JOHNSON IS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE
YEAR
NEWBERRY, S.C.
-- The University of North Alabama
placed nine players on the 2009
Daktronics All-Super Region 2 team,
with UNA senior linebacker Michael
Johnson named the region's Defensive
Player of the Year.
UNA's six first-team selections
included, Johnson, lineman Montrell
Craft and cornerback Jason Tate on
defense, tackle Calvin Wilson on
offense, as well as punter Will
Batson and place kicker Kenny
Spencer.
UNA's second-team all-region picks
were wide receiver Mico McSwain,
linebacker Nicholas Walker and
safety Quinton Andrews.
Johnson, a Panama City, Fla., native
is UNA's leading tackler for the
fourth straight season with 102
tackles, including 14.5 tackles for
loss. He is a four-time All-Gulf
South Confence pick and was
previously selected as GSC Defensive
Player of the Year as well.
Craft, a senior from Memphis, Tenn.,
is all-region for the second
straight year. He has 59 total
tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss of
54 yards. He was also first-team
All-GSC. Tate, a senior from
Orlando, Fla., has 37 tackles and
two interceptions for the Lions this
season. He was a second-team All-GSC
selection. Wilson, a Hattiesburg,
Miss., native, has helped pave the
way for a UNA offense that is among
the national leaders in scoring,
passing and total offense. He was
also a first-team All-GSC pick.
Batson, a senior from Killen, Ala.,
has a 41.9 punting average that
ranks among the Division II national
leaders. He was All-GSC, All-Region
and All-American in 2008 and was a
first-team All-GSC pick again this
Fall.
Spencer, a Glenwood, Iowa native, is
UNA's leading scorer with 96 points.
He is 12-of-17 on field goal
attempts and 60-of-63 on PATs for 96
total points. He was a first-team
All-GSC pick. McSwain, a native of
Richton, Miss., is UNA's second
leading receiver with 50 catches for
890 yards and eight touchdowns. He
was a first-team All-GSC selection.
Andrews, from Miami, Fla., is UNA's
second leading tackler with 68 total
stops, and he also leads the Lions
with six interceptions. He was a
first-team All-GSC selection.
Walker, from Memphis, Tenn., has 58
tackles to rank fifth on the UNA
squad. He was also first-team All-GSC.
UNA led the way with nine total
selections, including six first-teamers.
Fellow regional finalists
Carson-Newman had five total
selections, as did playoff teams
Arkansas Tech and West Alabama.
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. Voting for the
all-region and All-American teams is
powered by ATHLETICSITE.COM.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Pos. Name School Yr.
TE Jarrell NeSmith *^ Tusculum Sr.
WR Frantz Simeon * Arkansas Tech Sr.
WR Landon Turner Arkansas Tech Sr.
OL Torrence Wright *# Arkansas Tech
Sr.
OL Michael Tribue Carson-Newman Sr.
OL Calvin Wilson North Alabama Sr.
OL Matt Holmes Newberry Jr.
OL Josh Sims Mars Hill Sr.
QB Nick Graziano *! Arkansas Tech
Sr.
RB Jonas Randolph * Mars Hill So.
RB Buck Wakefield ^ Carson-Newman
Sr.
RS Terry Allen * West Alabama Jr.
K Kenny Spencer * North Alabama Sr.
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Pos. Name School Yr.
DL Montrell Craft * North Alabama
Sr.
DL Cedric Thornton Southern Arkansas
Jr.
DL Andre Bernardi #& North
Greenville Sr.
LB Michael Johnson *!^ North Alabama
Sr.
LB Lardester Hicks-Green ^@ Delta
State Gr.
LB Tariq Ali West Alabama Sr.
LB Jonathan Hall Tuskegee Sr.
CB Jason Tate * North Alabama Sr.
CB Shontral Ford West Alabama R-Fr.
S Josh Jones * Harding Sr.
S Ron Parker Newberry Jr.
P Will Batson *^ North Alabama Sr.
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Pos. Name School Yr.
TE Ryan Webber Wingate Sr.
WR Mico McSwain North Alabama Jr.
WR Jeremy Young Ouachita Baptist Sr.
OL Brad Latham Delta State Sr.
OL Terence Crosby Catawba Sr.
OL Ben Benshoof Wingate Sr.
OL Justin Moore West Alabama Jr.
OL Jarod Porter West Alabama Jr.
QB Alex Good Carson-Newman Sr.
RB Keldrick Johnson Ouachita Baptist
Sr.
RB Demetrice Johnson Albany State
Sr.
RS Frantz Simeon Arkansas Tech Sr.
K Gareth Rowlands Tusculum Jr.
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Pos. Name School Yr.
DL Danny Anderson Tuskegee Jr.
DL Zeke Andrews Carson-Newman So.
DL Jerry McNeil Ouachita Baptist Sr.
LB William Hollis Clark Atlanta Jr.
LB Nicholas Walker North Alabama Sr.
LB Charlie Wilson Morehouse So.
LB Brian Brown Carson-Newman Sr.
CB Justin Hannah Tuskegee Sr.
CB Antonio Patton Newberry Sr.
S Quinton Andrews North Alabama Sr.
S Mario Fuller Albany State Jr.
P John Gregory #% Tusculum Sr
