ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University football program placed a league-best 16 student-athletes on the 2022 All-South Atlantic Conference Mountain Division Team announced league officials Thursday.
Six Pioneers garnered first team recognition including quarterback Tre Simmons, running back Mekhai Johnson, offensive lineman Tommy Mahoney, defensive lineman Dajavon White, linebacker Wesley Scott and punter Andrew Cantrell.
TU's 10 second teamers includes: wide receiver Tyler Burke, offensive linemen Ben Shellenback and Joe Lock, tight end Bryce Moore, long snapper Josh Curray, return specialist Mekhai Johnson, defensive lineman Joslyn Mira, linebacker Ryan Dolce and defensive backs Jermaine Witherspoon and Andrae Robinson.
Tusculum's 16 honorees were the most of the six Mountain Division teams. Mars Hill was second with 15 selections, followed by Carson-Newman (13), Emory & Henry (8), UVA Wise (4) and Erskine (3).
Simmons, a 6-0, 170-pound sophomore signal caller from Tampa, Fla. led the SAC in five offensive categories including passing yards (2,384 – 28th in NCAA II), passing yards per game (216.7 ypg – 34th in NCAA II), total offensive yards (243.5 ypg – 33rd in NCAA II) passing touchdowns (21), and completions per game (16.09 cpg – 46th in NCAA II). He started in all 11 games for the Pioneers as posted a completion percentage of .546 and was responsible for 144 points which included his 21 TD passes, two touchdown runs and a TD reception.
Simmons completed a TD pass in 10 of his 11 games including a career-best five touchdown tosses in the season-opening win over St. Augustine's, earning him SAC Player of the Week honors. He ran for a career-best 122 yards in TU's road win at Catawba which included a 44-yard TD scamper. He posted a career-best 71-yard touchdown rush against Carson-Newman which is the 10th-longest run from scrimmage in school history and the longest ever by a Tusculum quarterback. In TU's 49-14 win over Erskine, he accounted for four touchdowns (3 pass, 1 receiving) and was named the College Player of the Week by the Tennessee Sportswriters Association (TSWA).
In his two seasons at Tusculum, Simmons has thrown for 3,160 passing yards (6th in TU history) and 29 touchdowns (6th in TU history). His 3,583 total offensive yards are ranked seventh in the Tusculum record book.
Johnson earned Divisional honors at two positions where he was a first team running back as well as a second team return specialist. The Dorchester, Massachusetts graduate student led the Pioneers in rushing yards (635), touchdown carries (8), total touchdowns (9), scoring (54) and all-purpose yards (970). His eight rushing touchdowns sixth in the conference while his 4.9 points per game average was listed 11th in the league. He was 10th in the SAC averaging 88.18 all-purpose yards per game while rushing yards and rushing yards per game average (57.7 ypg) were both sixth in the league.
Johnson ran for a season-high 104 yards on 18 carries at Mars Hill, which included a pair of touchdown runs. He also finished the season with 10 receptions for 172 yards and a TD catch. His 78-yard TD reception against Emory & Henry is tied for the 14th-longest catch in program history. He also averaged 27.7 yards on his six kickoff returns while posting over 100 all-purpose yards in four games including three in a row from Oct. 22 – Nov. 5.
Mahoney, a 6-1, 305-pound senior from Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, earns first team honors for a second straight season after garnering All-SAC accolades in 2021. He was the lone player on the Tusculum offensive line to start in all 11 games this season. He graded out at 92 percent on the season and recorded 26 pancake blocks. He completed his career making 26 consecutive starts on the offensive line and is a nominee for the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award.
White, a 5-10, 290-pound sophomore from Cocoa, Florida, had another outstanding season on the Tusculum defensive front. He played in all 11 games with seven starts up front where he accounted for 37 total tackles including 12 for loss (14th in SAC) and a team-best six sacks (7th in SAC). He recorded four quarterback hurries and blocked an extra-point at Barton which proved to be the difference in a 14-13 road win for the Black & Orange.
