Five Wildcats voted all-region
11/24/2009 8:30:35 PM | Football
WICHITA FALLS – Five ACU players have been voted to the Daktronics NCAA Division II all-Super Region Four football team, which was announced Tuesday afternoon.
Two Wildcats – senior offensive tackle Tony Washington and sophomore defensive end Aston Whiteside – were each voted to the first team. Senior safety Tony Harp and junior linebackers Fred Thompson and Kevin Washington were each voted second team all-region.
Defending regional champion Northwest Missouri State – which ended ACU's season last Saturday with a 35-10 win in the second round of the playoffs – had a region-best eight players voted to the team, including five to the first team. ACU, No. 1-ranked Central Washington, Midwestern State and West Texas A&M each had five players voted to the first team.
On Monday, Tony Washington was named one of eight finalists for the Gene Upshaw Award, which is awarded each season to the top lineman in NCAA Division II football. He was a first team all-Lone Star Conference South Division selection and is a two-time LSC South Division Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Whiteside, meanwhile, led the Wildcats in sacks with 9.5 and was second in tackles for loss with 14.5. He was a dominant player at the defensive end position, consistently drawing double-teams each week. He finished the season with 35 tackles, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and 17 quarterback hurries.
Kevin Washington, Harp and Thompson finished 1-2-3, respectively, in tackles at ACU in 2009. Kevin Washington had 76 tackles, while Harp finished with 74 and Thompson 64. Thompson led the Wildcats with 16.0 tackles for loss, while Kevin Washsington was third with 11.5 tackles for loss. Thompson also had 8.5 sacks, while Thompson had 5.0 sacks. Harp, meanwhile, had seven passes defended, five pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
2009 DAKTRONICS ALL-SUPER REGION FOUR
Offensive Player of the Year
Zack Eskridge, Midwestern State
Defensive Player of the Year
Zach Watkins, Washburn
| Pos. | Player | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| TE | Mike Higgins | Nebraska-Omaha | Jr. | 6-5 | 241 | Pickrel, Neb. |
| OL | Tony Washington | Abilene Christian | Sr. | 6-7 | 305 | New Orleans, La. |
| OL | Lance Calloway | Midwestern State | Sr. | 6-2 | 275 | Wylie, Texas |
| OL | Brett Grozinger | Northwest Missouri State | Jr. | 6-4 | 280 | Chillicothe, Mo. |
| OL | J'Marcus Webb | West Texas A&M | Sr. | 6-8 | 325 | Mesquite, Texas |
| OL | Markeith Wesley | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Sr. | 6-0 | 320 | Navasota, Texas |
| WR | Jake Soy | Northwest Missouri State | So. | 6-3 | 210 | Durant, Iowa |
| WR | Andy Tanner | Midwestern State | Sr. | 5-11 | 185 | Rockwall, Texas |
| QB | Zack Eskridge | Midwestern State | Jr. | 6-4 | 215 | Rowlett, Texas |
| RB | LaRon Council | Northwest Missouri State | Sr. | 5-10 | 210 | Kansas City, Mo. |
| RB | Fred Winborn | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Jr. | 6-0 | 200 | North Hollywood, Calif. |
| RS | Jerome Hewitt | Southeastern Oklahoma | Sr. | 5-5 | 170 | Gainesville, Texas |
| PK | Garrett Lindholm | Tarleton State | Sr. | 5-9 | 190 | Pflugerville, Texas |
