MOULTRIE – Carson-Newman offensive lineman Turk Daniels has been named the South Atlantic Conference’s Offensive Freshman of the Year.
The former Packer is the first offensive lineman in the history of the league to win the award.
After starting every game in his four-year career at Colquitt County, he has become the first Carson-Newman offensive lineman to start every game of his freshman season since future All-American Pat Egan.
Between his time at Colquitt County and at Carson-Newman, he has started 59 straight football games.
He is the first Eagle to win the offensive freshman of the year award since Troy Dendy in 2019.
Daniels produced 74 knockdowns, the most in a single season in school history.
He helped Carson-Newman to lead the SAC in rushing. The Eagles produced 273.7 yards rushing per game, which ranks third nationally.
Carson-Newman lost the South Atlantic Conference championship game to Wingate 28-13 last weekend, but has qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Eagles will play at Miles College at noon on Saturday in Fairfield, Ala., in a first-round game.
Miles, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, will be playing host to its first-ever NCAA Division II playoff game.
Of this and that:
• West Alabama, where former Packer Tyler Walker plays receiver, also has qualified for the Division II playoffs and will be home to face Lenoir-Rhyne at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Tigers are 9-1 after a regular-season ending 63-0 victory over Erskine.
The win over the Flying Fleet gave North Alabama its most regular-season wins since 1971.
Walker had two catches for 31 yards in the win over Erskine, one of which went for a 19-yard touchdown.
• Colquitt County’s Ny’Asia Harper has verbally committed to play volleyball at the next level at LaGrange College.
The first-team All-Region 1-6A middle hitter and blocker has been a top front-line player for the Lady Packers the last two seasons.
• Former Packer Kaleb Dawson had a productive game in Alabama A&M’s 22-17 victory over Grambling State last week.
He had his first interception of the season and also had one solo and five assisted tackles.
Dawson now has four interceptions in his two seasons playing at Alabama A&M.
• Jack Luttrell continues to start in the secondary at Arizona.
In the Wildcats 27-3 win over Houston last week he was credited with three solo and three assisted tackles and broke up a pass.
Arizona, now 4-6, will travel to play TCU on Saturday.
• Another defensive back who played for the Packers, Jaheim Ward, had one solo tackle, two assisted tackles, one forced fumble and two pass breakups in Eastern Kentucky’s 30-27 overtime win over Austin Peay.
Now 7-4, the Colonels will travel to play at North Alabama on Saturday.
• The Colquitt County Marine Corps Junior ROTC team got a recent National Sporter Air Rifle League win over the Young Guns Post 2, of Pueblo, Colo.
John Moses led Colquitt County with a 248.9. Also shooting for the Packers were Maria Fernando Tomas, Lizabeth Norman and Ariel Varillas-Rodriguez.
Colquitt County fell in its next match to Nokomis AJROTC from Newport, Maine.
Karina Zapata led the Colquitt County JROTC team with a 237.6. Also shooting were Moses, Araceli Varillas-Rodriguez and Norman.
In a National Precision Air Rifle League match, Vilseck AJROTC defeated Colquitt County 2165.4-1903.1.
Fatima Cardenas-Chacon led Colquitt with a 493.8. Also shooting were Andrew Perdew, Savannah Tyson and Moises Luna-Becerra.
The teams’ coach is Lt. Col. Jason Perdew.