Rock Hill, S.C.----The South Atlantic Conference announced the regular season football award winners Friday afternoon, with the Wingate University Bulldogs piling up 12 All-SAC honorees including nine first team selections. Jaylen Himes is the SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year, with Elihu Lipscomb earning Defensive Freshman of the Year accolades. Himes and Lipscomb are joined on the first team by Xavier Pugh, Will Hart, Porfirio Acosta, Everett McLaughlin, Mandjou Berte, Ryan Green and Brandon Perry. The 'dogs had three second team selections in Jaquan Edwards, Caleb Bonesteel and Jonathen Cross.

Himes had a huge freshman season, leading the nation with 1,185 receiving yards. He piled up 66 catches on the season with 11 touchdowns on the year, averaging 99.5 yards per game and 18.1 yards per reception. Himes led the SAC in receiving yards, touchdowns and yards per game. He is the first Bulldogs receiver to go over 1,000 yards in a season since Chris Bowden in 2012. His 1,185 yards are good for third in Wingate single-season history, while the 11 TDs are also tied for third in WU history. Himes had seven games with over 100 yards, while going for at least 80 yards in each his final 11 games of the season, scoring eight touchdowns in his final seven games of the year.

Lipscomb also made a huge impact in his first season at Wingate, piling up 33 tackles including 9.5 tackles for loss and a team-best seven sacks. He also had six QB hurries, three pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. Lipscomb also scored a pair of touchdowns on the season. The three-time SAC Defensive Player of the Week ranked second in the conference with his seven sacks, while helping Wingate rank third in the nation in tackles for loss.

Pugh had a historic season in the backfield for the Bulldogs, scoring a program-record 21 touchdowns, the second-most in league history. The junior ran for 1,0008 yards to become Wingate's first thousand-yard rusher since 2017. He averaged 91.6 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry on the year, while adding 18 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown. Pugh went over 100 yards four times on the year, while scoring at least one TD in 10 of his 11 games. He had multiple touchdowns seven times, including four contests with three touchdowns. In back-to-back weeks against Newberry and Catawba, he piled up 279 rushing yards, 81 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns.

Hart and Acosta anchored a Bulldog offensive line that paved the way for a historic season that saw the 'Dogs have a thousand-yard rusher and receiver for the first time since 2010. The duo helped Wingate rank second in the conference with 36.6 points per game and 429.6 total yards per contest. The 'Dogs were second in the league in passing yards and fourth in rushing yards. Hart and Acosta helped Elijah Holmes rank in the top five in the nation in yards per attempt and yards per completion, while ranking second in the conference in passing yards per game and passing touchdowns. The Bulldogs scored 439 points in 2025, the most in program history with Hart and Acosta paving the way on the offensive line.

Berte registered 49 tackles on the year, leading the Bulldogs with 12.5 tackles for loss while adding five sacks. He piled up a team-best 10 QB hurries on the season, while forcing three fumbles and adding a pass break-up. He led the SAC in forced fumbles, ranking third in TFLs and fourth in sacks. Berte had three TFLs and a forced fumble against UVA Wise, followed by piling up four TFLs and a pair of forced fumbles against Carson-Newman. He was the key part in a WU defense that ranked third in the nation in tackles for loss.

Green led the Bulldogs with his 82 tackles on the season, including five tackles for loss and half a sack. He added a pair of pass break-ups and a QB hurry. Green ranked fifth in the conference with his 82 tackles. He piled up 12 tackles at UVA Wise, followed by a 15-tackle effort against Carson-Newman, including a pair of TFLs. Green also had 10 stops at Newberry and 11 against Benedict in the play-offs.

Perry leads the SAC in passes defended, piling up 12 pass break-ups to go along with a pair of interceptions. He also has 30 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He had an interception and a break-up at UVA Wise, while notching three break-ups at Emory & Henry. Perry had another interception at Tusculum. He notched a pair of pass break-ups against Benedict while also collecting a sack.

McLaughlin has played a huge role in Wingate's elite kicking and punting games this season. The long-snapper has had a flawless season, helping Bonesteel connect on 16 field goals while also nailing all 51 PATs. McLaughlin has also helped Rivers Teeter average 40.2 yards per punt on 35 punts, with 14 of those going inside the 20.

