SAC Places 13 on Football Gazette All-Southeast Region Football Team
January 4, 2006

Football Gazette Website

MONTICELLO, Ark. --- The South Atlantic Conference placed 13 members on the Don Hansen’s Football Gazette 2005 All-Southeast Region Football Team.

This year marks the fourth year that the Football Gazette has selected NCAA Division II All-Region teams. The national publication has selected Division II All-America teams since 1988.

The first-team and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2005 NCAA Division II Football Gazette All-America team will be selected in early January.

Presbyterian College quarterback Zach Ellis and offensive guard Marcus Brisbone were first team offensive selections.

Named to the first team defense were Presbyterian linebacker Antwan Thomas, safety Chad Burgess and cornerback Quasi Gary, as well as Wingate University defensive lineman Kenwin Cummings.

Second team selections include three players from Carson-Newman: offensive guard Pat Egan, offensive tackle Tee Campbell and cornerback Deonte Bolden. Catawba College running back Kory Fisher, Presbyterian wide receiver Justin Durant and Tusculum College return specialist Octavius Love were also named to the second team.

Carson-Newman safety Brandon Walden was a third-team selection on defense.

North Alabama leads all schools with eight all-region selections, while Presbyterian College and Central Arkansas both place six players on the squads.

Ellis, a 6-1, 193-pound quarterback from Tifton, Ga., completed 244-of-404 passes for 2,679 yards and 28 TD's this season while compiling a 132.70 pass efficiency rating en route to D2Football.com Honorable Mention All-American honors. He led the South Atlantic Conference in passing yards per game, pass efficiency, and was second in total offense per game en route to SAC Offensive Player of the Year, first team All-SAC, and second team Daktronics All-Region honors. He was also selected to participate in the Whataburger Cactus Bowl Division II All-Star Game in January. In addition, he ranked 32nd in the nation in pass efficiency and 43rd in total offense per game while directing the Blue Hose offense that led the league in scoring offense, and finished second in passing offense and third in total offense this season.

Brisbone, a 6-1, 271-pound offensive guard from Sumter, S.C., has also earned 2005 AFCA All-American, AP Little All-American second team, Daktronics All-Southeast region first team, and All-South Atlantic Conference first team honors while also being selected as the SAC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner, given annually to the top offensive lineman.

He is also a finalist for the 2005 Gene Upshaw Award as the NCAA Division II top lineman. Brisbone averaged over 94 percent grade-out per game, did not allow a sack or pressure, and never was graded with a "loaf."

Thomas, a 5-10, 192-pound linebacker was named to the first team after tallying a team-best 100 total stops including 47 solo tackles, 21.0 tackles for loss (-51), three recovered fumbles, two interceptions, one pass defense, two quarterback hurries, and 4.5 sacks (-32) this season. He earned SAC Defensive Freshman of the Year honors, first team All-SAC honors, and second team Daktronics All-Southeast region honors for his efforts. In addition, he earned SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors and national D2football.com Defensive Player of the Week honors twice this season. He ranked 44th nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.4), while ranking fifth in the league in tackles per game, and tied for first in recovered fumbles.

Burgess, a 5-10, 178-pound safety from Kingstree, S.C. earned first team honors after tallying 79 total stops including 46 solo tackles and seven tackles for loss (-17). He added a team-best three interceptions to go along with eight pass defenses, four quarterback hurries and returned one interception 78 yards for a touchdown versus West Georgia. Burgess earned first team All-SAC and second team Daktronics All-Southeast region honors this season for his efforts.

Gary, a 6-0, 181-pound cornerback from Kingstree, S.C., earned first team honors after being named to the first team All-SAC and first team Daktronics All-Southeast region honors and was selected to participate in the Whataburger Cactus Bowl Division II All-Star Game this season. He tallied 64 total stops including 39 solo stops to go along with 8.0 tackles for loss (-15), four pass defenses, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. He finished the season ranking tied for first in the SAC in recovered fumbles while helping lead a Blue Hose defense that led the league in four defensive categories including total defense.

Durant, a 6-1, 185-pound wideout from Florence, S.C., earned second team honors after catching 59 passes for 710 yards and 10 TD's. He also earned first team All-SAC, second team Daktronics All-Southeast region honors this season. In addition, he also tied for SAC lead in receiving TD's and finished eighth in scoring (5.5). He averaged 59.2 yards per reception, good for seventh in the SAC while his 4.91 receptions per game average ranked 2nd best in the league this season.

Bolden (Tampa, Fla.) was a first-team selection at defensive back. Bolden was fourth on the team with 35 tackles and had a team-high six interceptions and seven quarterback hurries. Bolden also played on special teams as he averaged 8.4 yards on punt returns and 29.3 yards on kick-off returns. Bolden was also named to all-America teams by the American Football Coaches Association and the Associated Press.

