LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall football team had eight players recognized on All-Centennial Conference team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Those eight selections earned all-conference accolades after the Diplomats posted a 7-3 record and made it back to the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series in 2023.
Gary Lewis earned first-team honors as a wide receiver for the first time in his career. Lewis receives first-team honors after a regular season which saw him break the F&M school record for receiving touchdowns in a season (16) while also leading the conference in that category. Lewis caught 49 passes in total over nine games, accounting for 776 receiving yards. Those totals included a Centennial Conference record five touchdown receptions versus Muhlenberg. The Diplomats' sophomore went over 100 yards receiving on four occasions and had multiple touchdown receptions during five different contests.
Jeff Decker earned first-team honors on the defensive line after second-team recognition just one year ago. Decker ranked second in the Centennial Conference with 14.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 14 of which were solo efforts for a cumulative loss of 55 yards. The F&M junior made 31 of his 46 tackles in unassisted fashion. He posted a career best with four sacks, while forcing three fumbles and recovering one loose ball. Decker was also a constant presence in the opponent's backfield with 13 quarterback hurries. With his senior season yet to come, Decker already ranks 12th in school history with 27 tackles for loss and 13th with four forced fumbles. He is also among the best players in program history for yards lost in both tackles behind the line of scrimmage and from sacks.
Kevonte Beard earned All-Centennial Conference honors for the third consecutive season after being named the CC Rookie of the Year following his 2019 campaign. The 2023 season was the second straight in which Beard was named a first-team all-conference linebacker. Beard made 46 tackles as a senior, while forcing and recovering one fumble. He also registered 1.5 sacks and accounted for 7.5 total tackles behind the line of scrimmage. One of the best defensive players in school history, Beard currently ranks fourth in school history in both tackles for loss (42.0) and yards in tackles for loss (154) heading into the bowl game. He has made 200 tackles to date and also holds top 30 marks in school history for forced fumbles (4), unassisted tackles (112), and sacks (12.0).
Laurence Miller was one of four first-team honorees for the Diplomats as he received the first all-conference recognition of his career as a kicker. Handling all of the team's kicking duties for the first time in his career, Miller certainly made the most of those opportunities as he was named the conference's special teams player of the week on multiple occasions. The junior was 11-for-14 on field goals this season, including a long of 50 yards against TCNJ which made him one of just two kickers in school history with field goals of at least 50 yards. After a historic junior season, Miller is already tied for the school record in field goals made (20) and fourth in PATs made (82). His kicking produced 66 points for the Diplomats this season, an average of 6.6 points per game.
Matt Scully earned second-team All-Centennial Conference honors for his play at linebacker after receiving honorable mention recognition on kickoff returns following the 2021 season. Scully's 61 tackles led the Diplomats and ranked seventh in the Centennial Conference as 45 of those stops were solo efforts. Scully was also very effective in stopping the opponent's passing game as he broke up 10 passes and had one interception, making him one of three Diplomats who ranked in the top six of the conference in passes defended. Scully posted a career-high 11 tackles during the game against Johns Hopkins and had nine other stops on two occasions this fall.
Justin Gerhart earned all-conference recognition for the second consecutive season with his second-team honors. After earning All-America honors as a junior, opponents mostly stayed away from Gerhart's side of the field, but he still broke up 10 passes and intercepted two more to rank third in the conference in passes defended, posting the 12th highest single-season total in program history. Gerhart did set a new career high with 39 tackles, including 28 solo stops and three tackles for loss. With the bowl game still to play, Gerhart ranks eighth in school history for interceptions (10) and 11th in passes defended (25).
Matt Wertz was another standout in the Diplomats' secondary at safety who tied with Gerhart for third in the Centennial Conference with 12 passes defended as he broke up 11 passes and intercepted another. As a sophomore, Wertz accounted for 62 tackles which featured 35 solo stops. He posted a career high with 13 tackles in back-to-back games against Johns Hopkins Hopkins and McDaniel. Those totals came just one week after he broke up four passes versus Ursinus and finished the season with multiple pass break ups during four different contests.
A two-year team captain, Owen Walsh earned the first All-Centennial Conference recognition of his career by being named honorable mention as a senior. Walsh had a career-high 62 tackles during the regular season, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He also broke up five passes and forced a fumble. Walsh was certainly playing his best football of the season to help the Diplomats get into the bowl game as he recorded 13 stops at Muhlenberg before adding 10 more tackles on Senior Day versus Gettysburg. During seven of the team's 10 regular season games, Walsh accounted for at least four tackles. The senior leader was also named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team as selected by the coaching staff.
The Diplomats have earned the right to wrap up their 2023 season in a bowl at King's (Pa.) that is set for this Saturday, November 18 at 1 p.m. The postseason appearance will be the team's 16th bowl game appearance in program history. F&M has now qualified to the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series on six different occasions, including every competitive season from 2016 through 2021.
