Gardener, Mengata Headline Five Owls on MASCAC All-Conference Teams

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State University football had five players named to the MASCAC All-Conference Teams headlined by senior linebacker Justyn Gardener (East Hartford, Conn.) and first-year fullback Manny Mengata (Tewksbury, Mass.) who earned all-conference first team honors.

Gardener and Mengata were joined by the senior trio of Zach Allen (Chelmsford, Mass.), Vinny Cirillo (Chicopee, Mass.) and Budder Ferreira (Haverhill, Mass.) who all received spots on the all-conference second team.

Gardener was one of two outside linebackers in the MASCAC to be named to the first team, finishing second in the entire conference with 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. He also added two forced fumbles and 46 total tackles which was fourth on the Owls. In his four-year career, Gardener reached 100 career tackles, starting in all 20 games the last two seasons. He registered 20.5 tackles for loss with ten career sacks.

Mengata made an instant impact for the Owls in his first collegiate season as he was named the all-conference first team fullback. He rushed for the second most yards in the league with 842 and was also second overall in yards per game at 84.2. Mengata topped the 100-yard rushing mark four times this season and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the Owls 31-22 victory against Worcester State.

Allen received placement on the all-conference second team as a defensive back for the second time in his career. The ball-hawking corner led the Owls with three interceptions and was tied for fourth in the conference in that category. He also paced the team with six pass breakups and added 22 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss out of the secondary. In his four-year stint with the Owls, Allen compiled eight interceptions, 34 pass breakups, and 98 total tackles in 36 games.

Cirillo garners all-conference second team honors as a center, playing a critical component in the Owls rugged run-heavy offense as the fulcrum. The Owls ran the ball on nearly 74 percent of their snaps with the majority of those calls resulting in dive or blast plays directly up the middle or off the guard, putting Cirillo in the center of the team's offense. He played in all ten games this season and 33 for his career.

Ferreira was one of four inside linebackers in the league to be named to an all-conference team, earning a spot on the second team. A captain of the Owls, Ferreira led the team with 65 total tackles which was also top ten in the MASCAC. He routinely found his way into the backfield as his 6.5 sacks ranked fourth in the conference. Ferreira is one of eight players in the league that registered double figure tackles for loss, checking in fourth in the MASCAC with 11. Ferreira was also one of the Owls top players on special teams, registering a pair of blocked punts with the second coming in the end zone, where he would fall on the ball for a touchdown to seal the victory over the Lancers. He caps his four-year career with 132 tackles, 11 sacks, and 21.5 tackles for loss.

The Owls finished the season with a 3-6 record in conference play and 3-7 overall, wrapping up the campaign with a 10-7 win over Fitchburg State.

Full all-conference list can be found at mascac.com