Catawba’s Ellington, Wingate’s Jones Named to AFCA All-America Team

WACO, TEX. - Catawba junior defensive end, Ron Ellington (Charlotte, N.C.), and Wingate University senior cornerback David Jones (Greenville, S.C.) have been named to the 2006 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team which was announced on Tuesday by the American Football Coaches Association.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best ­ the coaches themselves.

Ellington was named the South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league in sacks with 8.5 this season and posting a team-leading 74 tackles.

Ron Ellington

David Jones

Jones started all 11 games at cornerback for Wingate in 2006. A first team All-South Atlantic Conference performer for the second year in a row, Jones recorded four interceptions in his senior campaign to bring his career total to 15. Jones also made 24 tackles (14 solo, 10 assists) in 2006 and knocked down 12 passes.

In a contest that pitted number 17 Newberry College and number 22 Wingate University on Oct. 21, Jones accounted for eight of the Bulldogs' 24 points on a 78-yard touchdown catch and a blocked punt for a safety.

Jones also made an impact on the offensive side of the football in 2006. He notched two receptions for two touchdowns, with an average of 62.5 yards per catch. The two receiving touchdowns in 2006, combined with his three interception returns for scores in his three previous seasons, give him a total of five visits to the end zone in his career.

In November, Jones was selected to play in the 2007 Hula Bowl. Jones is the first Bulldog to earn a spot in the Hula Bowl. He will play for the East Team. The all-star game is in its 61st year. ESPN will televise the game live on Sunday, January 14, 2007 at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). In addition, Jones was named to the 2006 Daktronics All-Southeast Region football second team in November.

In 2005, Jones intercepted five passes and made 37 tackles (30 solo, seven assists). Jones had 10 pass deflections and one forced fumble. Jones was a first team All-SAC selection. He had three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in a big SAC win over Lenoir-Rhyne. Jones was SAC Player of the Week twice in 2004 (Sept. 25 and Oct. 9). He led the Bulldogs with six interceptions and contributed 34 tackles as a sophomore in 2004.

THE DEFENSE

The defense is led by Albany State defensive lineman Alton Pettway. Pettway led Division II in quarterback sacks with 14.5 and was sixth nationally in tackles for loss with 22.5. Joining Pettway on the defensive line are Ellington, Odell Willis of West Georgia and Trey Lewis of Washburn.

Willis collected 53 tackles on the season, including seven sacks, which led the Gulf South Conference. Lewis was named the MIAA's Most Valuable Defensive Player. He finished third on the team with 62 tackles and had four sacks.

This year's linebackers include Charleston Hughes of Northwood, John Tackmann of Winona State and Mike Klobucher of Ferris State. Hughes led Division II with 6.5 solo tackles per game (71 total), and ranked fourth in the GLIAC in total tackles (9.4 per game) and fifth in tackles for loss (1.18 per game). Named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Tackmann ranked second to Hughes with 6.3 solo tackles per game and led the NSIC with 10.4 tackles per game. Klobucher racked up 92 total tackles, including 47 solo, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and two fumbles recovered.

The secondary feature's David Jones of Wingate, Darvin Peterson of Texas A&M-Commerce, Quincy Skinner of Arkansas Tech and Robert Towns of Harding. A first team All-South Atlantic Conference performer for the second year in a row, Jones recorded four interceptions, made 24 tackles and knocked down 12 passes. Peterson earned LSC North Division Defensive Back of the Year honors after recording four interceptions and leading the team with 81 total tackles. Skinner tied for the GSC lead with eight interceptions and recorded 63 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and five pass break-ups. Towns had a team-high eight interceptions, the third most in Harding history, and was second on the team with 57 tackles.

THE OFFENSE

Quarterback Cullen Finnerty of Grand Valley State is the signal-caller on the 2006 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team. In 2006, Finnerty led the nation in pass efficiency rating (175.3) and touchdown passes (40). He is one of four players in NCAA all-division history to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for over 2,000 yards.

Finnerty's receiving corps on this year's team features Anthony Merritt of North Alabama, Weston Dressler of North Dakota and Mike Peterson of Northwest Missouri State. Merritt caught 48 passes for 541 yards and four touchdowns, rushed for 181 yards and a touchdown and also threw three touchdown passes. Dressler led the nation with 90 receptions and also finished the season with a school-record 1,215 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. Peterson, twice named to the All-MIAA team, is the Bearcats' third leading receiver in 2006 with 34 catches for 497 yards, at an average of 14.6 yards per catch.

Chadron State's Danny Woodhead and Wayne State's (Mich.) Joique Bell are the runningbacks on this year's team. Woodhead became the first college player in history to rush for more than 2,700 yards in a season, finishing with a nation's best 2,756 yards. He also led NCAA Division II in scoring with 38 touchdowns (228 points). Bell set the Wayne State and GLIAC single-season rushing mark and became the 14th player in NCAA D-II history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season (2,065). In addition, he set school records for rushing touchdowns (22) and total touchdowns (23).