Edwards had another big year for the Bulldogs, piling up 61 tackles to rank second on the team. He ranked second on the team with 11.5 tackles for loss, notching half a sack. Edwards also registered five QB hurries and a pass break-up. He had nine tackles in the season opener, while registering nine tackle with 2.5 TFLs and a break-up against Catawba. Edwards had 10 tackles with a TFL against Lenoir-Rhyne, while registering eight tackles with 1.5 TFLs against Benedict.

Cross was another key factor in the WU defense that led the SAC in yards allowed and rushing defense, ranking third in scoring defense. Cross notched 42 tackles on the season with 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, six QB hurries and a pair of break-ups. He had two TFLs and a sack against UNCP in the opener, while compiling 2.5 TFLs and half a sack against Bluefield State. Cross had sacks in back-to-back wins against Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne, while collecting 1.5 TFLs with a sack against Mars Hill.

Bonesteel had another impressive season as the WU placekicker, connecting on 16 of 24 field goals on the season while also making all 51 PATs. Bonesteel made seven field goals of 40 yards or more, making field goals of 40 yards, three from 42, two from 45 and one from 47. He earned D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week accolades for the second time in his career this season.
 

2025 ALL-SAC FOOTBALL

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB – Reed Charpia, Newberry
RB – Jordan Jackson, Emory & Henry
RB – Xavier Pugh, Wingate
RB – Jon Gullette, Mars Hill
WR – Jaylen Himes, Wingate
WR – Keith Desaussure, Newberry
WR – Charlie Guinade, Mars Hill
OL –   Avery Swinton, Catawba
OL –   Will Hart, Wingate
OL –   Davion Pyles, Newberry
OL –   Deshaun Sharp, Emory & Henry
OL –   Porfirio Acosta, Wingate
TE –  Caleb Lominac, Mars Hill
PK – Trace Butcher, Emory & Henry
LS – Everett McLaughlin, Wingate
RS – Tye Roberson, Lenoir-Rhyne

FIRST TEAM  DEFENSE
DL – Ean Rhea, Emory & Henry
DL – Mandjou Berte, Wingate
DL – Elihu Lipscomb, Wingate
DL – Sakarri Morrison, Mars Hill
LB – Cruz Temple, Carson-Newman
LB – Ryan Green, Wingate
LB –  Jamar Blandin, Newberry
OLB –  Evan Simons, Catawba
DB – Shawn Collins, Emory & Henry
DB – Champ Baker, Carson-Newman
DB – Desmond Greene, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB – Brandon Perry, Wingate
P –   Jake Marcantel, UVA Wise

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB –  Preston Brown, Catawba
RB –  Kevin Lalin, Catawba
RB –  Daniel Thomas, UVA Wise
RB –  Bennett Galloway, Catawba
WR – Cam Peoples, Emory & Henry
WR – Songa Yates, Lenoir-Rhyne
WR – Bo Pryor, Catawba
OL –   Dallas Foard, Catawba
OL –   Jalen Brooks, Catawba
OL –   Kamron Burris, Anderson
OL –   Ryan Whetzel, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL –   Rubens Joseph, Lenoir-Rhyne
TE – Jalen Brown, Catawba
PK – Caleb Bonesteel, Wingate
LS –  Brendan Shoaf, Carson-Newman
RS – Cam Peoples, Emory & Henry  

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Jonathen Cross, Wingate
DL – Jaydon Eason, Newberry
DL –  Martavis Mason, Carson-Newman
DL –  Joshua Gooding, Emory & Henry
LB –  Josiah Jeffery, Anderson
LB –   Steven Reid, Mars Hill
LB –  Jaquan Edwards, Wingate
OLB –  Mekhi Brown, Carson-Newman
DB – Chendrick Cann, Emory & Henry
DB – Nigel Gay, Catawba
DB – James Ussery, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB – Avery McFadden, Newberry
P –  Grayson Campbell, Carson-Newman   

Offensive Freshman of the Year
Jaylen Himes, Wingate

Offensive Player of the Year
Reed Charpia, Newberry

Defensive Freshman of the Year
Elihu Lipscomb, Wingate

Defensive Player of the Year
Ean Rhea, Emory & Henry

Jacobs Blocking Trophy
Avery Swinton, Catawba

Ken Sparks Coach of the Year
Todd Knight, Newberry