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NEFWA honors Ziemba

PLYMOUTH – Plymouth State University graduate student Zach Ziemba was honored by the New England Football Writers Association (NEFWA) on Tuesday with inclusion on the 2017 NEFWA Division II/III All-New England Team.

Ziemba, a defensive back who played high school football at Manchester West, was instrumental in helping to lead the Panthers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2008 season. He was one of just four defensive backs to be selected, and one of three competing at the D-III level.

Ziemba, already named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Conference First Team Defense honoree, was also named to the NEFWA All-New England Team last fall.

A 5-11, 190-pound safety, Ziemba anchored the backfield of the conference’s best scoring defense. The Panthers allowed just 9.8 points per game in regular season action, a mark that was the fifth lowest in NCAA Division III.

He finished the year with 55 tackles, including 33 solo tackles, and was second in the MASCAC with two fumble recoveries. Ziemba added a pair of interceptions, two pass breakups and two blocked kicks, including one in the team’s 16-13 overtime win against Framingham State that ended up securing the MASCAC title for PSU.

Ziemba will be recognized with the 29 other honorees during the annual New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet on Dec. 5 at the Montvale Plaza in Stoneham, Mass.

Plymouth State finished the season with a 9-2 mark. The Panthers won the MASCAC title for the first time and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history. PSU saw its season come to a close in a first-round game against the College at Brockport last Saturday (Nov. 18).

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