The offensive line features Allen Barbre of Missouri Southern State, Jason Capizzi of Indiana (Pa.), Tim McCutcheon of California (Pa.), John Cook of Texas A&M-Kingsville and Rayshaun Hollings of Southeastern Oklahoma State. Barbre helped lead an offensive line that saw Adam Hinspeter become just the second quarterback in Missouri Southern history to throw for 2,500 yards twice in a career. Capizzi was the leader of an offensive line that led the way for 171.7 yards rushing per game and allowed a total of nine sacks on the year. McCutcheon was the lead blocker for an offense that ranked among the PSAC leaders in rushing offense (199.5, first), passing offense (217.9, fourth), total offense (417.9, first) and scoring offense (31.0, third). Cook allowed only one quarterback sack in 321 pass attempts, had 79 knockdowns and paved the way for a quartet of 100-yard rushing performances. Hollings was the top lineman for the nation's seventh-best passing attack (276.5 ypg) and earned LSC North Division Lineman of the Year honors.

THE SPECIALISTS

Stefan Logan of South Dakota is the all-purpose player on the AFCA Division II Coaches All-America Team. Logan rushed for 1,707 yards, had a 15.9 yard punt return average (7th nationally) and a 28.2 kickoff return average (10th nationally). Logan's single season total of 2,670 all purpose yards ranked second in Division II and is the fourth-best single season total ever in Division II.

The placekicker is Mitch Warfield of West Alabama. Warfield earned first-team All-GSC honors after going 10 of 14 in field goals and a perfect 37 of 37 on PATs. East Central punter Curtis Lilly was nation's leading punter with a 45.2 average. Fourteen of his punts traveled 50 yards or better and he set school records for punting average in a game (52.0), season (45.2) and career (42.4) in 2006.

2006 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team

Offense

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Hometown (High School)
WR Anthony Merritt 6-0 189 Sr. North Alabama Columbus, Ga. (Shaw)
WR Weston Dressler 5-8 164 Jr. North Dakota Bismarck, N.D. (Bismarck)
TE Mike Peterson 6-3 245 Jr. Northwest Missouri St. Atlantic, Iowa (Atlantic)
OL Allen Barbre 6-4 295 Sr. Missouri Southern St. Granby, Mo. (East Newton)
OL Jason Capizzi 6-9 315 Sr. Indiana (Pa.) Gibsonia, Pa. (Pine-Richland)
C Tim McCutcheon 6-4 305 Jr. California ( Pa.) Sewickley, Pa. (Quaker Valley)
OL John Cook 6-3 310 Sr. Texas A&M-Kingsville Houston, Texas (Spring Woods)
OL Rayshaun Hollings 6-2 290 Sr. Southeastern Okla. St. Grand Prairie, Texas (Grand Prairie)
QB Cullen Finnerty 6-2 210 Sr. Grand Valley St. Brighton, Mich. (Brighton)
RB Danny Woodhead 5-9 200 Jr. Chadron St. North Platte, Neb. (North Platte)
RB Joique Bell 6-0 213 Fr. Wayne St. (Mich.) Benton Harbor, Mich. (Benton Harbor)

Defense

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Hometown (High School)
DL Ron Ellington 6-4 225 Jr. Catawba Charlotte, N.C. (Independence)
DL Odell Willis 6-3 242 Sr. West Georgia Yantley, Ala. (Choctaw County)
DL Trey Lewis 6-3 290 Sr. Washburn Topeka, Kan. (Washburn Rural)
DL Alton Pettway 6-3 258 Sr. Albany St. Bay Minette, Ala. (Baldwin County)
LB Charleston Hughes 6-1 235 Sr. Northwood Saginaw, Mich. (Saginaw)
LB John Tackmann 6-2 210 Sr. Winona St. Eau Claire, Wis. (Altoona)
LB Mike Klobucher 6-2 248 Sr. Ferris St. Grand Haven, Mich. (North Muskegon)
DB David Jones 6-1 196 Sr. Wingate Greenville, S.C. (Greenville)
DB Darvin Peterson 6-0 200 Sr. Texas A&M-Commerce Mesquite, Texas (Dallas Adamson)
DB Quincy Skinner 5-10 170 Jr. Arkansas Tech Coral Springs, Fla. (Ely)
DB Robert Towns 5-11 195 Sr. Harding Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest)

Specialists

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Hometown (High School)
P Curtis Lilly 6-5 225 Sr. East Central McIntire, Iowa (Riceville)
PK Mitch Warfield 5-9 154 Fr. West Alabama Bay Minette, Ala. (Baldwin County)
AP Stefan Logan 5-7 180 Sr. South Dakota Miami, Fla. (Jackson)