SAC Places 27 on Football Gazette All-Southeast Region Football Team

ROCK HILL, SC -- A total of 27 football players from the South Atlantic Conference have been selected to the 2004 Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-Southeast Region team.

Members of the first and second team will go on to compete for Football Gazette All-American honors that will be announced later this month.

League champion Carson-Newman led the way with six selections, including two on the First Team. Senior offensive tackle Caleb Crothers was the only SAC representative on the First Team offense. Senior defensive tackle Clarence Glymph was one of five SAC representatives on the First Team defense.

Tusculum and Presbyterian each placed five representatives on the squad. For Presbyterian, Teddy Canty and Quasi Gary (Kingstree, SC) earned First Team accolades while Chad Burgess (Kingstree, SC) was named to the Second Team and Tim Pope (Ninety-Six, SC) and Ryan Noll (Monroe, GA) were named to the Third Team.

For Tusculum, Offensive tackle Mario Leon earned Second Team honors while linebacker Shawn Harris and defensive back Ra'Shun Judge also garnered Second Team accolades on defense. Earning Third Team honors were defensive tackle Lebron Johnson and punter Cory Newton.

Lenoir-Rhyne had three representatives, including junior linebacker Tim Clarke, the SAC Defensive Player of the Year, who made First Team.

Mars Hill also had three players make the All-Southeast Region team, led by linebacker Colby Simmons on the First Team.

Catawba and Newberry each placed two representatives on the team, while Wingate had one selection - wide receiver Rodney Williams, who was named to the Second Team. Canty, a 5-9, 257-pound senior defensive tackle from Lancaster, S.C., tallied 51 total stops to go along with six sacks and seven tackles for loss, 10 QB hurries, and two forced fumbles. His sack total was tied for first on the team. He finished tied for seventh in the SAC in sacks per game (0.55). A preseason All-American selection, Canty was selected to play in the East Coast All-Star Game held in Petersburg, VA, earned second team All-SAC honors, and is a national finalist for the first annual Gene Upshaw Award given to the top NCAA Division II lineman in the county. Offense.

Gary, a 6-0, 176-pound junior strong safety from Kingstree, S.C., finished second on the team in total stops (86) and interceptions (5) while tallying 11 pass defenses, two recovered fumbles, one sack, and one forced fumble. He finished ranking ninth in the SAC in tackles per game (7.8), fourth in interceptions per game (0.45), and eighth in pass defenses. He also earned first team All-SAC honors and was selected special mention All-American by CollegeSportsReport.com.

Burgess, a 5-11, 180-pound sophomore free safety from Kingstree, S.C., led the team and finished second in the SAC with seven interceptions to go along with 79 total stops which ranks third-best on the Blue Hose this season. He also tallied three tackles for loss, two sacks, 12 pass defenses, and three forced fumbles en route to second team All-SAC honors. He finished second in the SAC in interceptions per game (0.64), tied for third in forced fumbles, and tied for fifth in pass defenses. In addition, he finished the season ranking eighth in the nation in interceptions per game and was also named to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region squad.

Pope, 6-3, 182-pound senior wideout from Ninety-Six, S.C., led the Blue Hose receiving corps with 56 receptions for 822 yards and eight TD's while earning first team All-SAC honors. He finished fifth in the SAC in receptions per game (5.09) and receiving yards per game (74.7). Pope has also been selected to play in the 2005 Whataburger Cactus Bowl, which features the top NCAA Division II players in the nation, which will take place this Friday in Kingsville, Texas.

Noll, a 5-8, 185-pound senior placekicker from Monroe, Ga., finished second on the team in scoring (47 pts) by hitting 26-of-28 extra point attempts and seven-of-12 field goal attempts this season en route to second team All-SAC honors. He carried a streak of 44 straight extra point attempts into the season before missing his first attempt in two seasons versus Mars Hill College. He also hit a season-best 42-yard field goal on two occasions versus Wingate and Newberry. In addition, he finished third in the SAC in field goals per game (0.64) and fourth in PAT Kicking percentage (92.9%).

The Blue Hose compiled a 6-5 overall record this fall including a 4-3 mark in the South Atlantic Conference regular season, good for a four-way tie for second place.

Tusculum's Leon earns his second All-Region honor this season. He was tabbed to the Daktronics All-NCAA Southeast Region Second Team last month. Leon, a 6-3, 275-pound senior of Lathrop, Calif., is a two-time All-Conference honoree, including this year as he earned First Team honors. Leon has also been selected to play in the 2005 Whataburger Cactus Bowl, which features the top NCAA Division II players in the nation, which will take place this Friday in Kingsville, Texas.

Judge made the most of his first and only season in Greeenville. He also earned All-American distinction by D2Football.com and CollegeSportsReport.com. The University of West Alabama transfer accounted for 52 tackles, including a team-best 11 for loss and five sacks, while earning NCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team and All-South Atlantic Conference accolades. Judge, a 5-10, 175-pound native of Hueytown, Ala., tallied 10 passes defended, including a pair of interceptions. One of those picks came against Lenoir-Rhyne College, resulting in a school-record 82-yard touchdown return. He also established a school record with five blocked kicks in 2004, including four in this year's season opener at Concord University. Harris, a 6-1, 195-pound junior from Jackson, S.C., led the Pioneers in tackles (69) and sacks (7). He finished third in tackles for loss (10), including a fumble return for a touchdown. For a second straight season, he was named to the All-Conference team.

Newton was the top punter in the South Atlantic Conference averaging 42 yards per boot. The 6-4, 200-pound Spring Lake, N.C. standout punted inside the 20-yard line on 22 occasions, including a TC-record 78-yarder. For his efforts, he was named to the CollegeSportsReport.com All-American team. He also earned Daktronics All-NCAA Southeast Region Second Team and All-SAC First Team honors, garnering All-Conference accolades for a second time in his career. He was selected as an All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Second Team standout during his freshman campaign at Winston-Salem State University. He leaves Tusculum holding several punting records, including best career average (41.03 ypp).

Johnson, a 6-3, 275-pound Chattanooga, Tenn. product led all TC defensive linemen with 46 tackles, including three hits for loss, a sack and forced a pair of fumbles. Johnson earned All-Conference recognition for a second time this year earning First Team honors. Tusculum (6-4) finished tied for second in the South Atlantic Conference while posting its fifth consecutive winning season. The Pioneers won their last