SPRING 2008

Football

In their final game of the season, the Shorter Hawks football team beat the Lambuth University Eagles, 42-18, to end the season with a college-best 7-4 record. In the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) final poll, Shorter College was one of four teams, not among the top 25, receiving votes.

The Hawks started the season with a 5-1 record, almost beating their first NCAA Division II opponent, Stillman College. They finished the year No. 1 in the country in fourth-down conversions and No. 3 in rushing offense.

For their efforts, 11 Hawks were named to the 2007 Western Division All-Conference & Honorable Mention teams. Lukas Gonzalez, a junior, made the list twice; he was named to the Offensive All-Conference team for place kicker and the defensive Honorable Mention team for punter. The others making the list were: Zach Morrison (offensive line), Raymone Nesbitt (slot back), Matt Yarbrough (defensive line), Ryan Gloer (linebacker), Jamie Stewart (linebacker), Budd Keith (defensive back), Will Oliver (defensive back), Matt Atchley (offensive line) and Drew Elrod (quarterback). In the conference’s annual year-end awards, Gloer was named the West Division’s Defensive Player of the Year. The 6’0” junior linebacker led the Hawks in assisted tackles this season with 42 and tacked on 24 more unassisted tackles. He started for the Hawks his third year.

Gloer, Yarbrough and Morrison were also named to the Victory Sports Network All-American Honorable Mention team.

On the academic side, an impressive 13 players made the MSC All-Academic team: Jackson Abercrombie, A.J. Bennett, Kevin Cone, Blake Ducatel, Gloer, Kenneth James, Curtis John, Keith, Fisher Marietta, Morrison, Oliver, Jeremy Ruark and Ben Williams.