Huntingdon’s Chappell and Manuel to play in D3 Senior Classic

SALEM, Va. – Huntingdon seniors D.J. Chappell and Trevor Manuel each have similar goals for Friday's D3 Senior Classic.

The two Huntingdon standouts are looking forward to the chance to compete and compare themselves with some of the top Division III players in the country.

The fourth-annual All-Star football game kicks off at 6 p.m. (Central) in Salem, Va. The game will be broadcast on the internet at http://www.d3seniorclassic.com/watch/

"You look at the rosters and there are some impressive guys in this game. From a strictly competitive standpoint, it should be an exciting game," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "This is a good opportunity for them and it's good for our program to have two guys like this recognized. I know that both of them will do their best and will be great representatives for Huntingdon."

Chappell and Manuel reported to Salem on Wednesday.

Chappell, a first-team D3football.com All-South Region selection at defensive tackle, led Huntingdon with nine sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss as a senior and was fourth on the team with 34 tackles. He is second in the Huntingdon record books with 25.5 career sacks and 42 career tackles for loss.

As a running back, Manuel ranked fourth in Division III in scoring this season and was a second-team D3football.com All-South Region selection. He finished the season with 946 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on 206 carries. His 17 touchdowns set a Huntingdon single-season record. He also caught 20 passes for 197 yards and four touchdowns and passed for two touchdowns as a senior.

Huntingdon's career rushing leader, Manuel totaled 3,021 yards and 44 touchdowns on 634 carries in his collegiate career. He holds the Huntingdon career records for kick returns (42) and kick return yards (933) and ranks fourth in career punt returns and punt return yards, sixth in passing touchdowns, sixth in receptions, seventh in receiving touchdowns and ninth in receiving yards.

Chappell is one of six defensive linemen listed on All-Star game's website and Manuel is one of four running backs. Among the other defensive linemen are first-team All-South Region defensive tackle Undra Hendrix from Hardin-Simmons and Thiel's Tim Taylor. Taylor ranked in the top six in Division III in sacks and tackles for loss this season. 

Joining Manuel in the backfield are Sul Ross State's Dominique Carson, Washington and Lee's Luke Heinsohn and Birmingham-Southern's Shawn Morris. Carson led Division III in scoring and all-purpose yards this season and Heinsohn was the second-leading scorer in Division III. Morris was a first-team All-American as a junior.

"I'm excited to see what the competition is going to be like between the running backs," Manuel said. "There are some good backs in this game and this is an opportunity to see how we match up. There's also the chance it could present more opportunities afterward.

"That's not the main focus, but it's in the back of your head. We know if we perform at a high level, we might be able to catch someone's eye. If the opportunity presents itself, that would be huge. Football is definitely something I would like to continue to pursue."

Scouts for NFL, CFL and other professional leagues are scheduled to be in attendance.

"This is a good opportunity for us," Chappell said. "With the scouts that are going to be there, I hope to step up and play the best I can. We both want to try to continue playing football, so we want to play well and separate ourselves from the other players at our positions."