completion percentage (150-for-199), throwing for 1,961 yards with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions. As a first year starter, Lahey tallied four games with three touchdowns, surpassing 300 yards twice and recording a passing efficiency score of 180.7 that ranked fifth best in Division III.
The Panthers' offense, which finished in the top 10 in the nation with 500.8 yards per game, was riddled with All-Conference talent at the skill positions. Senior WR Robin Harris earned his second career All-SCIAC recognition with a first-team selection after leading the Panthers with 27 receptions for 445 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Anthony Ezeakunne was recognized as the best tight end in the conference after making 14 catches for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Rounding out the trio of offensive players surrounding Lahey is junior RB Cody Chapple, who emerged from a talented and crowded Panther backfield to lead the team with 1,084 all-purpose yards with 11 touchdowns en-route to a second-team selection.
The potent offensive attack was made possible by a stout offensive line that featured two All-Conference selections in senior Justin LaLonde and sophomore Chris Hicks. The first-team selection marked LaLonde's second appearance on the All-SCIAC team while Hicks makes his debut with second-team honors. The duo anchored a Chapman line that allowed just six sacks all season while protecting an offense that tallied 500.8 yards per game, including 253.2 rushing yards per contest.
The Chapman defense, which allowed just 20.3 points per game, had three players earn first-team recognition. Senior DL Samir Hanna recorded several game-changing plays in 2013, leading the team with 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss. Junior LB Greg Johnson led the team with 64 tackles while junior DB Osayande Aikhionbare finished with 56 tackles, pacing the Panthers with 44 solo tackles.
Head coach Bob Owens' well-rounded roster even included two special teams selections as junior K Markus Trujillo and junior kick returner Kean Stancil earned first-team selections. Chapman's efficient offense limited Trujillo to just six field goal tries all season, but he made all six including a season-long 40-yard try against Whittier. Trujillo was kept plenty busy, though, as he connected on 43 PAT attempts. Stancil, who played several positions throughout the season, earned first-team honors after tallying 416 yards on 13 returns for an average of 32 yards per return that ranked fourth in the nation.
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was established in 1915. The league is currently comprised of nine private colleges and universities in Southern California: California Institute of Technology, California Lutheran University, Chapman University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, University of La Verne, Occidental College, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, University of Redlands, and Whittier College. The conference recognizes outstanding athletic achievements of its student-athletes on a weekly and annual basis.
All-SCIAC Football Team: http://www.thesciac.org/sports/fball/2013-14/releases/20131202ia2jqf
by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant
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