The Concord Football team’s turnaround 2009 season was one of the biggest pleasant surprises in Division II football.
Less surprising are the accolades that have come the Mountain Lions’ way in the wake of their first six-win season since 1998.
Nineteen Concord players have earned spots on the 2009 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-conference teams, including three on the 1st Team and five on the 2nd Team.
Concord’s representatives on the 1st Team are RB Brian Kennedy, WR Thomas Mayo and NG Daniel Stone.
On the 2nd Team are offensive linemen Bryan Roof and Brandon Link, DL Thomas Hearons, DB Justin McKissick and P Brad Cox.
Receiving Honorable Mentions are offensive linemen Stephen Clark and Mitch Hairston, defensive linemen Duke Adu and Tyrell Lynch, linebackers Joe Greenway and Tony Keiling Jr., TE Rashid Baker, RB Dennis Cole, defensive backs R.J. Anderson and Cameron Tarver and K Brandon Strupp.
Concord finished 6-5 in 2009, 4-4 in the WVIAC.
Kennedy won the WVIAC rushing title with 1505 yards – the second-best single season on school history (after Chris Hairston’s 1860 yards in 1992) and the 10th-best all-time in the WVIAC. Kennedy averaged 136.8 yards per game and 6.9 yards per carry, and topped the 100-yard mark in eight of CU’s 11 games.
Highlights of Kennedy’s season include:
• 10 yards per carry in the Mountain Lions’ 63-10 season-opening win at Southern Virginia on August 29
• 18 carries for 131 yards (7.3 ypc) and two touchdowns against Lenoir-Rhyne on September 5
• 18 carries for 103 yards against West Virginia Wesleyan on September 12
• 15 carries for 118 yards (7.9 ypc), including an 86-yard TD run, against West Virginia State September October 3
• 41 carries for 220 yards and two TDs at Glenville State on October 10
• 391 all-purpose yards – including 16 carries for a school-record 296 yards -- and four TDs -- in CU’s Homecoming win over Seton Hill on October 17
• 16 carries for 107 yards (6.7 ypc) against 11th-ranked North Carolina-Pembroke on October 24
• 27 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown at Fairmont State on October 31
• 27 carries for 234 yards, 361 all-purpose yards, and three TDs at 9th-ranked West Liberty State on November 7
Kennedy won or shared three WVIAC Offensive Player of the Week awards (October 3, October 17, November 7).
He finished sixth in the nation in Rushing, Points Scored (120) and All-Purpose Running (188.4 ypg).
Thomas Mayo made Concord history in 2009.
He became the first CU player to be named as a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, given to the nation’s best Division II player.
He led the nation with 1368 Total Receiving Yards and 124.4 Receiving Yards Per Game. His receiving yardage set a new school record and was the fifth-best season in WVIAC history.
Against Lenoir-Rhyne on September 5, Mayo tied a school record with 16 receptions and set a new record with 253 receiving. He caught three touchdown passes in that game, including the game-winner in overtime in CU’s 52-45 victory over the Bears.
Other Mayo highlights include:
• Three receptions for 152 yards (50.7 yards per catch) with touchdowns of 66 and 77 yards at SVU on August 29
• Seven catches for 165 yards (20.6 ypc) and two TDs against West Virginia Wesleyan on September 12, including an 86-yard scoring catch that put Concord ahead for good in a 35-26 win
• Nine catches for 120 yards against Shepherd on October 3; Mayo also drew four pass-interference penalties on the Rams’ secondary for another 60 yards
• Six receptions for 200 yards (33.3 ypc), including a 67-yard TD, at Glenville State on October 10
• Five catches for 154 yards (30.8 ypc) and an 80-yard TD against Seton Hill on October 17
• Five catches for 86 yards (17.2 ypc) in Concord’s 15-9 win at Fairmont State October 31
• Eleven receptions for 102 yards and a TD at #9 West Liberty State on November 7
Mayo caught 11 TD passes and averaged 19.0 yards per catch. He also rushed seven times for 66 yards, an average of 9.7 yards per carry.
Mayo was the WVIAC and d2football.com Offensive Player of the Week following his performance against L-R September 5.
Daniel Stone consistently drew double- and triple-team blocking as the linchpin of Concord’s defensive line. Despite the constant attention, the senior recorded 33 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three quarterback sacks, a forced fumble, an interception and one blocked field goal.
At Glenville State, Stone ended with five tackles, one TFL and one sack.
In Concord’s Homecoming win over Seton Hill, Stone recorded nine tackles, two TFLs, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception.
