CONTACT: Jeff Foley (518) 629-8085 or (518) 373-1262
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Tuesday, November 14, 2000
http://www.hvcc.edu
North Carolina's Derrick Black One Of 18 Hudson Valley Players Awarded Postseason Honors
Hudson Valley Community College cornerback Derrick Black (Tarboro, NC) was recently named Northeast Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year by NFC coaches. Black heads a list of 18 Hudson Valley football players who earned postseason honors.
Black, a five-foot-eleven, 175-pound second-year player, recorded a league-high eight interceptions this year, helping Hudson Valley post the top pass defense in the NFC (73.0 yards allowed per game). Black is Hudson Valley's all-time leader with 12 career interceptions, and he racked up 394 return yards and two touchdowns. He has the three longest interception returns in Hudson Valley's history (98, 90 and 86 yards) and returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score this year.
Schools such as Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Marshall and UConn are courting Black.
In addition to Black, the following players were named First Team All-NFC performers: Split end Shawn Miller (Troy), flanker Derrick Dyer (Rochester), quarterback Justin Kastner (Hudson) and free safety Jim Canfield (Troy).
Miller had 33 catches for seven touchdowns and 649 yards. Dyer contributed 23 receptions for six touchdowns and 406 yards. Kastner threw for 13 touchdowns and 1,180 yards, completing 49.3 percent of his passes. Canfield had five interceptions and 60 tackles.
The following players were named to the Second Team All-NFC squad: left tackle Reno Sangro (Hendrick Hudson), left guard Craig Lubeck (Waldwich, NJ), center Dan Bailey (Colonie), fullback Delino White (East Allegheny, PA), left end La'Ronn Paulk (Corcoran, NJ), left tackle Damon Wilson (Camden, NJ), outside linebacker Gary Smith (Concord, DE), middle linebacker Keith Hill (Schenley, PA), outside linebacker Anthony Ravenell (South Boston, MA) and strong safety Terry Florence (Highland Park, NJ).
White had 337 yards rushing and 12 receptions. Paulk recorded 49 tackles and 6.5 quarterback sacks. Wilson had 49 tackles and recovered four fumbles. Smith had 57 tackles and two sacks. Hill led Hudson Valley with 70 tackles. Ravenell had 50 tackles, three sacks. He also blocked three kicks. Florence had 41 tackles and two interceptions.
The following players were named to the Third Team All-NFC team: tailback Gary Jones (Ravena), kicker James Muscatello (Cohoes) and right end Deshong Roach (Kingston).
Jones rushed for 1,046 yards and 17 touchdowns, breaking Dennis Greene's 1971 school record for rushing touchdowns in a season. Muscatello connected on 23 extra points and a pair of field goals. Roach contributed 36 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Hudson Valley's football program was established in 1969. At the time, Hudson Valley was one of only two junior colleges in New York to field a varsity football team. Since then, nearly 300 Hudson Valley football players have earned scholarships to four-year schools and 15 have gone on to play professionally. The Vikings competed in the Coca Cola Bowl in Iowa in 1980. In 1996, Hudson Valley posted an 8-0 record, part of dominant stretch that included 15 straight victories. Under the direction of head coach Bob Jojo, the Vikings were 6-3 in 2000.
