Seven Crusaders Earn All-Region Honors, Including Four First-teamers

MINNEAPOLIS -- Susquehanna University landed seven players on the D3football.com all-East Region team on Dec. 10, including four first-teamers.

Senior running back Dave Paveletz (Warrior Run, Pa./Hanover Area), senior offensive lineman Drew Champney (Victor, N.Y./Victor), junior offensive lineman Ryan Schumann (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven Regional) and freshman defensive back Jalon Scott (Albany, N.Y./Albany HS) all gained a first-team all-region award, while junior placekicker Bobby Eppleman (Chester Springs, Pa./Great Valley), senior defensive end Pete Johnsen (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) and senior linebacker Erich Majors (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) each landed on the third team.

Paveletz, one of 10 finalists for the 2009 Gagliardi Trophy--awarded to the NCAA Division III Player of the Year--was the Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year this past season. A team captain, he helped lead Susquehanna to the 2009 Liberty title and its first berth in the NCAA football playoffs since 1991. He is a three-time all-Liberty first-teamer. He led the league and currently ranks sixth in Division III in rushing yards this season with 1,414. He led the league in rushing yards in both 2008 and 2007 as well.

This year, he increased the Susquehanna career-rushing-yards record, pushing his total to 4,731 yards, while also setting new SU career-rushing-touchdowns (47) and single-season-rushing-yards marks. He also owns the SU single-game rushing record with a 288-yard performance in a 28-13 win over the University of Rochester on Oct. 11, 2008. He tied his own school single-game record with four rushing TD in that same game.

D3football.com has placed Paveletz on its National Team of the Week multiple times. He has been honored as a Liberty Player of the Week on numerous occasions as well. Paveletz will represent Division III football in Mexico's Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) on Dec. 19.

A 6-foot-3, 280-pound starting left tackle, Champney, another captain, helped the Susquehanna offense lead the Liberty this year in points (261) and rushing yards (1,763). He protected the blind-side of all three of the Crusaders' right-handed quarterbacks in 2009 and helped clear a path for the record-setting Paveletz. This is Champney's second all-region honor in as many years, as he was a third-teamer last year. He earned his third straight all-Liberty award this year, including consecutive first-team honors.

Schumann, a 6-foot-1, 275-pound starting center and long snapper, was the lone non-senior on the first-team all-region offense. He also protected the SU quarterbacks this year and helped paved the way for the Crusaders ground game while earning first-team all-Liberty accolades. Schumann also helped set the table for Eppleman's award-winning season.

Despite playing most of the season with a cast on his right hand, Scott led the Liberty in interceptions (six) and Susquehanna in pass breakups (eight) and passes defended (14). The 14 passes defended also ranked second in the league. He made 70 tackles this year (48 solo), including one for a loss of six yards. The Liberty honored him as a Rookie of the Week this year on Sept. 28, Oct. 12, Nov. 2 and Nov. 23, while D3football.com placed him on its National Team of the Week an impressive four times. Scott is the only freshman on the all-East Region team this year.

Eppleman, a 2009 preseason and 2008 postseason D3football.com All-America punter, had the best placekicking season of his career in 2009. He led all Liberty placekickers in points-after-touchdowns (32-for-33) and ranked second in total points (53) this year. He made seven of 11 field goals--including a Nicholas A. Lopardo-stadium record 44-yarder--and three of his kickoffs went for touchbacks. He also averaged 33.6 yards per punt this year (with a long of 53). Twenty-six of his 47 punts were fair-caught and/or landed inside an opponents' 20-yard line, while only one went for a touchback. He also made two solo special-teams tackles on his way to the 2009 Liberty Special Teams Player of the Year award.

Eppleman was a first-team all-league placekicker and honorable-mention punter this year. He was an all-Liberty first-team punter and second-team placekicker in 2008 after earning honorable mention as a placekicker the year before. The Liberty honored him as a Special Teams Player of the Week this year on Sept. 7, Sept. 14, Sept. 28 and Nov. 16. This is his second straight all-region award, as D3football.com lauded him as a first-team punter last year.

Johnsen, another team captain and first-team all-Liberty player, led Susquehanna in both tackles for a loss this year (17) and yards lost on those tackles (65). He also led SU and ranked second in the Liberty in sacks with 9.5. He tied for the team-high with two forced fumbles and registered 49 total tackles, including 40 solo stops.

Majors, yet another captain and all-Liberty first-teamer, was the team's hardest hitter. He led the Crusaders with 77 total tackles and 54 solo tackles this year and tied for the team lead with a blocked kick. He also forced a fumble and broke up three passes. The Liberty honored him as a Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 16 following SU's Liberty-title-clinching 28-17 win at Union College on Nov. 14.

All four of SU's captains claimed all-region status.