Seven named to All-CC team; Sturges, Smith gain first-team nods

From the Gettysburg College Website:


Seven Bullets named to All-CC football team; Sturges, Smith earn first-team honors

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Seven members of the Gettysburg College football team have been named to the 2005 All-Centennial Conference (CC) Football Team, announced on Monday.

Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) and Nathan Smith (Hanover, PA/Cooperstown Central [NY]) were named to the All-CC first team. Enoch Boateng (Vienna, VA/W.T. Woodson), Dain Alaia (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Sachem), Dan Hogdahl (Riverside, NJ/Pompton Lakes), Dan Petersen (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) and Harold Barton (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) earned second-team honors.

Sturges, a sophomore tailback, became the Bullets’ first 1,000-yard running back in six years en route to his first All-CC accolades. Selected as the CC Offensive Player of the Week four times in 2005, he led the conference in carries (273) and rushing yards (1,185), ranked first in all-purpose yards per game (127.9) and finished fourth in scoring (3.6 points per game) and sixth in total offense (118.5). He topped the 100-yard mark on six occasions, including a career-high 206 yards against Lebanon Valley on Sept. 3.

Smith, a senior defensive back and co-captain, was selected to the first team as both a defensive back and kick returner. As a starting safety, Smith finished second on the team with 88 tackles while leading the way with 11 passes defended. Among conference players, he ranked sixth with 8.8 tackles per game and tied for fourth with 1.10 passes defended per game.

One of the nation’s leading kick returners, Smith paced the CC and ranked fourth in Division III with an average of 30.0 yards per kickoff return. He tied a conference record with three kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2005 and broke the CC mark for kickoff-return touchdowns in a career (5).

Boateng, a senior tackle and three-time All-CC selection, and Alaia, a junior guard, each earned second-team honors after anchoring an offensive line that helped Gettysburg lead the CC in rushing yards per game (164.5) and finish second in total offense (305.1). Each was also credited with one solo tackle while making 10 starts in 2005.

Hogdahl, a senior defensive tackle, started all 10 games to earn his first All-CC honors, finishing third on the team with 62 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He ranked 23rd in the CC with 6.2 tackles per game, posting a double-digit total against both Rochester (10) and Franklin & Marshall (12).

Petersen, a senior defensive end, also started all 10 games along the Gettysburg defensive line and was one of the Bullets’ top pass-rushing threats. He recorded 38 tackles on the season, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He compiled a season-high nine tackles in an opening-day win against Lebanon Valley and paced the team with five quarterback hurries.

Barton, a junior linebacker, established himself as one of the top tacklers in the CC during his first year as a starter. He led the team with 103 tackles (62 solo), 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, ranking third in the conference with 10.3 tackles per game and tying for fourth with 0.65 sacks per game. He posted double-digit tackle totals on four occasions, including a career-high 17 stops against Rochester.

Gettysburg went 4-6 overall in 2005, including a 3-3 mark en route to a third-place conference finish.

Also, Tom Sturges, Nathan Smith and Tom Pettit were honored as "Other Outstanding Performers" by the Centennial Conference for their respective Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams performances during the final week of the season. Read about this and more here.