White recorded a season-best three tackles for loss with two sacks against St. Augustine's and had a season-high six tackles at Mars Hill. He recorded a tackle in all 11 games this season. He has been credited with 58 stop in his career including 23 for loss in his 22 games with the Pioneers. His two career blocked kicks are tied for eighth-most in TU history.
Scott, a 6-0, 210-pound junior from Hobe Sound, Florida, led the Pioneers with his 96 total tackles, including a team-best 15 behind the line of scrimmage. He also recorded a sack, two pass break ups, six quarterback hurries and forced a fumble. In TU's 35-9 win over Emory & Henry, he returned an interception for a 35-yard touchdown, earning him SAC Player of the Week laurels.
He averaged 8.7 tackles per game, which was third in the conference and 39th nationally. His 1.1 tackles for loss per game average is also 12th-best in the SAC. He recorded 10 or more tackles on three occasions in 2022 including 14 at Barton, 13 at Mars Hill and 10 more against Carson-Newman.
Cantrell rounds out the Mountain Division first team after serving as TU's starting punter for the last five seasons. The 5-11, 175-pound graduate student from Sparta, Tennessee, finished fifth in the league in punting averaging 41.0 yards on his 58 attempts. His 24 punts inside the 20 were second in the league and led the conference with his 20 fair catches. He only had four punts result in touchbacks and did not have a kick blocked this season.
He tallied 13 punts over 50 yards including a career-long 70-yarder at Mars Hill, which is the seventh-longest in school history. He had two games where he recorded five punts inside the 20 with those coming against Chowan and Mars Hill.
Burke, a 5-6, 150-pound sophomore from Delray Beach, Florida, led Tusculum with his 36 receptions for 578 yards, which are both fifth in the league, while his six TD receptions were tops on the team and third in the conference. He posted a career-high 102 receiving yards on five catches in the season-finale at Lenoir-Rhyne. He had two TD catches against Emory & Henry and also averaged 21.8 yards on his six kickoff returns.
The offensive line duo of Shellenback and Lock garnered them both second team recognition. Shellenback, a 6-5, 300-pound junior left tackle from Melbourne, Florida, appeared in 10 games with nine starts. Lock, a 6-3, 300-pound junior from Tampa, played in nine games at right tackle including eight starts.
Moore, a graduate student from Jefferson, Georgia, was named the second team tight end. The 6-4, 225-pounder played in all 11 games with nine starts where he was credited with 12 receptions for 115 yards. In his two seasons at the position, he recorded 19 catches for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his 18 outings at tight end. He played his first two seasons at quarterback where he passed for 994 yards and seven touchdowns in his 13 games under center.
Curray, a 6-0, 205-pound sophomore long-snapper from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, appeared in eight games for the Pioneers where all of his snaps on the TU punt team were on target. Tusculum finished the season ranked 20th in the country in net punting (37.75) and 37th nationally in punt return defense (5.19 ypr)
Mira, a 6-2, 250-pound junior defensive lineman from Fort Myers, Florida, was credited with 34 total tackles including nine for loss and two sacks. He was tied for the team-lead with six quarterback hurries and also had a pass break-up. He had a career outing at UVA Wise as he posted eight tackles including three for loss with a sack. In the Wise game, he blocked a field goal with 58 seconds remaining to preserve a 10-9 win for the Pioneers.
Dolce, a 6-0, 190-pound graduate student from Union, New Jersey, finished third on the team with 55 tackles including six for loss and sack. He was also tied for the team-lead with three interceptions including a pick at Catawba which he returned for a 72-yard touchdown. The New Haven transfer also had four pass break-ups and four QB hurries to go along with a forced fumble and a recovery.
Witherspoon, a 6-0, 165-pound junior from Miami, Florida, was fourth on the roster with his 48 tackles including one for loss. He also tallied three passes defended with a pair of interceptions, to go along with one fumble recovery. He appeared in eight contests and tallied a season-high 11 tackles in the road win at Barton. He also tallied nine stops against Wingate and posted eight hits against Carson-Newman.
In his 23 career outings, Witherspoon has been credited with 126 tackles with four for loss. His six career interceptions for 104 return yards are both tied for the ninth-most in program history.
