Full Release
Worcester, Mass. - Senior Captain and running back Khaleed Exum-Strong (Norwichtown, Conn. / Trinity Pawling) was named the 2021 Northeast-10 Most Valuable Player and a spot on the All Conference First Team announced by the league office on Wednesday.
Exum-Strong had a stellar senior season in the backfield for the Hounds playing in all 10 games and rushing 178 times for a total of 1228 yards averaging 122.8 yards per game, scoring nine touchdowns. Exum-Strong also had 11 receptions for 86 yards.
In addition to Exum-Strong, senior tight end Tighe Beck (Wakefield, Mass. / Wakefield Memorial), senior offensive lineman Tobias Liska (Eldersburg, Md. / Calvert Hall College HS), and redshirt junior return specialist Isaiah Huff (Windsor, Conn. / Milford Academy), were all named to the Northeast-10 All Conference First Team Offense, while senior offensive lineman Matthew Ringstaff (Sicklerville, N.J. / Timber Creek Regional), earned a spot on the All Conference Second Team Offense.
Beck played in all 10 games for the Hounds, had 21 receptions for 197 yards, averaging 19.7 yards per game and one touchdown. Huff was a force to be reckoned with on the return team for Assumption. He had 21 kick returns for a total of 757 yards, averaging 36 yards per return and scoring one touchdown, while his longest return was for 99 yards in a win over American International. Huff also had four punt returns for 34 yards, averaging 8.5 yards per return. Ringstaff and Liska provided great blocking and coverage for the Hounds quarterbacks all year.
Huff was also named to the All-Conference First Team Defense, while senior defensive end Trenton Wright (Natick, Mass. / Bridgton Academy), earned a spot on the All Conference Second Team Defense. Defensively, Huff had 18 total tackles (14 solo, 4 assists) with three interceptions and six break ups patrolling the Assumption secondary. Wright made 26 tackles on the year (14 solo, 12 assists) while assisting on a sack for a loss of four yards. Wright also had 4.5 tackles for a loss accumulating in 13 yards lost, while also breaking up five passes.
Closing out the awards for the Hounds, freshman punter Gabriel Bertolazzo (Winter Garden, Fla. / Windermere) was named to the All Rookie Team. Bertolazzo had 38 punts on the year, punting for 1431 yards averaging 37.7 yards per punt. His longest punt of the year was 50 yards and he landed 9 of his punts within the 20 yard line and created seven fair catches.
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