JCU’s Canganelli, Mount’s Petruccelli first-team All-OAC

The Ohio Athletic Conference released its 2018 all-star football team on Nov. 19, and two area running backs were honored, as well as a host of others.

John Carroll’s Michael Canganelli, a Mayfield grad, and Mount Union’s Josh Petruccelli, a Perry product, were named firstteam All-OAC.

John Carroll’s Jimmy Thomas, who had 12 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, won the Paul Hoernemann Award as the league’s top defensive lineman.

Canganelli and Petruccelli are sophomores, and have quickly played their way into becoming two of the OAC’s top running backs — with two years of eligibility remaining.

Canganelli finished the season with 1,293 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns, and seven 100yard games. His best game of 2018 was 270 yards in the regular-season finale against Baldwin Wallace. Canganelli’s 1,905 allpurpose yards rank among the leaders nationally in Division III.

Petruccelli is Mount Union’s leading rusher through 11 games with 983 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has six 100-yard games. The No. 1-ranked Purple Raiders (11-0) host Centre (Ky.) in the second round of the NCAA D-III playoffs on Nov. 24.

Including Canganelli and Thomas, 15 JCU players made the All-OAC team, including the following area players:

First team: Offensive lineman Drew Turner (Mayfield Heights native), defensive lineman Conner Bogard (Benedictine), linebacker Chad Stalnaker (Lake Catholic), and defensive back Mike Connick (Chardon)

Second team: Linebacker Tyshawn Jones (Euclid), and defensive back Connor Robinson (Lake Catholic)

Other area players to make All-OAC include receiver Braden Jerome (Madison) of Heidelberg, offensive lineman Brad Weinhold (Madison) of Heidelberg, and defensive lineman Kyle Gallagher (West Geauga) of Marietta.