Lions land three on All-SAC preseason teams

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced the 2019 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams on Thursday (Aug. 1). Chosen by the SAC Football Media Relations Directors, Carson-Newman had eight players named to the first team, while preseason favorite Lenoir-Rhyne had six selections. Wingate and Tusculum had five selections each, followed by Catawba and Mars Hill with two picks each. Newberry rounded out the first team with one selection.  

Carson-Newman's Derrick Evans was named first team quarterback. A two-way threat, he threw for 637 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 439 yards and six touchdowns.

Earning spots on the first team at running back were Carson-Newman's Antonio Wimbush, Tusculum's Jordon Shippy and Wingate's Nijere Peoples. Wimbush, an All-American and the 2018 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year, rushed for a league-leading 1,206 yards, averaging 109.6 yards per game with seven touchdowns. Shippy a second team All-SAC selection in 2018 led the Pioneers with 694 yards on the ground and five touchdowns, averaging 77.1 yards per game. Peoples, the 2018 SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year, was second in the conference in total yards with 1,103 and yards per game with 100.3. He also scored a league-leading 14 touchdowns. 

The first team wide receiver core features Craig Rucker from Mars Hill, BJ Muckelvene of Wingate and Will Sweeper from Catawba.

Rucker, a 2018 consensus All-American and SAC Offensive Player of the Year, finished the season ranked first in the conference in touchdowns (16), receiving yards (1,234), all-purpose yards (1,549), receiving yards per game (123.4) and receptions (82). He is ranked in the top five in NCAA Division II in receiving yards per game (No. 1), receiving yards (No. 4), receptions per game (No. 5) and receiving touchdowns (No. 5).  

Muckelvene, a 2017 All-American, earned a spot on the first team as a wide receiver and was a second team pick at return specialist. As a receiver he hauled in 28 receptions for 447 yards and five touchdowns, while as a return man he averaged more than 10.3 yards per return. 

Sweeper closed out the 2018 season ranked sixth in the SAC in yards and seventh in yards per game. He caught 24 passes for 548 yards and averaged 49.8 yards per game. He also scored six touchdowns.

The first team offensive line consists of Phil McDowell and Jordan Seal from Carson-Newman, Travis James from Mars Hill, Tusculum's Keveon Broadwater and Lenoir-Rhyne's Jason Poe. McDowell, Broadwater and Poe were all first team selections in 2018, while Seal and James were All-SAC second team selections.

Rounding out the first team offense selections were Lenoir-Rhyne's Drake Starks at tight end, Wingate's McLean Robertson at placekicker, Kyle Dugger of Lenoir-Rhyne at return specialist and Carson-Newman's Dawson Campbell at long snapper.

Starks, a second team selection in 2018, hauled in 14 receptions for 194 yards with five touchdowns last season.

Robertson, a first team selection in 2018, led the league in field goals percentage (0.86) and P-A-T percentage (0.94). He made 12 field goals, put 51 P-A-T's through the uprights and scored 87 points.

Dugger, a 2018 first team selection and a 2019 preseason All-American, he returned nine kick-offs for 180 yards, while returning 31 punts for 534 yards and two touchdowns. 

Campbell was a first team All-SAC selection last season and had only one field goal blocked all season.

On the defensive side of the ball the first team defensive line consists of Montel Presley and Brian Bemby of Carson-Newman, Dan Louba of Lenoir-Rhyne and Colton Strickland of Newberry.  Presley and Loub awere both first team selections in 2018, while Bemby and Strickland were second team picks.

The first team linebacker crew is made up of Lenoir-Rhyne's Sherrod Williams, Wingate's Robbie Wallace, Jeremiah Ferguson of Catawba and Ivan Hogans of Tusculum.

Ferguson and Hogans were both first team honorees in 2018. Ferguson finished the year eighth in the league in total tackles with 84, including six tackles for loss and an interception. Hogans was sixth in the conference with 92 total tackles, three sacks, nine tackles for loss and two interceptions.

Williams and Wallace were both All-SAC second team picks in 2018. Wallace was the conference leader in total tackles with 105 and Williams was ranked in the top-20 in both tackles and tackles per game.

The first team secondary selections were Desmond Fairell from Carson-Newman, Davion Washington from Wingate, and Malik Goodman from Tusculum and Dugger from Lenoir-Rhyne.

Dugger was fourth in the league in solo tackles last season with 50, while Washington was second in the conference in interceptions with four. Fairell was also second in interceptions with four and Goodman had an interception and a fumble recovery. All four were first team selections a year ago.

Rounding out the first team selections was Newberry punter Shea Rodgers who led the conference with 24 punts inside the 20-yard line and a season long 70-yard punt.

2019 Preseason All-SAC Football 

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB –       Derrick Evans, Carson-Newman

RB –       Antonio Wimbush, Carson-Newman

RB –       Jordon Shippy, Tusculum

RB –       Nijere Peoples, Wingate

WR –      BJ Muckelvene, Wingate

WR –      Will Sweeper, Catawba

WR –     Craig Rucker, Mars Hill

OL –       Phil McDowell, Carson-Newman

OL –       Jordan Seal, Carson-Newman

OL –       Travis James, Mars Hill

OL –       Keveon Broadwater, Tusculum

OL –       Jason Poe, Lenoir-Rhyne

TE –       Drake Starks, Lenoir-Rhyne

PK –       McLean Robertson, Wingate

LS –        Dawson Campbell, Carson-Newman

RS –        Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL –       Montel Presley, Carson-Newman

DL –       Brian Bemby, Carson-Newman

DL –       Dan Louba, Lenoir-Rhyne

DL –       Colton Strickland, Tusculum

LB –       Jeremiah Ferguson, Catawba

LB –       Ivan Hogans, Tusculum

LB –       Sherrod Williams, Lenoir-Rhyne

LB –       Robbie Wallace, Wingate

DB –      Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne

DB –      Desmond Fairell, Carson-Newman

DB –      Davion Washington, Wingate

DB –      Malik Goodman, Tusculum

P –        Shea Rodgers, Newberry

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB –      Shaw Crocker, Wingate

RB –      Ameen Stevens, Lenoir-Rhyne

RB –      Xzavion Huff, Lenoir-Rhyne

RB –      Austin Barnes, Newberry

WR –     Ajay Belanger, Tusculum

WR –    Tyler Ferguson, Mars Hill

WR –     Bobby Irby, Newberry

OL –      Connor Baroniunas, Wingate

OL –      Demetrius Blackwell, Catawba

OL –      Ronnie Cliffton, Lenoir-Rhyne

OL –      Reese Fain, Carson-Newman

OL –      Tyler Anderson, Newberry

TE –      Carter Mangel, Tusculum

PK –      Chase Allbaugh, Lenoir-Rhyne

LS –       AJ Covan, Limestone

RS –      BJ Muckelvene, Wingate

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL –       Jaquan Artis, Lenoir-Rhyne

DL –       Cameron Davis, Catawba

DL –       Cal Hanford, Wingate

DL –       Keito Jordon, Newberry

LB –       Elijah Gilmore, Wingate

LB –       Antonio Henderson, Carson-Newman

LB –       Clayton Horn, Lenoir-Rhyne

LB –       LJ Melvin, Catawba

DB –      David Vereen, Newberry

DB –      Dee Alford, Tusculum

DB –      Cris Page, Catawba

DB –      Eric Jackson, Lenoir-Rhyne

DB –      Marcus Tarrer, UVa-Wise

P –        Thomas Cook, Limestone