Donovan McCray and Lenard Tillery, two former teammates at McKinley High School who led their teams to sterling seasons in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, were recognized Thursday as two of the nation’s best players in the Football Championship Subdivision.
McCray, a senior defensive end at Grambling, was named a second-team Associated Press FCS All-American. Tillery, Southern’s senior running back, was named to the third team.
McCray was a playmaker on defense for Grambling, which dropped Southern 52-30 at the Bayou Classic in a matchup of the top two teams in the SWAC Western Division.
McCray had 31 tackles, five sacks and three fumble recoveries. He returned two for touchdowns and took a blocked punt for another score.
Tillery broke the Southwestern Conference career rushing record this season and also broke Southern’s single-season rushing record.
In just 11 games, he finished his senior season with 1,665 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. He wrapped up his career with 4,837 rushing yards, eclipsing the old SWAC mark by nearly 800 yards.
Advocate staff report
Photo by Travis Spralding
