Nine Wolves headline preseason all-SAC list

ROCK HILL – The Newberry Wolves have nine preseason all-South Atlantic Conference football players, as the conference announced the 2018 preseason honors Thursday.

[HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS OF ALL NINE PLAYERS ARE POSTED ON TWITTER AT @NEWBERRYSPORTS]

The Wolves’ nine preseason all-SAC honorees are third-most in the league behind Carson-Newman’s 12 overall selections and Wingate with 11 picks.

Four of the nine selections for the Wolves garnered first team honors. Receiver Markell Castle was named to the first team offense for the second year in a row. Jamarcus Henderson and Keito Jordan make up half of the first team defensive line while Joe Blue also earned honors at linebacker. Both Henderson and Blue collected preseason first team defense selections for the second straight year.

Running back Austin Barnes, lineman Tyler Anderson and the place kicker, Shea Rodgers were honored with second team offense selections. Anfernee Moffett and defensive back Jawanza Adams finished out the selections were named to the second team defense.

The Wolves were picked to finish fourth in yesterday’s preseason coaches’ poll. Head coach Todd Knight will take part in the South Atlantic Conference’s Digital Media Day, answering questions submitted by fans and media members through www.thesac.com or through the hashtag #SACFB on Twitter for 15 minutes beginning at 10:00 a.m.

First Team Offense

Markell Castle (WR) – A two-time all-SAC selection, including a first-team nod in 2016, the senior from York caught 39 passes for 756 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns last season. Castle was twice named AstroTurf SAC Offensive Player of the Week, had four 100-yard games last season, and ranked 15th nationally in yards per catch at 19.38. Thirty-one of his 39 catches went for first downs or touchdowns, including all 12 of his receptions on third downs. Castle is third in school history in 100-yard games (9), fourth in touchdowns (17), seventh in yardage (1,757), and 10th in receptions (110) entering into his final year of eligibility.

First Team Defense

Jamarcus Henderson (DL) – A senior defensive end from Union, Henderson has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses all season long in 2017. His 7.5 sacks, which ranked second in the league, accounted for 50 yards lost by the opposition and contributed to his 13 overall tackles for loss. He ranks fourth in school history in career sacks with 20.5 throughout his three-year career. Henderson landed on the all-SAC first team and all-region second team in 2017. He finished second on the team with 59 tackles, had six quarterback hurries, and forced a fumble. He had at least half of a tackle for loss in every game last year and had multiple sacks on three occasions. He was a first-team all-SAC performer for the second time in his career and was a second team All-American two seasons ago.

Keito Jordan (DL) – Opposite Henderson on the Wolves’ defensive line was Keito Jordon, a rising junior defensive end from Hopkins that transferred to Newberry from Division I Hampton. The 2017 first team all-SAC pick had seven sacks and a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss, registering at least half a stop behind the line in every game. He finished the season with 30 tackles and had a team-high nine quarterback hurries. He was a key component in Newberry accumulating a league-high 28 sacks on the season in 2017.

Joe Blue (LB) – Blue was named first team all-SAC for the second consecutive year after leading the team and finishing fifth in the league with 83 tackles. Known for seemingly always being around the ball, the senior from Dillon and Order of the Gray Stripe member totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble in 2017. He had 10 or more tackles on three occasions, including a career-high 14 against Tusculum last year.

Second Team Offense

Austin Barnes (RB) – Rising junior Austin Barnes started off as a tight end but switched to running back in 2017, starting five games and appearing in all 11. Barnes led the team in rushing yards last year with 494 yards on 112 carries (4.4 yards per carry) while also leading the team with seven touchdowns. He had two games of 100 or more yards and two touchdowns against UNC Pembroke on Sept. 30 and against Mars Hill on Nov. 11.

Tyler Anderson (OL) –  Tyler Anderson made nine starts at left tackle and two at right tackle this past season. The junior from Anderson has graded out at 92 percent or higher in six of 11 games this season, including a pair of games at 97 percent. Anderson finished with just one penalty all of last season and one sack allowed in over 270 passing attempts. He also had a five-game span in which he accumulated just 12 “minus” plays, an exceptionally impressive number. Anderson was named all-SAC for the first time this past year.

