Cannon, Butler, Howard earn All-ECAC recognition

12/20/2024 10:21:00 AM

DANBURY, Conn.--The Westminster College football program had three players named to the 2024 Division III All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) teams, which were announced Thursday. Freshman Brite Cannon (Parkland, Fla., Monarch) was a First Team All-ECAC selection while seniors Brice Butler (Farrell, Pa., Farrell) and Matthew Howard (Grove City, Pa., Grove City) were both Second Team All-ECAC picks.

Cannon and Butler were named D3football.com All-Region 2 selections on Dec. 11.

Cannon, a two-way standout for the Titans, secured First Team All-PAC spots in November as both an all-purpose player and as a return specialist. He had six total touchdowns in 2024, including four special teams' scores. On Nov. 6 at Carnegie Mellon University he returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, Westminster's first since Luca Botti's 84-yard touchdown in a win over Waynesburg on Oct. 16, 2021. Cannon finished with 33 catches for 390 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 14 tackles (7 solo), a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He was named the PAC's Newcomer of the Week on Oct. 14 and earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week on Oct. 15 after scoring a special teams' touchdown for the third-straight week with a 57-yard punt return in a win at Bethany College on Oct. 12. He also scored on a 61-yard shovel pass from junior quarterback Ty McGowan (Moon Township, Pa., Moon) less than two minutes into the game. Cannon had four catches for 105 yards against the Bison and added three tackles (3 solo), a tackle for loss and forced a fumble on a dropped snap by punter Landon Bailey early in the third that led to a recovery in the endzone for a touchdown by junior running back Gavin Greaves (Miami, Fla., Felix Varela).

Butler, a safety, has been named All-PAC four times, earning his third-straight first team selection in 2024. He made 11 starts this fall, totaling 48 tackles (35 solo), a pair of interceptions and six passes defended. Butler returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown in Westminster's win at Allegheny College on Sept. 21 and was honored as the PAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar-Athlete of the Month for September on Oct. 17. He tied his career high with eight stops in a season-opening victory over Waynesburg University on Sept. 14. Butler also had two punt returns go for touchdowns this season. A 2022 D3football.com All-Region 2 Second Team pick, he was named a D3football.com Preseason All-America (3rd team) selection prior to the 2023 season.

Butler's 14 career interceptions are tied for seventh among active NCAA Division III leaders. He has returned five interceptions for touchdowns in his career.

Howard, a starter at right guard, earned First Team All-PAC in 2024. An anchor on the Titans' offensive line, he helped the program average 156.5 rushing yards and 347.1 yards of total offense per game while giving up just one sack this season. A three-year letter winner, he was named Honorable Mention All-PAC following the 2023 season. Howard was an Academic All-District® selection in 2023. The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) named him one of its 44 Division III semifinalists for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy^®on Sept. 25.

Westminster wrapped up its 2024 season with an 8-3 record, posting a 27-13 victory over Marietta College in the Extra Points Bowl on Nov. 24 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The Extra Points Bowl was part of the inaugural Opendorse Bowl Series. It is the program's fifth season winning eight or more games under 11th-year head coach Scott Benzel.

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