COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Lenoir-Rhyne’s Cronic, Poe win conference awards

Bears produce SAC’s Coach of the Year, Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner; second-team picks include former Maiden star running back Huff

HobbsDailyReport.com

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) head football coaches acknowledged the job Drew Cronic of Lenoir-Rhyne University has done this season, selecting him on Wednesday as the conference’s Coach of the Year.

Cronic, in his first year leading the Bears after leaving Furman to become head coach at LRU, started with a team that league head coaches predicted in the preseason would finish sixth.

The Bears (10-1, 7-0) went unbeaten in the SAC en route to a conference title. They open the NCAA Division II playoffs as a No. 3 seed in Super Region Two, playing No. 6 Florida Tech (8-3) in Hickory on Saturday at 2 p.m.

LRU had won six games in the previous two seasons.

The Bears’ Jason Poe, a sophomore offensive lineman from Fitzgerald, Ga., won the SAC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was named first-team All-SAC. He anchors an LRU offensive line that has allowed only 13 sacks.

LRU’s other first-team picks were return specialist Kyle Dugger, a junior from Fayetteville, Ga., who was also first-team as a defensive back, and sophomore defensive lineman Dan Louba of Harrisburg.

Dugger has 55 tackles, three interceptions, eight pass breakups and has forced one fumble and recovered two. As a returner, he has set a Bears single-season punt return yardage record (501) and he averages 17.2 yards per return, fourth in the nation.

The Bears’ four second-team All-SAC players include former Maiden High star running back Xzavion Huff, a sophomore, plus senior wide receiver T.J. Smith of Charleston, S.C., freshman tight end Drake Starkes of Ringgold, Ga., and junior linebacker Sherrod Williams of Edison, Ga.

Mars Hill junior wide receiver Craig Rucker, from Orlando, Fla., won SAC Offensive Player of the Year. He had 1,234 receiving yards on 82 catches and scored 16 TDs.

The league’s top defensive award went to Cardell Rawlings of Wingate, a senior from Smithfield who has 75 tackles (20 for lost yardage) and a league-high 14 ½ sacks.

Wingate running back Nijere Peoples won Freshman of the Year on offense. He led the SAC at 110.4 yards rushing per game, carries with 176 and rushing TDs with 13.

Nelson Louis of Tusculum won Defensive Freshman of the Year. He is from Moultrie, Ga., and finished with 53 total tackles, 11 tackles for lost yardage and six sacks.

As they head into a home playoff game on Saturday, the Bears are fourth in national rushing offense at 293.4 yards per game and seventh in scoring offense at 44.5 points per game.

ALL-SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

QB –Austin Brown, Mars Hill

RB –Antonio Wimbush, Carson-Newman

RB –Kenyatta Greene, Catawba

RB –Nijere Peoples, Wingate

WR –Markell Castle, Newberry

WR –J.T. Stokes, Wingate

WR –Craig Rucker, Mars Hill

OL – Phil McDowell, Carson-Newman

OL – Quinzavious Sands, Catawba

OL – Johnathan Black, Wingate

OL – Keveon Broadwater, Tusculum

OL – Jason Poe, Lenoir-Rhyne

TE –Jourdan Osinskie, Catawba

PK –McLean Robertson, Wingate

LS –Kelly Donnelly, Tusculum

RS –Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

DL –Montel Presley, Carson-Newman

DL –Cardell Rawlings, Wingate

DL –Dan Louba, Lenoir-Rhyne

DL –Jamarcus Henderson, Newberry

LB –Jeremiah Ferguson, Catawba

LB –Ivan Hogans, Tusculum

LB –Joe Blue, Newberry

LB –Temoris Coats, Carson-Newman

DB –Joshua Simmons, Limestone

DB –Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne

DB –Desmond Fairell, Carson-Newman

DB –Davion Washington, Wingate

DB –Malik Goodman, Tusculum

P –Christopher Birozes, Wingate

Shea Rodgers, Newberry

SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE

QB –Derrick Evans, Carson-Newman

RB –Jordan Shippy, Tusculum

RB –Xzavion Huff, Lenoir-Rhyne

RB –Austin Barnes, Newberry

WR –T.J. Smith, Lenoir-Rhyne

WR –Cody Rau, Limestone

WR –Will Sweeper, Catawba

OL –Cody Meree, Limestone

OL –Jordan Seal, Carson-Newman

OL –Austin May, Wingate

OL –Caleb LaFleur, Tusculum

OL –Travis James, Mars Hill

TE – Drake Starks, Lenoir-Rhyne

PK –Lee Brackman, Catawba

LS –Dawson Campbell, Carson-Newman

RS –Kenyatta Greene, Catawba

SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE

DL –Jordan Hemingway, Catawba

DL –Brian Bemby, Carson-Newman

DL –Auntrell Mack, Wingate

DL –Colton Strickland, Tusculum

LB –Sherrod Williams, Lenoir-Rhyne

LB –Randy Hooks, Tusculum

LB –Elijah Gilmore, Wingate

LB –Robbie Wallace, Wingate

DB –David Vereen, Newberry

DB –Dee Alford, Tusculum

DB – Cris Page, Catawba

OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Nijere Peoples, Wingate

DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Nelson Louis, Tusculum

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Craig Rucker, Mars Hill

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cardell Rawlings, Wingate

JACOBS BLOCKING TROPHY: Jason Poe, Lenoir-Rhyne

COACH OF THE YEAR: Drew Cronic, Lenoir-Rhyne