Five Football Players Named To AP Little All-America Team

NEW YORK -- Five football players from the South Atlantic Conference have been named to the 2010 Associated Press Little All-America Football Team.

The AP Little All-America Team consists of players selected from NCAA Division II, III and NAIA football playing institutions.

Tusculum College placekicker Gareth Rowlands and Carson-Newman College offensive lineman Michael Tribue were named to the second team. Lenoir-Rhyne offensive lineman Chandler Rearden was named to the third team on offense, while Mars Hill defensive lineman Maurice Harris and Newberry College safety Ron Parker were named to the third team on defense.

Tusculum College

Rowlands, a 6-1, 215-pound senior from Benllech, Wales, earns his second All-America honor this season after being named to the Daktronics Division II All-America First Team earlier this month.

Gareth Rowlands

Michael Tribue

Chandler Rearden

Ron Parker

Maurice Harris

The two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First Team pick enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever by a league kicker. He established school and league single-season records with his 111 points and 21 field goals made. Rowlands leads the nation in field goals made per game (1.91) and is sixth in scoring (10.09 ppg). His 111 points are the most this season by a NCAA II kicker. He went 21-for-26 in field goals, including a string of 10 in a row towards the end of the season, which is a new school record. His streak of 53 consecutive made extra points is also a new school record. He was one of the 10 national finalists for the Fred Mitchell Award, which honors the college division (FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA) placekicker of the year..

Rowlands' 270 points are the most in school history by a kicker and second amongst all Pioneers. The two-time All-Region standout has accounted for 45 career field goals made, which are a new Tusculum record and tied for 25th most in NCAA II history. Rowlands is also a two-time ESPN Academic All-District selection.

Carson-Newman College

Tribue (Antioch, Tenn.) paved the way for an Eagles' offense that finished second nationally in rushing offense, averaging 311.2 yards per game. He helped the Eagles to a 451-yard rushing performance in at 35-13 win at Newberry in October.

The Eagles would top that effort against rival Tusculum in their season finale, rushing for 452 yards in a 49-48 win over the Pioneers. Tribue was the lead blocker on the game-winning two-point conversion to give the Eagles the lead.

As a junior, Tribue won the Jacobs' Blocking Trophy, which is awarded to the South Atlantic Conference's top offensive lineman. He was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, which is given to the nation's top lineman.

In his final two seasons at Mossy Creek, Tribue helped mow the way for the Eagles to rush for 8,137 yards and 98 rushing TDs, twice earning first team All-SAC honors. In 2009, the Eagles led the nation in rushing offense at 336.7 yards per game.

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Rearden, a junior offensive tackle from Greenwood, S.C., earns a third All-American honor this month.

Last week, Rearden was named an AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) NCAA Division II All-American and a Daktronics Second-Team All-American.

Rearden won the 2010 Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually to the top offensive lineman in the South Atlantic Conference. Rearden is the first Bear in school history to win the honor.

Rearden, a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First-Team honoree (2008 and 2010), helped Lenoir-Rhyne lead NCAA Division II in rushing yards this year at 319.5 yards per contest.

The 2010 Daktronics All-Southeast Region First-Team selection also helped Lenoir-Rhyne to a 7-4 mark this fall and its first winning season since the 1994 campaign.

Chandler is the first All-American for the Bears since Tim Clarke in 2004.

Newberry College

Parker, a native of St. Helena Island, S.C., earns his eighth career All-American honor after earning second team All-American honors from Daktronics earlier this week. Parker, who was the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, led the conference in interceptions and fumble recoveries while making 59 tackles in his senior season.

Parker finished the regular season ranked 14th nationally in interceptions with 0.56 per game, and was one of fewer than 20 players at all levels of collegiate football to record eight takeaways this season, snagging five interceptions and recovering three fumbles. He had a career-best 16 tackles at Mars Hill and had a defensive takeaway in six of his nine games played, including two straight games with two takeaways and three straight games with a fumble recovery, including a 72-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Catawba.

