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7 Hawks named to All-Mid-South squads; 23 All-Academic
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Shorter University football
team placed seven players on the All-Mid-South Conference squad as
announced by the league on Friday afternoon.
Offensive linemen Andy Kellogg and Nick Newborn, slotback Albert Huntley, defensive lineman Tabias Walker and linebacker Garrett Hochstetler were named to the All-Conference team while safety Desmond Clark and offensive lineman Ryan Willoughby earned honorable mention All-MSC accolades.
Kellogg and Newborn, both juniors, were part of an offensive line that helped the Hawks rank second in the NAIA in rushing at over 310 yards a game. Shorter had led the country in rushing in each of the past two seasons.
Huntley, a junior, was a valuable weapon out of the backfield for the Hawks, rushing for 329 yards on 36 carries and scoring one touchdown. Huntley averaged 9.1 yards per carry, caught two passes and ranked ninth in the NAIA in kickoff return average at 27.8 yards per return.
On the defensive side of the ball, Walker, a freshman, made 33 total tackles from his defensive end position. Walker made six tackles for loss and also led the Hawks with 2.5 sacks.
Hochstetler, now a three-time All-Conference performer at linebacker, ended his career as one of the program's most prolific tacklers.
The Colbert, Ga., native led Shorter with 72 tackles, made 3.5 tackles for loss and collected 1.5 sacks. He departs Shorter with 262 career tackles and ranks second on the Hawks' all-time tackles list behind former All-American linebacker Logan Lollis. Hochstetler also shares Shorter's single-game tackles record with the 19 stops he made against Cumberland University in 2009.
Honorable mention recipients Clark and Willoughby also produced stellar seasons for head coach Phil Jones and the Hawks.
Clark, a sophomore from Rome, led Shorter with three interceptions while also ranking third on the team in tackles with 45. Willoughby, the lone senior on the Hawks' offensive line, served as the anchor to one of the nation's most successful rushing attacks.
23 Hawks were named to the Mid-South's All-Academic team. In order to qualify, a student-athlete must possess a sophomore or higher class standing while maintaining a 3.25 grade point average and above on a 4.0 scale.
Shorter's All-Academic honorees were Bo Bearse, Alex Burse, Derik Cooper, Josh Dorminy, Kyle Farmer, Tyler Fuqua, Kevin Hall, Garrett Hochstetler, Dylan Holtman, Richard Hyde, Patrick Keller, Landon Littlejohn, Zach Mann, Nick Newborn, Drew Putnam, Sam Robison, Tyler Thomas, Gary Tiller, Tyler Tillery, Justin White, Ben Williams, Collin Wooddy and Curtis Wyatt.
