Staten Island, NY – Juniors
Torian Phillips (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond),
Joe Sidaras (Mastic Beach, NY / William Floyd) and
Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton) have been named to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) watch lists for their respective positions.
Phillips had a standout sophomore season, finishing seventh on the team with 49 tackles, including 41 solo stops. He also had five tackles for loss for minus 28 yards and a team-leading four interceptions from his cornerback position. His top statistical game came at Duquesne on October 22 when he recorded a career-high nine tackles. A transfer from Syracuse, Phillips saw action as a true freshman in the Orange's defensive backfield in 2009 before transferring to Wagner prior to the 2010 season. That year, the 5-9, 185-pound Phillips was utilized in the Seahawk backfield as a running back where he gained 250 yards for the Seahawks on 45 carries, a 5.6 yards per rush clip.
Sidaras had a breakout since in 201l, his first as a Seahawk after transferring from Hofstra which dropped its grid program. As the season unfolded, the 6-3, 235-pound Sidaras emerged as one of the top tight ends in the Northeast Conference (NEC). His 293 receiving yards were a team high while he finished second on the team in receptions with 20, which computes to an eye-catching 29.3 yards per catch average. Sidaras caught at least two passes in seven of Wagner's final eight games, including a 5-catch, 76-yard game (both career highs) at Cornell on October 1.
Williams has developed into one of the household names in the NEC, following a sophomore season where he gained a team-leading 1,338 yards on 274 rushing attempts (4.9 yards per carry attempt) while finding the end zone 14 times. After serving notice of potential great things to come when he rushed for 642 yards in 2009, Williams sat out the entire 2010 campaign while rehabbing a knee injury suffered in preseason camp.
The 5-9, 200-pound speedster left no doubt that his knee was sound in the 2011 season opener, as he rumbled for 180 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns to lift Wagner to a victory over Saint Francis (PA). For his efforts, Williams was named Northeast Conference Player of the Week,
ColllegeFootballPerformance.com tabbed him National Running Back of the Week while
CollegeSportsMadness.com named him its NEC Player of the week.
For the season, Williams ran for 100 or more yards in eight of Wagner's 11 games, highlighted by a career-high 216 yards on 32 carries and four touchdowns in a November 12 win at Robert Morris. Williams' 1,338 yards on the ground last season was good for sixth on the school's all-time single-season rushing list while he will enter his junior season in eighth place on the Seahawk all-time rushing list with 1,982 career yards.
The Seahawks will begin the 2012 season with a pair of road games, traveling to FBS member Florida Atlantic on August 31 and to Georgetown on September 8. Wagner's home opener on September 15 vs. Monmouth promises to be a special affair as the1987 team, which captured the Division III National Championship, will be honored that day on the 25-year anniversary of this crowning achievement.
