ROCK HILL – Six Newberry players were selected to the South Atlantic Conference's all-conference teams, including four first-team honorees, by the league's coaches.
 
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
 
Markell Castle (WR) – Castle's crowning achievement this season came on his final snap of the Catawba game, an 8-yard reception on a jet sweep to the near sideline. The play put Castle over 100 yards receiving for the 12th time in his career, matching Tymere Zimmerman for the most in school history.
 
For the season, Castle ranked second in the league with 52 catches, fourth with 727 yards, and fifth with seven touchdowns. His 197 yards on just seven catches against Lenoir-Rhyne represented the third-most in a single game in Newberry history, with his 75-yard touchdown catch during the contest becoming the 12th-longest pass play for the Scarlet and Gray.
 
In addition to his pass-catching exploits, Castle rushed 16 times for 107 yards and a score and threw a 34-yard touchdown pass.
 
The York native closed his career ranked second in school history in receptions (162), yards (2,484), and touchdowns (24). His 156 career points scored on 26 total touchdowns are the second-most by a wide receiver in school history and leave him four points outside the all-time top 10 overall.
 
Castle is a three-time all-SAC performer and has been named to the first team for the second time in his career (2016).
 
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
 
Jamarcus Henderson (DL) – Another stellar performance in the season finale at Mars Hill capped one of the greatest individual seasons by a defensive player in Newberry history.
 
Henderson finished the regular season with 10.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss, 79 tackles, 18 quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble from his defensive end spot. He is third in Division II in tackles for loss, ninth in sacks, and was seventh in the SAC in total tackles.
 
He was held without a tackle for loss just twice in 2018, had the most sacks in a game (3) by a Newberry player in 14 years on two separate occasions this season, and had seven stops behind the line of scrimmage over the final two games.
 
Over his four-year career, the Union product had 62 tackles for loss, the second-most among active Division II players and the 20th-highest total in Division II history. His 31 sacks place him in a tie for 33rd in Division II history and are the third-most among active Division II players. He is second in South Atlantic Conference history in both categories, trailing only former Catawba linebacker Kyle Kitchens.
 
Henderson, a 2016 Second Team All-American, has been named to the all-SAC first team for the third straight season.
 
Joe Blue (LB) – A senior from Dillon, Blue led the SAC in tackles with a career-high 104 stops despite missing a game due to injury. He had 10 or more tackles in a game on five occasions, including a record-setting day at Western Carolina with 20 stops that top the school record book for tackles in a single game.
 
For the season, the standout inside linebacker had 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries. He earned a SAC AstroTurf Player of the Week award for his work in the Western Carolina game, which also included a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage and a breakup.
 
He closed his career with 303 tackles, good for one slot ahead of inside linebackers coach Jeremiah Jones in the Newberry record book in ninth position. He also tied former standout linebacker Apollo Stretch for ninth with 26 career tackles for loss.
 
Like Henderson, Blue earned his third straight first team all-SAC selection in 2018.
 
Shea Rodgers (P) – Rodgers won back-to-back SAC Player of the Week honors in September, earned a National Special Teams Player of the Week award from D2Football.com, and was a weapon for the Wolves all season. The junior was used as both a punter and a placekicker but earned all-conference honors for his punting work.
 
Rodgers punted 56 times for a 43.2-yard average, the second-best single-season average in school history. He forced 18 fair catches, placed 24 punts inside the 20-yard line, and had 12 punts of 50 or more yards, including a 70-yard boot against Lenoir-Rhyne that came within six yards of Newberry's all-time record that has stood for 50 years.
 
He also had a tremendous year placekicking, going 20-for-20 on PAT opportunities and nailing eight of his 10 field goal tries.
 
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
 
Austin Barnes (RB) – A converted tight end, Barnes led the Wolves in rushing for the second consecutive season and finished third in the SAC in with 745 yards on the ground. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry on his 169 rushing attempts and amassed five rushing touchdowns.
 
He started his season with a career-best 128 yards on 20 carries at Division I Western Carolina and topped the century mark at UNC Pembroke and Limestone as well, moving him into a three-way tie for 10th in school history with five 100-yard games in his career.
 
Known as a bruising back that invites contact, Barnes has gotten past or back to the line of scrimmage on 92.5 of his 280 career carries, being stopped for a loss just 21 times in his two years as a running back.
 
This marks the first all-conference award of Barnes' career.
 
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
 
David Vereen (DB) – Like Barnes, Vereen has found a home at a new position since coming to Newberry. Switching to cornerback after originally playing wide receiver, Vereen compiled tremendous stats in his first full season at the position.
 
The Florence native had 31 tackles, including half of a tackle for loss, but did the bulk of his work downfield. Vereen finished the season with a conference-best 15 passes defended; he broke up 13 passes on the season and had a pair of interceptions against Carson-Newman, one of which was returned 58 yards for a touchdown. He had eight games with at least one pass defended.
 
Since becoming an official NCAA statistic in 2000, Vereen's 20 career passes defended (17 breakups, three interceptions) rank fourth in the Newberry record book. This is Vereen's first career all-conference honor.
 

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

Statistical Champions
Rushing Yards Per Game: Nijere Peoples, Wingate (110.4)
Passing Yards Per Game: DJ Phillips, Limestone (227)
Total Offense Per Game: Austin Brown, Mars Hill (249.1)
Receptions Per Game: Craig Rucker, Mars Hill (8.2)
Receiving Yards Per Game: Craig Rucker, Mars Hill (123.4)
All-Purpose Yards Per Game: Craig Rucker, Mars Hill (154.90)
Passing Efficiency Rating: Shaw Crocker, Wingate (155.9)
Punt Return Avg.: Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne (17.3)
Kick Return Avg.: Lor'remzo Pratt, Tusculum (28)
Punting Avg.: Thomas Cook, Limestone (43.8)
Scoring Average (TDs): Craig Rucker, Mars Hill (9.6)
Scoring Average (K): Chase Allbaugh, Lenoir-Rhyne (8.09)
Field Goals Per Game: Griffin Martin, Limestone (1.33)
Field Goal Percentage: McLean Robertson, Wingate (.818)
Tackles Per Game: Joe Blue, Newberry (10.4)
Sacks Per Game: Cardell Rawlings, Wingate (1.32)
Tackles for Loss Per Game: Jamarcus Henderson, Newberry (1.9)
Interceptions Per Game: Cameron Wrice, Mars Hill (0.40)
Team Scoring Offense: Lenoir-Rhyne (44.5)
Team Scoring Defense: Newberry (17.3)
Team Passing Offense: Mars Hill (268.4)
Team Passing Defense: Newberry (158.4)
Team Rushing Offense: Carson-Newman (347.6)
Team Rushing Defense: Lenoir-Rhyne (108.5)
Team Total Offense: Lenoir-Rhyne (469.5)
Team Total Defense: Newberry (285.0)