GREENVILLE, SC – The Southern Conference football coaches have announced their preseason all-conference team in conjunction with the 2008 SoCon Football Rouser held on Wednesday in Greenville. The Terriers had eight players recognized by the league’s coaches, including three on the first team.
In addition, the conference’s nine head coaches have chosen Appalachian State as a near-unanimous choice to win the league championship, while Wofford was picked to finish third.
On the Southern Conference All-Conference team for the offense, the Terriers were led by offensive linemen Derek Wooten (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Ben Quick (San Diego, Calif.) on the first team. Fullback Dane Romero (West Chester, Ohio), offensive lineman Ben Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio) and tight end Fenn Allen (Concord, N.C.) were selected to the second team.
For the defense, Seth Goldwire (Guyton, Ga.) was selected to the All-SoCon first team at linebacker. Defensive tackle Layton Baker (Jacksonville, Fla.) was named to the second team, while place kicker Patrick Mugan (Hendersonville, N.C.) was named to the second team on special teams.
In the preseason poll, the Mountaineers garnered eight first-place votes and 64 total points in which coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team. Elon earned one first-place vote and 47 total points to finish second. Defending SoCon Champion Wofford was picked to finish third with 45 points, while Georgia Southern was fourth with 44 points. Furman (41) was fifth, while The Citadel (37), Chattanooga (19), Western Carolina (17) and Samford (10) rounded out the conference standings.
The Terriers will report to campus on Sunday, August 3 and begin practice on Monday, August 4. The first game will be on August 30 at Gibbs Stadium against Presbyterian College.
2008 Southern Conference Preseason All-Conference Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Armanti Edwards, Jr., QB, Appalachian State
Defensive Player of the Year: Pierre Banks, Sr., LB, Appalachian State
OFFENSE
First Team
QB Armanti, Edwards, Appalachian State
RB Bryan Fitzgerald, Chattanooga
RB Devon Moore, Appalachian State
OL Brad Coley, Appalachian State
OL Joel Bell, Furman
OL Derek Wooten, Wofford
OL Ben Quick, Wofford
OL (tie) Mario Acitelli, Appalachian State
OL (tie) Thomas Slaughter, Furman
TE Larry Hedden, Furman
WR Terrell Hudgins, Elon
WR CoCo Hillary, Appalachian State
Second Team
QB Scott Riddle, Elon
RB Mike Brown, Furman
RB Dane Romero, Wofford
OL William Giles, Chattanooga
OL Ben Miller, Wofford
OL Chris Werden, Elon
OL Kevin Wiggins, Western Carolina
OL Dan DeHaven, The Citadel
TE Fenn Allen, Wofford
WR Andre Roberts, The Citadel
WR (tie) Blue Cooper, Chattanooga
WR (tie) Bo Williamson, Elon
DEFENSE
First Team
DL Larry Beard, Georgia Southern
DL Tony Robertson, Appalachian State
DL Terrence Reese, The Citadel
DL Anthony Williams, Appalachian State
LB Corey Weaver, Elon
LB Pierre Banks, Appalachian State
LB Seth Goldwire, Wofford
DB Carson Hill, Georgia Southern
DB Thomas Twitty, Furman
DB Leonard Love, Appalachian State
DB Chris Covington, Georgia Southern
Second Team
DL Kevin McCaskill, The Citadel
DL Neil Brown, Chattanooga
DL Layton Baker, Wofford
DL Jeff Bradley, Western Carolina
LB Quintin Phillips, Western Carolina
LB Jacque Roman, Appalachian State
LB Joseph Thornton, Chattanooga
DB Raeshon Ball, Chattanooga
DB Cortez Gilbert, Appalachian State
DB Karlos Sullivan, Elon
DB (tie) William Middleton, Furman
DB (tie) Cameron McGlenn, Elon
SPECIALISTS
First Team
PK Jesse Hartley, Georgia Southern
P Brandon Lane, Elon
RS CoCo Hillary, Appalachian State
Second Team
PK Patrick Mugan, Wofford
P Mark Kaspar, The Citadel
RS Mike Brown, Furman
