McCaster on preseason Payton Award list👌
This is an article on Warren Tribune on the topic:
McCaster part of Payton watch
LOCAL SPORTS
AUG 3, 2018
Tribune Chronicle
sports@tribtoday.com
YOUNGSTOWN — Senior tailback Tevin McCaster, from New Castle, Pa., leads the preseason honors awarded to Youngstown State football players by being named to the Walter Payton Award watch list.
He is one of 25 FCS offensive standouts named this week by STATS FCS.
McCaster (5-10, 195 pounds) is one of four Missouri Valley Football Conference representatives on the watch list. Other MVFC standouts on the list include North Dakota State running back Bruce Anderson, NDSU quarterback Easton Stick and South Dakota State quarterback Taryn Christion.
In his first year as starter in 2017, McCaster rushed for 1,066 yards on 221 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-MVFC for his efforts. In the past two seasons, McCaster has scored 24 touchdowns in 27 games played.
McCaster also joined three teammates on the STATS FCS Preseason All-American team. McCaster was a second-team pick, while linebacker Armand Dellovade (6-0, 215, Sr., Imperial, Pa.), guard Gavin Wiggins (6-4, 310, Sr., Philadelphia) and long snapper Steven Wethli (6-0, 230, Sr., New Castle) were named third-team All-Americans.
In his YSU career, Dellovade has been credited with 235 total tackles in 38 games played. He has started 36 contests in his three years with the Penguins.
Last year he had 76 total tackles — second best on the team — and as a sophomore registered a career-high 105 stops during the Penguins’ 16-game campaign.
Wiggins has started the last 31 games at offensive guard. Wethli has started all three years as long snapper.
The MVFC led all conferences with 16 overall selections on the STATS FCS preseason All-America teams.
On the All-MVFC preseason teams, McCaster, Wiggins, Wethli and senior center Vitas Hrynkiewicz (6-4, 300, Somerset, N.J.) were all chosen to the first team on offense, while Dellovade made first team on the defensive side, and sophomore cornerback Bryce Gibson (5-10, 180, Johnstown, Pa.) was a second-team choice.
Gibson had a breakout year in 2017, starting all 11 games at cornerback as a true freshman. He was named to the Valley’s All-Newcomer Team in 2017.
Joining McCaster in the first-team All-MVFC backfield are North Dakota State’s Bruce Anderson and Illinois State’s James Robinson on the first team. The other three offensive lineman joining Hrynkiewicz and Wiggins on the first team are Illinois State’s Drew Himmelman and North Dakota State’s Zack Johnson and Tanner Volson.
A two-time second-team All-MVFC pick, Dellovade is joined on the first team by North Dakota State’s Jabril Cox, Missouri State’s Angelo Garbutt, UNI’s Rickey Neal and South Dakota State’s Christian Rozeboom at the linebacker position.
Coming off a 6-5 season, the Penguins open the 2018 campaign Sept. 1 at home (2 p.m.) vs. Butler. Preseason camp opens today.
