South Atlantic Conference Places 11 on Daktronics All-South Region Football Team

ROCK HILL, SC -- Six South Atlantic Conference teams placed 11 representatives on the 2002 Daktronics All-South Region Team.

Mars Hill linebacker Khalid Abdullah, the SAC's Defensive Player of the Year, was one of four players on the First Team. Abdullah and Wingate University punter Richard Straup were two of four players on the team making the First Team for the second year in a row.

Also named to the first team were Carson-Newman offensive guard Bakari Wilkerson and Tusculum offensive tackle Alan Dunn.

Catawba College placed four representatives on the second team: Wide receiver Nick Means, linebacker Todd McComb, cornerback Jamel Jackson and kicker Allan Rohrbaugh.

Carson-Newman offensive tackle Reggie Perkins also was named to the second team.

Presbyterian had two representatives on the second team: Defensive lineman Nacomma Maxwell and safety Ryan Bowers.

First team honorees move on to the national ballot. The Daktronics All-America team will be released Dec. 18.

Wilkerson, a 6-4, 280 offensive guard from Chattanooga helped lead the Eagle rushing attack which was tops in Division II at 346.5 yards per game. Perkins, a 6-2, 250 offensive tackle from Rome, Ga. started every game at left tackle for the Eagles in 2002. Both Wilkerson and Perkins were selected to the All-South Atlantic Conference team after helping to lead the Eagles to a 12-1 record, their 16th conference title and a spot in the NCAA playoffs.

Dunn, a 6-7, 310-pound junior from Chattanooga, Tenn. (Boyd Buchanan H.S.), moves up to the First Team after earning Second Team honors in 2001.

Dunn adds All-South Region honors to his impressive list of accolades, which includes being named the 2002 recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy which is awarded to the best blocking back or lineman in the South Atlantic Conference. Dunn is a two-time All-Conference honoree and is a three-year starter for the Pioneers. Tusculum posted a 7-4 record, its third consecutive winning season which is a first in the program's history.

Dunn anchored the line for the top passing offense in the South Atlantic Conference that averaged 288.2 yards per game. He is also a preseason All-American honoree by the Football Weekly Gazette.

Means, a senior from Thomasville High School, led the league in receiving yards and was fourth in total receptions. For the season, he made 54 catches for 785 yards and eight scores. He leaves as the career record holder at Catawba in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns. He was a two-time All- SAC first team and second team All-South selection. Rohrbaugh, a red-shirt freshman from West Davidson High School, led the league in scoring and field goals. For the season, he converted on 14 of 18 field goals and was 28 of 33 on extra points.

On defense, McComb, a senior from Thomasville High School, led Catawba with 99 tackles. He finished all-time at Catawba with 401 career stops. He was credited with four sacks and added a pair of interceptions and forced a fumble. He was a two-time All-SAC selection and a four-time all-region pick. Jackson, a junior from Concord High School, finished second in the SAC with seven interceptions, which ranked fifth in the nation. He added 33 tackles and a fumble recovery.

The Daktronics All-Region team is selected by a vote of the sports information directors at football-playing institutions in the South Region. The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.