BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The New England Football Conference (NEFC) announced its annual all-division teams recently and nine members of the Bridgewater State College Bears received conference honors for their outstanding play in 2007.
Headlining the offensive honorees are All-NEFC First Team selections senior wide receiver Chris Joyce (Bridgewater, MA) and junior tight end Tony Cina (Hanson, MA). Joyce hauled in a school-record 65 catches for 795 yards and 9 touchdowns in '07. He also set the school mark for receptions in a game with 12 in the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl versus Plymouth State. Cina caught 4 passes for 65 yards and is arguably one of the best blocking tight ends in the league as he helped the Bears average 268.0 yards per game on the ground.
Junior center Joseph Morency (West Falmouth, MA), junior tackle Justin Lima (Mashpee, MA) and freshman running back Chris Russell (Stoughton, MA) were also named to the All-NEFC Team on offense as all three were second team selections. Morency and Lima earned all-conference honors for the second straight season as they were both first team honorees in 2006. The duo anchored an outstanding offensive line which helped the Bears average over 400 yards of total offense per game. Russell, who started the last six games of the season, rushed for 686 yards and 3 scores as a rookie in 2007 averaging more than five yards per carry.
On the defensive side of the ball, Endicott placed two members on the First Team All-Bogan Division defense. Both junior safety Josh Duquette (Plymouth, MA) and junior defensive tackle Chris Dijak (Lunenburg, MA) earned all-conference honors for the first time in their careers. Duquette recorded 28 tackles and led the team with 6 interceptions and 15 passes defended. Dijak led the team in tackles (70), tackles for loss (9.0) and sacks (3.5), and even blocked three kicks.
Bridgewater also placed two defensive players on the second team as sophomores Casey Florence (Bridgewater, MA) and Sean Larkin (Pembroke, MA) were recognized for their outstanding play. Florence recorded 56 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble. Larkin had 55 tackles to his credit, including 7.5 for loss, and recovered 4 fumbles. He also registered 2 sacks, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble.
BSC finished the 2007 season with a record of 6-4. The Bears were selected to play in an ECAC Bowl game for the third straight season as they dropped a hard-fought 24-21 decision to Plymouth State in the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl.