FOREST, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team has seen 12 of its players named to the All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference Football Teams, ODAC officials announced Tuesday. The teams were voted on by the eight head coaches in the league. In addition, freshman quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.) was selected as ODAC Rookie of the Year while Head Coach Curt Newsome was honored by his peers as the ODAC Coach of the Year.

Saxton led the Wasps to an 8-2 season in his first year with the Wasps, throwing for 2,707 yards and 25 touchdowns with 238 completions and a 61.5% completion percentage. He also rushed for four touchdowns on the year en route to all-league third-team honors in addition to his Rookie of the Year award. All of his marks were the best in program history for a freshman and rank in the top five all-time in a season.

Senior wideouts Lucas Kirby (Covington, Va.) and Josh Smith (Radford, Va.) were named to the All-ODAC Second and Third Teams, respectively after leading the Wasps corps of receivers. Kirby had 56 catches for 580 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per catch for his second all-conference nod. Smith earned all-league honors for the first time, catching 69 passes for 648 yards and six scores. Kirby finishes his career ranked fifth all-time in receptions (135) while Smith’s 69 catches is good to tie for second in the single-season record book.

Also named to the All-ODAC Third Team was freshman running back Chris Thompson (Blue Ridge, Va.). Thompson ran for a team-high seven touchdowns and 597 yards on 107 carries. The Wasps scored 22 touchdowns in 2014, the most since 2000 when they ran for 23 scores.

E&H senior offensive linemen Donovan Sudderth (Murphy, N.C.) (First Team) and Isaac Bowman (Gray, Tenn.) (Second Team) earned all-league honors as well. The duo anchored both ends of the Wasps’ front five, which helped the offense average 466 yards of total offense and score 36.6 points per contest.

On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Paul Forney (Newton, N.C.) claimed All-ODAC First-Team accolades after finishing with 80 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for a loss. It is the third time that Forney has been named all-conference. Junior linebacker Rennel Marshall (Rustburg, Va.) was selected to the second team as he made 85 stops, 9.5 tackles for a loss, forced two fumbles and picked off a pair of passes.

Senior safety Roth Healey (Easton, Pa.) led the Emory & Henry defensive backfield with a team-high 99 tackles, picked off a league-high six passes, recovered four fumbles and forced three more, en route to all-league second-team accolades. He was also named ODAC Defensive Player of the Week on two separate occasions. Sophomore corner Tre’von Lightfoot (Big Island, Va.) was tabbed to the All-ODAC Third Team after making 38 stops and two interceptions to go along with four pass breakups.

Defensive end Jaylen Simmons (Johnson City, Tenn.) earned third-team all-conference honors after recording 39 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a team-high 14.5 tackles for a loss and forcing two fumbles during his sophomore season.

Senior punter Zach Nedzbala (Charlotte, N.C.) capped off his career with an All-ODAC Second Team nod as he averaged 38.7 yards per punt and placed 20 of his 45 kicks inside the 20 yardline. Nedzbala also became the Wasps’ kickoff specialist for the season, booming 27 of his 50 kickoffs for touchbacks.

Newsome’s coach of the year award becomes the sixth received by an E&H head coach – the previous five going to Hall-of-Famer Lou Wacker. It is the first time since 2000 that an E&H mentor has been selected as the best in the league. Newsome is the first coach since Washington and Lee’s Scott Abell in 2012 to win the award in his first year as a head coach.

After being picked to finish last in the league prior to the start of the season, Emory & Henry finished the year with an 8-2 record and in a four-way tie for first with a 5-2 mark in conference games.

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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H ‘15