WORCESTER, Mass.  – Six members of the Nichols College football team have been selected to the 21st Annual Steve “Merc” Morris All-Star Team. The team, recently renamed for the long-time Assumption SID and founder of the Worcester Area All-Star Team, is comprised of players from the eight area institutions that sponsor football and is selected by the area SID's.

Senior free safety Mike Rubalcaba was named to the team for the second year in a row, earning second team honors. Sophomore defensive tackle Michael Merjuste was selected to the first team, while junior guard Joe Bresse and senior kicker Bill Crory represented the offense on the second team. Senior defensive end Mike Mainiero and first year linebacker Alex DiNardo led the defense's second team selections.

Rubalcaba, a captain, made his second appearance on the All-Worcester Area Team after posting a career-high 72 tackles in his senior campaign. He made a career-high 16 tackles (13 solo) at Plymouth State in October and made his seventh career interception against Endicott the following week. He was twice named to the NEFC Weekly Honor roll as a senior, including for an 11-tackle performance against Curry when he also recovered a fumble.

To earn his first team honor, Merjuste logged 55 tackles in eight games for the Bison. He posted 5.5 for a loss and a sack for loss to go with a team-high two blocked kicks. Merjuste had a career-high 18 tackles (12 solo) at MIT, and in the season finale against Salve Regina, filled the stat sheet with eight tackles, a sack for a loss of six yards and a blocked kick.

Bresse earned his first All-Worcester honor after leading the offensive line – and stepping in on the defensive side - in his junior season. His line allowed the Nichols quarterbacks a 53.3 yard per game increase in passing offense, and helped Nichols to more than double its fourth down conversions from a year ago. Behind Bresse and the line, the Bison increased their red zone offense by more than 18%, scoring four more touchdowns than last season.

Crory had a breakout senior season, leading the team in scoring for the bulk of the year. He earned national honors during September from the Fred Mitchell Award Committee for outstanding performance on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Crory eclipsed his career point total within the first four games of the season and finished with 23 in 2011 to rank second on the team. He made four of seven field goal attempts including a 38-yarder at Framingham State on September 9th, and 11 of 15 PAT's while also taking over the team's punting duties in the final two games of the year.

Mainiero rotated between end and tackle in his senior season, logging 46 tackles including 4.5 for a loss of 14 yards and a sack for loss. His three quarterback hurries led the team. He made 11 stops including a pair for loss at UMass Dartmouth in mid-October.

DiNardo was an excellent addition to the Bison defense this year, collecting a team-high 72 tackles in five starts and nine games. He had a team-high 8.5 tackles for a loss of 45 yards and added a team-best 2.5 sacks for a loss of 25 yards, while ranking fourth in the NEFC with three forced fumbles. He made a career-high 17 tackles including 2.5 for loss and forced a fumble at UMass Dartmouth in mid-October to start a three-game 10+tackle streak. He closed it out with 13 stops, three for loss and a sack at MIT. In the season finale against Salve Regina he posted nine tackles, an interception and a pass breakup.

The Worcester Area Football Association All-Star Team has been named in memory of Steve “Merc” Morris, the longtime Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations at Assumption College. “Merc” was a 1972 graduate of Assumption and was a member of the athletics staff for 39 years before passing away in January 2011. In addition to being the founder of the Worcester Area Football Association All-Star program, he was a tireless supporter of collegiate athletics in the Worcester area and had a key role in the lives of thousands of student-athletes.

1st Team: Michael Merjuste,  DT, So., Norwich, Conn.
2nd Team: Joe Bresse, G, Jr., Foxboro, Mass.
2nd Team: Bill Crory, K, Sr., Townsend, Mass.
2nd Team: Alex Dinardo, LB, Fr., Wellington, Fla.
2nd Team: Mike Mainiero, DE, Sr., Bridgeport, Conn.
2nd Team: Mike Rubalcaba*, FS, Sr., Barre, Vt.
*2010 Honoree