Dec. 10, 2006

Football: Ryan Jewell, Marcus Mason Earn Walter Camp All-America Accolades

     New Haven, Conn. -- For the fifth time in school, the Youngstown State football team has had two individuals selected Walter Camp All-Americans.
    The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced over the weekend that senior center Ryan Jewell (Warren, Ohio) and senior tailback Marcus Mason (Potomac, Md.) have been chosen for their team. The selection marks the first time since 2001 in which YSU has a player named All-America.

    YSU was one of one of five schools with multiple selections as New Hampshire, James Madison, McNeese State each had two picks while Appalachian State posted a team-high picks.

    Jewell started all 14 games at center for the Penguins during the 2006 campaign. A team captain, he started 42 contests during his four-year YSU career. He was a two-time All-Gateway first-team selection and as a senior was a first-team all-league pick.

    Mason, the Gateway Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, rushed for a school-record 1,847 yards on 302 carries and scored 23 touchdowns. After rushing for 121 yards on Saturday at Appalachian State, Mason set a school record eclipsing 100 yards in a game for the 10th time this year.

    He finished his two-year YSU career with 2,739 yards rushing and scoring 31 touchdowns. For the Guins he played in a total of 21 games the past two years. He was also fourth in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award, which honors Division I-AA's top offensive player.

    Youngstown State finished the year with an 11-3 overall mark after losing to top-seeded Appalachian State in the semifinals on Saturday in Boone, N.C.