Bailey, Griffith and Turk lead All-Conference team for Hawks
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Three Huntingdon Hawks earned top individual awards and a total of 15 players were named All-Conference with the release of the USA South All-Conference football awards on Wednesday.
Senior quarterback Luke Bailey was named Offensive Player of the Year, freshman defensive lineman DeAnte' Griffith was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and head coach Mike Turk was named Coach of the Year.
Huntingdon, the back-to-back USA South Athletic Conference champions, finished with a 9-2 record and reached the NCAA Division III playoffs for a second straight season. The Hawks fell to 12th-ranked Wheaton College in the first round.
The Hawks placed 10 players on the first-team All-Conference list and five players on second-team.
"I'm happy for all of these guys. Each of them is very deserving," head coach Mike Turk said. "These players have worked hard and have been an important part of everything this team has been able to accomplish."
Joining Bailey and Griffith on first-team are receiver Nick Haas, offensive linemen Jesse Williams and Chris Hering, defensive lineman Heath McCray, linebackers Trey Hayes and Brandon Williams, defensive back Demetrius Beverly and kicker Chase Young.
Bailey, Williams and McCray each earned first-team honors last season. Haas and Young were second-team selections in 2015. Hayes was the 2015 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Huntingdon's second-team selections are running back John Iwaniec, receiver Otis Porter, defensive lineman Octavis Harris and defensive backs Demetrius Brown and Anthony Wood. This is the second straight season Iwaniec and Harris have earned second-team honors.
Senior offensive lineman Jordan Shelby was named to the USA South's All-Sportsmanship team.
The 15 All-Conference selections bring Huntingdon's total to 31 All-Conference performers in the past two seasons and 44 selections since joining the conference in 2013.
Bailey is the first Hawk to be named Offensive Player of the Year. A native of Fairview, Ala., he ranked among the top quarterbacks in Division III this season. Entering the playoffs, Bailey ranked second in Division III in points responsible for, fourth in passing efficiency, fifth in passing yards per attempt, tied for ninth in passing touchdowns, 11th in passing yards per completion, 14th in total offense per game, 16th in completion percentage and 23rd in passing yards.
As a senior, Bailey set the Hawks' single-season records for total offensive yards (3,593), touchdowns responsible for (43) and passing touchdowns (32), while completing 198-of-313 passes for 2,929 yards. He also rushed for 664 yards and 11 touchdowns on 104 carries. He accounted for at least four touchdowns in seven games this season.
"Luke had an incredible season and great career for us," Turk said. "Having the opportunity to coach him and know the kind of guy he is, makes it even better. We've asked a lot of him and he has always tried to put the team first. He is a humble guy, who didn't set out for individual accolades. But he owns just about every passing record we have."
A three-year starter, Bailey closed his career as the Hawks career-leader in passing yards (7,635), passing touchdowns (83), passing completions (508), touchdowns responsible for (104) and total offensive yards (9,285). He is the Hawks' fourth all-time leading rusher (1,650 yards on 294 attempts) and is third with 21 rushing touchdowns.
Griffith, a native of Athens, Ala., is the second Defensive Rookie of the Year selection for the football program. He recorded 46 tackles, 6 ½ sacks, 8 ½ tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, three passes broken up, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this season. He was second on the team and third in the conference in sacks and third on the team and tied for 10th in the conference in tackles for loss. His 46 tackles were the second most by a Huntingdon defensive lineman.
"It's pretty awesome that we have had the Defensive Rookie of the Year two straight years," Turk said. "DeAnte' improved greatly over the course of the season. He started off as a guy who we hoped would provide depth. But he worked hard, continued to improve and ended up as a starter and proved he was worthy of conference recognition."
This is the second straight Coach of the Year award for Turk, who has guided the Hawks to a 24-5 conference record in four seasons in the USA South. The Hawks are 13-1 in the USA South the past two seasons. Since arriving at Huntingdon in 2004, Turk has guided the Hawks to an 89-40 record and three NCAA playoff berths.
