Southland Conference Release

FRISCO, Texas  - Nine members of the Nicholls State University football team were honored on Tuesday afternoon as the Southland Conference announced the all-conference awards and teams for the 2011 season.

Making the first-team were cornerback Bobby Felder, punter Cory Kemps and return specialist Chika Madu, while running back Marcus Washington and tight end Nick Scelfo earned second-team honors for offense. Earning honorable mention for the Colonels were kicker Andrew Dolan, nose tackle Edet Udoh, linebacker Jordan Piper and safety Siegan Vergenal.

The three first-team selections were the most for Nicholls since the 2007 season when the Colonels had four, including current NFL players Kareem Moore and Lardarius Webb.

“I'm very proud our all of our young men who were honored,” Nicholls football head coach Charlie Stubbs said. “With our opponents doing the voting, it's always great to be recognized by the people that we are competing against. One thing that I'm excited about is that we have a lot of young guys being honored. While they still have a lot to work on and improve, it just shows that we do have some great talent on this football team.”

Felder was selected first-team defense for the second straight season after ranking second in the conference with five interceptions. A senior from McComb, Miss., he was second in the Southland with 13 passes defended while lining up against the opponents' best receiver all season.  Felder recorded 49 tackles on the year, forced two fumbles and blocked three kicks. For his career, he leaves Nicholls tied for fourth on the all-time interception list with 12.

Kemps, a junior transfer from Carmel, Ind., was one of the nation's top punters after leading the conference and ranking eighth in the nation with 42.8 yards per punt.  For the season, he tallied 2,142 yards on 50 attempts and had 11 punts go over 50 yards. Kemps also had 16 punts downed inside the 20.

Madu rounds out the first-teamers after racking up team-record 1,269 kick return yards with two touchdowns. Madu, a senior from Norman, Okla., made national headlines after taking two kick returns back for scores against Stephen F. Austin. For the game, his two touchdowns and 304 yards set program and conference single-game marks. Madu also leaves Nicholls as the all-time leader in kick return yards with 2,076.

For the second straight season, Nicholls had a running back earn second-team honors as Washington received the accolade after a stellar sophomore season. A native of Lillian, Ala., Washington rushed for 565 yards on 125 carries with four touchdowns, ranking sixth in the Southland (51.4). Washington played a key part in the Colonel passing game as well, finishing second on the team with 23 receptions for a total of 170 yards and two scores.

Joining Washington on the second-team offense was redshirt freshman Nick Scelfo. In his first season, Scelfo, from Baton Rouge, was second on the team with 189 yards receiving. On the year, he hauled in 15 receptions that included his first career touchdown.

Piper was selected honorable mention for the second straight season after leading the Colonels in tackles with 82, including four for loss. The junior middle linebacker ranked sixth in the conference with 8.2 tackles per game and also broke up three passes on the year.

Dolan, a sophomore kicker from Mobile, Ala., was the third member of the Colonel special forces to be recognized. He led Nicholls with 42 points scored, connecting on 6-of-9 field goals, including a career-long 49 yarder, and 24-of-25 PATs.  Along with handling the field goals duties, Dolan had three on-side kicks recovered out of four attempts.

Udoh anchored the middle of the defensive line, starting all 11 games at nose tackle. A native of Houston, he registered 26 tackles including 5.5 for loss.

Vergenal rounds out the honorees after finishing second on the team in tackles with 63. On the year, the safety out of New Iberia had a sack, broke up four passes and forced three fumbles.

HEAD COACH CHARLIE STUBBS QUOTES…

On senior cornerback Bobby Felder (First Team):
“Bobby had another tremendous year for us as a repeat first-team all-conference performer. He's not only a great defensive player, but he's a good punt returner and also helped out on special forces by blocking three kicks. He'll graduate in December and I'm very proud of that.”

On junior punter Cory Kemps (First Team):
“It seems like we are keeping the punter tradition in the Nicholls family right now with Patrick Dolan being a perennial punter and now Cory having a tremendous year for us. He did a great job with his average and pinning teams inside the 20. While he can improve for next season, hopefully we won't have to use him as much.”

On senior kick returner Chika Madu (First Team):
“I felt like every time that Chika returned a kick, we always had a chance. He set up the offense with tremendous field possession and he'll be truly missed.  He's just an explosive player and he set several kick return records. I'm very proud of him and now he needs to work hard to finish his degree.”

On redshirt freshman tight end Nick Scelfo (Second Team):
“Nick was our lone freshman to be honored. In our second season, we've been trying to establish the tight end position and I feel like we are heading in the right direction as opposed to last year. He was one of the top tight ends in the conference. I'm proud for him that he was able to establish the tight end position as an area that will needed to be defended within our offense. With him being a redshirt freshman, I know his best football is definitely ahead of him.”

On sophomore running back Marcus Washington (Second Team):
“This is our second year with a running back being named second-team. With the injury to Jesse Turner, Marcus stepped in and did a very admirable job. He was a great dual threat in our backfield, being a great ball carrier and a solid receiver for us. Being named second-team as a sophomore, he has a great future with us. It also shows that our opponents recognize his play and they have to game plan to stop him.”

On sophomore kicker Andrew Dolan (Honorable Mention):
“I'm very glad for Andrew. He handled all of our kicking duties and we used him for a little bit of everything. He executed some on-side kicks for us. I know he has a great work ethic so I only expect him to get better.”

On junior linebacker Jordan Piper (Honorable Mention):
“Jordan received honorable mention again for us after leading our team in tackles. He's a very physical player and along with Edet, I expect those two to have great senior years.”

On junior defensive lineman Edet Udoh (Honorable Mention):
“Edet, our nose tackle, did a good job for us up front. While we are still working to improve in that area, he was recognized by our opponents as an honorable mention after being named second-team preseason.”

On sophomore safety Siegan Vergenal (Honorable Mention):
“Siegan did a super job for us at the safety position. He was second on the team in tackles, and he's a tremendous hitter, forcing several fumbles throughout the season. He brought a physical presence to our defense, along with Jordan Piper.”