Edwards, Beard, Johnson and Huesman Earn Major Awards
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Record-setting Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards was named Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season while a resurgent Chattanooga team earned two of the four major awards in the voting by the Southern Conference Sports Media Association. Western Carolina running back Michael Johnson was named the Freshman of the Year, and the group also selected all-conference teams on offense, defense and special teams.
Chattanooga senior defensive end Josh Beard earned Defensive Player of the Year honors while the media tabbed UTC head coach Russ Huesman as its Coach of the Year.
Edwards was a unanimous choice as the Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first two-time winner of the award since Walter Payton Award-winning running back Louis Ivory of Furman in 2000-01. A leading candidate to earn his second consecutive Payton Award this season, Edwards is the SoCon’s all-time career leader in total offense, and he leads the league in that category again this season. The Greenwood, S.C., native is also tops among league players in scoring, passing efficiency and passing yards per game, and he became the first player in Southern Conference history to lead his team to four straight league championships as the starting quarterback.
Beard, a 6-1, 250-pound senior defensive end, leads the Southern Conference and is tied for the national lead with 12 sacks on the season, a number that equals the ninth-highest single-season total in league history. The Lincolnton, Ga., native recorded at least one sack in eight games in 2009, including a stretch in mid-October where he tallied two sacks in three consecutive games. In addition to his sacks, Beard tallied 62 tackles and four quarterback hurries. He is the first-ever Chattanooga player to be honored by the SoCon media as a league player of the year.
Western Carolina’s Johnson was the top freshman rusher in the SoCon in 2009, amassing 568 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair of games where he topped 100 yards against nationally-ranked opponents Appalachian State and Elon. A native of Decatur, Ga., Johnson started nine games during his freshman campaign and added 25 receptions for 137 yards out of the backfield.
Huesman, in his first year as the head coach of his alma mater, guided Chattanooga to a five-game improvement from a year ago. The Mocs finished 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the Southern Conference, following a winless league campaign in 2008. The Mocs’ four league win were the most since 1998 while the overall winning record was just the second for the program in the last 12 years.
SoCon champion Appalachian State placed 15 players on the all-conference team, including nine first-team selections. Eight Elon players were honored along with seven from Chattanooga and five each from The Citadel, Furman and Samford.
2009 Media All-Southern Conference Football Team
Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year ? Armanti Edwards, Sr., QB, Appalachian State *
Defensive Player of the Year ? Josh Beard, Sr., DE, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year ? Michael Johnson, RB, Western Carolina
Wallace Wade Coach of the Year ? Russ Huesman, Chattanooga
* - Unanimous selection
First Team Offense
QB Armanti Edwards, Sr., Appalachian State
RB Chris Evans, Jr., Samford
RB Devon Moore, Jr., Appalachian State
OL Mario Acitelli, Sr., Appalachian State
OL David Harrison, Sr., Elon
OL Jon Weber, Sr., Samford
OL Pat Illig, Jr., Wofford
OL Brett Irvin, Jr., Appalachian State
TE Alex Sellars, Jr., The Citadel
WR Terrell Hudgins, Sr., Elon
WR Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel
First Team Defense
DL Josh Beard, Sr., Chattanooga
DL Andre Campbell, Sr., Elon
DL Jabari Fletcher, Jr., Appalachian State
DL Brent Russell, Fr., Georgia Southern
LB D.J. Smith, Jr., Appalachian State
LB Kadarron Anderson, So., Furman
LB Bryce Smith, Jr., Samford
DB Mark LeGree, Jr., Appalachian State
DB Jordan Tippit, So., Chattanooga
DB Ryan Steed, So., Furman
DB Cortez Gilbert, Sr., Appalachian State
First Team Specialists
PK Craig Camay, Sr., Chattanooga
P Bob Hooper, So., Samford
RS CoCo Hillary, Jr., Appalachian State
Second Team Offense
QB Scott Riddle, Jr., Elon
RB Tersoo Uhaa, So., Furman
RB Jamal Shuman, So., Elon
OL Chris Werden, Sr., Elon
OL Daniel DeHaven, Sr., The Citadel
OL Tyler Haynes, Sr., Furman
OL Pat Mills, Jr., Appalachian State
OL Chris Harr, Jr., Chattanooga
TE Ben Jorden, So., Appalachian State
WR Blue Cooper, Sr., Chattanooga
WR Adam Mims, Jr., Furman
Second Team Defense
DL John Michael Clay, Jr., Samford
DL Lanston Tanyi, So., Appalachian State
DL Eric Ludwig, Sr., Elon
DL Joshua Williams, Fr., Chattanooga
LB Adrian McLeod, Sr., Western Carolina
LB Chris Collins, Sr., Western Carolina
LB Jacque Roman, Sr., Appalachian State
DB Karlos Sullivan, Sr., Elon
DB Buster Skrine, Jr., Chattanooga
DB Cortez Allen, Jr., The Citadel
DB Ed Gainey, So., Appalachian State
Second Team Specialists
PK Jason Vitaris, Jr., Appalachian State
P Chris Tommie, Sr., Wofford
RS Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel