Courtesy NEFW/Williams Sports Information

WILMINGTON, Mass. – Six football players from the NESCAC were honored on the Division II/III All-New England Football at the annual New England Football Writers banquet on Thursday evening at Casa di Fior in Wilmington, Mass. In addition, Williams wide receiver Nick Caro was presented with the Nason Award, given annually to seniors who have persevered against all odds to succeed in football.

All six of the individuals honored from the NESCAC on the All-New England squad also garnered All-Conference First Team honors this year. Of the six, three players repesented 2009 NESCAC Football Champion Amherst College - seniors Edwin Urey, Fred Argir, and Defensive Player of the Year Mike Taylor.

Urey helped the Lord Jeffs post the league’s best rushing defense, allowing only 50.9 yards on the ground per game and 1.5 yards per attempt. In addition, the Amherst defense had 38 sacks (1st NESCAC) and permitted only 13 of 25 incursions into the red zone to be successful (2nd). Urey led his squad and was second in the conference with 13 tackles for a combined loss of 79 yards and 8.0 sacks. He made 33 total stops this season (21 solo).

Argir intercepted a conference-best six passes in 2009, as the Jeffs led the league in turnovers with a plus-9 margin. Argir also had eight pass break-ups and 57 tackles (32 solo).

A big part of the conference’s top defense, Taylor and the Lord Jeffs allowed a league-low 10.4 points per game, 50.9 rushing yards per game, and surrendered only three rushing touchdowns. Taylor was second among his counterparts in the NESCAC in tackles with a career-best 89 (47 solo), averaging 11.1 per outing. He also contributed 11.0 tackles for a combined loss of 40 yards, four sacks for a total of 25 yards, five pass break-ups, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Taylor earned All-NESCAC First Team Defense for the first time during his tenure at Amherst as well.

Joining the trio from the Lord Jeffs were Middlebury junior QB Donald McKillop, the 2009 NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year, Bowdoin sophomore WR Patrick Noone, and Bates senior TE Sean Wirth.

In only his third year with the Panthers, McKillop re-wrote the career record books for passing at Middlebury, as he not only led the NESCAC in passing but also established new single-season school and league marks as well. The 2007 Rookie of the Year finished the season with 262 completions on 405 attempts, 2,873 passing yards, 22 touchdown passes, and 2,967 yards of total offense, all conference records.

Noone had a breakout sophomore campaign for the Polar Bears, as he set or tied five different program records and broke the single-season conference record for receptions with 76 catches. Noone racked up 997 receiving yards, second all-time in the NESCAC, with a program-best seven touchdowns and a league-high 124.6 yards per outing.

Wirth posted a career-high average of 49.1 yards per game along with 9.8 yards per reception. An excellent blocker for the Bobcats, Wirth added in his sixth career touchdown reception this season.

The Nason Award, presented by the NEFW annually, is named for the longtime Boston Globe sports editor Jerry Nason, and honors "seniors who have persevered against all odds to succeed in football."

Caro was injured with a severe leg injury after he made the first reception of the Williams-Hamilton contest on Oct. 25, 2008 in Clinton, N.Y. Following surgery to repair a fractured tibia and repair his MCL, Caro was informed that he would never play football again. Through his own determination, rehabilitation, and support from his teammates, Caro was able to recover and returned to play during the 2009 season. An All-NESCAC First Team selection, Caro averaged 15.0 yards per catch and 67.7 yards per game, scoring five touchdowns this fall. He holds Eph records for the most receiving yards in a game (218) and the most touchdown catches in a contest (three).

Williams head coach Mike Whalen introduced and presented the award to Caro on Thursday evening.