Football Southern Conference

Nine SoCon Players On Sports Network All-America Team

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - I-AA national championship participants
McNeese State and Western Kentucky combined for six players on The Sports
Network 2002 All-America Team, including three on the First-Team for the
Cowboys and two for the Hilltoppers. McNeese offensive lineman Jason Davis
was named to the First-Team offense, while Cowboy linebacker Roderick Royal
and safety Hadley Prince received First-Team accolades on defense. For WKU,
offensive lineman Chris Price and linebacker Sherrod Coates were recognized
as First-Teamers by a panel of I-AA media members and sports information
directors. While 'Topper offensive lineman Buster Ashley was noted as a
Second-Team member.

The First-Team backfield consists of three players hailing from Illinois
institutions, with Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo gracing the list
along with teammate J.R. Taylor and Southern Illinois' Mo Abdulqaadir at
tailback. Romo won the Walter Payton Award as the I-AA player of the year,
following a season in which he threw for 33 touchdown passes and 2,950
yards. Taylor had a big year as well, rambling for 1,434 yards and 18
touchdowns for the OVC co-champs. Abdulqaadir, meanwhile, was on his way to
a record-breaking season before breaking his thumb against Southwest
Missouri State on Oct. 26. Despite the abbreviated campaign, the junior
rushed for 1,331 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Wide receivers Tramon Douglas of Grambling State and Willie Ponder of
Southeast Missouri also drew first-team praise. Douglas completed his
season with eye-popping totals of 92 catches for 1,704 yards and 18
touchdowns, while Ponder went for 87 receptions, 1,453 yards, and 15 TDs.
Tight end Casey Cramer of Dartmouth was also named to the First-Team
following his 72-catch, 1,017-yard effort during the regular season.

Along with Davis and Price on the first-team offensive line are Charles
Clarke (Georgia Southern), Kevin Hill (Eastern Illinois), and Terry Riley
(Grambling State).

Delaware State kick returner DeShaun Morris and Western Illinois kicker
Justin Langan finish out the First-Team, with Morris three kickoff returns
for TDs and Langan's 20-25 field goal performance swaying voters.

Three Southern Conference defensive linemen found their way onto the
First-Team, with Appalachian State's Josh Jeffries, Wofford's Anthony
Jones, and Georgia Southern's Freddy Pesqueira joining Alabama A&M's Robert
Mathis on the initial squad. At linebacker, Buck Buchanan Award finalists
Boomer Grigsby (Illinois State) and Nick Ricks (Eastern Illinois) received
First-Team praise along with Coates and Royal. Four Buchanan finalists were
among the First-Team defensive backs, as Mark Kasmer (Dayton), Rashean
Mathis (Bethune-Cookman), Prince, and Trey Young (Montana) were named to
the squad. Western Illinois punter Mike Scifres, who averaged more than 48
yards per kick on the year, finishes out the Defensive First-Team.

In all, 76 players from 13 different conferences were selected to either
the first-, second-, or third-team, along with two players from independent
Samford. The Gateway Football Conference, which landed a pair of teams in
the I-AA quarterfinals, led all leagues with 15 selections, followed by the
Southern Conference with nine picks and the Atlantic 10, Ohio Valley,
Southland, and SWAC with seven each. Voting was conducted among I-AA Sports
Information Directors and selected I-AA media, with more than 100 ballots
being cast.

THE SPORTS NETWORK 2002 I-AA ALL-AMERICA OFFENSE

First-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Tony Romo Eastern Illinois QB Sr. 6-3 215
Mo Abdulqaadir Southern Illinois RB Jr. 5-7 190
J.R. Taylor Eastern Illinois RB Sr. 6-2 215
Tramon Douglas Grambling State WR Jr. 6-1 205
Willie Ponder Southeast Missouri WR Sr. 6-2 195
Casey Cramer Dartmouth TE Jr. 6-2 235
Charles Clarke Georgia Southern OL Sr. 6-2 280
Jason Davis McNeese State OL Sr. 6-0 219
Kevin Hill Eastern Illinois OL Sr. 6-3 285
Chris Price Western Kentucky OL Sr. 6-0 290
Terry Riley Grambling State OL Sr. 6-0 300
Justin Langan Western Illinois K So. 5-11 175
DaShaun Morris Delaware State RS Jr. 6-0 173

