Dec. 15, 2003
Seven Patriot League football players, led by Colgate Jr. RB Jamaal Branch and Sr. OL Marc Sclafani, were named to the 2003 Sports Network All-America team Monday. All seven PL honorees are offensive players, and it marked the highest League representation since 1993, when the PL placed eight players on the All-America team. The PL also had eight players on the 1987 Sports Network All-America team.
Branch, the 2003 PL Offensive Player of the Year who broke more than a dozen school, League and NCAA rushing and scoring records, earned first-team recognition. He is one of three finalists for the Walter Payton Award as the Division I-AA Offensive Player of the Year, which will be presented Thursday at the Sports Network's annual awards banquet in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Two of Branch's primary blockers, seniors Marc Sclafani and Rene Vargas, also earned All-America recognition Monday. Sclafani was picked as a first-team All-America while Vargas earned third-team honors. They were keys in Branch's drive to the NCAA single-season record for most rushing attempts (430), yards (2,271) and TDs (29) in a season.
They will combine to lead the fourth-seeded Raiders (15-0) against second-seeded Delaware (14-1) in the NCAA Division I-AA championship game Friday (12/19) in Chatanooga, which will be broadcast by ESPN (7 p.m.).
Also earning first-team All-America recognition were Fordham Sr. WR Javarus Dudley and Lehigh Jr. TE Adam Bergen. Fordham Sr. RB Kirwin Watson picked up second-team All-America honors and Holy Cross Sr. WR/KR Ari Confesor was a third-team All-America honoree.
Dudley, the 2001 PL Offensive Player of the Year, shattered the League's career records for receptions (295), receiving yards (4,197) and all-purpose yards (7,121). Dudley, who posted PL records with 101 receptions for 1,439 yards this season, is a three-time first-team PL all-star.
Bergen, a first-year starter for the 8-3 Mountain Hawks, finished third in the PL in receiving with 70 catches for 840 yards. A first-team All-PL selection, he joins 2001 grad Abdul Byron as the only two LU players to earn first-team Sports Network All-America honors in the last 10 years.
Watson, the 2002 PL Offensive Player of the Year, moved up from third-team All-America last year to second-team this season after gaining 1,477 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns for the 9-3 Rams. A two-time PL first-team all-star, Watson finished his career third on the League's career rushing list (4,617), second in scoring (282) and fifth in all-purpose yards (4,994).
Confesor, earning his second-straight Sports Network All-America berth, finished second in the PL in receiving, surpassing the previous PL record for single-season receptions with 90 for 1,213 yards. He finished seventh on the PL career receptions list (182), 12th in receiving yards (2,352) and was the fourth player in PL history to accumulate 5,000 career all-purpose yards (5,370).
