Williams, Morgano Selected to Preseason All-Conference Team
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Presbyterian College football players linebacker Donelle Williams (Starke, Fla.) and kicker Patrick Morgano (Greenville, S.C.) were named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference team as voted on by the league coaches. The Blue Hose were picked to finish fourth in the league's preseason poll, the highest-ever prediction in the Big South for PC.
PC returns 17 starters and 34 letterwinners from 2011. Of the starters eight are on offense, six are on defense and three are from the special teams. Big South All-Conference players back for 2012 are Lance Byrd (2nd Team) and Morgano (2nd Team), as well as Freshman-of-the-Year Williams. The 17 returning starters and 34 letterwinners are looking to capitalize on a record-setting 2011 season.
Presbyterian College finished the 2011 season with its most overall wins since 2008, and its three Big South wins is the most since joining the Conference. PC closed out the season with back-to-back wins, its first two-game win streak since 2008.
The Blue Hose went 4-1 at home last season, for its most wins at Bailey Memorial Stadium since a 4-2 mark in 2008.
Stony Brook was picked to defend its 2011 conference championship, racking up 15 first-place votes. Liberty was chosen second, while Coastal Carolina picked up the third-place nod. Gardner Webb was chosen to end 2012 in fifth, while VMI was picked sixth. Charleston Southern rounded out the preseason poll in seventh.
Williams, who was named Big South Freshman of the Year, as well as College Sports Journal All-Freshman Team, was third in the league in 2011 in tackles by a linebacker with 83 and second on the team in total tackles. He led PC in tackles last season with 10 against Charleston Southern, with eight (7-1) at Coastal Carolina, two of which were for a loss. One of those was a tackle in the end zone that gave PC its first safety in DI history.
A 2011 Big South Freshman-of-the-Week during the season, Williams led the team in tackles at Liberty with 18 (10-8) and was third on the team with eight tackles (7-1) at Georgia Southern. Williams posted a QB Hurry, as well as four tackles (2-2) against Gardner Webb and had a career-high 10 tackles (5-5) at Stony Brook. He recorded one solo and six assisted tackles at California and had two tackles against North Greenville. Williams made his collegiate debut as a true-freshman and recorded six unassisted tackles and was in on three more for a total of nine tackles against Wofford. He recovered a fumble in that game as well.
A two-time FCS College Football Performance Award Preseason Watch List selection, as well as Punter of the Week, Morgano was named to the Big South All-Conference team for the second time in his career, in 2011. He led the Big South in punting with 40.7 yards a kick. He was also fourth in number of punts with 66 and second in yards punted with 2,683 yards. In 66 punts, Morgano had only had three blocked, recorded 10 touchbacks, 12 fair catches, 10 over 50 yards, including a long of 63 at California and Stony Brook. He had 21 punts inside the 20-yard line and punted a career-high 465 yards at California. He averaged over 45 yards a punt in five games this season, including against the Bears where he averaged 51.7.
Stony Brook's Miguel Maysonet was honored with Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Charleston Southern's Charles James was honored Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
The Blue Hose, who report to campus for pre-season August 1, open the 2012 season Sept. 1 against Brevard at New Bailey Memorial Stadium.
