BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Ten Bridgewater State University student-athletes have been named to the 2023 All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Football Team, which was announced today by MASCAC Director of Media Relations, Emily Loux.
Senior linebacker Brendan Albert (Canton, Mass.), senior left guard Matt Beyer (Cranston, R.I.), senior punter Shane Drake (Franklin, Mass.), sophomore kicker Joey Naso (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) and senior center Anton Vasquez (Nahant, Mass.) garnered All-MASCAC First Team honors.
Senior tight end Ryan Burchard (Holliston, Mass.), junior defensive tackle Nicolas Canales (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), graduate running back Adam Couch (Winchendon, Mass.), sophomore defensive end Mark DeGirolamo (Mansfield, Mass.) and junior return specialist Isaiah Wright (Worcester, Mass.) were named to the All-MASCAC Second Team to round out the Bears' 11 all-conference honorees.
Albert and Couch are making their third straight appearance on the All-MASCAC First Team as they were both named to the first team in 2021 and 2022. Drake also garnered first team honors in 2022 while Beyer was selected to the second team a year ago. Nason, Vasquez, Burchard, Canales, DeGirolamo and Wright are all making their first appearance on the All-MASCAC Team.
Albert tallied a team-best 66 tackles (46 solo) with ten for loss, three sacks, two interceptions and two recovered fumbles in ten games this season. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown.
Beyer and Vasquez helped pave the way for 3,534 yards of total offense in ten games during the 2023 campaign, including 2,105 yards through the air and 1,429 on the ground. The Bears' averaged 30.1 points a game thanks in part to the outstanding play of the offensive line led by the all-conference duo.
Drake averaged 41.2 yards on 43 punts with 13 inside the 20 and a long of 60. Five of his punts went for over 50 yards. Drake also averaged 58.2 yards on 54 kickoffs with 19 touchbacks.
Naso converted 40 of 42 point after tries, including 33 in a row, and was a perfect 3-for-3 in field goal attempts with a long of 36 yards.
Burchard grabbed 22 receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns and was a solid blocking tight end as the Bears averaged 142.9 yards on the ground.
Canales recorded 31 tackles (18 solo) with eight tackles for loss and a team-high 6 1/2 sacks to go along with a recovered and forced fumble.
DeGirolamo finished the 2023 campaign with 39 tackles (20 solo) in ten games as well as seven tackles for loss, 2 1/2 sacks, three pass breakups and two recovered fumbles.
Couch carried the ball 161 times for 813 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. He also hauled in a team-best 33 receptions for 358 yards and another score.
Wright averaged 30.3 yards on 16 kickoff returns and tied the school single-season record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also set the program record for longest kickoff return with a 96-yard scamper in the Bears' 35-7 win over Worcester State.
Albert is tied for second in the MASCAC along with DeGirolamo in recovered fumbles and ranks sixth in solo tackles and seventh in tackles for loss. He is also tied for eighth in interceptions.
Drake is first among all MASCAC special teams' performers in punting yards (1,772), punting average, punts inside the 20 and fair catches (14). He is 11th in all of Division III in punting average.
Naso is tied for the conference lead in made field goals and field goal percentage (100%) and ranks second in both made extra points and PAT percentage (.952).
Canales is fourth among the MASCAC leaders in sacks and is also tenth in tackles for loss.
Couch is tied for third in the conference in scoring (78 pts.), tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns and ranks fourth in all-purpose yards (1,171). fifth in rushing yards, seventh in receptions and ninth in receiving yards.
Wright leads the MASCAC in both kickoff return average and kickoff return touchdowns and is second in kickoff return yards. On a national level, Wright is tied for second in all of Division III in kickoff return touchdowns and is fifth nationally in kickoff return average.
UMass Dartmouth and Western Connecticut State University placed the most student-athletes on the All-MASCAC Football Team with 13 apiece while Bridgewater State is next with ten. Framingham State University checks in with eight All-MASCAC selections and Westfield State University follows with four.
The BSU football team wrapped up the 2023 season with an overall record of 7-3 and captured a share of the MASCAC title with a 7-1 conference mark. The Bears capped off the season with a 48-6 win over Mass. Maritime Academy in the 44th Annual Cranberry Bowl.
Career Stats:
Albert appeared in 31 games over three seasons with the Bears and notched 285 tackles (178 solo), 30 tackles for loss, 8 1/2 sacks, seven forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, two interceptions and one blocked kick. He returned three fumbles for touchdowns.
Beyer has been a stalwart at left guard for the Bears over the last three seasons as he has played and started 30 of 31 games.
Burchard caught 25 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns in 19 games over the last two seasons.
Canales checks in with 57 tackles (35 solo), 13 1/2 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 28 games over three seasons with a forced and recovered fumble.
Couch rushed for 2,811 yards and 34 touchdowns on 510 carries in 29 games over three seasons in a BSU uniform. He also caught 61 passes for 655 yards and two touchdowns. Couch ranks fourth all-time at Bridgewater State in rushing and ninth in scoring (216 pts.).
Drake averaged 41.8 yards on 82 punts over the last two seasons after taking over the punting duties following his rookie campaign of 2021. All told, he has placed 23 punts inside the 20 and has 13 punts over 50 yards. The Bears' all-time leader in punting average, Drake has also averaged 57.5 yards on 159 kickoffs in 31 career games and connected on 11 of 16 points after tries as well as 7 of 14 field goal attempts.
DeGirolamo has 43 tackles (24 solo) with ten tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries in 20 games over his first two seasons with the Bears.
Naso converted 74 of 79 (.937) point after tries in 18 games over his first two seasons at Bridgewater State and is 3-for-4 in field goal attempts.
Vasquez made the transition over to center after spending his first two seasons with the Bears on the defensive side of the ball. He recorded 74 tackles (40 solo), 7 1/2 tackles for loss, 2 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 21 games as a defensive tackle.
Wright is averaging 27.4 yards on 19 kickoff returns with the two touchdowns over his first two seasons at BSU. He has also rushed for 368 yards and one touchdown on 71 carries in 19 career games to go along with 26 receptions for 112 receiving yards.