McCray and White recognized on D3football.com All-American teams

MINNEAPOLIS – Huntingdon seniors Heath McCray and Anthony White were each recognized with the release of the D3football.com All-American teams on Friday night.

McCray was named honorable mention All-American at defensive tackle and White was named honorable mention All-American at safety.

"They are both very deserving of this recognition," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "They're as solid as anyone we've had. Both of them are guys that you knew what you were going to get when they stepped on the field. They were both key parts of our defense. A lot of what we were able to accomplish was because our defense performed at such a high level."

McCray and White join former Huntingdon defensive lineman D.J. Chappell, former defensive back/special teams performer Jeremy Murphy and former linebacker Zach Brownell as the only Hawks to be recognized on the D3football.com All-American teams. Chappell was named first-team in 2012 and honorable mention in 2011. Murphy earned second-team honors as a special teams performer in 2014 and Brownell was named honorable mention in 2014.

"In the short history of our program, it's awesome to have as many guys recognized as we have," Turk said. "Each of these guys has helped set the bar and raise the level of expectations. It says a lot about the hard work they've put in and what they've been able to accomplish and it also gives the younger guys a goal to shoot for."

McCray was named first-team All-South Region earlier this month. A native of Ashford, Ala., he led the Huntingdon defensive line with 39 tackles this season and led the Hawks with 11.5 tackles for loss. He was second on the team with 6.5 sacks and tied for the team-lead with two forced fumbles.

"It only makes your defense stronger when you have a guy in the trenches like Heath," Turk said. "Heath was not our biggest guy, but he has a competitive spirit and he plays with a motor that never shuts off. That was daily, not just on Saturdays. He was a tempo setter in practice and in the games."

White, the USA South Defensive Player of the Year, was named second-team All-South Region in early December. The Montgomery native led the South Region with eight interceptions this season. He finished one interception short of the Division III leader and one short of the Huntingdon single-season record.

"Anthony made a ton of huge plays in his four seasons with us," Turk said. "When you look at his numbers this year, the eight interceptions jump out at you. But what made those eight interceptions even bigger was the timing of the plays. It seemed like he always made a big play at a key moment or in a key situation."

A three-time, first-team All-Conference selection, White led Division III with 252 interception return yards this season, recorded 52 tackles, broke up eight passes, had one forced fumble and one fumble recovery and recorded a safety.

He also scored two touchdowns, returning an interception for a Huntingdon-record 100 yard touchdown and returning an onside-kick 45 yards for a score. He finished third in Huntingdon history with 234 career tackles and 14 career interceptions and second with 154 career solo tackles.

To view the entire D3football.com All-American teams, click here.