Coach Knight looks to build on last year’s success for a winning season in 2021.
NEWBERRY — Newberry was picked to finish third in the South Atlantic Conference’s Preseason Poll released by the conference office Monday morning.
Newberry finished their shortened spring season 5-1 and 3-1 in South Atlantic Conference play and defeated spring SAC champion Tusculum 21-6 in the season opener. The Wolves received one first-place vote and were right behind Lenoir-Rhyne (1st) and Wingate (2nd).
The conference office also released players to watch for each team. Newberry had eight players make the list:
Offense:
C – Alec Blackmon.
QB – Dre Harris.
RB – Mario Anderson.
Defense:
DB – Anthony Blue.
DE – Ty Kelly.
DT – Tyran Dixon.
Special Teams:
K – Carter Parrot.
P – Gibson Marsh.
The Wolves will return most of their starters on offense, defense, and special teams this fall and are looking to build on the success from the spring.
“We are excited about all the returners from the spring,” said Head Coach Todd Knight. “I think we learned a lot about who were are as a team in the spring, and that will serve us well for the fall.”
On the offensive side of the ball, the Wolves outgained their opponents 1587-790 on the ground. Newberry led the South Atlantic Conference in rushing offense and finished sixth in the country in the category. The offense also led the conference and finished third in Division II in third-down conversion percentage.
Senior center Alec Blackmon returns to anchor the offensive line that dominated their opponents in the spring. Senior dual-threat quarterback Dre Harris will be back to captain the offense after throwing for 833 yards and running for 310 yards with ten total touchdowns. Also returning for Newberry is leading rusher Mario Anderson, who led the team with 503 yards on 69 carries and four touchdowns, and Catriez Cook, who had 62 rushes for 344 yards. The receiving corps will have Bryson Woodruff and Bobby Irby returning, and Deshun Kitchings, who missed the final four games due to an injury.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wolves led the conference in scoring defense and total defense while finishing in the top-10 nationally in both categories. Newberry also led the SAC in passing yards allowed and passing efficiency defense for the spring.
The defense will return their top ten leading tacklers from the spring and will be led by defensive end Ty Kelly, who had 22 tackles and tied for the team lead with 2.5 sacks. Also anchoring down the defense will be linebackers, Alex Smith and Nick Yearwood. The duo led the team in tackles with 39 and 37, respectively, while Smith added two sacks. Anthony Blue and David Vereen will lead the defensive backfield for the Wolves. Vereen led the team with two interceptions, including the game-winning pick in a 20-17 win over Barton, and had six pass breakups. Blue had three pass breakups, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
The Newberry special teams finished the spring first in the conference in blocked punts and punt return defense, allowing -2 yards per return. The Wolves return placekicker Carter Parrot. Parrot finished the spring 11-11 in extra points and had two field goals. Punter Gibson Marsh averaged 38 yards per punt with a long of 46 yards while having two punts downed inside the twenty-yard line.
Newberry kicks off the 2021 season on September 5 as they travel to Barton to take on the Bulldogs at 2:00 p.m. The Wolves’ home opener will be on September 11 as they host North Greenville at 6:00 p.m. at Setzler Field.