Runnin' Bulldogs Place Nine On All-Big South Conference Squad
November 23, 2011 | Football
CHARLOTTE - Nine Gardner-Webb student-athletes earned All-Big South Conference Football honors Tuesday, as chosen by the league's head coaches and select media members.
The Runnin' Bulldogs had six players on the first-team All-Big South squad, with James Perry III (Greensboro, N.C. / Dudley HS) earning first-team honors for the fourth time in his career.
Perry finished his career as the all-time leader in Big South history with 223 catches and was second in the league record book with 2,673 yards through the air. He caught 42 passes for 590 yards in 2011 - his fourth-straight season with at least 40 receptions in a Gardner-Webb uniform. Perry also tied a school-record with at least one catch in all 43 games he played for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Dunaway (Lyman, S.C. / Byrnes HS), who was also selected to the Big South's All-Academic team Tuesday, enjoyed a strong season in his first full-time action at guard. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder started all 11 games and graded out at 85.7 percent for the season. He led the Runnin' Bulldogs with 63 knockdown blocks and helped GWU produce its first 1,000-yard rusher since 2000. Dunaway has started 33 consecutive games for Gardner-Webb, playing left tackle and left guard during his career. His academic prowess has produced a 3.67 grade point average with a major in math education.
Dunaway was whistled for just one penalty in 724 snaps, and did not allow a sack against Big South Conference opponents.
Gardner-Webb led the league with three first-team All-Big South selections on the defensive side of the football, including two on the defensive line.
Preston Pemasa (Garden Grove, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) was the leading vote getter among defensive lineman, earning a spot on the first team for the second season in a row. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound sophomore led the league's defensive linemen with 46 total tackles and paced the circuit with 13.5 tackles for loss. Pemasa also had 4.0 sacks, which ranked third in the conference in 2011. Pemasa has registered 11.0 career sacks in two seasons and already ranks No. 8 in Gardner-Webb history in tackles for loss through two seasons.
Matt Goods (East Orange, N.J. / Milford (NY) Prep) enjoyed another strong season on the interior line, and earned his second All-Conference award. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound redshirt sophomore was one of the Big South's most productive tackles, finishing with 34 total tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Goods was at his best against league opponents, collecting 20 of his tackles in Big South play.
Marty Patterson (Mt. Airy, Ga. / Habersham Central HS) was a first-team All-Big South linebacker for the second time in his career, which concluded with the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder leading the league in tackles for the second time since 2009. Patterson collected 102 tackles (60 solo), 10.0 tackles for loss and a sack in just nine games. Patterson ranked No. 11 nationally in tackles per game and averaged 13.0 tackles per game in Big South play. He finished 12th in school history with 323 total tackles and 33.0 tackles for loss.
Patterson finished a very close second in voting for Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Ricky Rhodes (Richmond, Ky. / Madison Central HS) earned first-team All-Big South honors as a punt returner, and was one of the league's most dangerous all-purpose backs in 2011. The 5-foot-7, 175-pound speedster averaged 134.5 all-purpose yards per game and led the league with 11.0 yards per punt return (13 returns). Rhodes, who also played running back and receiver, rushed for 553 yards and three touchdowns on 118 carries and became just the second non-quarterback in league history to pass for more than one touchdown - completing 3-of-3 passes for 40 yards and a pair of scores. Both touchdown passes came in Big South wins for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Kenny Little (Flanders, N.J.) earned second-team All-Big South Conference after a breakthrough season running the football. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound redshirt junior carried a career-high 200 times for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns - becoming the first Gardner-Webb running back to top the 1,000-yard mark since Justin Richardson did so in 2000. Little is the first running back since the school moved to NCAA Division I in 2000 to have four games of at least 140 yards in the same season, and is the first since Chris Foster in 2003 to top the 100-yard mark in six games. He ranks No. 15 on Gardner-Webb's career rushing list after just 22 games played.
Right tackle Steve Demilio (Millersville, Md. / Milford (NY) Prep) also earned second-team honors on offense after clearing several large holes for Little to run through in 2011. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound redshirt junior graded out at a team-high 92.0 percent in 11 games (716 snaps) and ranked among the team leaders with 41 knockdown blocks. Demilio allowed just one sack in Big South Conference play, and has made 22 consecutive starts at right tackle.
Kicker Trever Austin (Shelby, N.C. / Crest HS) was named second-team All-Big South Conference as well, after leading the league with 12 field goals and in field goal accuracy (12-of-15, 80.0 percent). Austin also successfully converted 21-of-22 PAT kicks and was successful on his lone onside kick effort in 2011. Austin scored 57 points in 2011, which led Gardner-Webb in that category and ranked among the league leaders in kick scoring.
