Photo by: SFA Athletics
Alize Ward Highlights SFA’s All-Southland Accolades
11/20/2018 2:01:00 PM | Football
Junior safety lands a spot on all-conference second team; juniors Tamrick Pace and Aretavious Hendrix and sophomore Trenton Gordon garner honorable mention acclaim
FRISCO, Texas – Junior safety Alize Ward has been named 2018 All-Southland Conference Second Team Defense, while SFA football juniors Tamrick Pace and Aretavious Hendrix and sophomore Trenton Gordon garner All-Southland honorable mention accolades with the league's release of the all-conference teams and individual superlative awards Tuesday afternoon.
A preseason All-Southland and preseason All-American by Phil Steele FCS Magazine, Ward picks up his second consecutive All-Southland Second Team plaudit after ranking among the conference's top 20 tacklers in 2018. His 7.2 tackles per game in Southland play ranked 17th in the 11-team league as Ward completed the season as the Lumberjacks' second-leading tackler with 58 total tackles and a team-best 36 solo stops. The San Diego, California, product notched four or more tackles in the final eight games of the season and had three performances with double-digit tackles, including a career-high tying 12 against Lamar (Oct. 27). Ward also had 10 tackles in the 24-21 win over Abilene Christian and versus then 16th-ranked Central Arkansas (Oct. 13), while breaking up a pass in each of the last two games of the season and coming away with an interception last week in the 53rd Battle for Chief Caddo against Northwestern State.
Pace, a Hero Sports FCS Freshman All-American wide receiver, 2016 All-Southland honorable mention selection and 2017 All-Southland Second Team pick, was tabbed preseason All-Southland before averaging the seventh-most receiving yards per game (69.2) in the conference this season. Becoming just the 12th Lumberjack to reach the 2,000-yard receiving milestone in his career, Pace moved into the top 10 on both SFA's all-time career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns lists this fall. He reeled in multiple catches in nine different games and eight Southland contests, collecting four or more receptions on five different occasions. The Brownsboro, Texas, native posted two 100-yard receiving performances in league play to rank among Southland leaders, including grabbing seven passes for a season-high 158 yards against Lamar (Oct. 27), which tied for the seventh-best receiving performance by any conference player this season. Tying for fifth in the league and 39th nationally in receiving touchdowns (7), Pace finished out his junior campaign with a season-best eight receptions for 128 yards in the 53rd Battle for Chief Caddo, also completing a 49-yard pass on a double reverse in the game.
Transferring in from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Hendrix made his presence felt at cornerback in his first season in the Southland. Starting all 10 games in 2018, Hendrix broke up six passes and had an interception for 20 yards in the season finale against Northwestern State. His 0.70 passes defended per game ranked among the top 20 defenders in the conference, while Hendrix's two fumble recoveries were tied for the fifth-most in the league and 21st nationally. A native of Starkville, Mississippi, Hendrix broke up a pair of passes against then 16th-ranked Central Arkansas and in the 53rd Battle for Chief Caddo. He had multiple tackles in six different Southland games, including a career-best nine with seven individual stops in the 24-21 win over Abilene Christian.
Also a preseason All-Southland selection, Gordon was SFA's fifth-leading tackler in 2018. Racking up 47 total tackles at safety with 23 individual stops in nine game starts, Gordon's three fumble recoveries in conference action were the second-most among all Southland defenders. The Rowlett, Texas, product averaged 0.33 fumbles recovered per contest to rank third in the league, while Gordon's trio of fumble recoveries on the season were tied for the fifth-most in the nation. Registering three or more tackles in seven different conference games, Gordon broke up the second-most passes on the team (4), including recording a pair of pass breakups against then 16th-ranked Sam Houston State in the 93rd Battle of the Piney Woods.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout the remainder of the fall.
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
S
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
S
/ FootballCharles Demmings' NFL Draft Journey
Thursday, April 23
12.15.25 | Weekly Press Conference- Football
Monday, December 15
12.12.25 | SFA @ MSU Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, December 13
12.8.25 | Weekly Press Conference- Football
Monday, December 08
