Dec. 10, 2005
Football: Season Individual Award Winners Announced at Banquet
    Youngstown -- Ten Youngstown State seniors reaped individual specialty awards for their performances during the 2005 football season at the team's annual postseason Awards Banquet on Saturday afternoon at the Chestnut Room in YSU's Kilcawley Center.
    Seniors earning individual awards for their performances this past year were Jameson Evans, Mike Andrews, Kyle Smith, Justin Scholes, Aaron Marshall, Brandon Brown, John Bartos, Tony Limongi, Nick Forro and Tanner Dunlap. Overall, the entire group of 19 seniors helped lead the Penguins to an 8-3 overall mark and a share of the Gateway Football Conference title by posting a 5-2 mark.
    Smith (wide receiver) was named the team's John Delserone Most Valuable Player. An honorable-mention All-Gateway pick and a team captain, Smith led the team in receptions with 37, yards with 482 and touchdowns with five despite just playing in eight games. He caught at least one pass in the last 30 games he played in for the Penguins dating back to the start of his sophomore season.
    Evans (wide receiver) was selected as the Outstanding Offensive Player for the season. He caught 27 passes for 368 yards and one touchdown. He played in 10 games and had at least one reception in nine contests. He had a career-high six receptions for a career-best 74 yards at Southern Illinois. Of his 27 grabs, 21 were in Gateway Conference play.
    Andrews (linebacker) was named the Outstanding Defensive Player for the campaign. An honorable-mention All-Gateway selection, he had 70 total tackles, which ranked as the second most on the team. For the year, he had two tackles for losses, two interceptions and a sack. He was credited with a total of 527 plays by the coaching staff, the second most among linebackers.
    Bartos (left tackle) and Limongi (left guard) shared the Jim Zdelar Offensive Linemen-of-the-Year honor. The duo started every game next to each other on the left side of the line the past two seasons. Bartos started 34 games during his career while Limongi made 23 career starts.
    Marshall (tight end) was named as the recipient of the Dr. Patrick Spurgeon Torchbearer Award. Marshall, a team captain, was moved to tight end before the season and played quarterback and wide receiver during his Penguin career. This year he caught 12 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. He had eight of those 12 catches in the final four games of the season, including a 72-yard reception for a score at Southern Illinois.
    Forro (fullback) was selected as the Neal Frost Outreach Man of the Year. Forro was a key member of the special-teams units and was a reserve fullback during the year. His season ended when he suffered a knee injury on a rush at Indiana State. During his career, he was a key member of the special-teams units and played in a total of 29 games.
    Brown (defensive end) was tabbed the Jermaine Hopkins Defensive Lineman of the Year. A second-team All-Gateway pick and team captain, Brown had 34 total tackles, including 21 solo stops. He had 8.5 tackles for losses, including 3.5 sacks. He had two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one interception and a fumble recovery. He was credited with a defensive-line best 459 total plays.
    Scholes (defensive end) was selected as the Ron Stoops Inspirational Player. A first-team All-Gateway selection, second-team all-conference and all-district academic pick, and team captain, Scholes had 41 total tackles, including 24 solo stops. He tied for the team lead with 10.5 tackles for losses and was first in sacks at 5.5. He also had a team-high four forced fumbles.
    Dunlap (long/short snapper) was named the Paul McFadden/Jeff Wilkins Specialist of the Year. Dunlap, who is also part of YSU's ROTC unit, was the Penguins' snapper for the fourth consecutive year. He played in 44 games during his career, all as the Guins' snapper on placement kicks and punts.
    Redshirt freshman cornerback Tom Krupko was presented the Four Square Academic Player-of-the-Year Award. Krupko did not see action in his second year with the program, but has been a valuable part of the squad participating on various scout teams. Krupko owns a 4.0 grade-point average as a Psychology major.
    Also presented were game awards that junior tailbacks Monquantae Gibson and Marcus Mason and junior cornerback Jason Perry earned during the season.
    Gibson was named the Four Square Offensive Player of the Game for his performance against Northeastern on Sept. 10. Gibson rushed for 198 yards against the Huskies on 32 carries and had a career-high three touchdowns.
    Perry was named the Four Square Defensive Player of the Game for his performance against Northeastern on Sept. 10. He had a total of seven tackles in the game, including four solo stops. He also had a sack and a pass breakup in the win over the Huskies.
    Mason received the Football Alumni Club's Difference Maker Award for his performance in the Homecoming victory over Missouri State on Oct. 22. In that contest Mason rushed for 203 yards on 32 carries and scored a touchdown.

2005 YSU Football Awards
Outstanding Offensive Player -- Jameson Evans, WR
Outstanding Defensive Player -- Mike Andrews, LB
John Delserone Most Valuable Player -- Kyle Smith, WR
Ron Stoops Inspirational Player -- Justin Scholes, DE
Dr. Spurgeon Torchbearer -- Aaron Marshall, TE
Jim Zdelar Offensive Linemen of the Year -- John Bartos, OT and Tony Limongi, OG
Jermaine Hopkins Defensive Lineman of the Year -- Brandon Brown, DT
Neal Frost Outreach Man of the Year -- Nick Forro, FB
Four Square Academic Player of the Year -- Tom Krupko, DB
Paul McFadden/Jeff Wilkins Specialist of the Year -- Tanner Dunlap, LS
Alumni Club Difference Maker Award -- Marcus Mason, TB (vs. Missouri State)
Four Square Offensive Player of the Game vs. Northeastern - Monquantae Gibson, TB
Four Square Defensive Player of the Game vs. Northeastern - Jason Perry, CB