Northern Neck Times

Eight Yellow Jackets Earn All-Region Football Honors

The Randolph-Macon football team had eight players receive All-Region recognition by D3football.com.

Senior offensive lineman Will Jackson (Biscoe, N.C./East Montgomery) and sophomore defensive lineman Wade Grubbs (Providence Forge, Va./New Kent) were named All-Region First Team.

Senior wide receiver David Wallis (Cedar Point, N.C./Croatan) and senior holder Andrew Ihle (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek) earned spots on the All-Region Second Team.

Junior quarterback Drew Campanale (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury), senior running back Nick Hale (Vinton, Va./William Byrd), senior offensive lineman Nehemiah Nixon (Garner, N.C./Garner) and senior safety Cade Jones (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) were selected All-Region Third Team.

Jackson was named All-ODAC First Team for the fourth time. He was All-Region Second Team a season ago. Jackson anchored an offensive line for an offense that is first in the ODAC and 16th in the nation in total offense at 467.8 yards per game. R-MC is 10th in the country with 42.6 points per game and 11th in rushing offense at 242.5. The Yellow Jackets lead Division III in third down conversion at .592. R-MC is first in the country in team passing efficiency at 197.9. The Yellow Jackets were fourth in the nation in time of possession at 34:16.

Grubbs was All-ODAC First Team. He has 36 tackles in 11 games. He tops the team with 13 tackles for loss (minus-83 yards) and 10.5 quarterback sacks for minus-80 yards. Grubbs is first in the ODAC and 21st nationally with 0.95 sacks per contest. He has one forced fumble.

Wallis was All-ODAC First Team. He has 41 receptions for 1,189 yards and 13 touchdowns in 11 games. He is third in the nation with 29.0 yards per catch. Wallis is first in the ODAC and 11th in the country with 108.1 yards per game. He is first in the league and eighth in the nation with 13 receiving touchdowns.

Ihle was All-ODAC First Team as an all-purpose back. He is first in the ODAC and 11th in the nation with 16 rushing touchdowns. Ihle is third on the team with 393 rushing yards and averages 4.7 yards per rush. He has completed 13 of 22 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Ihle is the holder for field goals and extra-point kicks.

Campanale was ODAC Offensive Player of the Year and All-ODAC First Team. He leads all four NCAA divisions in completion percentage (.781), passing efficiency (221.8) and yards per pass attempt (12.4). Campanale has completed 143 of 183 passes for 2,274 yards and 23 touchdowns with two interceptions. He rushed 48 times for 227 yards and five touchdowns.

Hale was All-ODAC First Team. He has 164 carries for 864 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is fourth in the ODAC with 78.6 yards per game and second with 5.3 yards per carry.

Jones was All-ODAC First Team. He is second on the team with 47 tackles and has one tackle for loss. Jones has two interceptions and five pass breakups.

Nixon was All-ODAC First Team. He anchored an offensive line for an offense that is first in the ODAC and 16th in the nation in total offense at 467.8 yards per game. R-MC is 10th in the country with 42.6 points per game and 11th in rushing offense at 242.5. The Yellow Jackets lead Division III in third down conversion at .592. R-MC is first in the country in team passing efficiency at 197.9. The Yellow Jackets were fourth in the nation in time of possession at 34:16.

The Yellow Jackets had a record-setting season in 2022. R-MC went 10-0 during the regular season, the first squad in program history to reach double figures in wins. The Yellow Jackets were 7-0 in conference play to claim their 13th ODAC championship, the most in league history. Arruza was named ODAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time. R-MC hosted SUNY Cortland in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs and rallied for a 35-28 victory for the 11th win of the season. The Yellow Jackets would fall 39-32 at Delaware Valley in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs.

R-MC is one of six programs in NCAA Division III with nine or more wins in each of the past four full seasons (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022). The Yellow Jackets have a 30-3 ODAC record since 2018 (.909). R-MC owns a 25-2 record since 2020 (.926) and has the top winning percentage of all programs in North Carolina and Virginia since 2018 (.860).

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