Six Lions Named Preseason All-Conference

Rock Hill, S.C.—The 2013 South Atlantic Conference Preseason All-Conference Football Team was released Tuesday, with six Mars Hill student-athletes earning recognition on the preseason team.

Six Lions earned First Team Preseason All-Conference honors, with four of those coming on the offensive side of the ball. Wide receivers Dimitri Holmes and Deunta Jennings, offensive lineman Nick Allison and running back Shaikel Davis all earned first-team offense recognition. Defensive end Troy Harris and linebacker Jasper Mason earned first-team defense recognition.  The six first-team selections were most in the conference. Mars Hill is coming off a season in which the Lions finished 6-4 overall and tied for second-place in the SAC with a 5-2 conference record.

Holmes hauled in 71 receptions for a team-leading 992 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The junior was a First-Team All-SAC performer last season after ranking among the top five in the conference in every statistical receiving category. Holmes was the SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2011.

Jennings led the conference in averaging 18.8 yards per catch last season and totaled 866 yards receiving. He won SAC Offensive Player of the Week for his eight-catch, 212-yard performance against Tusculum and was Second-Team All-SAC.

Allison was part of a Lion offensive line that produced 158 yards rushing per game. The senior is a two-time All-SAC performer and earned All-Super Region II recognition from Daktronics and Don Hansen's National Football Weekly Gazette last season.

Davis led all SAC performers during the regular season with 236 carries for 1,173 yards. The junior earned All-Super Region II honors from Daktronics and Don Hansen's National Football Weekly Gazette. Davis was the SAC Offensive Player of the Week after his 24-carry, 190-yard performance against North Greenville.

Headlining the Lions defensive selections is Harris, last season's SAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Harris led MHU with 12 tackles-for-loss and recorded 84 tackles on the season. He earned All-Super Region II honors from Daktronics and Don Hansen's National Football Weekly Gazette. The senior has already received Preseason All-American honors from BSN and USA Football Network.

Mason, a senior linebacker, earned First-Team Preseason All-Defense honors after leading Mars Hill with 109 tackles last season. He was named the NCAA.com Division II Defensive Player of the Week after recording 21 tackles in an overtime victory over Tusculum. He recorded two sacks last season.

Mars Hill opens its season Sep. 7 when the Lions host West Georgia at 1:00 p.m. in Meares Stadium. MHU will open conference play Sep. 28 at Newberry.

Defending SAC champion Lenoir-Rhyne led the conference with 12 selections. Carson-Newman followed with nine selections, including four on the first-team offense.

The complete 2013 Preseason SAC All-Conference Football Team is listed below.

2013 Preseason All-SAC Football Team

First-Team Offense
QB- Bo Cordell, Tusculum
RB- Brandon Baker, Carson-Newman
RB- Jarrod Spears, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB- Shaikel Davis, Mars Hill
WR- Dimitri Holmes, Mars Hill
WR- Corey Washington, Newberry
WR- Deunta Jennings, Mars Hill
TE- Mark Clyburn, Wingate
OL- Nick Allison, Mars Hill
OL- Alex Taylor, Carson-Newman
OL- Andrew Velazquez, Brevard
OL- Parker Murray, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL- Robby Ignani, Carson-Newman
PK- Curt Duncan, Carson-Newman
RS- LJ McCray, Catawba

First-Team Defense
DL- Troy Harris, Mars Hill
DL- Jacob Hanes, Catawba
DL- Letavious Williams, Newberry
DL- Nick Napolitano, Wingate
LB- Tanner Botts, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB- Michael Gruber, Brevard
LB- Jasper Mason, Mars Hill
LB- Brian Alexander, Tusculum
DB- Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB- Myer Nolan, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB- Timmy Rogers, Wingate
DB- LJ McCray, Catawba
LS- Austin Crook, Newberry
P- Chad Hollandsworth, Catawba

Second-Team Offense
QB- W.T. Murden, Newberry
RB- Isaiah Whitaker, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB- Tyrone Douglas, Carson-Newman
RB- Graham Duncan, Lenoir-Rhyne
WR- Nate Charest, Catawba
WR- Jason Livingston, Newberry
WR- Justin Houston, Tusculum
TE- Wesley Powell, Tusculum
OL- Lucas Mathis, Carson-Newman
OL- Zack Bunn, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL- Jamal Ellis, Newberry
OL- David Davis, Tusculum
OL- Mike Miller, Wingate
PK- Zach Neumann, Lenoir-Rhyne
RS- Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne

Second-Team Defense
DL- Damein Lee, Catawba
DL- Javaris Neal, Carson-Newman
DL- B.J. Woodley, Lenoir-Rhyne
DL- Rommie Fairchild, Brevard
LB- Jaycob Coleman, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB- Jason Taylor, Catawba
LB- B.J. Mazyck, Newberry
LB- Billy Muscatello, Brevard
DB- Sean Rawson, Carson-Newman
DB- David Davis, Newberry
DB- Kaytron Becton, Tusculum
DB- Jakeem Polk, Wingate
LS- Chase Lewis, Brevard
P- Austin Anthony, Wingate