Love, a 5-11, 190-pound sophomore from Wellford, S.C., becomes the 12th gridiron All-American in school history.

Love, who was named to the 2005 All-South Atlantic Conference First Team, enjoyed one of the finest seasons by a Tusculum punt returner in school history. The James F. Byrnes High School graduate returned 16 punts for 324 yards, averaging 20.3 yards per return, which was the best in the nation.

Against Wingate University this season, he established two single-game record with seven returns for 132 yards. Included in that tally was a 62-yard return for a touchdown, the fourth longest in school history. For his efforts, he earned D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week Honorable Mention honors.

In Tusculum's game against Newberry, he returned three punts for 114 yards, which were the second most in a TC single-game. He posted returns of 57 and 53 yards and was named SAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Egan (Longwood, Fla.) and Campbell (White Pine, Tenn.) were instrumental in helping the Eagles average 33.2 points per game, 314 rushing yards per game and 412 total yards per game in 2005. Cummings (Maxton, N.C.), a sophomore defensive end, finished the season with 71 tackles (16 tackles for loss), eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and one touchdown. The Bulldog defensive lineman finished the season ranked 21st in the NCAA Division II in tackles for loss per game (1.6) and 34th in pass sacks per game (0.7) and forced fumbles per game (0.3). Catawba sophomore tailback Fisher (New Bern, NC) set a school record with 1,079 rushing yards and totaled 11 touchdowns. He also had 30 receptions for 202 yards. FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Zach Ellis 6-1 193 Senior Presbyterian Tifton, Ga. / Tift County HS
FB Chris Johnson 5-10 240 Senior Arkansas Tech Russellville, Ark. / Dardanelle HS
RB Kentrel Rogers 5-10 216 Senior Central Arkansas Fordyce, Ark. / Fordyce HS
RB Antwan Andrews 6-0 180 Senior Albany State Brunswick, Ga. /
WR Aaron Fairooz 6-6 216 Junior Central Arkansas Mansfield, Texas / Mansfield HS
WR Kenneth Henderson 5-9 185 Senior Tuskegee Chattanooga, Tenn. / Brainerd HS
TE Chip Long 6-2 222 Senior North Alabama Birmingham, Ala. / Mountain Brook HS
C * Lance Ancar 6-1 280 Senior North Alabama Harvey, La. / Archbishop Shaw HS
OG Marcus Brisbone 6-1 271 Senior Presbyterian Sumter, S.C. / Crestwood HS
OT Brett Mask 6-3 268 Senior North Alabama Huntsville, Ala. / Buckhorn HS
APB Scott Carpino 5-9 180 Junior Arkansas-Monticello Paragould, Ark. / Paragould HS
PK Brandon Gilbert 5-10 175 Soph. North Carolina Central Graham, N.C. / Graham HS

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB * Scott Eyster 6-3 195 Junior Delta State Hammond, La. / Hammond HS
RB Kory Fisher 5-10 195 Soph. Catawba New Bern, N.C. / New Bern HS
RB Greg Pruitt, Jr. 5-10 200 Junior North Carolina Central Cleveland, Oh. / Shaker Heights HS
WR * Anthony Merritt 6-0 189 Junior North Alabama Box Springs, Ga. / Shaw HS
WR Justin Durant 6-1 185 Soph. Presbyterian Florence, S.C. / South Florence HS
TE * Josh Rogers 6-3 228 Junior Arkansas Tech Russellville, Ark. / Russellville HS
C David Farr 6-1 285 Junior Central Arkansas Star City, Ark. / Star City HS
OG Pat Egan 6-2 279 Senior Carson-Newman Longwood, Fla. / Lake Brantley HS
OT Tee Campbell 6-5 278 Senior Carson-Newman Dandridge, Tenn. / Jefferson County HS
PK Roosevelt Echeverry 5-11 205 Senior Tuskegee Montgomery, Ala. / Coral Park Senior

THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB Kevin Huff 6-2 215 Junior Tuskegee Tampa, Fla. / Jones CC
RB Isaac Redman 6-0 220 Soph. Bowie State Paulsboro, N.J. / Paulsboro HS
RB Martin Hicks 5-9 180 Soph. Winston-Salem State Oxford, N.C. / J.F. Webb HS
WR Torey Ross 6-4 190 Senior North Carolina Central Jackson, Miss. / Provine HS
WR Eddie Montgomery 5-11 175 Senior St. Augustine’s Gaffney, S.C. /
TE Johnny Fields 6-1 233 Soph. Southern Arkansas DeSoto, Texas / DeSoto HS
C Robert Duncan 6-0 255 Junior North Carolina Central Winston-Salem, N.C. / Parkland HS
OG Kevin Berneathy 5-11 316 Senior Southern Arkansas Galveston, Texas / Ball HS
OT Richard Collier 6-7 325 Senior Valdosta State Shreveport, La. / Tyler JC
PK Michael Green 6-0 165 Senior Valdosta State Orange Park, Fla. / Catawba
* denotes returning Don Hansen All-Southeast Region Selection