Shea Rodgers (PK) – Redshirt senior Shea Rodgers collected preseason second team All-SAC honors for the second straight year. Rodgers earned SAC Special Teams Player of the Week in 2017 after going 4-for-4 on extra point attempts and punting five times for a 38.6-yard average in a 34-7 win against Lenoir-Rhyne. Rodgers nailed a 49-yard field goal, one of the longest in Newberry history, at Catawba in November. Additionally, Rodgers holds the single season PAT record with 42 overall in 2016.

Second Team Defense

Anfernee Moffett (LB) – Fifth-year senior Anfernee Moffett started nine games in 2017 and played in all 11. Moffett was the fourth-leading tackler this past season with 49 stops. He also had a sack, a quarterback hurry, seven tackles for loss, one interception, and two broken up passes on the year. He recovered a fumble at Catawba, had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown at Lenoir-Rhyne, and had a career-high nine tackles at Virginia Union on Sept. 9.

Jawanza Adams (DB) – Starting 11 games as Newberry’s safety, the senior from Piedmont earned a second team all-SAC nod by finishing third on the team with 54 tackles, tied for the team lead with three interceptions, and finished the year with six passes defended. Adams surpassed six tackles on five occasions, had three tackles for loss, and had one quarterback hurry. The 2017 season marked Adams’ first career all-conference honor.

Click here to view the full release from the South Atlantic Conference.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB – Derrick Evans, Carson-Newman
RB – Antonio Wimbush, Carson-Newman
RB – Kenyatta Greene, Catawba
RB – Jerko’ya Patton, Limestone
WR – Markell Castle, Newberry
WR – BJ Muckelvene, Wingate
WR – Craig Rucker, Mars Hill
OL –  Phil McDowell, Carson-Newman
OL –  Quinzavious Sands, Catawba
OL –  Brandon Berridge, Mars Hill
OL –  Jordan Seal, Carson-Newman
OL –  Connor Baroniunas, Wingate
TE –  Jourdan Osinskie, Catawba
PK –  Lee Brackman, Catawba
LS –  Dawson Campbell, Carson-Newman
RS –  BJ Muckelvene, Wingate

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL –  Montel Presley, Carson-Newman
DL –  Jamarcus Henderson, Newberry
DL –  Keito Jordan, Newberry
DL –  Auntrell Mack, Wingate
LB –  Sherrod Williams, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB –  Robbie Wallace, Wingate
LB –  Joe Blue, Newberry
LB –  Antonio Henderson, Carson-Newman
DB – Darius Williams, Carson-Newman
DB – Desmond Fairell, Carson-Newman
DB – Cris Page, Catawba
DB – Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
P –    Christopher Birozes, Wingate

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB –  Alex Ogle, Tusculum
RB –  Maxwell Joseph, Tusculum
RB –  Austin Barnes, Newberry
RB –  Marcus Williams, Carson-Newman
WR – JT Stokes, Wingate
WR – Saaehim Brooks, Lenoir-Rhyne
WR – Jaquay Mitchell, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL –  Jalen Soto, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL –  Tyler Anderson, Newberry
OL –  Keveon Broadwater, Tusculum
OL –  Cody Meree, Limestone
OL –  Austin May, Wingate
TE –  Gary Breuklander, Tusculum
PK –  Shea Rodgers, Newberry
LS –  Tucker Mullis, Wingate
RS –  Jay Boyd, Tusculum

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL –  Brian Bembry, Carson-Newman
DL –  Omar Staley, Catawba
DL –  Jordan Hemingway, Catawba
DL –  Kelvin Atkins, Limestone
DL –  Cardell Rawlings, Wingate
LB –  Ivan Hogans, Tusculum
LB –  Anfernee Moffett, Newberry
LB –  Temoris Coats, Carson-Newman
LB –  Clayton Horn, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB – Jawanza Adams, Newberry
DB – Dee Alford, Tusculum
DB – Kam Johnson, Wingate
DB – Joshua Simmons, Limestone
DB – Jay Boyd, Tusculum
P –    Caleb Berry, Catawba