Lions Place Five on Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy Teams

Football
8/10/2022 2:41:00 PM

Parker Lefton and Scott Valentas picked up first team selections by the publication

NEW YORK Five members of the Columbia football team were selected to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy League teams, as announced on August 5. Long snapper Parker Lefton and linebacker Scott Valentas earned first-team nods, while linebacker CJ Brown, placekicker Alex Felkins and quarterback Joe Green were tabbed for the second team.

Lefton has been a standout member of the special teams unit since his sophomore year and was honored by Phil Steele in 2019 and 2021. The native of Duluth, Georgia, has seen action in 20 consecutive games dating back to 2019 and compiled a pair of tackles in his career.

Valentas is a two-time All-Ivy League honoree with 116 tackles, with 17.5 coming for a loss. He led the Lions with 56 tackles despite missing two games due to injury in 2021. As a first-year, Valentas emerged as a starter and ranked second on the Squad with 60 tackles.

Brown, a junior from Houston, started eight contests in 2021 with 27 tackles and recovered an on-side kick in the season finale at Cornell. Felkins has picked up All-Ivy League Accolades in his two seasons with Columbia and already ranks second in program history with 25 field goals. He trails only Jon Rocholl ’09CC, who finished his career with 38 makes.

Green returns under center after being named the 2021 Ivy League Offensive Rookie of the Year. He ranked in the top-five in every conference passing statistic while throwing for 1,590 yards and 10 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

Columbia opens the 2022 campaign at Marist on Saturday, September 17 for a 6 pm contest. The Lions begin their home slate on Saturday, October 1 when they welcome Princeton to Robert K. Kraft Field in their Ivy League debut.

Season and single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.gocolumbialions.com/tickets or calling 888-LIONS-11.

For the latest on the Columbia football team, follow @CULionsFB on Twitter and Instagramis Facebook and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.