Six Panthers Earn More Postseason Awards
By Ryan Jones, Florida Tech // December 8, 2014
Beyond Sports Network announced its All-Super Region 2 Football selections
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – On Monday, Beyond Sports Network announced its All-Super Region 2 Football selections, with Florida Tech landing six honorees on the three teams voted on by super region coaches and sports information directors.
The Panthers had three players designated to the first team in Gabe Hughes, Xavier Milton and J.J. Sanders. Hughes and Milton also garnered first-team all-super region honors on the DAKTRONICS All-Super Region 2 Football Team.
Milton ended his Panther career with the school’s first 1,000-yard receiving season, tallying 1,116 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to being named the Gulf South Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Hughes joins West Georgia’s Eric Newman as the only tight ends to be bestowed with first team honors. The Lighthouse Point, Florida native completed his junior season at FIT with 492 yards and six touchdowns.
Hughes was selected for the All-GSC First Team for the second-consecutive year for his efforts.
Sanders led the conference in tackles per game (8.4), tackles for loss (17.5) and forced fumbles (4) despite missing the Panthers’ first two games of the season. The Columbus, Ohio native also finished the season with 74 total tackles, including 41 solo stops, eight sacks totaling 96 yards, three pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries.
Sanders was named First Team All-GSC following the season.
Trevor Sand was the lone FIT player to be named to the all-super region second team. The Panther back led the conference in rushing with 1,105 yards, while also recording nine touchdowns.
Sand averaged 6.4 yards per carry and was the only conference player to average triple digits in rushing, registering an average of 100.5 yards per game. The Seminole, Florida native recorded FIT’s first-ever 1,000 yard rushing season, leading to an All-GSC First Team nod.
Rounding out the selections for FIT were Mark Cato and Manny Abad, who garnered third team distinction to add to their All-GSC Second Team laurels.
Cato earned eight of the 11 total conference freshman of the week honors after leading the GSC in passing touchdowns with 32, good for seventh in all of Division II. The Alachua, Florida native also ranked second in the conference in passing yards, tallying 2,926 yards on the season.
Abad was the GSC’s leader in pass breakups with nine. The Cuban native also tied for fourth in the conference in interceptions with three, giving him a total of 12 passes defended, most in the GSC. In total, the redshirt sophomore tallied 36 tackles, including 21 solo stops, and also recovered a fumble.
Additionally, Abad was named FIT’s first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.
BSN named six Panthers to its Preseason All-GSC Team earlier this year. Joining Abad, Hughes and Milton were Justin Arcune, Ramsey Sellers, and Chris Stapleton.
