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Football Places Two on All-New England Team
Nov. 30, 2006 ORONO, Maine - Seniors Matt King (Stoughton, Mass.) and Manauris Arias (Union City, N.J.) on Thursday were named to the New England Football Writers Division I-AA All-Star Team. It marks the second time in as many weeks that both players garnered first-team honors by a league or association, as both were honored as First-Team All-Atlantic 10 selections last Wednesday. The All-New England award is the third post-season honor for King, who played defensive end. In addition to the All-A-10 selection, King was also named one of 16 finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding player. He became just the second player in program history to be named a finalist for the award, and the winner of the honor will be announced on Dec. 14. King led the Atlantic 10 in sacks (1.05 per game) and tackles for loss (18.0), while ranking second and sixth, respectively, in the national rankings. King recorded at least one tackle for loss in all 11 games this season, including a 3.5 sack performance in Maine's 30-3 victory over Northeastern on Nov. 4. Arias, a cornerback, garnered the All-New England honor after he recorded 30 tackles on the season, including 3.0 for loss (-15 yards), broke up a pair of passes and intercepted one pass. His interception was a 27-yard return in Maine's 62-12 win over Shaw on Sept. 23. Both student-athletes will be honored at the annual New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet on Thursday, Dec. 14, at Casa di Fior in Wilmington, Mass.
Maine finished the 2006 season with a 6-5 record, marking the program's first winning campaign since the 2003 season. The Black Bears entered the national top 25 polls midway through the season, making the school's first appearance in the rankings in nearly two seasons. Maine finished the regular season ranked No. 24 in The Sports Network I-AA Top 25 poll.
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