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL Kenwin Cummings 6-2 220 Soph. Wingate Maxton, N.C. / Purnell Swett HS
DL Tyreve Smith 6-4 280 Senior Bowie State Washington DC / Suitland HS
DE Ronald Dowdy 6-4 285 Senior North Carolina Central Fayetteville, N.C. / Pine Forest HS
DE Jacob Ford 6-1 284 Soph. Central Arkansas Bastrop, La. / Bastrop HS
LB Antwan Thomas 5-10 192 Fr.-RS Presbyterian Hawkinsville, Ga. / Hawkinsville HS
LB Sterling Green 6-3 220 Senior Bowie State Hyattsville, Md. / Georgia Tech
LB Quentin Maxfield 6-0 235 Junior Central Arkansas Conway, Ark. / Conway HS
S * Chad Burgess 5-10 178 Junior Presbyterian Kingstree, S.C. / Kingstree HS
S Cory Cangelosi 6-1 202 Senior Central Arkansas Mandeville, La. / Mandeville HS
CB * Quasi Gary 6-0 181 Senior Presbyterian Kingstree, S.C. / Kingstree HS
CB Marcus Jefferson 5-10 176 Junior Albany State Eatonton, Ga. /
P * Jeff Carpenter 6-0 187 Senior West Georgia Cumming, Ga. / South Forsyth HS
RS * Anthony Merritt 6-0 189 Junior North Alabama Box Springs, Ga. / Shaw HS

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL Tim Thompson 6-4 250 Senior Valdosta State Sparta, Ga. / Hancock Central HS
DL Chris Herring 6-2 310 Senior Southern Arkansas Batesville, Miss. / Ole Miss
DE Johnny Williams 6-2 290 Senior Tuskegee Macon, Ga. / Southwest HS
DE Maceo Thomas 6-3 285 Senior Elizabeth City State Portsmouth, VA / IC Norcom
LB Torres Mozley 6-0 215 Senior Tuskegee Atlanta, Ga. / Booker T. Washington
LB * Scott Dutile 6-1 225 Senior Harding Plymouth, N.H. / Plymouth Regional HS
LB DeLaurence Walker 5-9 188 Senior Fayetteville State Wilmington, N.C. / Hoggard HS
S * Torrance Daniels 6-4 245 Senior Harding Clarendon, Ark. / Clarendon HS
S Andrew Jackson 5-10 190 Senior Arkansas Tech Greenville, Miss. / Northwest Miss. JC
CB Deonte Bolden 5-11 185 Senior Carson-Newman Tampa, Fla. / Lakewood HS
CB * Blake Farris 6-0 202 Senior North Alabama Jasper, Ala. / Walker HS
P Craig McFarlin 6-0 181 Soph, Ouachita Baptist Daingerfield, Texas / Daingerfield HS

RS Octavious Love 5-11 190 Soph. Tusculum Wellford, S.C. / James F. Byrnes HS

THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
DL Marcus Jackson 6-3 245 Senior North Alabama Folkston, Ga. / Charlton County HS
DL Justin Currie 5-10 305 Junior Harding Memphis, Tenn. / Briarcrest HS
DE Odell Willis 6-1 250 Junior West Georgia Yantley, Ala. / Choctaw County HS
DE Tim Hunt 6-5 245 Junior North Alabama Mobile, Ala. / Alma-Bryant HS
LB Mike Houston 5-10 210 Senior Arkansas Tech West Memphis, Ark. / West Memphis HS
LB Tyrone Pettaway 6-3 220 Senior St. Augustine’s Newport News, Va. /
LB Michael Eubanks 6-2 215 Soph. Delta State Cleveland, Miss. / Cleveland HS
S * DeMathus Ledet 5-10 170 Senior Arkansas-Monticello Lafayette, La. / Northwestern (La.) St.
S Brandon Walden 5-11 187 Junior Carson-Newman Thomasville, Ga. / Thomas County HS
CB Demetrie McCray 6-1 176 Senior Albany State Thomasville, Ga. /
CB Paul Crews 5-11 180 Frosh Elizabeth City State Henderson, N.C. / Hargrave Military Prep
P Anthony Rodriguez 6-0 180 Junior Arkansas-Monticello Franklin, La. / Dodge City CC
RS P.J. Berry 6-1 185 Senior Virginia State Hopewell, Va. /
* denotes returning Don Hansen All-Southeast Region Selection