Football

Emory & Henry Football Chosen 10th In SAC Coaches Poll; Wasps Land 10 On Preseason All-Conference Team

Posted: Aug 02, 2024

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Emory & Henry University Football Team has been picked to finish in 10th place in the South Atlantic Conference this year by the league's head coaches. The poll was released by the SAC office on Monday.

E&H was ninth overall in the league last year with a 5-6 record, with a fourth-place finish in the Mountain Division at 4-5. This year's schedule will see three new opponents with Anderson (S.C.) University joining the league and new cross-division opponents Barton College and Lenoir-Rhyne University rotating onto the schedule.

Defending SAC Champion and 2023 Division II national semifinalist Lenoir-Rhyne is picked to win the league with six first-place votes. Wingate University is second in the poll with three top nods while Limestone University is third. Mars Hill University rounds out the first-place vote-getters in fourth place with two.

Additionally, the SAC has announced its Preseason All-Conference Teams with E&H earning 10 spots on the All-Mountain Team. Six of those spots come on the offensive side of the ball with junior Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) leading the way as a wide receiver and a return specialist. Senior Noah Sage (Jonesville, Va.) and junior Deshaun Sharp (Spotsylvania, Va.) earn spots on the team as offensive linemen while junior kicker Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.) and sophomore wide receiver Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) round out the list.

Defensively, senior Andre Crawley, Jr. (North Chesterfield, Va.) and sophomore Ean Rhea (Glade Spring Va.) represent the linemen. Senior Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was picked as a linebacker while fifth-year defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) concludes the group.

Emory & Henry gets the 2024 season underway on Saturday, August 31, hosting Glenville State University at 1:00 p.m.

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2024 SAC Football Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	School (FPV)	Points
1.	Lenoir-Rhyne (6)	104
2.	Wingate (3)	94
3.	Limestone	92
4.	Mars Hill (2)	87
5.	Newberry	73
6.	Tusculum	60
7.	Catawba	51
8.	Carson-Newman	49
9.	Barton	47
10.	Emory & Henry	33
11.	UVA Wise	20
12.	Anderson	16

2024 Preseason All-SAC Football Teams

ALL-MOUNTAIN OFFENSE QB – J.R. Martin, Mars Hill RB – Jon Gullette, Mars Hill RB – Jalen Hunt, Tusculum RB – Jayden Sullins, Carson-Newman WR – Malik Laurent, Mars Hill WR – Cam Abshire, Emory & Henry WR – Cam Peoples, Emory & Henry OL – Fletcher Gibson, Carson-Newman OL – Garrett Priest, Tusculum OL – Noah Sage, Emory & Henry OL – Christian Jones, Carson-Newman OL – Deshaun Sharp, Emory & Henry TE – Beau DeBerry, Mars Hill PK – Trace Butcher, Emory & Henry LS – Andrew Bradshaw, Carson-Newman *RS – Cam Peoples, Emory & Henry*		ALL-PIEDMONT OFFENSE QB – Dustin Noller, Limestone RB – Dwayne Wright, Newberry RB – Marquece Williams, Catawba WR – Bo Pryor, Catawba WR – DeAree Rogers, Lenoir-Rhyne WR – Songa Yates, Lenoir-Rhyne OL – Porfirio Acosta, Wingate OL – Charles Couch, Limestone OL – Damari Joyner, Newberry OL – Erwil Anthony, Wingate OL – Blake Martin, Wingate TE – John Godwin, Lenoir-Rhyne PK – Caleb Bonesteel, Wingate LS – Carson Keaton, Lenoir-Rhyne RS – DeAree Rogers, Lenoir-Rhyne

ALL-MOUNTAIN DEFENSE DL – Boris Lewis, Mars Hill DL – Jacorey Long, Carson-Newman *DL – Andre Crawley, Jr., Emory & Henry* *DL – Ean Rhea, Emory & Henry* *LB – Kaleb Lundy, Emory & Henry* LB – Dexter Fitzpatrick, Mars Hill LB – Mekhi Brown, Carson-Newman LB – Earnest Johnson III, Tusculum DB – Major Williams, Carson-Newman *DB – Addison Knicely, Emory & Henry* DB – Tristan Rankin, Mars Hill DB – Jermaine Witherspoon, Tusculum DB – Kendall Williams, Carson-Newman		ALL-PIEDMONT DEFENSE DL – Daniel Morrison, Wingate DL – Marquise Fleming, Wingate DL – Andre Jefferson, Lenoir-Rhyne DL – Bryan Bordeaux, Wingate LB – Dontorian Best, Wingate LB – Evan Simons, Catawba LB – Ty Cade, Limestone LB – Matt Smith, Barton DB – Jakarri Martin II, Catawba DB – Jeremiah Lomax, Limestone DB – Deno Wardlow, Catawba DB – James Ussery, Lenoir-Rhyne P – Bryan Frey, Limestone