Wingate’s Marquise Fleming repeated as the region’s defensive player of the year, and 11 Division II football players in all from the Old North State earned spots on All-Super Region teams, released Thursday.
Fleming won the honor for Super Region Two, which comprises the South Atlantic Conference, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Gulf South Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The graduate student from Charlotte (Olympic HS) continues to build on an impressive postseason awards resume, which also includes South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, first team all-conference, finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award (D2 lineman of the year) and a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy (D2 national player of the year).
Other first-team All-Super Region Two picks from North Carolina included Erwil Anthony (OL) and Dontorian Best (LB) from Wingate, Brevin Caldwell (WR) and Benari Black (LB) from Johnson C. Smith, LJ Turner (RB) from Catawba and Nic Cheeley (CB) from Lenoir-Rhyne.
Second-team All-Super Region Two selections from the state included Caleb Bonesteel (PK) and Daniel Morrison (DL) from Wingate, and Tristan Rankin (CB) from Mars Hill. Jo Hayes (WR) from UNC Pembroke collected second-team All-Super Region One honors. UNCP plays in the Mountain East Conference.
Virginia Union running back Jada Byers earned Super Region Two offensive player of the year. The all-region players are nominated and voted on by sports information directors from various schools across each of the regions. The all-region teams are sponsored by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
Marquise Fleming Anchors Wingate’s Conference Championship Defense
Wingate stayed among the nation’s leaders in a number of defensive categories this season on the way to a SAC title. Fleming had a big role in those high marks, recording 19.5 tackles for loss (fifth in D2) and eight sacks. He also had 14 quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles.
Fleming ranks among the top defenders in South Atlantic history. His 71.5 career tackles-for-loss put him fourth on the SAC’s all-time list. He’s second in the conference for career sacks with 37.
Wingate Football Strong On Both Sides Of The Ball
Erwil Anthony Jr. helped pave the way for the Bulldogs’ offensive attack. For his efforts, the junior from Kannapolis (A.L. Brown HS) earned the Jacobs Blocking Award from the SAC.
Dontorian Best finished the season with 66 tackles from his linebacker spot. The senior from Columbia, S.C. (A.C. Flora HS) had a 10-tackle game against Catawba and seven stops in the SAC title game against Carson-Newman. He picked off a pass against Barton.
Daniel Morrison teamed with Fleming on the defensive front to create havoc for opposing teams. The graduate student from Roughedge (Parkwood HS) recorded 7.0 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks and 38 total stops this season. He forced a fumble, blocked a kick and had seven QB hurries.
Caleb Bonesteel hit 17 field goals during the season, including five in the SAC championship contest to earn game MVP honors. The junior from Dawsonville, Ga. (Dawson County HS) twice hit 48-yarders, against Carson-Newman in the title game and against Virginia Union in the playoffs.
Johnson C. Smith Duo Sparked Magical Season
Johnson C. Smith enjoyed one of its best seasons in decades, finishing 8-2, 6-2 against CIAA foes. Benari Black secured the CIAA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. The senior from Charlotte (West Charlotte HS) led the conference with 114 tackles. He also secured 14.5 tackles-for-loss and three sacks.
On the other side of the ball, Brevin Caldwell had big-play ability. The junior from Charlotte (Independence HS) caught 85 balls this season for 1,090 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 109 receiving yards per game.
LJ Turner Ran Wild For Catawba
Catawba’s LJ Turner finished the season as the top D2 running back in the Old North State. The junior from Palm Bay, Fla. (Heritage HS) rushed for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns – an even more amazing feat considering he played in just eight contests. Turner exploded for 329 yards and five touchdowns in a wild game against Anderson in September. He also galloped for 213 yards and two scores against Newberry.
Lenoir-Rhyne’s Nic Cheeley, Mars Hill’s Tristan Rankin Were Ball Hawks
Opposing teams had a tough time throwing against Nic Cheeley and Tristan Rankin. Cheeley, a fifth-year senior, picked off five passes for Lenoir-Rhyne and broke up four more pass attempts. The McCleansville product (Eastern Guilford HS) recorded 65 tackles on the season, forced a fumble and had two tackles-for-loss.
Rankin was a pure menace in conference play with eight interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. He had 40 total tackles, including 27 solo stops in helping Mars Hill to a 5-4 seasons.
Jo Hayes Helped UNCP Put Up Big Numbers
UNC Pembroke played in a different region than all of the other D2 schools from North Carolina and put up video game numbers in several games against Mountain East foes (60+ points). Jo Hayes gave the Braves an All-Super Region One player for the second year in a row.
Hayes, a graduate student from Peanut City, Va. (Norcom HS) broke UNC Pembroke’s single-season record for most touchdown receptions with 17. He led the Mountain East in total receiving yards (1,025), touchdowns and receiving yards per game (93.2).
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