Parker is only the second Newberry player to be named to the AP's Little All-American team since the institution joined NCAA Division II in 1992. Offensive tackle Heath Benedict was a first team Little All-American in 2007.

Mars Hill College

Harris, a senior from Hendersonville, N.C., led the South Atlantic Conference with 11 sacks. He finished the year with 70 total tackles.

2010 Associated Press Little All-American Football Team

FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB - Eric Czerniewski, Central Missouri
RB - Franklyn Quiteh, Bloomsburg
RB - Phil Milbrath, Michigan Tech
OL - Brandon Fusco, Slippery Rock
OL - Cameron Bradfield, Grand Valley State
OL - Brett Grozinger, Northwest Missouri State
OL - Koby Parker, Hardin-Simmons
OL - Trevis Turner, Abilene Christian
WR - Fred Williams, St. Cloud State
WR - Jamorris Warren, Central Missouri
TE - Ryan Travis, West Liberty
AP - Cecil Shorts, Mount Union
PK - Steve Ivanisevic, Washburn

Defense
DL - Derrin Nettles, Morehouse
DL - Marc Schiechl, Colorado School of Mines
DL - Malcolm Jenkins, Elizabeth City State
DL - Matt Hoffman, Rowan
LB - Larry Dean, Valdosta State
LB - Matt Wenger, North Central (Ill.)
LB - Kiel Fechtelkotter, Minnesota-Duluth
DB - Ryan Jones, Northwest Missouri State
DB - Caleb Singleton, Western Oregon
DB - Henry Melendez, Trinity (Conn.)
DB - Stevie Harden, Valdosta State
P - Ronnie Partridge, Stillman

SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB - Zach Amedro, West Liberty
RB - Levell Coppage, Wisconsin-Whitewater
RB - Isaac Odim, Minnesota-Duluth
OL - Amini Silatolu, Midwestern State
OL - Taylor Boggs, Humboldt State
OL - Michael Tribue, senior, Carson-Newman
OL - Matt Weber, senior, Wisconsin-Whitewater
OL - Kyle Thornton, North Alabama
TE - Josh Baker, Northwest Missouri State
WR - Edmund Gates, Abilene Christian
WR - Tyler Beiler, Bridgewater
AP - Anthony Stewart, Central Missouri
PK - Gareth Rowlands, Tusculum

Defense
DL - Courtney Harris, North Alabama
DL - Chris Mayes, Wesley
DL - Daniel Webb, Emporia State
DL - Aston Whiteside, Abilene Christian
LB - Travis Brisco, Urbana
LB - Kyle McGivney, Luther
LB - Nate Dreiling, Pittsburg State
DB - Craig Ray, Indianapolis
DB - Tillman Stevens, Eastern New Mexico
DB - Mike Langhurst, Aurora
DB - Keon Robinson, Shepherd
P - Jared Jenkins, senior, Wisconsin-Stevens Point

THIRD TEAM
Offense
QB - Ben McLaughlin, Louisiana College.
RB - Jim Bower, Marine Maritime
RB - Jesse Lewis, Colorado State-Pueblo
OL - Chandler Rearden, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL - Quintin Borders, Union, Ky.
OL - Dustin Davis, Mary Hardin-Baylor
OL - Orion Matthies, Nebraska-Kearney
OL - Matt Desotell, Michigan Tech
TE - Patrick Mengelkoch, Wisconsin-Stout
WR - Mike Preston, Heidelberg
WR - Joe Hasting, Washburn
AP - Stephan Nevllie, Stonehill
PK - Tyler Funk, Carthage

Defense
DL - Eddie Vallery, Wittenberg
DL - Seath Kimball, Eastern Oregon
DL - Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State
DL - Maurice Harris, Mars Hill
LB - Matt Freed, East Stroudsburg
LB - Tressor Baptiste, Texas A&M-Kingsville
LB - Will Hawkins, senior, Millsaps
DB - Garrett Williams, Delta State
DB - Jared Millikan, Anderson (Ind.)
DB - Ron Parker, Newberry
DB - Jeremy Jones, Wayne State
P - Derek Jambon, Arkansas-Monticello