The Golden Bears had Morton, senior kicker and punter Matt Dineen (Wilmington, DE/Concord), senior defensive end Kevin Bolinsky (Ashland, PA/North Schuylkill), senior linebacker Joel Irwin (Coatesville, PA/Bishop Shanahan), senior defensive back Khalief Evans (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) and senior return specialist Kendell Coleman (Philadelphia, PA/Martin Luther King) named to the first team.
Earning a spot on the second team was sophomore running back Josh Mastromatto (Fort Washington, PA/Upper Dublin), junior offensive lineman Aaron McGlynn (Harleysville, PA/Souderton), junior wide receiver Erik Frazier (Philadelphia, PA/Germantown), and sophomore wide receiver Chris McCormick (West Chester, PA/East).
“I am proud of the whole football team,” Monica said. “Because of the overall success as a team we had this season, we had more players receive awards. Everybody on this team did things to help these guys become all-conference. This is a nice accomplishment for our team and everybody should be proud.”
Each player had a hand in fueling Kutztown’s special season. Making their first playoff appearance in the 95-season history of the football program, the Golden Bears (10-1 overall) set school records for wins in a season (10), PSAC East wins (six), and points scored (432). Kutztown is ranked 13th in the American Football Coaches’ Association (AFCA) top 25 poll, which is the highest national ranking in school history. Kutztown also earned the No. 1 seed in Super Region One of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Monica received the conference’s top coaching honor after guiding the Golden Bears to one of the biggest turnarounds in Division II football. After posting a 3-8 record in 2009, Kutztown enjoyed a seven-win improvement this season under Monica, who is in his fifth year at the helm of the Golden Bears.
“To me, the coach of the year award is a tribute to the assistant coaches and the players for what they have done this year,” Monica said. “The assistant coaches have done a terrific job and the players have worked extremely hard. This is a team award. It takes a lot of people to run a successful program and everybody had a part in this season from the training staff, the equipment staff to the administration. I am appreciative of President Dr. Javier Cevallos, Vice President for Student Services and Campus Life Dr. Charles Woodard and Director of Athletics Greg Bamberger for giving me the opportunity to lead this program.”
Morton was the engine that drove the Golden Bears this season. A Harlon Hill Award candidate as the top player in Division II, Morton finished the regular season with 34 touchdown passes and a single-season school record 3,281 passing yards. He had five 300-yard passing games, including a career-high 451-yard and five touchdown performance against West Chester. A two-time PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week, Morton has thrown at least one TD pass in 16 straight games. He led the PSAC in passing offense (298.3) and total offense (321.7).
Dineen was named to the first team for the second straight season. Dineen was selected as both a kicker and punter. He made eight field goals to increase his school record total to 43 for his career. Dineen made a season best 50-yard field goal against Millersville. Dineen converted a school-record 54 extra points. He was fourth in the PSAC in kick scoring (7.10), and eighth in field goals made per game (0.73). As a punter, Dineen was third in the PSAC in punting average (39.2).
Irwin and Evans helped the Golden Bear defense force 25 turnovers. They finished the season as the Golden Bears’ top tacklers. Irwin made 84 tackles, had six pass breakups, one interception, once forced fumble and a half-sack. Irwin was ninth in the PSAC in tackles per game (7.6). During the season, Irwin had five double-digit tackle games, including a season-high 12 against Shippensburg. He enters the postseason with 240 career tackles.
Meanwhile, Evans was second on the team with 80 tackles and 13th in the PSAC in tackles per game (7.4). In addition to his tackling, Evans finished with three pass breakups and recovered a pair of fumbles. He had a season best 12 tackles against Bloomsburg and followed that up with 11 stops against Gannon. Evans is entering the postseason with 238 tackles.
Bolinsky was tied for second in the PSAC with 9.5 sacks. He recovered three fumbles and forced a pair of fumbles. Bolinsky led KU with 13.5 tackles for losses. He had at least one sack in Kutztown’s first seven games. With 20 career sacks, Bolinsky is tied with Aldain Lobban abnd Harry Williams for third on the all-time sack list. Bolinsky passed John Mobley’s career total of 19. He opened the season with 2.5 sacks in a victory against Saint Anselm.
Coleman, who was a PSAC East first team selection in 2008, was second on the Golden Bears in all-purpose yards with 1,034 yards. He returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in a victory over Mercyhurst, which is the No. 2 seed in Super Region One. Coleman was Kutztown’s leading rusher with 554 yards and he scored seven touchdowns.
Mastromatto was a perfect complement to Coleman in the backfield. A dual threat, Mastromatto led Kutztown with 14 touchdowns and 1,271 all-purpose yards. Mastromatto started the season by running for a career-best 104 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries against Saint Anselm. Mastromatto caught two touchdowns in the win over West Chester. Mastromatto scored a touchdown either receiving or rushing in eight games this year. He was third in the PSAC in touchdowns (7.6) and scoring (7.6)
McCormick and Frazier proved to be the top receiving tandem in the PSAC. They were the only set of teammates ranked in the top 10 in receptions and receiving yards per game.
Frazier led the Golden Bears with 59 catches for 872 yards. He averaged 14.8 yards per reception and caught six touchdown passes. Frazier was fifth in the PSAC in receptions per game (5.4) and fourth in receiving yards per contest (79.8). Frazier had a season-best 70-yard reception in the Golden Bears’ game against Gannon.
After missing the first two games of the season, McCormick picked up where he left off as a freshman when he led KU in receiving. In nine games, McCormick made 41 catches, which was third on the team, for 672 yards. McCormick caught eight touchdowns. He had three straight games in which he finished with over 100 receiving yards in October. He had a career-best 158 yards on nine catches against West Chester. McCormick was 10th in the PSAC in receptions per game (4.6) and seventh in receiving yards per game (74.7).
McGlynn anchored an offensive line that allowed Morton time to help Kutztown put some record offensive outputs this season. The Golden Bears topped the 50-point mark twice this season, the first time since 1923 that occurred in a KU football season. McGlynn’s effort along the offensive line was a major reason why Kutztown finished with the PSAC’s top-ranked scoring offense (39.3) and passing offense (298.3). The Golden Bears were also third in total offense after scoring 33 or more points in their first 10 games. He started every game at right guard.
Kutztown returns to action on Saturday, November 27 when it hosts the winner of the Shepherd/Shaw contest in a second round NCAA Division II playoff contest starting at University Field beginning at noon.
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