Area players honored at Ashland

ASHLAND -- Four of the 11 players from the Youngstown area on the Ashland University football team this season have won post-season honors.
Chris Holland (The Rayen School) headed the pack by being named to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team as an honorable mention, while Justin Hood (Chaney High), Frank Cardon (Austintown Fitch) and Troy Rice (Rayen) all won team awards.
Holland (6-0, 196) was a defensive standout with 34 tackles, including 20 solo stops, and two interceptions for 21 return yards and four pass break-ups.
Hood (Chaney), a junior defensive back, won the Captain's Award; while Cardon (Austintown Fitch), a red-shirt freshman tight end, was named the Most Improved Player; and Rice (Rayen), a freshman wide receiver, was named Outstanding Freshman.
Clinkscale is assistant
Ashland posted a 4-6 record overall and in the GLIAC under coach Lee Owens, who was assisted by Steven Clinkscale (Chaney) in his fourth season tutoring defensive backs. Owens completed his third season at the helm and is 18-14 over the span.
Clinkscale, also a former four-year football player for Ashland, who was selected to play in the 1999 Snow Bowl, the NCAA Division II all-star game.
Hood (5-9, 184) had 25 tackles this season, including eight solo stops, to rank No. 11 on the team. He also had two pass break-ups.
The versatile Rice (6-0, 165) had a strong first season by ranking No. 1 on the team in all-purpose yards with 598 for 59.8 per game.
Rice had 313 yards receiving on 28 catches, 243 yards on 12 kickoff returns for a 20.2-yard average, 31 yards rushing in six attempts and 11 yards on one punt return.
Rice helped senior quarterback Nick Trance set a school record in Ashland's 45-14 win at Gannon in the season finale. Rice hauled in a 19-yard pass from Strance that lifted the quarterback past Dave Biondo for first place in career passing yards with 4,478. Strance also is Ashland's career leader in pass attempts (787) and completions (418).
Frost is standout
Another standout for Ashland this year was Jonathan Frost (Ursuline), a junior defensive lineman who was tied with Holland for No. 7 on the team in tackles. Frost (5-11, 264) came up with 34 stops, including 17 solo hits with three tackles for 7 yards in losses and two fumble recoveries.
Other Youngstown-area players on the Ashland roster were junior Kenny McCall (Chaney), a outside linebacker; and freshmen Nate Burney (Cardinal Mooney), a running back; Dwayne Smith (Rayen), a defensive back; Scott Thomas (West Branch), a running back; Matthew Cline (Warren Harding), a linebacker; and & Ccedil;hauncey Harris (Warren Harding), a defensive lineman.
Burney played in four games and gained 14 yards in eight attempts and caught four passes for 9 yards.
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