Wednesday, December 5, 2018

WACO, Texas – The GNAC’s top lineman and top defensive player are being recognized as being among the top players in the country with selection to the American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ All-America Team.

Central Washington senior offensive lineman James Moore, the conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Year, was one of five offensive linemen named to the first team. Azusa Pacific senior linebacker Aaron Berry, who earned the GNAC’s Defensive Player of the Year award, was elected to the second team. It is the first All-American selection for both players.

Moore was named the GNAC Offensive Lineman of the Year for his role in leading a Central Washington line that allowed the Wildcats to lead the GNAC and finish ranked third in Division II with 47.7 points per game. The same line protected quarterback Reilly Hennessey well, finishing 10th in Division II with 3.91 tackles for loss allowed per game and 26th with 1.27 sacks allowed per game.

Moore was part of a Central Washington program that finished with an 8-3 overall record and won its second consecutive GNAC championship, sharing the title with Azusa Pacific.

Berry, selected by coaches as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, led the GNAC with 105 total tackles and averaged 8.8 tackles per game to lead an APU defense that limited teams to 394.1 yards per game. He also led the conference with 17 tackles for loss and is ranked 40th in Division II with 1.4 tackles for loss per game. Berry had double-digit tackles in four games, led by his 14 against West Texas A&M on Sept. 1.

Berry was part of an Azusa Pacific program that finished with an 8-4 overall record and shared the GNAC championship with Central Washington. The Cougars advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since 2016, losing in the first round to Tarleton State.