Bailey, McCray and Hayes earn All-Region honors

MINNEAPOLIS – Three Huntingdon players earned All-South Region recognition with the release of the D3football.com All-Region teams on Monday night.

Senior quarterback Luke Bailey, senior defensive lineman Heath McCray and sophomore linebacker Trey Hayes were each named second-team All-Region.

"I'm excited for all three of them," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "Luke and Heath have had great careers at Huntingdon and Trey still has two more years with us. Each one of them is deserving of this recognition."

This is the sixth straight season the Hawks have had at least two All-Region performers. A total of 12 Huntingdon players have earned D3football.com All-Region honors since the All-Region teams began in 2005.

Bailey is the first Huntingdon quarterback to earn All-Region honors. The USA South Offensive Player of the Year, Bailey put up numbers that ranked among the top quarterbacks in Division III this season.

He led the South Region with 43 touchdowns responsible for. Entering the playoffs, the Fairview, Ala., native was 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.

His 43 touchdowns responsible for, 32 passing touchdowns and 3,593 yards of total offense all set new season records for Huntingdon. He completed 198-of-313 passes for 2,929 yards and rushed for 664 yards and 11 touchdowns on 104 attempts this season.

In three seasons as Huntingdon's starter, he set program records with 7,635 passing yards, 83 passing touchdowns, 508 completions, 104 touchdowns responsible for and 9,285 yards of total offense. He is Huntingdon's fourth all-time leading rusher with 1,650 yards on 294 attempts and is third in rushing touchdowns with 21.

"Luke's numbers pretty much speak for themselves," Turk said. "I'm thankful he received this recognition. He's accomplished a lot, this season and throughout his career. He's been a steady guy for three years and he left his mark on our program."

McCray, who was a first-team All-Region selection in 2015, is just the fifth Hawk to earn All-Region honors in multiple years.

"Heath has been a very consistent player for us his entire career and especially the past two seasons," Turk said. "He was a guy who was hard to block, could stop the run and was also a force rushing the passer. I think that is why he stood out to so many people. It wasn't that he could just rush the passer or stop the run, he could do both and he did it well."

McCray earned honorable mention All-American honors last season with 39 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He turned in better numbers in every category this season.

The Ashford, Ala., native led the Huntingdon defensive line with 50 tackles, led the Hawks and was second in the USA South Athletic Conference with eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss and tied for the conference lead with three forced fumbles. He also had two fumble recoveries and broke up two passes.

Hayes is just the second Huntingdon linebacker to earn All-Region recognition. He is the third Huntingdon sophomore to be recognized.

Hayes led the USA South with 90 tackles and four fumble recoveries this season and was third in the conference with 13 tackles for loss. The Decatur, Ala., native also recorded two forced fumbles, two interceptions, 3.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and broke up three passes.

"Trey is a young guy, but he has been a starter in our program for two years and has become the heart and soul of our defense at middle linebacker," Turk said. "He's a good kid and a talented player. He has a nose for the ball and he's around the ball on almost every play. He makes the calls and gets our defense set. If he continues to work and develop, he is destined for great things."

Mary Hardin-Baylor swept the South Region Player and Coach of the Year awards. Quarterback Blake Jackson was named the South Offensive Player of the Year and defensive end Teidrick Smith was named the South Defensive Player of the Year. Pete Fredenburg was named South Coach of the Year.

D3football.com selects All-Region teams for the North, South, East and West regions of the nation.

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