Minor-Shaw
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Just four days before they’ll take the field in the NCAA Division III Tournament, 20 King’s football players were honored by the Middle Atlantic Conference for their roles in a historic season for the Monarchs.
Quarterback Russell Minor-Shaw was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and Mike Cebrosky was named Coach of the Year, the highest-profile winners in a huge awards haul for the Monarchs.
King’s also had eight additional players named to the All-MAC First Team, seven to the second team and four were given honorable mentions for their role in a 9-1, conference championship-winning season for the Monarchs — one that’s not done yet.
Minor-Shaw, a senior in his second season as the starting quarterback, set career bests in touchdown passes (26), touchdown runs (11) and completion percentage (66.6%).
He threw for 1,767 yards, added 616 yards on the ground and led King’s to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002, running the table in the MAC to the tune of a 9-0 league record and an outright conference title for the first time in school history.
“I was pretty shocked,” Minor-Shaw said Tuesday, after winning the award. “There’s a lot of emotions, I’m very grateful.”
Cebrosky is King’s first Coach of the Year winner in the MAC since 2002, when current Dallas High School head coach Rich Mannello won the award as the head coach of the Monarchs.
That year marked the last conference title for King’s, and the last trip to the NCAA Tournament, until this season.
In his first year as head coach after several years as defensive coordinator, Cebrosky piloted King’s to a 9-1 regular-season record, with the Monarchs winning their final nine games after a season-opening loss to Wilkes in the Mayor’s Cup.
The nine-game win streak is a program record, and King’s also set program highs in touchdown passes (26) and points scored (325) this year.
Joining Minor-Shaw on the All-MAC First Team from King’s:
• Running back Brennan Robinson, who led the MAC with 101.4 yards per game and finished third in the league with 811 yards.
• Tight end Ryan McCombs, who tied for the team lead in touchdown catches with five.
• Offensive lineman Liam Carroll, one of the anchors on an offensive line that helped King’s lead the conference in total rushing.
• Edge rusher Osman Kamara, finishing with 9.5 sacks (third in the MAC) and 11 tackles for loss and set a program record with four blocked kicks.
• Linebackers Jake Ruppert and Jared Reto, who led the team and both finished top-five in the MAC with 91 and 85 tackles, respectively.
• Cornerback Amir Gibson, setting a new program record in pass break-ups with 13 and led the MAC in passes defended with 16.
• Safety Zach Barber, second in the MAC with five interceptions and second only behind Gibson in the league with 15 passes defended.
Second-team honorees included Jayon Hailey, Jake Feese, Mike DiGregorio, RJ Dugue, Marko Galetovic, Sean Lavine and Jacob Mullery.
Kaleb Beers, Kenny Monaco, Delaney Hilferty and Trevor Gleason received honorable mention recognition.
King’s will host Ursinus in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, with a noon kickoff at McCarthy Stadium.