Robinson, a 5-11, 175-pound junior from Covington, Georgia, played in 10 games where he finished with 26 tackles including 24 solo hits. He had a fumble recovery and notched three interceptions including one at Catawba which was returned for a school-record 97-yard touchdown.
The Pioneers went 8-3 on the season and finished runner-up in the SAC Mountain Division. TU finished the regular-season leading the NCAA II with 19 interceptions. TU was also tops in the South Atlantic Conference in team passing efficiency defense (93.02 – 5th in NCAA II), defensive touchdowns (4 – 6th in NCAA II) and turnovers gained (25 – 9th in NCAA II).
2022 All-South Atlantic Conference Football Team
First Team Mountain Division Offense
QB – Tre Simmons, Tusculum
RB – Mekhai Johnson, Tusculum
RB – Jervon Newton, Mars Hill
RB – Grayson Overstreet, Emory & Henry
WR – Braxton Westfield, Carson-Newman
WR – Malik Laurent, Mars Hill
WR – Tmahdae Penn, Emory & Henry
OL – Leondre Andreas, Mars Hill
OL – Tommy Mahoney, Tusculum
OL – Justin Bullock, Mars Hill
OL – Ricky Dodson, Emory & Henry
OL – Christian Jones, Carson-Newman
TE – Ty Snelson, Mars Hill
PK – Christian Erwin, Carson-Newman
LS – Andrew Bradshaw, Carson-Newman
RS – Robert Carter, UVA Wise
First Team Mountain Division Defense
DL – Dajavon White, Tusculum
DL – Donovan Pinnix, Emory & Henry
DL – Joel Burgess, UVA Wise
DL – Frank Lee, Carson-Newman
LB – Landon Honeycutt, Mars Hill
LB – Ivan Phillips, Emory & Henry
LB – Wesley Scott, Tusculum
LB – Alonzo Houston, Carson-Newman
DB – Monroe Sanderson, Mars Hill
DB – Major Williams, Carson-Newman
DB – Robert Carter, UVA Wise
DB – Tristan Rankin, Mars Hill
P – Andrew Cantrell, Tusculum
Second Team Mountain Division Offense
QB – Jimmy Urzua, Mars Hill
RB – TJ King, Carson-Newman
RB – Tyree Nelson, Carson-Newman
RB – Kevon Catoe, Erskine
RB - Justin Hill, Emory & Henry
WR – Tyler Burke, Tusculum
WR – Trevarus Walker, Erskine
WR – Markel Harrison, UVA Wise
OL – Seth Branham, Mars Hill
OL – Preston Robertson, Emory & Henry
OL – Ben Shellenback, Tusculum
OL – Mike Peppin, Carson-Newman
OL – Joe Lock, Tusculum
TE – Bryce Moore, Tusculum
PK – Andre Labat, Mars Hill
LS – Josh Curray, Tusculum
RS – Mekhai Johnson, Tusculum
Second Team Mountain Division Defense
DL – Boris Lewis, Mars Hill
DL – Damipi Lamboni, Mars Hill
DL – Trayzel Jureidini-Wyche, Carson-Newman
DL – Joslyn Mira, Tusculum
LB – Jabril Norman, Mars Hill
LB – Jamari Smith, Erskine
LB – Ryan Dolce, Tusculum
LB – Caleb Goins, Carson-Newman
DB – Jermaine Witherspoon, Tusculum
DB – Nick Jackson, Mars Hill
DB – Addison Knicely, Emory & Henry
DB – Andrae Robinson, Tusculum
P - Michael Harrah, Carson-Newman
SAC Mountain Division Offensive Player of the Year: Ty Snelson, Mars Hill
SAC Mountain Division Defensive Player of the Year: Landon Honeycutt, Mars Hill
SAC Mountain Division Offensive Freshman of the Year: Justin Hill, Emory & Henry
SAC Mountain Division Defensive Freshman of the Year: Frank Lee, Carson-Newman
Jacobs Blocking Trophy: Evan Surgeon, Wingate
SAC Coach of the Year: Todd Knight, Newberry