Nofri & Chestnut Highlight 15 NEC Football Postseason Awards
4/14/2021 12:00:00 AM | Football
SOMERSET, NJ – Sunday the Sacred Heart University football team captured its fifth Northeast Conference championship. Three days later the Pioneers were the headliners for the All-NEC awards, topped by head coach Mark Nofri as NEC Coach of the Year and Julius Chestnut garnering NEC Offensive Player of the Year.
A Walter Payton Award Candidate, Chestnut was joined on the All-NEC First Team Offensive by wide receiver Naseim Brantley and offensive linemen Josh Sokol and J.D. DiRenzo. First-Team Defensive honors went to Chris Outterbridge, Kevin Peprah and Randy Brito. Noah Gettman was the First-Team punter.
Quarterback Marquez McCray and tight end Ed Cuddahy were members of the Second-Team Offense. Senior defensive lineman Omar Fraser and strong safety Salaam Horne made Second-Team Defense. Brantley was the Second-Team return specialist.
In his ninth season as head coach, Nofri collected his fourth top coaching honor (2013, 2014, 2018). He has the Pioneers in the NCAA FCS Tournament for the first time since 2014 after a 34-27 overtime victory at Duquesne. Sacred Heart ranks in the top 25 nationally for scoring offense and scoring defense.
Named the 2018 NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year, Chestnut is just the second Pioneer to earn NEC Offensive Player of the Year. He joins Keshaudas Spence, who collected the award in 2013.
Chestnut has been dominating the competition on the ground, leading the FCS at 179.3 yards per game while ranking second by one yard with total 717 yards despite playing in five fewer games than the national leader. The Bowie, Md. native is also second in the nation in scoring at 17.0 points per game. In addition, Chestnut is 11th in nation, averaging 21.38 yards per reception.
It's the second selection for both Sokol and DiRenzo to go along with their 2019 awards. Named Preseason All-NEC, the duo anchors a SHU offensive line that helped produce the ninth-best rushing attack in the country. A native of Hopkinton, Mass., Sokol has played in 36 games during his career while serving as one of the team captains. DiRenzo, a Hammonton, N.J. native, has 27 games under his belt.
Brantley made the biggest catch of his career when SHU need him most as he hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass on 4th and 14 in overtime. The Farmingdale, N.J. native is third in the NEC at 50.2 receiving yards per game. He leads the league and ranks 25th in the NCAA 6.8 yards per punt return.
Outterbridge is amongst the league leaders for tackles and tackles for a loss. A native of Red Bank, NJ, he's fourth in the NEC and 30th in the NCAA at 5.8 solo tackles per game. His best two games of the year came against Duquesne, including nine tackles – two for a loss - in the championship contest.
Brito has an interception in two of the four contests this year, including one against Duquesne that stopped the Dukes from scoring right before halftime. The Bronx, NY native has eight tackles with half of them coming in the season opener at Duquesne.
While he might not have as many tackles as some on defense, Peprah clogs up the line scrimmage and takes on multiple blockers which allows others to make the play. A native of Woodbridge, Va., he had five tackles in game one at Duquesne and a tackle for a loss in Sunday's contest.
Through four games, Gettman is third in the nation at 46.4 yards per punt, which is more than six yards better than Jamie Ross' single-season school record of 40.08 set in 2015. It would also set the conference record. In Sunday's win the Daytona Beach, Fla. native set the school record with an 82-yard punt that is second all-time in the NEC.
McCray took over as the full-time starter this season and has been effective both passing and running the ball. He's 10th in the nation with a 155.4 pass efficiency rating and has a 64.1 completion percentage that rates 15th. The Philadelphia, Pa. native is second in the NEC for passing yards (772), passing yards per game (193.0) and yard per completion (13.1). McCray has thrown two touchdowns in three of the four games and connected on a career-best 222 yards versus LIU.
Integral in the running game as a blocker, Cuddahy can also step out and catch a pass. His reception late in the third quarter jumpstarted Sacred Heart's final scoring drive during regulation. A native of Leominster, Mass has played in 37 games during his career.
Fraser can often be found in the opposing backfield as he's posted two and a half sacks and four tackles for a loss. He's averaging over half a sack per game, which ranks him second in the NEC. The Milton, Mass. native had one and a half sacks against Merrimack as well as one in the NEC Championship game.
Horne can play coverage, but also come up to support the run. Against Merrimack he nearly had his first touchdown as his 65-yard interception return was stopped inside the Warriors' 10-yard line. A native of Vineland, NJ, he has 12 tackles this season, including six in the season opener against the Dukes.
