Tigers' Coach Favret, W&L's Kurkis, BC's Highfill Also Honored
SALEM, Va. --- Hampden-Sydney College wide
receiver Drew Smith and Washington & Lee University defensive
back Kyle Luby took home the ODAC Offensive and Defensive Player of
the Year awards in the annual voting of the conferences' football
coaches. The Tigers' Marty Favret was tabbed the Coach of the
Year while W&L offensive lineman Greg Kurkis was named the
Freshman of the Year. Bridgewater College quarterback Jeff
Highfill picked up his second straight ODAC/Farm Bureau
Scholar-Athlete Award.
Smith, a senior from Richmond, Virginia, finished the season with
an ODAC record 110 catches for 1,616 yards, the second-best yardage
mark in league single-season history. Eight of his receptions
went for touchdowns. Smith's four years of production has
left him well represented in the ODAC record books. He
finishes his career with 271 receptions, third most all-time, and
his 4,244 receiving yards make him only the second ODAC receiver to
cross the 4,000-yard barrier (Nick Bublavi, CUA - 4,485).
Smith also hauled in 37 touchdown passes, second most in ODAC
history. Smith is one of 10 finalists for the Gagliardi
Trophy, awarded to the nation's top NCAA Division III football
student-athlete. The winner will be announced on December
13th in the lead up to the 35th Amos Alonzo
Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia.
Luby, a senior from Dallas, Texas, adds this year's All-ODAC first
team honor to a second team selection from last season. He
finished 2007 averaging 9.3 tackles per game (84 total) with three
stops behind the line of scrimmage and six passes broken up.
Luby totaled 10 or more tackles five times this season, racking up
a season-best 14 stops against Averett at Salem Stadium. His
efforts in the secondary helped W&L become the toughest pass
defense in the conference, surrendering only 157.0 yards per
game.
Favret just completed his eighth season at the helm of H-SC's
squad. This is his second ODAC top coaching honor, also
winning the award in 2003. Favret led his Tigers to an 11-3
overall record, 5-1 in league play, and their first conference
championship since 1987. His career record now stands at
57-27 (.679). The H-SC offense finished second in the league
in both passing yardage (317.0 ypg) and total offense (465.5
ypg). The Tigers opened NCAA play as the South region's
seventh seed, falling at Wesley College, 45-17.
Kurkis, from Roswell, Georgia, earned a spot on the All-ODAC second
team. Kurkis started every game at center for the Generals,
securing arguably the most pivotal position on the line. The
6-4 280-pound linchpin helped the W&L offense churn out 149.3
rushing yards per game, fourth-best in the conference.
Highfill, a senior from Roanoke, Virginia, wins his second
ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete Award in as many years in a vote
of the league's sports information directors. Through the
spring of 2007, Highfill boasted a 3.84 cumulative grade point
average while majoring in mathematics with a business
administration minor. Among his many academic accolades,
Highfill is a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy which is awarded
to the nation's top football scholar-athletes in all NCAA
divisions. On the field, Highfill finished the season second
in the conference in passing efficiency with a 144.1 rating.
He threw for 1,522 yards and 15 touchdowns while adding another 143
yards and four scores rushing.
Below is the entire list of the 2007 ODAC Football All-Conference
teams. For more information, visit the ODAC on the Internet
at www.odaconline.com.
2007 ODAC Football All-Conference Teams
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback: Josh Vogelbach - Guilford
Running Back: Josh Simpson - Hampden-Sydney
Running Back: Zak Thornton - Randolph-Macon
All-Purpose Back: Stuart Sitterson - Washington & Lee
Wide Receiver: Joe Joyner - Guilford
Wide Receiver: Drew Smith - Hampden-Sydney
Tight End: Josh Baumgartner - Hampden-Sydney
Offensive Line: Josh Clawson - Emory & Henry
Offensive Line: Anthony Cotton - Bridgewater
Offensive Line: Eric Crawford - Randolph-Macon
Offensive Line: Eric Mendel - Hampden-Sydney
Offensive Line: Alex Skotnicki - Washington & Lee
Kicker: Luke Hawk - Emory & Henry
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive Line: Matt Baldwin - Emory & Henry
Defensive Line: Travis Gantt - Bridgewater
Defensive Line: Tom Matteo - Washington & Lee
Defensive Line: Nate Shook - Randolph-Macon
Linebacker: Anthony DelBorrell - Catholic
Linebacker: Bryant Fulk - Washington & Lee
Linebacker: Evin O'Sullivan - Emory & Henry
Defensive Back: Kyle Luby - Washington & Lee
Defensive Back: Nick Olivero - Catholic
Defensive Back: Mark Snoddy - Washington & Lee
Defensive Back: Kyle Wiggins - Randolph-Macon
Punter: Scott Ruebush - Bridgewater
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback: Corey Sedlar - Hampden-Sydney
Running Back: Matt Gillespie - Emory & Henry
Running Back: Phillip Carter - Bridgewater
All-Purpose Back: Alex Ramirez - Randolph-Macon
Wide Receiver: Brandon Copeland - Bridgewater
Wide Receiver: Jack Martin - Washington & Lee
Tight End: Stuart May - Randolph-Macon
Offensive Line: Brad Davis - Guilford
Offensive Line: Brian Gay - Hampden-Sydney
Offensive Line: Greg Kurkis - Washington & Lee
Offensive Line: Blake Underwood - Guilford
Offensive Line: Kevin Wagner - Randolph-Macon
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive Line: Michael Jackson - Bridgewater
Defensive Line: Ray Johnson - Randolph-Macon
Defensive Line: Dustin Rexrode - Emory & Henry
Defensive Line: Mike Six - Guilford
Linebacker: Kyle Booker - Hampden-Sydney
Linebacker: Chris Collins - Randolph-Macon
Linebacker: Kyle Harvey - Washington & Lee
Defensive Back: Earl Chaptman - Bridgewater
Defensive Back: Joey Daniels - Emory & Henry
Defensive Back: Eric Dardozzi - Randolph-Macon
Defensive Back: Damien Ward - Bridgewater
Punter: T.C. Stevens - Hampden-Sydney
HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE
Michael Brooks - Wide Receiver, Hampden-Sydney
Daniel Felezzola - Offensive Line, Washington & Lee
Jeff Highfill - Quarterback, Bridgewater
Chris Mickno - Offensive Line, Emory & Henry
Hagen Miller - Wide Receiver, Guilford
Michael Norrett - Offensive Line, Randolph-Macon
Keith Ricca - Quarterback, Catholic
HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE
Scott Ahonen - Defensive Back, Randolph-Macon
Markas Brunson - Linebacker, Guilford
Jimmy Gift - Defensive Back, Washington & Lee
Bill Gross - Linebacker, Catholic
Mark Henson - Linebacker, Hampden-Sydney
Alex Wilkens - Safety, Bridgewater
Kevin Worley - Linebacker, Emory & Henry
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Smith, WR,
HSC
Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Luby, DB,
WLU
Freshman of the Year: Greg Kurkis, OL, WLU
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jeff Highfill, QB,
BC
Coach of the Year: Marty Favret, HSC