Washington & Jefferson College football coach Mike Sirianni blames himself for the Presidents' 35-34 overtime loss to North Carolina Wesleyan in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs last weekend.

"Of course I have second thoughts," said Sirianni, referring to his decision to try a fake extra point kick in the overtime period and go for two points. "Unfortunately, I can't go back and change my decision."

Sirianni has no regrets with his decision to go for two, but realizes a trick play was not the way to go.

"We have an All-American quarterback and I have him standing on the sideline during the biggest play of the game," said Sirianni, referring to Bobby Swallow, who had thrown his fourth touchdown pass of the game on the previous play.

"We had two extra points blocked and the other two were almost blocked. I should have gone for two instead of trying a gimmick play. I feel like I let my team down."

Washington & Jefferson was making its eighth NCAA playoff appearance in nine years, was seeded first in the South Region, and entered the postseason with a 10-0 record. North Carolina Wesleyan was seeded No. 8 and considered a huge underdog.

"I feel bad for my 17 seniors," said Sirianni. "But they still have a lot to be proud of. They went to the NCAA playoffs four straight years, won three Presidents' Athletic Conference titles, and won 44 games while they were here. There can't be many teams in the country that can match our record over the last four seasons."

Of the 17 seniors, only six are starters.

"We have 18 starters returning," said Sirianni. "The returning players and the coaching staff will have a few months to think about our playoff loss. I'm reminding them how much hard work it took to get to where we finished this season. The loss gives them an incentive to improve next season."

Washington & Jefferson had one of the most potent offenses in the country. The Presidents ranked fourth among NCAA Division III teams with a 46.2 points-per-game average and third in total offense with 518.7 yards per game.

The team also ranked fourth in turnover margin, as the Presidents turned the ball over only 10 times, while their defense forced 31 turnovers.

Swallow led the Presidents with a record-breaking season. He completed 229 of 331 passes for 3,106 yards and 46 touchdowns, while throwing only three interceptions. Swallow ranked first among NCAA Division III quarterbacks in touchdown passes and eclipsed his nearest competitor by eight scores. He also ranked third in passing efficiency, at 192.1 and eighth in passing yardage.

"Bobby has had two great seasons for us," said Sirianni. "We're glad to have him back for one more season."

Swallow was voted the Presidents' Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was a first-team All-PAC selection for the second year in a row.

Joining Swallow on the PAC First Team were wide receiver Tom McCafferty, offensive linemen Matt Houy and Dave Bucar, all-purpose back Kevin Mathews, and linebacker David Gitlitz. McCafferty is a Thomas Jefferson graduate. Houy and Bucar are graduates of Gateway and Penn-Trafford, respectively. Mathews is from Upper St. Clair.

McCafferty tied for 13th in the country with 1,050 yards on 63 receptions, including 14 for touchdowns.

"Tom played a big part in our offense," said Sirianni. "You hate to lose a kid who had 1,000 yards in receiving. Replacing him will not be easy."

Mathews led the Presidents with 1,704 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 991 yards, had 424 yards in receptions and 289 on returns.

Presidents who earned second-team PAC honors were offensive guard Adam Shallcross, wide receiver David Ravida, running back Curt Jones, H-back Brendan O'Mahony, defensive lineman Jacob Bloomhuff, and cornerbacks Ryan Mullen and Chris Kessler. O'Mahony is a Pine-Richland graduate.

Presidents who were recognized as honorable mention in the conference were: defensive lineman Jeff Ernst, linebacker John Fahey, offensive lineman Kirk Fulton, and defensive back Craig Sedunov. Fulton is a South Park graduate. Sedunov is a Yough graduate.

McCafferty, Ernst, Shallcross and Mullen are seniors. The other two senior starters are offensive guard Adam Hoffer and safety Todd Keenan.