Pierce headlines 10 All-PAC selections
Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director
GREENVILLE, Pa. (Nov. 14) – Senior defensive end Khallid Pierce (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) headlined a group of 10 Bison selected to All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) teams announced the league office Tuesday morning.
Pierce was named First-Team All-PAC by the league's 11 coaches, while junior linebacker Joseph Fiasco (Wilmerding, Pa./Penn-Trafford) and sophomore all-purpose back Raekwon Wright (Baltimore, Md./Patterson) were tabbed All-PAC Second Team honorees.
Senior wide receiver Shaq Ellis (Greenville, S.C./Southside) was the team's lone Honorable Mention All-PAC selection on offense, while sophomore Chas Blango (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) and juniors Will Gatling (Baltimore, Md./Northwestern), John Lee (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and George Reid (Columbus, Ohio/Linden-McKinley) were all named honorable mention on defense. Senior punter Chase Kinemond (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) and Wright were each named Honorable Mention All-PAC on special teams.
Senior long snapper Zach Lowe (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) was also announced as the team's selection to the All-PAC Sportsmanship Team.
Pierce earned his third All-PAC honor after being named a second-team selection as a sophomore and junior. The Youngstown, Ohio native tied for the PAC lead with a career-high 9.0 sacks (all solo) and ranked third in the league with 16.0 tackles for loss. Pierce finished tied for third in the PAC with three forced fumbles, while his 49 total tackles ranked fifth among defensive linemen in the conference.
Pierce recently wrapped up his Bison career second all-time in Bethany history with 28.5 career sacks, three behind the 31.5 posted by former Bison Dan Rovira (1990-91).
Fiasco earned second-team laurels in his first season at linebacker. A two-time PAC Defensive Player of the Week, Fiasco tied for the league-lead with 9.6 tackles per game, tops among PAC linebackers. He also ranked seventh in the conference with 11.0 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles and added an interception to his final line.
Wright led the league with 156.5 all-purpose yards per game on his way to his second all-conference season. Wright, who was a 2016 honorable mention, ranked 10th in the PAC with 751 yards rushing and six touchdowns. His 1,565 all-purpose yards was the sixth-highest single-season total in school history. Wright also led the PAC with 619 kickoff return yards and earned honorable mention status as a return man.
Ellis earned his first all-conference nod after leading the team and ranking eighth in the PAC with 36 receptions. He finished the season with 398 yards and two touchdowns.
Gatling was named Honorable Mention All-PAC after ending the season third in tackling with 9.0 per game. The Baltimore native led the league with four fumble recoveries and ranked 13th with 9.0 tackles for loss. Gatling added three sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception to his final statistics in his first season at linebacker.
Lee finished sixth on the team with 42 tackles from the safety position to earn his first all-conference honor. The Worthington, Ohio native ranked 18th among PAC defensive backs in tackles, broke-up two passes and forced one fumble.
Reid tied for second on the Bison with two interceptions and three pass break-ups to earn his first All-PAC nod. His five total passes defended (0.62 per game) ranked 17th in the conference.
Blango ranked second on the team and ninth in the PAC with 4.5 sacks from his defensive end position. His 46 total tackles slotted him ninth among conference defensive lineman. Blango also tied for sixth in the PAC with a pair of forced fumbles.
Kinemond was named an All-PAC Honorable Mention punter after finishing fourth in the league with a 39.2 average on 56 punts, including 14 inside the 20-yard line which ranked only second to first-team selection Tyler Kohman (Carnegie Mellon) who pinned teams 19 times.
Lowe served as the team's long snapper in each of the last 41 games over the past four seasons.
The Bison recently closed the season at 2-8 overall, 2-6 in the PAC with victories over Grove City and Saint Vincent in the final two weeks of the season.