Calhoun athletes help clean Water Tank Bike Trail

defense, total defense, and third-down defense, among others.

Boggs led App State with 98 tackles and double figures in stops in five games. Duck was named a USAToday Freshman All-American after recording five of App’s 20 interceptions on the season. He was also named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Sims was among the national leaders in sacks early in the season, eventually earning All-Sun Belt honors with seven sacks.

Stout anchored the middle of App’s 3-4, constantly drawing double teams to free up holes for the Mountaineers’ linebacker in the front seven. Stringer is a three-year starter on the App defense and was third on the team in tackles last season and second with 45 solo stops.

Rubino was rock-solid as a freshman, going a perfect 13-for-13 on field goals from inside of 40 yards with a long of 47. He was 47-of-48 on PATs.

The Mountaineers open the 2017 season on Sept. 2 at Georgia. Kickoff is at 6:15 p.m. on ESPN.

In other recent college football news:

Former Jacket standout Curtis earns preseason honors SPARTANBURG, S. C.

–A program-record seven Mercer football student- athletes earned 2017 Presea- son All-Southern Conference honors as the league office announced the preseason voting results Tuesday at its annual Football Media Day.

The Bears were picked fifth in both the coaches and media preseason polls, totaling 32 and 101 points respectively in each poll. Mercer returns 14 starters from a team that went 6-5 (4-4 SoCon) in 2016. The fifth-place vote is Mercer’s second highest in four years as a SoCon football member.

Offensive lineman Thomas Marchman, tight end Sam Walker and place kicker Cole Fisher marked a trio of Bears named to the Preseason All-SoCon First Team. Wide receiver Marquise Irvin, offensive lineman Caleb Yates, defensive lineman Isaiah Buehler and return specialist and former Calhoun High standout Chandler Curtis earned Preseason All-SoCon Second Team honors, rounding out Mercer’s individual accolades.

Curtis is the first player in program history named to the Preseason All-SoCon teams three times in his career. The second team nod is a repeat of 2016 for Curtis as he enters this fall with 1,103 career receiving yards (386, careerhigh six touchdown receptions in 2016).

Mercer’s seven preseason all-conference selections best the for- mer program record of six in 2015. The seven selections ranked third among SoCon teams behind Chattanooga (10) and league-favorite Wofford (8).

The league’s coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes, selected both preseason all-conference teams.

The conference top four teams were identical in both coaches and media polls as Wofford (1), The Citadel (2), Samford (3) and Chattanooga (4) placed ahead of Mercer.

The Bears will open the season against Jacksonville at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 under the lights at Five Star Stadium.