NATCHITOCHES – As easy as 1, 2, 3, the Northwestern State football team found four members on the All-Southland Conference teams Tuesday morning.
 
The Demons placed one player on each of the first two teams and a pair on the third team, which were chosen by a combined vote of the league's coaches and sports information directors.
 
Record-setting wide receiver Quan Shorts earned first-team honors after setting a school record with 100 catches, the third-highest total produced by a Southland receiver in conference history. A 6-foot-2, 195-pound transfer from Texas Tech, Shorts finished the regular season fourth in the nation in catches per game (8.3) despite playing the final three-plus games with a case of turf toe. Despite the injury, he finished his career with a nine-catch, 132-yard performance against Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 21, his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season, one shy of tying the school record.
 
In two seasons, Shorts filled up the NSU single-season and career record book. His 11 receiving touchdowns were 15^th nationally and rank second in NSU single-season history behind Jazz Ferguson's 13 a season ago. Shorts' 994 receiving yards also stand second to Ferguson's 1,117 in 2018.
 
In addition to owning the single-season receptions mark, he stands second in career catches (156), tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns (13) and 11^th in receiving yards (1,536).
 
While Shorts earned his first all-conference award, senior offensive lineman Chris Zirkle nabbed his second career postseason conference honor. A preseason second-team selection, Zirkle found himself on the second-team following a season in which he consistently was Northwestern State's highest-graded lineman.
 
A CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors student-athletes for their achievements on the field, in the classroom and in the community, Zirkle matched his 2017 second-team All-Southland selection. A 6-2, 287-pound League City, Texas, product, Zirkle started all 12 games and 16 in a row to end his career after returning for the final four games of 2018 after offseason shoulder surgery.
 
A pair of underclassman defenders represented the Demons on the third team.
 
Junior linebacker Ja'Quay Pough and sophomore cornerback Shemar Bartholomew joined Shorts and Zirkle on the all-conference teams, giving NSU its most selections since Ed Eagan (WR/AP/RS), Chris Moore and Pace Murphy combined for five spots on the 2015 team.
 
In his first season with the Demons, Pough collected 101 tackles, three sacks and three forced fumbles. He was named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28 after recording 21 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the Demons' 44-41 overtime win at Incarnate Word. Pough is the first Demon to reach the 100-tackle plateau since Marion Chapman in 2014 and became the first Demon to record at least 20 tackles in a game since Chapman that season.
 
A 6-1, 230-pound product of Sherman, Texas, who transferred from Texas Tech, Pough ranked 22^nd nationally in forced fumbles (.25 per game) and 59^th in tackles per game (8.4).
 
Bartholomew, a New Orleans native, ranked 12^th nationally in interceptions per game (0.4) closed his sophomore season with a flourish, producing five turnovers in the final five games of the season. Included in that run were a pair of two-turnover games – an interception and fumble recovery at UIW on Oct. 26 and a two-interception game against Stephen F. Austin. He added a momentum-shifting, 96-yard interception return touchdown in the Demons' 31-28 win at Sam Houston State on Nov. 16.
 
A 6-0, 185-pound cornerback, Bartholomew broke up four passes and added 23 tackles and a blocked extra point against McNeese in nine games.
 
 
2019 Southland Conference Football Individual Superlative Winners
 
Player of the Year: Sully Laiche, Nicholls
Offensive Player of the Year: Chase Fourcade, Nicholls
Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Livings, McNeese
Newcomer of the Year: Trace Mascorro, Sam Houston State
Freshman of the Year: Tyler Hudson, Central Arkansas
Offensive Lineman of the Year: PJ Burkhalter, Nicholls
Coach of the Year: Frank Scelfo, Southeastern Louisiana
 
2019 Southland Conference Football First Team All-Conference Offense

Pos.	Name	School	Class	Hometown
QB	Chase Fourcade2	Nicholls	Sr.	Metairie, La.
RB	Julien Gums	Nicholls	So.	New Orleans, La.
RB	Tracy James	Abilene Christian	Sr.	Dallas, Texas
TE/HB	Woody Brandom	Sam Houston State	R-Sr.	Corona, Calif.
WR	Quan Shorts	Northwestern State	Sr.	Humble, Texas
WR	Lujuan Winningham	Central Arkansas	So.	Humble, Texas
WR	Dai'Jean Dixon2	Nicholls	Jr.	New Orleans, La.
OL	PJ Burkhalter	Nicholls	R-Jr.	Franklinton, La.
OL	Pat Allen	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	Reisertown, Md.
OL	Hunter Watts2	Central Arkansas	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
OL	Bradston Burnside	Nicholls	Sr.	Hattiesburg, Miss.
OL	Colby Thomas	Sam Houston State	Jr.	Manvel, Texas
PK	Storm Ruiz	Stephen F. Austin	Sr.	League City, Texas
P	Matt McRobert	Sam Houston State	R-Jr.	Berowra, Australia

 
2019 Southland Conference Football First Team All-Conference Defense

Pos.	Name	School	Class	Hometown
DL	Sully Laiche4	Nicholls	Sr.	Gramercy, La.
DL	Trace Mascorro	Sam Houston State	Jr.	Refugio, Texas
DL	Chris Livings2	McNeese	Sr.	Lake Charles, La.
DL	Andre Walker	Houston Baptist	Sr.	Slidell, La.
LB	Jeremiah Chambers2	Abilene Christian	Sr.	Austin, Texas
LB	Royce See	Sam Houston State	Sr.	Shepherd, Texas
LB	Allen Pittman4	Nicholls	Sr.	St. Rose, La.
DB	Ferlando Jordan	Southeastern Louisiana	R-So.	Atlanta, Ga.
DB	Robert Rochell	Central Arkansas	Jr.	Shreveport, La.
DB	Michael Lawson	Lamar	Jr.	Patterson, Calif.
DB	Darion Dunn	McNeese	Jr.	Oakdale, La.
DB	Kevin Moore III	Nicholls	Jr.	Lafayette, La.
KR	Gamar Girdy Brito	Houston Baptist	Sr.	Victoria, Texas
PR	Michael Lawson	Lamar	Jr.	Patterson, Calif.