Second-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Brett Gordon Villanova QB Sr. 5-10 185
Jay Bailey Austin Peay RB Sr. 6-0 205
P.J. Mays Youngstown State RB Sr. 5-9 208
Chas Gessner Brown WR Sr. 6-5 220
Carl Morris Harvard WR Sr. 6-3 205
Nick Eller Eastern Illinois TE Jr. 6-4 270
Buster Ashley Western Kentucky OL So. 6-4 290
Greg Barnum Stephen F. Austin OL Sr. 6-1 302
Napoleon Joseph Bethune-Cookman OL Sr. 6-2 305
Trevor Kruger Furman OL Sr. 6-2 270
Dylan McFarland Montana OL Jr. 6-6 290
Mac Hoambrecker Northern Iowa K Sr. 6-0 202
Ari Confesor Holy Cross RS Jr. 6-0 180

Third-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Bruce Eugene Grambling State QB So. 6-1 230
Gary Jones Albany RB Jr. 5-10 215
Kirwin Watson Fordham RB Jr. 5-9 215
Stacy Coleman Western Illinois WR Sr. 5-11 180
Aryvia Holmes Samford WR Sr. 5-10 192
R.J. Luke Western Illinois TE Sr. 6-3 245
Dwight Beard William & Mary OL Sr. 6-4 300
Mike Brigandi Hofstra OL Sr. 6-3 321
Joe Patrick Appalachian State OL Sr. 6-3 310
Chad Setterstrom Northern Iowa OL Sr. 6-3 303
Jamil Soriano Harvard OL Sr. 6-4 300
Peter Veldman Pennsylvania K Jr. 6-2 190
Cortland Finnegan Samford RS Fr. 5-9 165



THE SPORTS NETWORK 2002 I-AA ALL-AMERICA DEFENSE

First-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Josh Jeffries Appalachian State DL Sr. 6-2 265
Anthony Jones Wofford DL Sr. 5-10 255
Robert Mathis Alabama A&M DL Sr. 6-0 227
Freddy Pesqueira Georgia Southern DL Sr. 6-1 241
Sherrod Coates Western Kentucky LB Sr. 6-2 225
Boomer Grigsby Illinois State LB So. 6-0 240
Nick Ricks Eastern Illinois LB Jr. 6-0 200
Roderick Royal McNeese State LB Jr. 6-1 241
Mark Kasmer Dayton DB Sr. 6-1 193
Rashean Mathis Bethune-Cookman DB Sr. 6-2 185
Hadley Prince McNeese State DB Sr. 5-9 195
Trey Young Montana DB Sr. 6-0 195
Mike Scifres Western Illinois P Sr. 6-2 230

Second-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Joseph Crear Mississippi Valley State DL Sr. 6-3 260
Jonathan Friend Illinois State DL Sr. 6-2 225
Isaac Hilton Hampton DL So. 6-5 250
Roy Locks Northwestern State DL Sr. 5-11 240
Josh Cain Chattanooga LB Sr. 6-1 230
Stephen Cooper Maine LB Sr. 6-1 220
Dan Mulhern Delaware LB Sr. 6-3 225
Renauld Williams Hofstra LB Jr. 6-0 205
Levy Brown Florida A&M DB Jr. 5-11 180
Kane Ioane Montana State DB Jr. 5-11 180
Alexis Moreland Southern Illinois DB So. 6-1 200
Lenny Williams Southern DB Jr. 6-0 185
Mark Gould Northern Arizona P Jr. 6-2 206

Third-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Marcus Adams Eastern Kentucky DL Sr. 5-11 274
Jared Allen Idaho State DL Jr. 6-6 275
Steve Baggs Bethune-Cookman DL Jr. 6-2 220
Chris Parker Morehead State DL Sr. 6-1 272
Liam Ezekiel Northeastern LB So. 6-1 245
Lernard Mack Texas Southern LB Sr. 6-2 235
Greg Pitts Southwest Texas LB Sr. 6-4 230
Lee Russell Western Illinois LB Jr. 6-0 225
Vince Alexander Pennsylvania DB Sr. 6-1 210
Chris Thompson Nicholls State DB Jr. 6-0 190
Mario Williams Gardner-Webb DB So. 6-2 196
David Young Georgia Southern DB Sr. 6-2 190
Brent Barth VMI P Sr. 6-1 195