Austin was the only true freshman to earn All-Big South Conference honors as a first or second team selection, and was second in voting for the league's Freshman of the Year award.
Gardner-Webb was third among the league's seven schools with its nine overall selections, tying Coastal Carolina (9) and trailing only Liberty (15) and Stony Brook (10). Presbyterian (7), VMI (5) and Charleston Southern (4) rounded out the group. GWU had the second-most student-athletes selected to the first team, along with Stony Brook (6).
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
QB Mike Brown, R-Sr., Liberty
RB Miguel Maysonet, Jr., Stony Brook
RB Brock Jackolski, Sr., Stony Brook
WR Chris Summers, R-Sr., Liberty
WR James Perry III, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
WR Nathan Perera, Soph., Charleston Southern
TE Tommy Shaver, R-Sr., Liberty
OL Joe Faiella, Sr., Stony Brook
OL Rob Bailey, Sr., VMI
OL Jamie Dunaway, Jr., Gardner-Webb
OL Malcolm Boyd, Jr., Liberty
OL Max Travis, Sr., Presbyterian College
DEFENSE
DL Preston Pemasa, Soph., Gardner-Webb
DL Ryan Haber, R-Sr., Stony Brook
DL Brian Davis, Sr., Presbyterian College
DL Matt Goods, R-Soph., Gardner-Webb
LB Marty Patterson, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
LB A.J. Gross, R-Sr., VMI
LB Jawara Dudley, Soph., Stony Brook
LB Andrae Jacobs, Jr., Coastal Carolina
DB Justin Bethel, Sr., Presbyterian College
DB Josh Norman, Sr., Coastal Carolina
DB Charles James, R-Jr., Charleston Southern
DB Chris Kuzdale, Sr., Charleston Southern
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Wesley Skiffington, R-Jr., Stony Brook
P Mike Larsson, Sr., Liberty
LS Richard Wright, R-Soph., Liberty
KR Kevin Fogg, Jr., Liberty
PR Ricky Rhodes, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
QB Kyle Essington, Jr., Stony Brook
RB Kenny Little, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
RB Lance Byrd, Jr., Presbyterian College
WR Pat Kelly, Jr., Liberty
WR Matt Hazel, Soph., Coastal Carolina
WR Tracy Hairston, R-Sr., VMI
TE Jamie Childers, Sr., Coastal Carolina
OL Steve Demilio, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
OL Jamey Cheatwood, R-Soph., Coastal Carolina
OL Toney White, R-Sr., Liberty
OL Tim Franklin, Sr., Coastal Carolina
OL Aaron Lundy, R-Jr., Liberty
DEFENSE
DL Asa Chapman, Sr., Liberty
DL Roosevelt Kirk, Sr., Stony Brook
DL Chris Thomas, Jr., Coastal Carolina
DL Francis Bah, R-Soph., Liberty (tie)
DL Derren Evans, Sr., Presbyterian College (tie)
LB Nick Sigmon, R-Fr., Liberty
LB CeeJay Harris, Sr., Presbyterian College
LB Mike Chocholousek, Jr., Charleston Southern
LB Desmond Steward, Sr., Coastal Carolina
DB Byron Allen, R-Sr., VMI
DB Walt Aikens, R-Soph., Liberty
DB Dominick Reyes, R-Jr., Stony Brook
DB Kevin Fogg, Jr., Liberty
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Trever Austin, Fr., Gardner-Webb
P Patrick Morgano, Jr., Presbyterian College
LS Mike Chocholousek, Jr., Charleston Southern
KR Brock Jackolski, Sr., Stony Brook
PR Niccolo Mastromatteo, Soph., Coastal Carolina
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Richard Mounce, R-Jr., QB, Charleston Southern
Marcus Lott, Sr., DB, Coastal Carolina
Jamie Dunaway, Jr., OL, Gardner-Webb
Matt Bevins, Sr., K, Liberty
James Festa, Soph., OL, Presbyterian College
Kyle Essington, Jr., QB, Stony Brook
A.J. Gross, R-Sr., LB, VMI
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Miguel Maysonet, Jr., RB, Stony Brook
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Justin Bethel, Sr., DB, Presbyterian College
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Donelle Williams, LB, Presbyterian College
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chuck Priore, Stony Brook
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Marcus Lott, Sr., DB, Coastal Carolina
