AUSTINTOWN – Five Wilmington College football players were honored by the Ohio Athletic Conference coaches, the league announced.
“It is an honor any time you have players getting recognized by the other coaches in the OAC,” said Wilmington head coach Stacey Hairston. “Even though our overall record was not very good, we still had several players receiving recognition for their performances throughout the football season. The OAC is a very competitive conference and it means so much to earn All-OAC Awards.”
Senior safety Tarrell Starckey (Richmond, VA/Highland Springs) was the lone player to earn first team recognition. It’s the second time in his career Starckey earned first team honors. He was a first-team linebacker in 2013.
“Tarrell Starckey being named to the first team All OAC is a tremendous honor,” said Hairston. “I asked Tarrell to do a lot in our defense because of the quality player he is. I am very happy for him that the opposing coaches saw his overall talents and his versatility and they rewarded his efforts by voting him first team All OAC.”
He led all OAC defensive backs with 104 tackles and was fifth with seven pass breakups. Starckey finished with 293 tackles in his three-year Wilmington career – which ranks his eighth all time.
Despite leading all OAC defensive linemen in tackling and forced fumbles, ranking second in the league with seven sacks and third with 12.5 tackles for loss, junior defensive end David Henry (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington) was named second team. He ranks in the top 20 nationally in forced fumbles.
“David Henry was near the top of the OAC in just about every statistical category there is at the defensive line position,” said Hairston. “He was a dominant force all year and for his efforts. I am happy that he was recognized for being the good player that he is. We are very fortunate that David will be returning next season and have a chance to improve on the season he had this year.”
Senior receiver Justin Lee (Middletown, OH/Madison) also earned second team honors. Lee led the team and finished fourth in the team with 823 yards receiving, playing receiver in eight games. He spent two games playing quarterback. Averaging 134.5 yards per game, Lee was fifth in the OAC in all-purpose yards.
“Justin Lee had a tremendous year for us,” said Hairston. “There were a lot of great receivers in the OAC this year and the fact that the coaches voted for Justin to the second team says a lot about the player he is. Justin worked extremely hard this year and when we were hit hard by injuries at other positions, he stepped in and bailed us out.”
Seniors Nick Williams (Cleveland, OH/Fairview) and Amari Bryant (West Chester, OH/Lakota West) were named honorable mention. Williams finished with 89 tackles, two sacks, nine tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, while Bryant led the conference with 15 pass breakups with added 42 tackles and two interceptions.
Wilmington finished the season 1-9 overall, 0-9 in the OAC.
“Our goal is to continue to grow and improve in all phases of our football program,” said Hairston. “The OAC is arguably the most competitive football conference in the nation and the other coaches in the league are noticing our improvements and progress here at Wilmington College. I am very proud of all of our athletes, even the ones that did not make All OAC, because without them, these guys would not have been able to do what they did.”
