FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2007
Contact:  Dwayne Hanberry, SCAC Associate Commissioner

SCAC announces 2007 All-Conference Football Team

SUWANEE, Ga. - In exclusive voting by the head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), Juan Joseph of Millsaps College was selected as the league's Offensive Player-of-the-Year for the second consecutive season while Desmond Hendricks of Rhodes College and Casey Younger of Millsaps split the coaches' vote to share the league's Defensive Player-of-the-Year honor.

In the same balloting, Walter Arrington of Birmingham-Southern College was named the SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year and John Milazzo of Millsaps was selected as Special Teams Player-of-the-Year. Steve Mohr of Trinity University was selected as the league’s Coach-of-the-Year.

Juan Joseph, a 6-2, 178-pound junior quarterback from Edgard, La., is just the fourth player in SCAC history to earn the league's Offensive POTY award in back-to-back seasons and the first to do so since Trinity All-American Roy Hampton in 2001 and 2002. Joseph shattered all of the single-season school records he set in 2006, passing for 2,860 yards and 31 touchdowns (tops in the SCAC) against just six interceptions. He completed 254 of his 394 attempts on the season - averaging a league-best 317.8 yards per game with a pass efficiency rating of 148.36 (second in the SCAC). He also led the league in total offense, averaging 321.4 yards per game. A three-time SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Week selection during the season, Joseph broke three single-game, six single-season and four career school records this season and ranked fifth in all of Division III in both total offense and passing yards per game.

Joseph received four votes in the Offensive POTY voting, followed closely by Blake Barmore of Trinity with three votes. Jeremiah Marks of DePauw University and Nolan Swett of Colorado College each received one vote.

Desmond Hendricks, a 6-2, 223-pound junior linebacker from Chattanooga, Tenn., led the SCAC in both sacks (10.5) and tackles-for-loss (19) this season. He ranked 12th and 16th respectively in the nation during the regular season in those two categories. A two-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week selection, Hendricks finished the season with 44 solo and 25 assisted tackles for 69 total tackles. He forced two fumbles and had three fumble recoveries, including a 65-yard return for a score in the 27-13 upset of 12th-ranked Trinity. Hendricks is the first Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection from Rhodes in the SCAC era (1991-forward).

Casey Younger, a 6-1, 260-pound senior defensive tackle from Vicksburg, Miss., finished third in the league in sacks (seven) and fourth in tackles-for-loss (11). He had a career-high four tackles for loss and three sacks in the 42-0 shutout of Rhodes amd was rewarded with the SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honor. A ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection, Younger finished the 2007 campaign with 23 solo and 22 assisted tackles for 45 total tackles. He finishes his career ranked in the Top 15 in Millsaps history with 180 tackles, 29 tackles-for-loss and 12 sacks. Younger is the Majors' first Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection since All-American linebacker Matt O'Bryant won the award in back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002.

In addition to the three votes that Hendricks and Younger each received for Defensive POTY, Adam Hay of Centre College earned two votes and Baron Koch of Trinity picked up the remaining vote.

A new honor was added this year to the SCAC postseason awards menu and it is fitting that a player from a first-year program is its first recipient. Walter Arrington, a 5-7, 175-pound receiver from Bessemer, Ala., was voted as the SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year. Arrington finished the season ranked in the Top 10 in the SCAC in several categories, including all-purpose yards (120.9 per game - second), kick return yardage (21.8 per return - third), receiving yards per game (51.9 - eighth) and receptions per game (4.75 - sixth). He had 33 receptions for 380 yards and two scores for the Panthers and also rushed the ball 30 times for 72 yards and another TD.

Arrington received four votes in the NOTY balloting to nose out Alex Koors of DePauw, who received three votes. Chalankis Brown of Sewanee-University of the South picked up the remaining two votes.

John Milazzo, a 5-9, 180-pound punt/kick returner from Hammond, La., led the SCAC and was 33rd in the nation in punt returns this season, averaging 11.5 yards per take-back. He also averaged 23.3 yards per kick return and had eight catches for 142 yards and a touchdown as a wide receiver. Milazzo continued Millsaps' legacy of elite return men that was established last season by the 2006 SCAC Special Teams Player-of-the-Year, All-American Chris Jackson.

Milazzo garnered six votes in the Special Teams Player-of-the-Year voting. Peter Licalzi of Trinity received the remaining three votes.

Steve Mohr, this season's SCAC Coach-of-the-Year honoree, is no stranger to the award as this is the 10th time in his career he has been voted the honor by his peers. Having just finished his 18th season as head coach at Trinity, Mohr wrapped up the Tigers' 14th SCAC championship in the last 15 years (co-champions with Millsaps) and the program's 10th post season appearance in the last 11 years with a 9-2 overall mark; 6-1 in conference. He has posted a career mark of 145-54 and established himself as the winningest coach in school history, both in total victories and winning percentage (.729). Mohr has twice been named Division III National Coach-of-the-Year (1998, 2002) and is a four-time AFCA Regional Coach-of-the-Year. In 2002, Trinity advanced to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the Division III National Championship game in Salem, Virginia - the farthest a SCAC school has ever advanced in the NCAA Football Playoffs.

Mohr captured six votes in the COTY balloting, followed by Matt Walker of DePauw with two votes and Joe White of Rhodes with one.