WALESKA, Ga. – The University of Pikeville had 14 players named to the all-conference team on Wednesday when the Appalachian Athletics Conference announced its honors.
 
In addition, the program had a league-leading 33 players named to the All-Academic Team.
 
"I'm proud of every player we had on the all-conference team," said Coach Corey Fipps. "It says a lot about the direction this program is headed.
 
"But I'm even more proud that 33 players were honored for their work in the classroom. We're going to produce a lot of community leaders and solid citizens we will be proud of for years to come. I hope this shows that we're doing the right things at the university, in the athletics department and in our football program."
 
Quarterback Lee Kirkland was first-team all-conference as well as the offensive player of the year. He finished the season with 2,741 passing yards and 31 touchdowns while completing a league-leading 62.2 percent of his passes. He was named offensive player of the week five times this season.
 
He was joined on the first-team offense by linemen Bradyn Hunter and Micah Lee as well as all-purpose player Alex Sanders.
 
Hunter is a 6-3, 291-pound senior from Pikeville, while Lee is a 6-3, 260-pound sophomore from Louisville. The two helped clear the path for an offense that averaged 434.5 yards per game, which was second in the league by a mere nine yards.
 
They also allowed only 10 sacks on the season while the quarterbacks attempted 434 passes.
 
Sanders was perfectly built for the specialty position of "all-purpose" player. He led the Bears with 580 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns while also catching 43 passes for 333 yards and three more scores despite missing two games with an injury.
 
The 5-8, 170-pound grad student from Hazelhurst, Ga., led the team this season with 10 touchdowns and 60 points scored. He leaves the program only one touchdown behind the career record and his 2,648 rushing yards is also second all time.
 
He holds career records with 12 100-yard rushing games and 520 carries.
 
The Bears also placed three players on the first-team defense.
 
Ben Tate, a 6-0, 240-pound senior from Spartanburg, S.C., was a first-team lineman. He had 37 tackles, 23 of them solos. He had four tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery on the season.
 
Trevaughn Barnett, a 6-0, 234-pound senior from Johns Creek, Ga., was a first-team linebacker. He had 34 tackles, 22 of them solos. He had five tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery for the year.
 
Timothy Butler is a 5-9, 165-pound graduate student from Plantation, Fla., who was a first-team defensive back. He finished with 32 tackles, 25 of which were solos. He had three interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a tackle for loss. He was also named defensive player of the week after recording two interceptions on Oct. 28 against Point.
 
The Bears placed seven more players on the second-team all-conference list.
 
Jacob Kopchak was selected to the offensive line. He is a 6-4, 285-pound senior from Sacramento, Calif., who helped the offense secure multiple school records this season while allowing only 10 sacks.
 
Derrick Griffith and Diego Soto were two of the three wide receivers on the second team.
 
Griffith is a 6-1, 185-poud grad student from Sacramento, who led the Bears with 59 catches for a school record 811 yards. He also had six touchdowns this season.
 
Soto, a 5-11, 175-pound junior from Orange Park, Fla. He had 38 catches for 532 yards and tied for the team lead with seven touchdown receptions.
 
On the defensive side, lineman Myson Livingston was honored on the second team. He is a 6-0, 250-pound graduate student from St. Marys, Ga., who had 33 tackles, 20 of them solos. He had five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He was named defensive player of the week after having seven tackles and 1.5 sacks against Faulkner on Sept. 16.
 
Levi Evans and Chuck Moore were among the four linebackers on the second team.
 
Evans, a 6-0, 210-pound freshman from Kingsport, led the Bears with 66 tackles and 43 solos this season. He also had four tackles for loss. Moore is a 5-10, 215-pound sophomore from Madison, Ala., who was second on the club with 55 tackles and 33 solos. He had 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
 
Joseph Sandorf was the second-team punter for the league. A 6-0, 184-pound senior from Tarpon, Fla., averaged 40.8 yards per punt with four pinning the opponents inside the 20 yard line and had a season long of 59 yards.
 
In addition, kicker Jakob Headley was named to the Champion of Character team. The senior is a leader on the team and in the community. He is actively involved in the community service the team prides itself in, including the "Fist-Bump Friday" celebration the team does by going to different elementary schools around Eastern Kentucky and greeting school children as they enter the building for the day.
 
Thirty-three players were named to the All-Academic Team. To qualify, they must have completed one year in college and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25. They included:
 
Michael Akins, a redshirt freshman from Chickamauga, Ga.; Frank Baker, a senior from Culver City, Calif.; Garrison Barrett, a redshirt freshman from Church Hill, Tenn.; Owein Blas, a redshirt freshman from Huntsville, Ala.; Paul Brown, a junior from Danville, Ky.; Matthue Calderon, a junior from Los Angeles, Calif.; Zane Carter, a senior from Mt. Sterling, Ky.; Derrick Griffith II, a graduate student from Sacramento, Calif.; Landon Hammock, a sophomore from Pikeville; Amari Hardwick, a graduate student from Moffett, Okla;
 
Jacob Hatcher, a junior from Memphis, Tenn.; Jakob Headley, a senior from Auxier, Ky.; Michael Hobby, a graduate student from Knoxville, Tenn.; Bradyn Hunter, a senior from Pikeville, Ky.; Lee Kirkland, a senior from Bluffton, S.C.; Jonah Kuresa, a junior from Orange City, Calif.; Myson Livingston, a graduate student from  St. Marys, Ga.; Adrian Medacco, a senior from Cape Coral, Fla.; Chase Mims, a redshirt freshman from Betsy Layne, Ky.; Chuck Moore, a sophomore from Madison, Ala.;
 
Ethan Offutt, a senior from Winder, Ga.; Jonah Portugal, a redshirt freshman from Raleigh, N.C.; Bradyn Price, a redshirt freshman from Paintsville, Ky.; Michael Pryor, a redshirt freshman from Pittsburgh, Calif.; Jacquez Russ, a graduate student from Tamarac, Fla.; Dige Savage, a sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev.; Jaydon Scott, a redshirt freshman from Hindman, Ky.; Jordan Scott, a graduate student from Belfry, Ky.; Austan Shuffler, a junior from Virginia Beach, Va.; Elijah Stallard, a senior from Pound, Va.;
 
Jacoby Thornsbury, a redshirt freshman from Pikeville, Ky.; Kha'Ron Thrower, a junior from Fairfield, Calif.; and Joe Timp, a graduate student from Cottage Grove, Minn.