It is that time of the season when my Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards are handed out as well as Coach, Team and Game of the Year.

Here are my selections for the 2015 season.


Offensive Player of the Year

Deonte Harris, WR, Assumption

The freshman wide receiver is one of the most electrifying players in the league. Harris was a threat whenever the ball was in his hands and it was one of the main reasons that Assumption finished the season at 10-1 and Northeast 10 champions.

Harris led the Greyhounds with 60 receptions for 577 yards and eight touchdowns. He was also a dangerous kick return as he averaged nearly 28 yards per kick return and also took one back against St. Anselm. He also returned two punts for touchdowns against Bentley on his first two chances all season long.

If his legs were not enough, he also took a handoff on a reverse against American International and tossed a 49 yard touchdown pass. It was clear that he was capable of making big plays any time he touched the ball.

Harris averaged 134 all-purpose yards per game and was a complete headache to all opposing defenses and coaches. His explosive and big play capability is the main reason that Harris is my Offensive Player of the Year.


Defensive Player of the Year

Tyler Condit, LB, New Haven

The senior linebacker seemed to be in on every play in 2015. Since he set a conference record with 160 tackles, that just might be the case. Condit has been the backbone of a New Haven defense that has allowed just 17.6 points per game and earned a berth in the Northeast 10 championship game.

Condit was credited with 25 tackles in two separate games this year. First time was in a 14-10 loss to Merrimack. The second time was a 44-21 victory at St. Anselm and both times, it is a single game record for the league. He also was credited with 20 tackles in the opening weekend loss to Slippery Rock.

Condit also led the team with five sacks, 13.5 tackles for a loss and tied for the team lead with three interceptions. He also forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble and broke up two passes during a monster season.

He was all over the field and the defensive leader for New Haven. Condit might have had the best defensive season of a player in NE-10 history and is rewarded with my Defensive Player of the Year.


Coach of the Year

Dan Curran, Merrimack

Coaches are very confident in nature. Case in point, I talked to Curran after the Assumption loss and his team stood at 0-3 at that moment. He told me that his team was much better than the record indicated and they just needed to get on the positive side of the scoreboard.

The next week, they easily defeated rival Bentley and that started a solid finish to the season for Curran's squad. They won six of their final seven regular season games and earned a third place finish in the NE-10. I guess that Curran knew this team pretty well.

They pulled off a huge victory at New Haven that helped to prove that his words were accurate. A slightly different result in the first two league games of the year and you might be talking about Merrimack in the championship game.

Curran had too many injuries in 2014 to deal with and that might have masked expectations for his team outside of the Merrimack locker room coming into the season. They definitely proved on the field this year that Merrimack was a solid team and that is why Dan Curran is my 2015 Coach of the Year.


Team of the Year

Merrimack Warriors

They were picked eighth in the coaches' poll and my preseason poll. They were expected to win a couple of games and not be too much of a threat in the NE-10 in 2015. Boy, everyone was wrong except the players and coaches that wear the Merrimack colors.

The season started slow for Merrimack as they lost opening weekend to Bowie State. A second half offensive explosive for both teams resulted in a disappointing opening weekend for the Warriors. A controversial call in the opening league weekend dropped Merrimack to 0-2 with a trip to Assumption the following weekend.

They fought hard against Assumption but fell 36-29. Merrimack was 0-3, 0-2 NE-10 and it appears that it was going to be one of those seasons for the Warriors. But something happened the next week that helped to propel their season.

They crushed Bentley at home 41-10 and earned their first win of the season. It was the start of an improbable run for Merrimack. The next weekend was the signature victory of the season. They traveled to New Haven and escaped with a hard fought 14-10 victory over then NE-10 undefeated New Haven. It was hard to ignore Merrimack as they proved that they can play with anyone in the league on any field.

Merrimack was 4-1 in the month of October, dropping a tough 27-24 game on the road at LIU Post. They started that month with a win at New Haven and then followed it up with wins over St. Anselm, Pace and American International. They finished the regular season with a comeback victory at Southern Connecticut.

Merrimack finished the regular season in third place with a 6-3 league record. They fell to Stonehill during championship weekend but that does not diminish the season that Merrimack had. Because of that, they are my Team of the Year for the 2015 season.


Game of the Year

Stonehill 40 LIU Post 37

It was billed as a big game as both teams entered the match up undefeated. Both were 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the NE-10. One team was expected to be undefeated and the other was a surprise but that is why games are played on the field.

The first half was a tough defensive battle that saw Post score all 10 points in taking the lead into the locker room. Both teams were still feeling each other out before the unbelievable second half.
Stonehill got on the board first in the second half when Kaleb Lutton caught the first of Matt Foltz's six touchdown passes. But Post scored the next 20 points as their offense started to play well. Malik Pierre was talking hand offs and returning kicks at a frightening pace.

Before you knew it, it was 30-6 Post and it appeared that they were well on their way to a big victory. Foltz to Lutton late in the third quarter cut the lead to 30-13, setting up the historic fourth quarter.

Corey White caught the third touchdown pass of the game by Foltz and the deficit for Stonehill was 10, 30-20. Post used the next drive to eat up the clock and scored what at the time appeared to be the nail in the coffin for Stonehill. Pierre scored from four yards out and Post extended the lead to 37-20 with 2:13 left on the clock.

Then the improbable happened.

Stonehill drove 75 yards in just over a minute, capped off by the third touchdown hook up of Foltz to Lutton to cut the lead to 10 again, 37-27.

The Skyhawks kicked deep and figured that they would use their timeouts to get the ball back again. The run defense for Stonehill finally emerged and Pierre was stopped on three straight runs. A Post penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct helped stop the clock and Post punted it back to Stonehill.

Three plays later and just 23 seconds off the clock, Foltz found Dave Harrison in the right corner of the end zone and Stonehill was down just 3, 37-34 with six seconds left on the clock. The Skyhawks would then recover the on side kick and have the ball on the 41 yard line with one shot at winning the game.

Foltz took the snap and scrambled around for a couple of seconds. He then stepped into the throw and hurled it to the end zone. White had positioned himself in the end zone in front of several Post defenders. He went up for the ball and came down with it. Touchdown Stonehill and they won the game.

It was an incredible ending that left one sideline jumping all over the place in joy and one trying to find out what the heck just happened. Three touchdowns in 2:13 to win the game and Stonehill left Long Island undefeated and in the driver's seat for the rest of the season.