YSU DE Rivers earns first team all-MVFC

Staff report

Youngstown State sophomore defensive end Derek Rivers was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference, one of seven Penguins to earn postseason accolades.

Earning second-team honors were sophomore tailback Martin Ruiz and junior defensive end Terrell Williams. Honorable-mention honors went to junior wide receiver Andrew Williams, senior long snapper Nathan Gibbs, junior linebacker Dubem Nwadiogbu and senior strong safety Donald D’Alesio (Cardinal Mooney).

Rivers is the first YSU defensive lineman to earn first-team honors since Mychal Savage in 2009. Rivers had 14 sacks, the third-most by a player in school history and the most by a Penguin in the regular season. Of his 14 sacks, 10 came in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. He had 50 tackles on the season, 41 of which came in league play.

Ruiz, who was a second-team all-league pick in 2013, rushed for 1,320 yards on 265 carries and had 10 touchdowns.

Terrell Williams had the best season of his career, finishing with 51 total tackles and 10 sacks playing opposite Rivers. All 10 sacks came in MVFC action.

D’Alesio finished second on the team with a career-best 91 total tackles.

Andrew Williams led the team with 54 catches for 976 yards and six touchdowns. Of his 54 catches, 47 came in conference play and covered 776 yards.

Gibbs, a four-year starter at snapper, helped the Penguins go 14-of-17 on field-goal attempts, 38-of-39 on PAT tries and average 37.8 yards per punt.

Nwadiogbu had a breakout year and became the first Penguin with more than 100 tackles since Marty Hutchison in 2006. Nwadiogbu’s 104 total tackles were the most in a regular season since Yancey Marcum had 114 in 2003. In MVFC play, he registered 71 total tackles, including 35 solo stops.