Awards given at 34th annual football banquet

Justin Ossont
Sports Editor

The football team handed out awards on the evening of Jan. 12 at the 34th annual football awards banquet.  Tri-captains and seniors Nate Oropollo, Cody Moyer, and Parker Showers walked home with the highest accolades a Lycoming College Football Warrior could receive.

The highest honor a player could receive is the Leland “Lee” Calistri ’59 Award.  It is given annually to the senior, who, during his four-year career at Lycoming , placed the team in front of his own.  This player displays courage, the desire to be the best he can be and a willingness to sacrifice any individual goals for the well-being of the team.  Cody Moyer was given the prestigious award.  Moyer, who started all four years for the Warriors helped lead the team average 342.1 yards of total offence with 175.6 yards on the ground per game.  He is also the first ever Warriors lineman to be named back-to-back first team all-region honors from the website d3football.com. Moyer repeated as a third team selection. Moyer received the team’s Offensive Lineman of the Year award for a second time.  He won it as a freshman in 2009.
Photo provided by Lycoming CollegeMoyer (left) and Showers (right) both took home major awards at the 34 annual football banquet.  Oropollo was also named the team’s MVP.
The David G. Busey Award for athletic achievement was awarded to running back and special team’s standout Parker Showers. Showers was also awarded the special team’s player of the year.  Showers continued a string of six straight All-MAC selection for Warrior running backs.

Josh Kleinfelter, who graduated in 2011, posted four continuous nods and Shower added a second team selection in 2011. Showers averaged 76.50 yards per game and had eight touchdowns.  In the record books, he is marked down as the ninth with rushing yards, 1977 yards total, and 18 touchdowns.  As a special teams threat he finished 14th in the nation averaging 26.82 yards a return.  He set the school’s career return record this season but fell only six yards short of the single season record by picking up 456 yards on only 17 returns.

Oropollos was named the team’s MVP and Defensive Lineman of the Year award.  Oropollo was a threat as defensive end as he finished first in the conference in sacks 10.0 and second with 16.0 tackles for loss.  He received a Second Team All-East Region nod by d3football.com.  He also received First Team All-MAC honors as well.

Other players who received awards were senior Jarin Campman who was named the Offensive Player of the Year award.   He finished as the sixth receiver in the conference with 4.3 receptions per game and seventh with 56.10 yards per game.  He had 11 reception touchdowns and was the ranked third in the league.
Kabongo Bukasa, who was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year as well.  Dwight Hentz was named co-defensive Lineman of the Year.  Tyler Jenny and Garret Harman received the Most Improved Offensive players.  Senior Caleb Shertzer and Tanner Troutman were named the teams Most Improved Defensive Players.

 Each senior was also awarded a plaque for their contributions towards the program as well being the winningest class since 2003.