Six South Atlantic Conference Football Players Named to Whataburger Cactus Bowl East Team

KINGSVILLE, TX - Forty-two players, including six from the South Atlantic Conference, have been named to the East All-Star squad for the 13th annual Whataburger Cactus Bowl game on Friday, January 6, 2006 in Texas A&M-Kingsville's Javelina Stadium.

Presbyterian College senior quarterback Zach Ellis (Tifton, Ga.) and senior cornerback Quasi Gary (Kingstree, S.C.) were named to the East roster and the duo become the 13th and 14th Blue Hose players to participate in the event.

The contest will feature the top NCAA Division II players in the nation. The athletes will be in Kingsville for a week-long schedule of events, building to the Friday night game which will be televised by FOXSports Southwest and covered by the FOXSports Network nationally for the sixth consecutive year. The broadcast will begin at 6:00 pm and the kickoff is set for 6:35 pm. The players in the game will report on Saturday, December 31. The NCAA Division II All-Star game was held in Javelina Stadium for the fifth time last winter. It had been held in Fargo, N.D., prior to moving to Kingsville in 2001.

Joining Ellis from the South Atlantic Conference on offense is All-SAC performer, Catawba's wideout Corey Ready. On defense, Carson-Newman College's Deonte Bolden and Anthony Robinson, Tusculum College's Shawn Harris join Gary as the league's representatives. Gary will not be able to play in the game due in an injury suffered in PC's playoff loss to Central Arkansas earlier this month.

Harris, a 6-1, 220-pound senior from Jackson, S.C., is a three-time All-South Atlantic Conference performer, including this season. He led the Pioneers with 61 tackles, including 11 hits for loss, which were second on the team. The 2005 Preseason All-American accounted for four sacks for a loss of 22 yards. Harris ends his collegiate career fourth all-time in school history in tackles for loss (35) and sacks (17). He also recorded 185 career tackles for the Pioneers.

Robinson was named the SAC's Defensive Player of the Year.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children has been named as the designated charity for the Cactus Bowl. Proceeds from the game go to the Shriners' 22 children's hospitals throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. The Shriners, a nonprofit charitable organization, finance the 19 orthopedic and burn hospitals, which operate at a cost of $1.54 million a day. Any child 18 years old and under is treated at no charge, and the organization also provides transportation and housing of parents during the child's treatment.

2006 Whataburger Cactus Bowl Offensive Roster
QB JOEY CONRAD GLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE
QB ZACK ELLIS PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE
RB ANTHONY CARFAGNO EAST STROUDSBURG UNIVERSITY
RB ANOINE BAGWELL CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY - PENNSYLVANIA
RB MARTIN HICKS WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
WR BRANDON SIMMONS WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY
WR COREY READY CATAWBA COLLEGE
WR CARLTON BREWSTER FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
WR KENNETH HENDERSON TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
WR JAMES LUKOWIAK SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
WR TORY ROSS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
TE KEITH RECKER HILLSDALE COLLEGE
TE JASON HARRIS CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY
C RANDY (NICK) DEGG NORTHWOOD UNIVERSITY
C BAILEY DICKSON ARKANSAS TECH
OG STEPHENOL SANTOS SAGINAW VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
OG LAMONT SINGLETON EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OG JAHRI EVANS BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY
OT RICHARD COLLIER VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY
OT JOSHUA BOURKE GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
OT GREG BZOREK EDINBORO STATE UNIVERSITY
K RICHARD HAMMOND TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY - KINGSVILLE

2006 Whataburger Cactus Bowl East Team Defensive Roster
S/CB QUASI GARY PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE
S/LB DEVIN CONWELL ASHLAND UNIVERSITY
C BRENT GRIMES SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY
C ROBERT DURHAM TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
C BLAKE FARRIS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA
C DEONTE BOLDEN CARSON NEWMAN COLLEGE
C MARCUS WRIGHT KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
C JARSON COOK CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY - PENNSYLVANIA
ILB ANTHONY ROBINSON CARSON NEWMAN COLLEGE
ILB DERRICK WHITE CLARK-ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
OLB JOHN DIGIORGIO SAGINAW VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
OLB KELVIN MORRIS UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA
OLB SHAWN HARRIS TUSCULUM COLLEGE
DE LEE VICKERS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA
DE TIM THOMPSON VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY
DE CHRIS TURNER SOUTHERN ARKANSAS UNIVERSITY
DT CHRIS HERRING SOUTHERN ARKANSAS UNIVERSITY
DT TODD WHITE BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY
DT ROBERT MINNIE SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY
P JEFF CARPENTER UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA