16 earn All-SAC honors in football

Sixteen Wayland Baptist Pioneers – headlined by senior tight end Caleb O'Connor and senior offensive lineman Keaton Vawter on the first team and junior running back De'Sean Johnson, junior defensive lineman JaQuavious Dean and senior defensive back Richard Parham II on the second squad – were named to the All-Sooner Athletic Conference Football Team.
 
Earning honorable mention honors for the Pioneers were freshman linebacker Manny Arguijo, sophomore kicker Edgar Baeza, sophomore offensive lineman Jacob Boswell, junior linebacker Jared Brown, senior offensive lineman Darian Flores, sophomore kick returner Daniel Hurn, junior wide receiver Brayln Kirby, junior defensive back Nehemiah Rogers, freshman defensive end Kevin White, junior defensive back Darrian Williams, and senior offensive lineman Jaxon Williams.
 
Vawter, is a four-time all-conference honoree, earning honorable mention recognition his freshman and sophomore seasons and first-team accolades the last two years. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound center from Bridgeport, Texas, anchored the front line for an offense that this season ranked fourth in the SAC in scoring offense. His grade-out average was 94 percent and averaged a team-best four knockdown blocks a game. Vawter also was a Google Cloud Academic All-District honoree.
 
This is O'Connor's third all-conference recognition on the heels of honorable mentions his freshman and junior seasons. He was recognized the previous two times as a punter and last year as both a punter and tight end. In 2018, the 6-3, 230-pound O'Connor, of Andrews, caught 17 passes for 206 yards (12.1 avg.) and tied for the team-lead with three receiving touchdowns. As a punter he averaged 38.1 yards per boot.
 
Johnson, who also earned second-team all-conference honors last year, rushed 120 times for 579 yards (4.8 ypc) and was third in the SAC at 72.4 yards per game. The 5-foot-7, 170-pound Austin native also caught 19 passes for 255 yards. Johnson scored eight rushing and three receiving touchdowns in eight games to lead the conference and ranked 17^th in the NAIA in average points per game at 8.3. He broke a school record with a 92-yard touchdown run against SAGU and, with 1,734, is four yards away from breaking the program mark for career rushing yards. He is just over 400 yards from breaking the school record for all-purpose yards with 2,579, and is five TDs away from the total touchdown record with 24.
 
Parham finishes his career with his second honorable mention all-conference pick after previously being recognized as a freshman. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback from Honolulu, Hawaii, logged 35 tackles this season and three interceptions to take his career total to seven, tied for third most in school history. Parham also returned punts.
 
Dean, who repeated his honorable-mention pick from last year, was second on the team with 54 tackles, third in tackles for loss with seven and tied-for-fourth with 2½ sacks. Dean is a 6-foot-1, 260-pound tackle from Freeport, Texas.
 
Jaxon Williams and Brown made the honorable mention list for the second straight year while Flores was a second-team selection in 2017.
 
Among WBU's all-conference picks who were among team leaders in statistical categories this season were: Flores, first in grade-out average at 96 percent; Kirby, first in receptions with 24 and receiving yards with 314; Darrian Williams, first in tackles with 55; Arguijo, tied-for-second in tackles with 54; and Baeza, second in points with 53 on 10-of-14 field goals and 23-of-25 PATs.
 
The Pioneers finished the season with a 5-5 record, including 3-5 in the SAC for sixth place in the nine-team league. It was the SAC's inaugural season; Wayland previously played in the now-defunct Central States Football League.
 
League-champion Langston provided the offensive player of the year in quarterback Jaylen Lowe, athlete of the year in Cameron Booty, and coach of the year in Quinton Morgan.
 
Ottawa-Arizona had the defensive player of the year and newcomer of the year in Kenneth Steele Jr., and special teams player of the year Shamar Moreland. Oklahoma Panhandle State's Martez Vrana garnered freshman of the year.
 
Lowe, a senior quarterback from Owasso, Okla., topped the NAIA in total offense per game at 369.6 yards per game. He ranked third in total offense (3,696 yards) and passing yardage per game (304.0), fourth in passing yards (3,040) and sixth in passing efficiency (168.7) among the NAIA. Lowe completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 31 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He ran for 656 yards and 12 touchdowns.
 
Booty, a junior running back from Dallas, gained 593 yards, 7.4 yards per carry and two touchdowns on the ground plus 461 yards and eight TDs on 28 receptions.
 
Morgan directed Langston to a 9-2 record, the first SAC football title with an 8-0 SAC mark, a No. 9 ranking among the NAIA and an appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series. The Lions have collected consecutive playoff berths, two league titles in a row and 21 straight conference victories. Morgan boasts a 30-6 record and 26-1 league mark in four years as Langston head coach. Langston placed a conference-high 10 Lions on the first and second team of the all-SAC team.
 
Steele, a senior defensive end from Tampa, Fla., tallied 66 tackles, 36 solo stops, 25½ tackles for loss, a safety and 16 sacks for the Spirit.
 
Moreland, a freshman running back-return specialist from Phoenix, produced 732 yards and a touchdown on kickoff returns, averaging 28.2 yards per return, and 493 yards and three touchdowns on punt returns, posting a 21.4-yard average. He ran for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 147 yards.
 
Vrana, a freshman quarterback from Wichita Falls, Texas, threw for 1,118 yards and seven touchdowns with a 60.3 percent completion percentage while running for 351 yards and four touchdowns.
 

		FIRST TEAM
		OFFENSE
Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
QB	Jaylen Lowe	Langston	Sr.	Owasso, Okla.
RB	Cameron Booty	Langston	Jr.	Dallas
RB	Carlos Mosby	Texas College	Jr.	Lake Providence, La.
RB	Desmond Nisby	Texas Wesleyan	Sr.	San Francisco
WR	Jeremy Carr	SW Assemblies of God	Sr.	Austin, Texas
WR	Samuel Northey	SW Assemblies of God	Sr.	Fort Worth, Texas
WR	Kendrick Murphy	Arizona Christian	Sr.	Seattle
TE	Caleb O'Connor	Wayland Baptist	Sr.	Andrews, Texas
OL	C.J. Carrillo	Langston	Sr.	Midland, Texas
OL	Trevin Carson	Langston	Sr.	Midwest City, Okla.
OL	Dominique Coutee-Thomas	Panhandle State	Sr.	Austin, Texas
OL	Tristan Shehorn	OUAZ	So.	Tucson, Ariz.
OL	Keaton Vawter	Wayland Baptist	Sr.	Bridgeport, Texas
		DEFENSE
DL	Craig Evans	Langston	Jr.	Sun Prairie, Wis.
DL	Jaron Green	Arizona Christian	Jr.	Phoenix
DL	Ethan Skarmas	Lyon	Jr.	Indio, Calif.
DL	Kenneth Steele Jr.	OUAZ	Sr.	Tampa, Fla.
LB	James Cox	Langston	Jr.	Hammond, La.
LB	Landon Jones	SW Assemblies of God	Jr.	Waco, Texas
LB	Diamonte Pounds	Panhandle State	Jr.	Plantersville, Miss.
LB	Jaquan Richmond	Langston	Sr.	Fort Worth, Texas
DB	James Caligone IV	Langston	Sr.	Tulsa, Okla.
DB	Christian Cross	SW Assemblies of God	Fr.	Houston
DB	De'Andreyelle Fites	Panhandle State	So.	Dallas
DB	Michael Miller	Texas Wesleyan	Jr.	Plano, Texas
		SPECIAL TEAMS
K	Ignacio Gomez	Lyon	So.	Wilmer, Texas
P	Austin Bohn	OUAZ	Jr.	Erie, Colo.
KR	Shamar Moreland	OUAZ	Fr.	Phoenix
PR	Shamar Moreland	OUAZ	Fr.	Phoenix
		SECOND TEAM
		OFFENSE
QB	C.J. Collins	SW Assemblies of God	Sr.	Bosqueville, Texas
RB	De'Sean Johnson	Wayland Baptist	Jr.	Austin, Texas
RB	Jermarcus Jones	Texas Wesleyan	Jr.	Houston
RB	Aiden Quinn	Arizona Christian	Fr.	Brentwood, Calif.
WR	Bryant Dotson	SW Assemblies of God	Jr.	Grand Prairie, Texas
WR	Brandon McLaughlin	OUAZ	So.	Brooklyn, N.Y.
WR	Isaiah Shaputis	Langston	Jr.	Oklahoma City
TE	Keith Tracy	Langston	Jr.	Oakland, Calif.
OL	Josh Cronk	Arizona Christian	Sr.	Tucson, Ariz.
OL	Austin Lloyd	OUAZ	Fr.	Fountain Hills, Ariz.
OL	Dayne Maclin	SW Assemblies of God	Sr.	Fort Worth, Texas
OL	Colby Moffett	Texas Wesleyan	So.	Laurel, Miss.
OL	Clark Thornton	Lyon	Sr.	Sherwood, Ark.
		DEFENSE
DL	James Bagley	Arizona Christian	Sr.	Seattle
DL	Keandre Belcher	SW Assemblies of God	Fr.	Katy, Texas
DL	JaQuavious Dean	Wayland Baptist	Jr.	Freeport, Texas
DL	Byron Tate	Texas Wesleyan	So.	Plano, Texas
LB	Malik Guillory	Texas College	So.	Houston
LB	Kane James	Arizona Christian	Sr.	East Palo Alto, Ariz.
LB	D'Darrin Primes	Panhandle State	Jr.	Houston
LB	Jawan Purifoy	Panhandle State	Sr.	Cantonment, Fla.
DB	Amare Burks	OUAZ	Jr.	Dayton, Ohio
DB	Maliek Golden	SW Assemblies of God	So.	McKinney, Texas
DB	Richard Parham	Wayland Baptist	Sr.	Columbus, Ohio
DB	Rawston Redick	Arizona Christian	Sr.	Castaic, Calif.
		SPECIAL TEAMS
K	John Williams	OUAZ	Jr.	Sandy, Utah
P	Ignacio Gomez	Lyon	So.	Wilmer, Texas
KR	Emetrious Scott	Lyon	Jr.	Antreville, S.C.
PR	Diamond Williams	Texas Wesleyan	Jr.	Terrell, Texas

 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jaylen Lowe, Langston, QB, Sr., Owasso, Okla.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kenneth Steele, OUAZ, DE, Sr., Tampa, Fla.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shamar Moreland, OUAZ, RB-KR-PR, Fr., Phoenix
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Kenneth Steele, OUAZ, DE, Sr., Tampa, Fla.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Martez Vrana, Panhandle State, QB, Fr., Wichita Falls, Texas
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Cameron Booty, Langston, RB, Jr., Dallas
COACH OF THE YEAR: Quinton Morgan, Langston
 
HONORABLE MENTION
Adam Abbatacola, Arizona Christian, QB, Jr., Gold Canyon, Ariz.
Emilio Araiza, Arizona Christian, P, Jr., Tucson, Ariz.
Manny Arguijo, Wayland Baptist, LB, Fr., Del Rio, Texas
Edgar Baeza, Wayland Baptist, K, So., Plainview, Texas
Steven Barefield, Texas College, DL, So., Fort Worth, Texas
Arthur Basaldua, Arizona Christian, OL, Jr., Surprise, Ariz.
Greg Blaser, Texas Wesleyan, P, Fr., Cypress, Texas
Michael Bledsoe, SW Assemblies of God, RB, So., Tyler, Texas
Jacob Boswell, Wayland Baptist, OL, So., Burkburnett, Texas
Aaron Brown, Arizona Christian, RB, Sr., Bellflower, Calif.
Jared Brown, Wayland Baptist, LB, Jr., Crowell, Texas
Parker Brubaker, Arizona Christian, K, Jr., Phoenix
Chance Carroll, Texas Wesleyan, DB, Fr., New Orleans
Marcellous Chester-Riley, OUAZ, RB, So., Red Wood City, Calif.
Brent Clemons, Arizona Christian, DL, Jr., Phoenix
Alema Collins, OUAZ, DL, Jr., Herriman, Utah
Datrel Davis, Texas College, DB, Jr., Mesquite, Texas
Marquis Denman, Texas College, RB-K, Jr., Indio, Calif.
Devin Dourisseau, Langston, LB, Fr., Avondale, Ariz.
Hayden Evans, SW Assemblies of God, So., Santa Fe, Texas
Kristopher Ewens, OUAZ, FB, Jr., Riverside, Calif.
Darian Flores, Wayland Baptist, OL, Sr., Mansfield, Texas
Diante Flowers, Arizona Christian, DL, Sr., Phoenix
Alan Freeman, Arizona Christian, KR / PR, Sr., Detroit
Isaac Fudge, Arizona Christian, OL, Jr., Surprise, Ariz.
Shane Fudge, Arizona Christian, OL, Jr., Surprise, Ariz.
Dennis Gafford, Langston, DB, So., Houston
Kavon Gardner, OUAZ, TE, Jr., Detroit
Zion Gayden, Texas College, WR, Fr., Dallas
Peter Gordon, Langston, DT, Sr., Del City, Okla.
Evan Greathouse, SW Assemblies of God, Fr., Katy, Texas
Jeremiah Greylock, OUAZ, WR, So., Fort Collins, Colo.
Terrance Grimsley, Langston, DE, Sr., Lawton, Okla.
Tre Hawkins, Lyon, DB, Sr., Houston
Chris Henry, Texas College, WR, So., Dallas
Jordan Higgins, Texas Wesleyan, OL, Fr., Lexington, Texas
Tlung Hmung, SW Assemblies of God, Jr., Lewisville, Texas
Jevan Hogan, OUAZ, DB, Jr., Turlock, Calif.
Deshawn Holcombe, OUAZ, DB, Jr., Turlock, Calif.
Daniel Hurn, Wayland Baptist, KR, So., Levelland, Texas
Glenn Irons, Langston, WR/KR/PR, Jr., New Orleans
Donovan Isom, Texas Wesleyan, QB, Jr., Destrahan, La.
Brandon Jones, OUAZ, TE, Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah
David Jones, OUAZ, DB, Jr., Washington, D.C.
Rylen Kaniaupio, OUAZ, LB, So., Pahoa, Hawaii
Will Kaufusi, OUAZ, Nose Guard, Jr., San Jose, Calif.
Brayln Kirby, Wayland Baptist, WR, Jr., Sherman, Texas
Tofiga Liaiga, OUAZ, OL, Fr., Phoenix
Marco Matthews, SW Assemblies of God, Sr., Maypearl, Texas
Luke McBride, SW Assemblies of God, So., Flower Mound, Texas
Austin McCullough, OUAZ, QB, So., Ridgecrest, Calif.
Domonic Mitchell, Arizona Christian, DB, Jr., South Seattle, Wash.
Leon Monget, Langston, WR, Sr., Nashville, Tenn.
Le'Mant Monroe, Texas Wesleyan, WR, So., Houston
Daylon Person, Langston, WR, Jr., Watts, Calif.
Dylan Pettway, Texas Wesleyan, LB, Fr., Watkinsville, Ga.
Josh Philips, Texas Wesleyan, LB, Fr., Slidell, La.
Myles Ragsdale, Langston, OL, Fr., Maplewood, Mo.
Coby Roach, SW Assemblies of God, LB, Jr., Siloam Springs, Ark.
Nehemiah Rogers, Wayland Baptist, DB, Jr., Spring, Texas
Brandon Rolfe, Texas Wesleyan, WR, Fr., Lewisville, Texas
Sir Marc Sanders, Texas Wesleyan, DL, Fr., Fort Worth, Texas
Derek Shelby, SW Assemblies of God, Jr., Sanger, Texas
Matthew Shelby, Texas Wesleyan, DL, So., Fort Worth, Texas
Meondrick Shoemake, Langston, DB, So., Lawton, Okla.
Matt Simpson, Arizona Christian, DB, Jr., Detroit
Ray Springer, OUAZ, WR, So., Eatonville, Wash.
Alias Sturges, Arizona Christian, WR, Jr., Goodyear, Ariz.
Sam Taylor, Lyon, LB, Jr., Sugar Land, Texas
Joel Thurman, Langston, OL, Jr., Nashville, Ark.
Joshua Viscaya, OUAZ, RB, Jr., Anaheim, Calif.
Justin Wade, Langston, DE, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.
Mike Warren, Arizona Christian, OL, Sr., San Diego
Nick West, Panhandle State, WR, Sr., Discovery Bay, Calif.
Kevin White, Wayland Baptist, DE, Fr., Tahoka, Texas   
Darrian Williams, Wayland Baptist, DB, Jr., Mobile, Ala.
Isaiah Williams, Texas Wesleyan, OL, So., Plano, Texas
Jaxon Williams, Wayland Baptist, OL, Sr., Seminole, Texas
Vontyne Williams, Texas College, QB, So., Scurry Rosser, Texas
Dyamond Woods, Texas College, PR, So., DeSoto, Texas
 