FIRST TEAM -- DEFENSE
| Pos. | Player | Team | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| DL | Aston Whiteside | Abilene Christian | So. | 6-2 | 255 | Vernon, Texas |
| DL | William Green | Texas A&M-Commerce | Sr. | 5-10 | 290 | Dallas, Texas |
| DL | Calvin Fance | Angelo State | So. | 6-1 | 250 | Houston, Texas |
| LB | Zach Watkins | Washburn | Sr. | 6-0 | 235 | Independence, Mo. |
| LB | Marcus Phillips | Tarleton State | So. | 5-11 | 220 | Humble, Texas |
| LB | Buddy Wood | Central Washington | Sr. | 6-3 | 214 | Chattaroy, Wash. |
| LB | Chad Kilgore | Northwest Missouri State | So. | 6-1 | 225 | Orrick, Mo. |
| S | Myles Burnsides | Northwest Missouri State | Sr. | 5-11 | 195 | Maryville, Mo. |
| S | Giorgio Durham | Central Oklahoma | So. | 6-0 | 190 | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| CB | Micah Hill | Midwestern State | Sr. | 5-10 | 180 | Houston, Texas |
| CB | Rodney Mitchell | Eastern New Mexico | Jr. | 6-0 | 180 | Sarasota, Fla. |
| P | Mike Langston | Dixie State | Jr. | 6-2 | 200 | Riverside, Calif. |
SECOND TEAM -- OFFENSE
| Pos. | Player | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| TE | J.J. Ford | Midwestern State | Sr. | 6-4 | 240 | Garden City, Kan. |
| OL | Jason Wiseman | Northwest Missouri State | Jr. | 6-4 | 275 | Garden City, Mo. |
| OL | Nathan Martin | Missouri Western | Sr. | 6-2 | 280 | Wentzville, Mo. |
| OL | Tony Quirk | Central Washington | Sr. | 6-6 | 300 | Ellensburg, Wash. |
| OL | R.J. Brisbon | Texas A&M-Commerce | Sr. | 6-5 | 296 | Wetumpka, Ala. |
| OL | Jorge Guerra | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Sr. | 6-3 | 302 | Roma, Texas |
| WR | Cedric Houston | Missouri Western | Sr. | 6-0 | 195 | Kissimmee, Fla. |
| WR | Johnny Spevak | Central Washington | Sr. | 6-3 | 200 | Edgewood, Wash. |
| QB | Blake Bolles | Northwest Missouri State | Jr. | 6-4 | 210 | Lincoln, Neb. |
| RB | Keithon Flemming | West Texas A&M | Sr. | 6-0 | 210 | Mesquite, Texas |
| RB | Randall Eldridge | Central Washington | Sr. | 5-9 | 192 | Lynnwood, Wash. |
| RS | C.J. Lovett | Fort Hays State | Sr. | 6-1 | 190 | Thornton, Colo. |
| PK | Garrett Rolsma | Central Washington | Sr. | 6-1 | 200 | University Place, Wash. |
SECOND TEAM -- DEFENSE
| Pos. | Player | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| DL | Eugene Sims | West Texas A&M | So. | 6-6 | 235 | Mount Olive, Miss. |
| DL | Eric Lawrence | Washburn | Sr. | 6-2 | 205 | Belleglade, Fla. |
| DL | Jairius Jarvis | Missouri Southern | Sr. | 6-5 | 245 | Donaldsonville, La. |
| LB | Nathan Uland | Eastern New Mexico | Jr. | 5-10 | 210 | Denton, Texas |
| LB | Fred Thompson | Abilene Christian | Jr. | 5-10 | 250 | Houston, Texas |
| LB | Kevin Washington | Abilene Christian | Jr. | 6-1 | 250 | Sugar Land, Texas |
| LB | Bryan Braman | West Texas A&M | Jr. | 6-6 | 245 | Spokane, Wash. |
| S | Tony Harp | Abilene Christian | Sr. | 5-9 | 185 | San Antonio, Texas |
| S | Randy Shepherd | Central Missouri | Sr. | 5-11 | 190 | Kansas City, Kan. |
| CB | Ryan Jones | Northwest Missouri State | Jr. | 5-11 | 195 | Liberty, Mo. |
| CB | Tae Evans | West Texas A&M | Jr. | 6-0 | 195 | Amarillo, Texas |
| P | Kyle Hopf | Tarleton State | Jr. | 5-9 | 170 | Llano, Texas |
