Photo by: SFA Athletics
Wilkerson Highlights SFA’s Selections on Phil Steele’s FCS Teams
1/8/2019 11:18:00 AM | Football
Long snapper Chris Wilkerson named All-American, cornerback Aretavious Hendrix picks up All-Southland Second Team honors while safety Alize Ward is placed on All-Southland Third Team
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The SFA football team was represented with three selections on Phil Steele's 2018 FCS Teams Monday morning with long snapper Chris Wilkerson garnering All-American Second Team and All-Southland First Team accolades. Junior cornerback Aretavious Hendrix picked up All-Southland Second Team honors by the magazine, while junior safety Alize Ward was tabbed All-Southland Third Team.
Wilkerson, a true NFL prospect who will be playing in the 94th East-West Shrine Game® later this month, has served as the Lumberjacks' starting long snapper the past three seasons. The Waller, Texas, native appeared in each of SFA's 32 games over the last three years, providing reliable snaps on punts, field goals and extra points while playing in a total of 42 games over the past four seasons. In 2017, Wilkerson claimed a tackle in punt coverage during the Lumberjacks' thrilling 37-31 home victory of the University of the Incarnate Word and recovered a fumble in the 34-7 road rout of Lamar. This past fall, he assisted on a tackle as SFA ousted Houston Baptist 42-14 on the road. Wilkerson was named preseason All-America First Team by both STATS FCS and Phil Steele FCS Magazine.
A preseason All-American by Phil Steele FCS Magazine, Ward picked up his second consecutive All-Southland Second Team plaudit from the league office 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. Ward had 10 tackles in the 24-21 win over Abilene Christian and versus then 16th-ranked Central Arkansas, while breaking up a pass in each of the last two games of the season. He also came away with an interception in the 53rd Battle for Chief Caddo against Northwestern State.
Transferring in from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Hendrix made his presence felt in his first season in the Southland and earned honorable mention acclaim from the conference office. 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 league, while Hendrix's two fumble recoveries were tied for the fifth-most in the Southland and 21st nationally. A native of Starkville, Mississippi, Hendrix broke up a pair of passes against then 16th-ranked UCA and in the 53rd Battle for Chief Caddo. He had multiple tackles in six different conference games, including a career-best nine with seven individual stops in the 24-21 win over ACU.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout the offseason.
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