FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
(540) 365-4306
 
November 21, 2003
 
 
Football Players Earn All-Conference
Holmes, Venable Nab Top Honors
 
Ferrum, Va. -- Seven Ferrum College football players have been named to the USA South Athletic Conference's 2003 Football All-Conference Team.  Leading the way were two players named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

Senior fullback Moncrief Holmes (Yorktown, Va./York) has been named USA South Offensive Player of the Year, while junior defensive back Darren Venable (Covington, Va./Covington) has been named USA South Defensive Player of the Year.

Holmes, pictured above left, led the league in rushing this season with 103.2 yards per game.  He scored five touchdowns and was the league's All-Conference first team selection at fullback.  He was on pace to crack the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season, but Ferrum played only eight games due to the cancellation of the Chowan College game when Hurricane Isabel made an appearance this fall.  Holmes also earned All-Conference first team honors a year ago.  In the last game of his career at Ferrum, Holmes led all rushers with 66 yards in a 19-17 win over USA South co-champion Christopher Newport University on Nov. 15.  The 66 yards put Holmes over the 2,000-yard career rushing mark.  He finished with 2,019 career yards on 345 carries, for an impressive 5.9 yards per carry average.

For Venable, above right, this is his second consecutive USA South Defensive Player of the Year honor and his second year on the league's All-Conference first team.  He was an All-Conference second team selection in 2001 as well.  Venable made 74 tackles this season, including nine tackles for loss, six sacks, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, an interception, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned 75 yards for a score.  He was an All-America third team selection by The Football Gazette last season, and opened the 2003 season on that publication's Preseason All-America first team.

Joining the two on the All-Conference first team are senior offensive lineman Chris Ward (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax), senior defensive lineman Brett Griffin (Jupiter, Fla./Dwyer), senior linebacker Antonio McClenny (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes), senior defensive back Ricky Peace (Hopewell, Va./Hopewell) and freshman tight end Chris Silk (Ashland, Va./Patrick Henry).

Griffin had 44 tackles this season, including four for loss and four sacks.  He closed his career with 13 career sacks and is a repeat selection to the All-Conference first team.  Ward helped Ferrum to a #12 national ranking in rushing offense (278.1 yd/gm).
 
McClenny led the Panthers with 84 tackles this year, averaging 10.5 per game.  He had nine tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.  McClenny is also a repeat selection to the All-Conference first team.

Peace, pictured at left, was the league's top vote-getter at the defensive back position.  He recorded 34 tackles, had eight pass breakups, made four interceptions, recovered a fumble, and blocked a kick.  Peace also made the All-Conference second team as a return specialist.  He had 12 kickoff returns for 280 yards (23.3 yd/ret) and eight punt returns for 92 yards (11.5 yd/ret).
 
Silk had a stellar freshman season, converting seven of his nine receptions for TDs.  He recorded 171 yards on his nine receptions for a 19.0 yds/rec average, and was the league's highest vote-getter at tight end.
 
Ferrum closed its season at 6-2 overall and finished third in the USA South at 3-2 in league play.  For more information, please contact the Ferrum College Sports Information Office at (540) 365-4306.
 
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