GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Shorter football team was picked to finish tied for fifth in the Conference Carolinas Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced Tuesday.
 

The Hawks received 15 points, tying with Chowan for fifth place and finishing ahead of Ferrum, which earned six points. Defending conference champion North Greenville was selected first with 35 points and five first-place votes, while UNC Pembroke followed with 32 points and two first-place votes.
 

Shorter enters the 2026 season looking to build on the progress it made a year ago. Despite finishing 2-9 in 2025, the Hawks dropped four contests by four points or fewer and showed promise on both sides of the ball.

 

Offensively, Shorter led Conference Carolinas in rushing offense (187.5 yards per game) and kickoff return average (26.3 yards per return), while ranking third in both total offense (326.9 yards per game) and scoring offense (22.8 points per game).

 

Defensively, the Hawks paced the conference in rushing defense, allowing just 118.7 rushing yards per game. They also led the league in fumble recoveries (11) and forced fumbles (10), while ranking among the conference leaders with 21 sacks.



Three Hawks were also named to the Conference Carolinas Players to Watch list. Junior defensive end Mikey Matos returns after a standout sophomore campaign in which he recorded a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss, the second-most in Conference Carolinas. Junior tight end Sky Niblett earned recognition after hauling in 22 receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns during the 2025 season. Senior linebacker Andrew Waldrep rounds out the trio. After missing the 2025 campaign due to injury, Waldrep is expected to make an immediate impact as he returns to anchor the Hawks' defense in 2026.


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