Three Wildcats named all-region
12/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Three Wildcats named Daktronics all-region
Lively, Manning named first team; Walton named 2nd team
ABILENE - Three ACU Wildcats have been named to the 2003 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-West Region football team, including two players to the first team.
Senior offensive tackle Britt Lively and redshirt freshman safety Danieal Manning were named to the first team, while senior defensive end Brad Walton was named to the second team.
Lively, who was also named first team all-America by the American Football Coaches' Association on Wednesday, was the top vote-getter at the tackle position, and is joined at the position by Midwestern State senior Curtis Bolden.
Manning -- who led the Wildcats with six interceptions, caught two touchdown passes and returned a kickoff for a touchdown -- was one of two safeties voted to the first team defensive unit. Manning, a native of Corsicana, was a first team all-Lone star Conference South Division selection and the LSC South Division Freshman of the Year in 2003.
Walton, a native of Fort Worth and graduate of Fort Worth Christian High School, led the Lone Star Conference in sacks with nine, helping ACU collect an LSC-leading 31 sacks on the season. He was a first team all-LSC South Division selection in 2003.
Lively, a three-year starter for the Wildcats after transferring from Texas A&M prior to the 2001 season, anchored an ACU offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks for 91 yards in losses last season and only 43 sacks for 304 yards in losses in the last three seasons.
Manning might have been the best athlete in the LSC, and he played like it in the Wildcats' six games. The redshirt freshman from Corsicana finished the season with 56 tackles (28 solo), including 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He also had a team-best six interceptions, four pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
He also contributed big plays on both offense and special teams, scoring touchdowns in both areas during the season. Offensively he caught six passes for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and on special teams he returned a combined 30 kicks (punts and kickoffs) for 462 yards and one score (97-yard kickoff return against Texas A&M-Commerce).
Walton was the ringleader of an ACU defense that finished third in the LSC in total defense (298.8 yards per game), third in scoring defense (19.0 points per game) and first in sacks (31). His nine sacks in 2003 gave him 18 for his career, eighth-best on the school's all-time list. Walton finished with 38 tackles (18 solo), including 13.5 tackles for loss.