 
2019 Southland Conference Football Second Team All-Conference Offense

Pos.	Name	School	Class	Hometown
QB	Breylin Smith	Central Arkansas	So.	Conway, Ark.
RB	Donovan Williams	Sam Houston State	So.	Paris, Texas
RB	Carlos Blackman3	Central Arkansas	Sr.	Gosnell, Ark.
TE/HB	Bransen Schwebel2	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	Amite, La.
WR	Tyler Hudson	Central Arkansas	Fr.	Spring, Texas
WR	Cyron Sutton	McNeese	Jr.	New Orleans, La.
WR	Xavier Gipson	Stephen F. Austin	Fr.	Dallas, Texas
OL	Jair Joseph	Nicholls	Jr.	Belle Rose, La.
OL	Grant Burguillos2	McNeese	Sr.	Mandeville, La.
OL	Tamatoa Neher	Lamar	Sr.	Hauula, Hawaii
OL	Chris Zirkle2	Northwestern State	Sr.	League City, Texas
OL	Jarius Gooch	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	Water Valley, Miss.
PK	Bailey Giffen	Lamar	Jr.	Bryan, Texas
P	Blake Patterson	Houston Baptist	Jr.	Round Rock, Texas

 
2019 Southland Conference Football Second Team All-Conference Defense

Pos.	Name	School	Class	Hometown
DL	Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
DL	Joseph Wallace	Sam Houston State	Jr.	Dallas, Texas
DL	Nathan Grant	Central Arkansas	Jr.	Carrollton, Texas
DL	Daniel Crosley2	Lamar	Sr.	DeRidder, La.
LB	Laryon James	Nicholls	Sr.	Baton Rouge, La.
LB	Alexis Ramos	Southeastern Louisiana	Jr.	Salinas, Calif.
LB	Hunter Brown	Sam Houston State	R-Sr.	Weston, Fla.
DB	Zyon McCollum2	Sam Houston State	Jr.	Galveston, Texas
DB	Xavier Lewis	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	LaPlace, La.
DB	Juan Jackson2	Central Arkansas	Sr.	Gardendale, Ala.
DB	Cory McCoy	McNeese	Jr.	Leesville, La.
DB	Adonis Davis	Abilene Christian	Sr.	Bastrop, Texas
KR	Cameron Myers	Central Arkansas	R-Fr.	Plant City, Fla.
PR	Cyron Sutton	McNeese	Jr.	New Orleans, La.

 
2019 Southland Conference Football Third Team All-Conference Offense

Pos.	Name	School	Class	Hometown
QB	Chason Virgil	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	Mesquite, Texas
RB	Devonte Williams	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	Columbia Md.
RB	Justin Pratt	McNeese	Sr.	Spring, Texas
TE/HB	Jordan Talley	Nicholls	Sr.	Clinton, La.
WR	Ben Ratzlaff	Houston Baptist	Jr.	San Diego, Calif.
WR	Jerreth Sterns	Houston Baptist	So.	Waxahachie, Texas
WR	Austin Mitchell	Southeastern Louisiana	R-Jr.	Plaquemine, La.
OL	Jaylin Hendrix	Central Arkansas	So.	Everman, Texas
OL	Brandon Floores2	UIW	Sr.	La Vernia, Texas
OL	Toby Sanderson	Central Arkansas	Jr.	Edmond, Okla.
OL	Tyler Edwards	Sam Houston State	R-Sr.	Buna, Texas
OL	Terence Hickman2	UIW	Sr.	Converse, Texas
PK	Hayden Ray	Central Arkansas	So.	Bryant, Ark.
P	Bailey Raborn	McNeese	Jr.	Lafayette, La.

 
2019 Southland Conference Football Third Team All-Conference Defense

Pos.	Name	School	Class	Hometown
DL	Kameron Hill	Abilene Christian	Jr.	Fresno, Texas
DL	Cody Roscoe	McNeese	Jr.	Houston, Texas
DL	Jevon Leon	Sam Houston State	Fr.	Houston, Texas
DL	Cole Burgess	Abilene Christian	Sr.	North Richland Hills, Texas
LB	TJ Campbell	Central Arkansas	So.	Southaven, Miss.
LB	Ja'Quay Pough	Northwestern State	Jr.	Sherman, Texas
LB	Kelechi Anyalabechi	UIW	So.	Pearland, Texas
DB	Shemar Bartholomew	Northwestern State	So.	New Orleans, La.
DB	Khristian Mims2	Nicholls	Sr.	Baton Rouge, La.
DB	Jaylon Jimmerson	UIW	Fr.	Pittsburg, Texas
DB	Willie Roberts	Stephen F. Austin	Fr.	Fort Worth, Texas
DB	Jaylen Thomas	Sam Houston State	Jr.	Houston, Texas
KR	Xavier Gipson	Stephen F. Austin	Fr.	Dallas, Texas
PR	Devonte Williams2	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	Columbia, Md.