HobbsDailyReport.com
DUGGER
HICKORY – A trio of Lenoir-Rhyne University football players made the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) preseason all-leagues team announced Thursday by the conference.
Sophomore defensive back Kyle Dugger of Fayetteville, Ga., was selected first-team.
Senior defensive back Marcus Kincaid – who played high school football at Freedom High – and sophomore running back Nelson Brown of Salisbury, Md., were second-team picks.
Dugger missed last season with an injury but was the SAC Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2015, when he had 43 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and recovered two fumbles. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown, a blocked field goal for a TD and a blocked punt return for a score that season.
KINCAID
Kincaid, a two-year starter, also missed last season with an injury. He enters his final season with career statistics of 171 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and three interceptions.
Kincaid was All-SAC second-team in 2014 after making 77 tackles to help the Bears go 11-1, grab a national ranking of No. 8 and win a fourth straight conference championship.
BROWN
Brown was the Bears’ leading rusher last season (902 yards, six TDs) He also had two 200-yard rushing games – 261 and 200 – in victories over Tusculum and Carson-Newman, respectively.
LRU went 3-8 overall and 3-4 in the SAC last season in head coach Mike Kellar’s first season at LRU.
The Bears play their season opener on a Thursday (Aug. 31) against West Alabama with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Moretz Stadium.
PRESEASON ALL-SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
First-team
QB – Ivan Corbin, Limestone
RB – Lawrence Pittman, Wingate
RB – Blake Hayes, Wingate
RB – Antonio Wimbush, Carson-Newman
WR – Markell Castle, Newberry
WR – Craig Rucker, Mars Hill
WR – Sam Mobley, Catawba
OL – Bryce King, Mars Hill
OL – Daniel Owens, Wingate
OL – Cabell Cantrell, Wingate
OL – Quinzavious Sands, Catawba
OL – Dakota Mozingo, Newberry
TE – Baptiste Staggers, Newberry
PK – Brennan Lambert, Catawba
LS – Ian O’Grady, Tusculum
RS – Jay Boyd, Tusculum
Second-team
QB – Reid Carlton, Catawba
RB – Eamon Smart, Catawba
RB – Nelson Brown, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB – Tony Belle, Tusculum
WR – Lonnie Williams, Carson-Newman
WR – D’Anta Fleming, Limestone
WR – Keshaun Taylor, Mars Hill
OL – Jordan Seal, Carson-Newman
OL – Tyler Anderson, Newberry
OL – Austin Turner, Newberry
OL – Keveon Broadwater, Tusculum
OL – Austin May, Wingate
TE – Kedar Bryant, Mars Hill and Jake Jensen, Wingate (TIE)
PK – Shea Rodgers, Newberry
RS – Lonnie Willams, Carson-Newman
LS – Dawson Campbell, Carson-Newman
DEFENSE
First-team
DL – Brian Bembry, Carson-Newman
DL – Jordan Hemingway, Catawba
DL – Josh Parker, Newberry
DL – Jamarcus Henderson, Newberry
LB – Kyle Kitchens, Catawba
LB – Will Elm, Newberry
LB – Joe Blue, Newberry
LB – Trey Evans, Catawba
DB – Cris Page, Catawba
DB – Jay Boyd, Tusculum
DB – Joshua Simmons, Limestone
DB – Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
P – Jonathan King, Carson-Newman
Second-team
DL – Montel Presley, Carson-Newman
DL – Trevor Bembry, Catawba
DL – Britt Hastey, Tusculum
DL – Colton Strickland, Tusculum
LB – Zack Singleton, Wingate
LB – Michael Peppers, Catawba
LB – Raymond Hall, Limestone
LB – Jerjuan Edwards, Mars Hill
DB – Kameron Johnson, Wingate
DB – Jeremy Addison, Catawba
DB – Marcus Kincaid, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB – P.J. Brown, Limestone
P – Hunter Cantrell, Tusculum
— Reported by South Atlantic Conference, LRU Sports Information