"The Coach of the Year award means a lot. It's a recognition that I view as a team award," Turk said. "It speaks to the job the coaches and players have done and the hard work they put in to help us win the conference championship and advance to the playoffs the past two seasons. I'm fortunate to have a great staff that understands what it takes to be successful."
The complete All-Conference awards are listed below.
USA South All-Conference Football Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Luke Bailey, Huntingdon
Defensive Player of the Year: Montel Lee, Ferrum
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Brian Mann, Ferrum
Defensive Rookie of the Year: DeAnte' Griffith, Huntingdon
Coach of the Year: Mike Turk, Huntingdon
First-Team
Offense
Quarterback: Luke Bailey, Huntingdon
Running Back: Elijah Chenier, Maryville
Running Back: Brian Mann, Ferrum
Receiver: Malik Adams, N.C. Wesleyan
Receiver: Nick Haas, Huntingdon
Receiver: Terrance Owens II, Averett
Tight End/H-Back/Fullback: Logan Winders, Maryville
Offensive Line: Jesse Benavides-Munoz, Maryville
Offensive Line: Justin Collett, Maryville
Offensive Line: Chris Hering, Huntingdon
Offensive Line: Horace Lee Scott, Maryville
Offensive Line: Jesse Williams, Huntingdon
Defense
Defensive Line: DeAnte' Griffith, Huntingdon
Defensive Line: Tavon Johnson, Maryville
Defensive Line: Montel Lee, Ferrum
Defensive Line: Heath McCray, Huntingdon
Linebacker: Cedric Brown, Maryville
Linebacker: Trey Hayes, Huntingdon
Linebacker: Brandon Williams, Huntingdon
Defensive Back: Tyriek Able, Averett
Defensive Back: Demetrius Beverly, Huntingdon
Defensive Back: Pierre Chadwick, Maryville
Defensive Back: Ethan Williams, Maryville
Speical Teams
Return Specialist: Travis Jones, Averett
Kicker: Chase Young, Huntingdon
Punter: Max Peets, Maryville
Second-Team
Offense
Quarterback: Nick Myers, Maryville
Running Back: Sean Bowman, Averett
Running Back: John Iwaniec, Huntingdon
Receiver: Chris Guy, Ferrum
Receiver: Marsalis Jackson, LaGrange
Receiver: Otis Porter, Huntingdon
Tight End/H-Back/Fullback: Ben Dorfman, N.C. Wesleyan
Offensive Line: Jake Comer, Averett
Offensive Line: Wilson Gregory, Averett
Offensive Line: Bryan McCullough, N.C. Wesleyan
Offensive Line: Jordan Patti, Ferrum
Offensive Line: Brandon Sparrow, Methodist
Defense
Defensive Line: Rakeem Cooper, N.C. Wesleyan
Defensive Line: Octavis Harris, Huntingdon
Defensive Line: Franchez Marshall, Maryville
Defensive Line: Al Matthews, Ferrum
Linebacker: Michael Clemmons, N.C. Wesleyan
Linebacker: Tony Konieczka, Ferrum
Linebacker: Trey Melton, Maryville
Defensive Back: Herbert Bridges, Greensboro
Defensive Back: Demetrius Brown, Huntingdon
Defensive Back: Blake Henderson, Maryville
Defensive Back: Anthony Wood, Huntingdon
Speical Teams
Return Specialist: Brian Mann, Ferrum
Kicker: Chris Richardson, N.C. Wesleyan
Punter: Codan Breckenridge, N.C. Wesleyan
All-Sportsmanship Team
Octavius Ross, Averett
Harvey Taylor, Ferrum
Matt Romanowski, Greensboro
Jordan Shelby, Huntingdon
Fabian Ryan, LaGrange
Joshua Clark, Maryville
Jonathan Rigsby, Methodist
Travis Thompson, N.C. Wesleyan