BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Eleven Bridgewater State University student-athletes have been named to the 2021 All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Football Team which was announced today by MASCAC Director of Media Relations, Emily Loux.
Senior defensive end Dan Cataldo (Wakefield, Mass.), senior punter Thomas Fay (Raynham, Mass.), junior linebackers Brendan Albert (Canton, Mass.) and Steven Silvia (Dighton, Mass.), junior cornerback Jaren Alves (East Providence, R.I.), junior running back Adam Couch (Winchendon, Mass.), and sophomore tight end Jalen Kopecky (Pawtucket, R.I.) garnered All-MASCAC First Team honors.
Senior left tackle Daniel Flores Martinez (Hyde Park, Mass.), senior center Cole McMahon (Abington, Mass.), senior wide receiver Kyle Torres (Waltham, Mass.) and junior right tackle Alexander Byron (Tiverton, R.I.) were named to the All-MASCAC Second Team to round out the Bears' 11 all-conference honorees.
Silvia has been named to the All-MASCAC First Team in each of his three seasons on the gridiron as he also earned the honor in 2018 and 2019. Flores Martinez garnered first team honors in 2019, while Cataldo, Fay, Albert, Alves, Couch, Kopecky, McMahon, Torres and Byron are all making their first appearance on the All-MASCAC Team.
Albert tallied a team-best 110 tackles (70 solo) with 14 ½ for loss, four sacks, five forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles in ten games this season. He also returned two fumbles for touchdowns. Albert is currently tied for the NCAA Division III lead in forced fumbles, ranks sixth nationally in solo tackles and is tied for 12th in total tackles.
Alves recorded three interceptions, broke up 11 passes, recovered a fumble and notched 23 tackles (16 solo) in ten games. He is tied for 16th among the NCAA Division III leaders in passes defended with 14.
Cataldo finished the 2021 campaign with 46 tackles (25 solo) in ten games as well as ten tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups and one recovered fumble.
Couch carried the ball 167 times for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021 despite missing most of two games due to injury. He became the ninth different running back in BSU football history to crack the 1,000-yard rushing barrier for a season. Couch is 21st in all of Division III in rushing yards per game (113.3) and is tied for 28th in rushing touchdowns.
Fay averaged a school single-season record 40.4 yards on 39 punts with seven inside the 20 and a long of 61. Six of his punts went for over 50 yards and he also converted 29 of 31 extra point attempts. Fay is currently tied for ninth in all of Division III in punting average.
Kopecky grabbed ten receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 21 yards and two more scores in his first collegiate season on the gridiron.
Silvia checks in with 104 tackles in ten games, including a team-high 72 solo stops, to go along with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, a pair of interceptions, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and one blocked kick. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in the Bears’ Cranberry Bowl win over Mass. Maritime. Silvia is currently tied for fourth in all of Division III in solo tackles and tied for 23rd in total tackles.
Byron, Flores Martinez and McMahon paved the way for 3,690 yards of total offense in ten games during the 2021 campaign, including 2,388 yards through the air and 1,302 on the ground. The Bears' averaged 29.4 points a game thanks in part to the outstanding play of the offensive line led by the all-conference trio.
Torres hauled in 40 receptions for a team-high 764 yards and seven touchdowns in ten games as he averaged 19.1 yards per catch.
Couch leads the MASCAC in rushing yards, ranks second in rushing touchdowns and is tied for third in scoring (78 pts.), while Torres is second among the conference leaders in receiving yards, third in receiving touchdown and tied for fifth in receptions.
Fay is first among all MASCAC special teams performers in punting average and is third overall in punting yards (1,574).
On the defensive side of the ball, Albert ranks first in the MASCAC in both tackles and forced fumbles, and is also second in solo tackles and tackles for loss, and tied for fifth in sacks. Alves leads the conference in pass breakups and is tied for fourth in interceptions, while Silvia sits atop the MASCAC leaderboard in solo tackles and ranks second in both tackles and forced fumbles. Cataldo is tied for sixth among the league leaders in tackles for loss and is also tied for eighth in sacks.
Framingham State University placed the most student-athletes on the All-MASCAC Football Team with 14, while Bridgewater State and UMass Dartmouth checked in with 11 apiece. Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Plymouth State University both followed with seven All-MASCAC selections.
The BSU football team wrapped up the 2021 season with an overall record of 6-4 and finished tied for second place in the MASCAC standings with a 6-2 conference mark. The Bears capped off the season with a 35-7 win over Mass. Maritime Academy in the 42nd Annual Cranberry Bowl.
2021 All-MASCAC Football Team (PDF)
