Brownell, Murphy and Pridgen earn All-Region honors

MINNEAPOLIS – Three Huntingdon football players were named All-South Region with the release of the 10th annual D3football.com All-Region teams on Monday.

Senior Zach Brownell was named first-team All-Region linebacker and senior Jeremy Murphy was selected as a first-team special teams player and second-team cornerback. Junior offensive lineman Chael Pridgen earned third-team honors at guard.

"We're proud of these guys and their accomplishments," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "Murphy and Brownell had great careers with us and we're thankful to have Chael back for one more season. All three of these guys are talented players, but they're also quality young men.

"These are the kind of guys you want in your program. They are guys who are going to work hard to prepare all week and they're going to show up and play hard every game. That carries over to the rest of the team and sends a message to the younger guys about how things are done."

Brownell said the recognition is very humbling.

"This means a lot to me and I'm also proud of Jeremy and Chael. Both of them have worked very hard and are very deserving," Brownell said. "There are some very talented players on the All-Region team, so to be recognized is a nice accomplishment for all three of us."

This is the fourth straight season the Hawks have had at least two All-Region performers. A total of eight Huntingdon players have earned D3football.com All-Region honors since the teams began in 2005. Brownell and Murphy join former defensive lineman D.J. Chappell as the only first-team selections from Huntingdon.

"This means a lot. It's a great honor and I thank God for allowing me to be in this position," Murphy said. "We had a talented group of guys on this team and we all worked hard. I thank our coaches for putting us in position to have success this season."

Pridgen, who was also a third-team selection last season, joins Chappell (first-team in 2011 and 2012), former running back Trevor Manuel (second-team in 2011 and 2012) and former defensive back Keith Anthony (second-team in 2009 and third-team in 2011) as the Hawks' only two-time selections.

Brownell, the USA South Defensive Player of the Year, recorded a school-record 99 tackles in just eight games this season. The Prattville native led all of the South Region nominees and was seventh nationally in Division III with 12.4 tackles per game. He set the Huntingdon single-game records for solo tackles (15) and total tackles (20) and also set the program's season record for solo tackles.

Murphy's knack for blocking kicks helped him secure a spot as a first-team special teams selection. The native of Sylacauga, Ala., tied for the Division III lead with four blocked kicks this season. As a cornerback, the team captain led the USA South and was tied for second among South Region nominees with five interceptions. The five interceptions were the third most in a season by a Huntingdon player. He also had 29 tackles and 10 passes broken up.

Pridgen, a native of Hazel Green, Ala., is a three-year starter on the offensive line. He graded out at 92 percent on 760 plays this season and did not allow a sack. Pridgen anchored an offensive line that helped Huntingdon roll up 4,766 yards of total offense, the third most in program history.

Thomas More running back Domonique Hayden was named the South Offensive Player of the Year and Wesley linebacker Sosthene Kapepula was named the South Defensive Player of the Year. Wesley's Mike Drass earned South Coach of the Year honors.

D3football.com selects All-Region teams for the North, South, East and West regions of the nation. The All-America teams are scheduled to be released on Dec. 19.

To view the entire D3football.com South Region team, click here.