Miguel Maysonet, Brock Jackolski lead Seawolves honors

The postseason awards are rolling in for Stony Brook. Running back Miguel Maysonet was named the Big South Conference's offensive player of the year Tuesday and fellow senior back Brock Jackolski was named a first-team Big South selection.

The Maysonet-Jackolski duo is the main reason the Seawolves led the Football Championship Subdivision in points per game with 39.64 and why they are headed to the playoffs, where they will host Albany on Saturday.

Coach Chuck Priore, voted the Big South coach of the year for the second time, went hard after the former high school stars when Hofstra, which declined to comment about its former players, discontinued its program two years ago. Jackolski won the Hansen Award while playing for Floyd in 2007 and Maysonet won it at Riverhead in 2008. Someone called them the Hansen Brothers and it fit to a TD, 47 to date. Maysonet has 2,455 yards and 26 touchdowns, Jackolski 2,137 and 21.

"We made it known that we wanted them here," Priore said. Maysonet was the easy one. "We went to visit him, we were nervous, we want him to come to school here. He says 'Guys, relax, I'm coming there.' "

Maysonet said: "At first, I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. When Stony Brook called, I made it my choice real fast. It's right in the backyard, I didn't want to go far from home. My mom comes to the games." But of his success, he said, "I could not have visualized at all what has happened."

Recruiting Jackolski took a bit more doing. "I think Brock deep down inside was in the same situation [as Maysonet] but was a little older, had a little more film. Would a Syracuse jump at him? I sat with Brock and his dad, spent about two hours, told him how we would utilize him and he had to trust me."

Jackolski wanted to visit New Hampshire of the Colonial Athletic Association, but that was postponed and then canceled because of a snowstorm. "I said, 'Does that mean you are coming here?' " Priore said. "He didn't really give me a no, didn't really give me a yes, even though I heard 'yes' out of his mouth. Shortly after that we crossed the T's and dotted the I's."

Jackolski realizes now what he did not then: Stony Brook was the place for him. "The CAA is a prestigious conference, known for their very good football teams," he said. But at Stony Brook, "I got to meet so many good people, so many good coaches. To win the Big South and make the playoffs is an awesome accomplishment."

This is not a two-player offense, but it all starts with the running backs. "They most certainly make our job easier," offensive lineman Michael Bamiro said. "They move, they make plays on gaps that they find."

Quarterback Kyle Essington said of the backs: "They take a lot of pressure off the passing game. Just put the ball in their hands and let the playmakers make big plays. It's a huge relief and great asset to our offense."

Notes & quotes: Offensive lineman Joe Faiella also made first team all-conference. Essington was named to the second team and also made the all-academic team. On defense, second-team honors went to Ryan Haber, Jawara Dudley, Roosevelt Kirk and Dominic Reyes. Place-kicker Wesley Skiffington was named to the special teams.