|
By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Hutchinson Community College
sophomore Gage McKinnis was named an NJCAA 2009 Preseason Football
All-American on Tuesday. The preseason All-America team was announced in
conjunction with the release of the 2009 NJCAA Preseason football poll.
McKinnis is a second-team
preseason All-American at wide receiver.
McKinnis is a 5-foot-8,
180-pound receiver from Hutchinson who was a first-team special teams
All-American in 2008. McKinnis is one of eight returning All-Americans
across the country.
In his freshman season,
McKinnis put the ‘special’ in Blue Dragon special teams. He became the first
Blue Dragon since 1999 to return two kicks for touchdowns in the same
season.
McKinnis was one of only
three freshmen to earn first-team All-America honors in 2008.
McKinnis led the Jayhawk
Conference in kickoff returns with an average of 33.8 yards on 14 returns
and two touchdowns of 97 against Dodge City and 82 against Air Force Prep.
The 97-yard return against Dodge City was the second longest kickoff return
in HCC history.
He was second in the league
in punt returns at 14.1 yards per return on 11 returns. McKinnis had a major
impact in the Dragons’ 30-17 Region VI semifinal victory at Fort Scott when
he returned four punts for 116 yards. His long of 65 yards early in the
fourth quarter set up HCC’s go-ahead score when the game was tied at 10-10.
McKinnis was second on the
2008 Blue Dragons in receiving with 13 receptions for 152 yards and one
touchdown. McKinnis was also second in all-purpose yards with 1,031 yards.
McKinnis is one of nine
Jayhawk Conference players to earn 2009 preseason NJCAA honors. |