 

2018 NAIA Rankings for Wayland Baptist   Team Rankings

 

Ranks Number 18 in Division I in Sacks By (2.800)

Ranks Number 19 in Division I in Penalty Yds per Game (78.300)

Ranks Number 21 in Division I in Opponent First Downs (189)

Ranks Number 24 in Division I in Punt Yds per Att (38.100)

Ranks Number 34 in Division I in Total Sacks By (25.000)

Ranks Number 35 in Division I in Opp 3rd Down Conv. (35.500)

Ranks Number 36 in Division I in KickOff Returns Yds per Att (19.400)

Ranks Number 36 in Division I in Rushing Defense per Game (148.600)

Ranks Number 40 in Division I in Punt Returns Yds per Att (8.600)

Ranks Number 40 in Division I in Field Goals Pct (0.632)

Ranks Number 41 in Division I in Scoring Offense per Game (28.400)

Ranks Number 46 in Division I in Pass Offense per Game (205.000)

Ranks Number 46 in Division I in Pat Kicking (0.897)

Ranks Number 47 in Division I in Opp 4th Down Conv. (44.400)

Ranks Number 49 in Division I in Total Defense per Game (391.700)

Individual Rankings

 

Edgar Baeza Ranks Number 11 in Division I in Field Goals (1.100)

Edgar Baeza Ranks Number 15 in Division I in Total Field Goals (10)

De'Sean Johnson Ranks Number 17 in Division I in Scoring (TDs) per Game (8.300)

De'Sean Johnson Ranks Number 17 in Division I in Scoring per Game (8.300)

Daniel Hurn Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Total Kick Off Returns (451)

Daniel Hurn Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Kick Off Return Yds per Att (23.700)

Edgar Baeza Ranks Number 26 in Division I in Field Goals Pct (0.714)

Richard Parham Ranks Number 26 in Division I in Interceptions per Game (0.400)

Caleb O'Connor Ranks Number 28 in Division I in Punt Yds per Att (38.100)

Edgar Baeza Ranks Number 30 in Division I in Scoring (Kicking) per Game (5.900)

Nick Quintero Ranks Number 39 in Division I in Passing Yds per Game (182.700)

Edgar Baeza Ranks Number 39 in Division I in Total Scoring (Kicking) (53)

De'Sean Johnson Ranks Number 39 in Division I in Total Scoring (TDs) (66)

De'Sean Johnson Ranks Number 39 in Division I in Total Scoring (66)

Andre Smith Ranks Number 41 in Division I in Tackles For Loss per Game (1.300)

De'Sean Johnson Ranks Number 42 in Division I in Rushing Yds per Game (72.400)

Andre Smith Ranks Number 43 in Division I in Sacks per Game (0.600)

Nick Quintero Ranks Number 47 in Division I in Total Offense Yds per Game (181.000)

Edgar Baeza Ranks Number 48 in Division I in Pat Kicking Pct (0.920)

Nick Quintero Ranks Number 49 in Division I in Total Passing (1644)

De'Sean Johnson Ranks Number 50 in Division I in All Purpose per Game (106.800)