VALDOSTA — Less than 24 hours after D2football.com released its All-America team, the Don Hansen Football Gazette announced its Division II All-America teams. Valdosta State was well represented with a school-record nine honorees.
All five Blazers honored by D2football.com Thursday — Ryan Schraeder, Edmund Kugbila, Gerald Ford, Chris Pope and Matt Pierce — were all named All-Americans by the Gazette, along with four others that were named Honorable Mentions.
Quarterback Cayden Cochran joined the group of All-Americans after tossing for 2,710 yards, rushing for 350 yards and scoring 37 total touchdowns (26 pass) in 2012.
Cochran was joined by right tackle Mesh Wokomaty, who registered 50 knockdown blocks this season and defenders Tyler Josey and Lawrence Virgil.
Josey led Valdosta State in sacks this season with 10, racking up 13.5 tackles for loss during his senior season that ended with a 35-7 win over Winston-Salem State in the national championship game.
Virgil, a native of Brooks County, finished his junior season with 52 tackles, including 12 for a loss. He also finished with two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a pass breakup.
Along with the All-America honors, head coach David Dean was also named the Division II Coach of the Year by the Gazette, giving him a clean sweep for Coach of the Year honors by postseason award publications.
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