Concord’s All-WVIAC offensive linemen (Bryan Roof and Brandon Link on the 2nd-Team and Honorable Mention players Stephen Clark and Mitch Hairston) overcame injuries to help Kennedy and Mayo to their record-setting performances and clear the way for a Mountain Lion offense that averaged 33.2 points and 461 yards per game.
The offensive line allowed only 12 sacks in 334 passing attempts over 11 games.
Concord scored 30 or more points six times in 2009.
Thomas Hearons paired with Stone to man the middle of CU’s defensive line. He earned 2nd Team honors after finishing with 24 tackles, seven tackles for loss and one quarterback sack. He also recovered a fumble.
Hearons’ highlights include a five-tackle performance against Shepherd, and a 23-yard TFL against Seton Hill.
DB Justin McKissick provided a blend of active pass coverage and physical play to make 2nd Team. In nine games, he totaled 44 tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He set a season-high with 14 tackles against Seton Hill, and followed that with seven tackles against #11 UNC-Pembroke. McKissick also returned punts and kickoffs for CU.
Freshman punter Brad Cox secured a 2nd Team spot by leading the WVIAC in punting. He averaged 38.1 yards per kick, with a season-long 59-yarder in a cold downpour against West Virginia State on September 26.
Cox had 15 punts that ended inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and forced Concord’s foes into 16 fair catches. He had three punts of more than 50 yards and had none blocked.
DE Duke Adu secured a spot as an Honorable Mention with 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. Adu recorded four TFL vs West Virginia State and two each against Lenoir-Rhyne and West Virginia Wesleyan. He won the WVIAC Defensive Player of the Week award for his effort against WVSU (7 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack).
Concord’s other Honorable Mention players are:
LB Tony Keiling Jr.
Keiling topped CU with 71 tackles, including 11 vs West Virginia Wesleyan and nine against Shepherd. He also led Concord with 15 tackles for loss, with had five games with two or more TFLs. He also had a quarterback sack and an interception.
LB Joe Greenway.
The sophomore was second for CU with 65 tackles, including ten against West Virginia State and nine against UNC-Pembroke. He also got 11 TFLs, with three against WVSU.
DL Tyrell Lynch.
The senior split time between DT and DE and ended with 31 tackles and four tackles for loss. He finished the season strongly, with six tackles in two of the last three games (UNC-Pembroke and West Liberty State). He also recorded a quarterback sack.
DB Cameron Tarver.
HIs three fumble recoveries led Concord. The freshman’s finished with 51 tackles (a season-high nine at SVU) and added four tackles for loss.
DB R.J. Anderson.
The sophomore led CU with two interceptions, returning one for a school-record 100-yard touchdown at Southern Virginia. He finished the season with 40 tackles (eight at Fairmont State) and a forced fumble.
RB Dennis Cole
The versatile Cole piled up 1340 all-purpose yards in his senior season.
He rushed 117 times for 582 yards (5.0 ypc) and seven touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 205 yards (12.1 ypc) and a TD.
He also returned 20 kickoffs for a 23.1 average and 12 punts for 91 yards.
Cole’s biggest day came against West Virginia Wesleyan in the ‘Rotary Bowl’ on September 12. He rushed 15 times for 136 yards and three touchdowns, with two TDs in the 4th quarter. Against Seton Hill, Cole rushed 13 times for 128 yards and a TD.
TE Rashid Baker. The sophomore gave CU a threat down the middle of the field with 25 catches for 246 yards and two touchdowns. His highlight games include five receptions for 51 yards and a TD against UNC-Pembroke, five catches for 53 yards against West Virginia Wesleyan and four receptions for 41 yards and a TD against Lenoir-Rhyne.
K Brandon Strupp
Strupp made eight of 12 field goal attempts in 2009. Against Lenoir-Rhyne, the freshman converted a pressure-packed 35-yard kick with: 24 left in the 4th quarter that forced overtime in a game CU would win 52-45. Strupp’s longest kick was a 46-yarder against West Virginia Wesleyan and was 3-3 in attempts of 40-49 yards.
In 2009, Concord led the WVIAC in Punting (34.6 average net yards) and Opponents’ 3rd Down Conversions (27.6%).
The Mountain Lions were second in Total Offense (461.0 ypg) and Rushing Offense (227.0 ypg).
Concord was third in the conference in Scoring (32.3 ppg), Passing Offense (234.0 ypg), Pass Efficiency (138.7), First Downs (21.1/game) and Punt Return Average (9.2).
CU was fourth in Passing Defense (210.0 ypg).
Concord is expected to return nearly intact in 2010, losing just six seniors from this year’s team.
Complete WVIAC All-Conference report:
www.wviac.org/News/football/2009/11/10/allwviacfb111009.asp