SUNY Cortland graduate student quarterback Dan Pitcher (Cortland) has been chosen as the 2011 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) football Offensive Player of the Year.

Pitcher is a first-team All-NJAC selection for the second straight year and is one of four Cortland players named to the all-league first team. The Red Dragons also had eight second-team selections and two honorable mention choices and finished with 14 all-league honorees.

In 10 regular-season games, Pitcher completed 177-of-282 passes (62.8 percent) for 2,442 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was intercepted only four times. Pitcher has set school records for TD passes in a season (29) and career (52), as well as consecutive games with a TD pass (currently 12, breaking his own record of 11 set in 2009-10). He also tied a school single-game record with five TD passes in a win at Brockport.

Cortland finished the regular season 8-2 overall and tied for second in the NJAC with a 7-2 mark. The Red Dragons will host Albright College in the ECAC Div. III Southeast Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 19, at noon.

Cortland's All-NJAC selections are as follows:

FIRST TEAM

Name (Hometown/High School), Year, Position
Dan Pitcher (Cortland/Cortland),  Grad., Quarterback
John Babin (Warwick Valley/Warwick Valley),  So.,  Wide Receiver
Billy Castro (Washingtonville/Washingtonville), Sr., Offensive Tackle
D.J. Romano (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy), Sr., Cornerback

SECOND TEAM

Name (Hometown/High School),  Year,  Position
Dorian Myles (Lackawanna/Hamburg), Sr., Tailback
Corey Hymes (Hamburg/St. Francis), Sr., Center
Matt Pitcher (Cortland/Cortland), Sr., Offensive Tackle
Steve Gruber (Thornwood/Westlake), Sr., Defensive Tackle
Vaughn Labor (Norwich/Norwich), Jr., Defensive End
Connor Tompkins (Ossining/Sleepy Hollow), Sr., Defensive End
Bill Smith (Nanuet/Nanuet), Sr., Linebacker
Cody Allen (Medina/Medina), Sr., Linebacker

HONORABLE MENTION

Name (Hometown/High School), Year, Position
Randy Bloom (Orchard Park/Orchard Park), Jr., Offensive Guard
Pete Furey (Niskayuna/Niskayuna), Jr., Cornerback


Dan Pitcher's 166.6 passing efficiency rating is currently the highest in school history, and his 2,442 passing yards are the most ever by a Red Dragon quarterback in the regular season. He has also rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns.

Babin has tied the school single-season record with 68 receptions and has broken school marks with 1,110 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches. He has made at least one TD catch in nine of 10 games.

Castro is a first-team All-NJAC offensive lineman for the second straight year, while Hymes, Matt Pitcher and Bloom are on the all-league team for the first time. Cortland's offensive line has allowed only eight sacks in more than 300 pass plays this fall. The Red Dragons are averaging 419 yards of total offense per game and have eclipsed the 400-yard mark eight times.

Romano earns a first-team All-NJAC berth as a senior after second-team nods in both 2009 and 2010. He leads the Red Dragons with three interceptions and is tied for second with six pass breakups. Romano's 14 career interceptions are one shy of tying the school record.

Myles took over as Cortland's starting tailback after Justin Autera (Mahopac), the 2010 NJAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, suffered a season-ending injury in mid-September. In nine games, Myles has rushed for 770 yards (85.6 per game) and four touchdowns and has caught 14 passes for 102 yards.

Gruber, Labor and Tompkins comprise Cortland's starting defensive line. Gruber has made 41 tackles total, with four sacks, and has an interception, a blocked kick and five quarterback hurries. Labor, like Gruber a 10-game starter, has 46 tackles with 1.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and four QB hurries. Tompkins earned second-team All-NJAC honors for the second straight year. Despite missing the first two games of the season due to injury, he has 38 tackles, leads the team with 11.5 tackles for losses and ranks third with five sacks. He also has two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and three QB hurries.

Smith and Allen rank first and second on the team this fall with 74 and 65 tackles, respectively. Smith was a second-team All-NJAC linebacker (and honorable mention All-NJAC fullback) last year, while Allen was a first-team All-NJAC choice last autumn.

Smith has six tackles for losses along with a forced fumble, a blocked kick, an interception, a fumble recovery, three quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. Allen's totals include seven tackles for losses, including 4.5 sacks, in addition to two interceptions, two blocked kicks, a forced fumble, four pass breakups and five quarterback hurries.

Furey earned honorable mention All-NJAC honors as a cornerback this season after picking up the same award as a punter last year. He has 28 tackles, one interception and a team-high seven pass breakups.