Louisville, Ky. - The University of Virginia's College at Wise quarterback Randy Hippeard completed his collegiate football career by being named the Mid-South Conference East Division Offensive Player of the Year. 

Hippeard was joined by a trio of teammates, wide receiver Matt Barbour, slot back Jason Lovett and defensive back James Haley on the Division's first team.

The four Highland Cavaliers helped the team finished in the NAIA Coaches Poll Top 25 for the third-straight season at 21^st and third year in a row for at least eight wins with an 8-3 final record.

Hippeard finished his stellar career as the most prolific signal-caller in UVa-Wise program history. The senior is a two-time NAIA All-American honorable mention pick and now three-time Mid-South All-League performer. 

The Stafford, Va. native was selected as the Mid-South Offensive Player of the Week three times for the 2008 season. The first Player of the Week honor came when Hippeard was a perfect 18 of 18 for 324 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-0 shutout of Newport News Apprentice.

Hippeard led the NAIA in passing (330.6 yds/gm), passing yards (3,637 yards), passing touchdowns (38) and total offense (339.9 yds/gm) while second in pass efficiency (177.94). All numbers broke his own Cavs' records along with 3,739 total offense yards as season records. 

The veteran quarterback also set a program single game record with seven scoring passes to open the season at Kentucky Christian. The 6-3, 220-pound passer owns every UVa-Wise career passing records with 756 completions in 1,273 attempts for 11,640 passing yards - 5,123 yards better than the second best school passer. He holds the best pass completion percentage (59.4%), passing yards per game (283.9 yds/gm), total offense yards (11,809 yds) and total offense per game (288.0 yds/gm). His 111 career passing touchdowns puts him second in the NAIA career record book, two shy of the national mark of 113.

Hippeard recorded seven 300-plus yard passing games of the Cavs' 11 contests. His highest passing numbers came against 11^th-ranked Union College where he completed 26 of 44 tries for 469 yards and three scores. He fired at least three scoring strikes in seven games as well with three of five or better. The Colonial Forge High School alum ran 57 times for 102 yards with three touchdown plunges and averaged 33.1 yards per punt over 30 boots.

Two of Hippeard's top receiving targets in Barbour and Lovett join him on the Mid-South East first team. The receiving duo combined to catch 105 passes for 1,818 yards and 22 touchdown catches.

Barbour continued to increased his numbers in his third year and gain his third-straight East first team acclaim. The William Campbell High grad was the top vote getter at wide receiver after his season of 63 receptions for 1,019 yards and five touchdowns. His 1,019 yards made him the second 1,000-yard receiver in a season over UVa-Wise's 18-yard football history, ranked him sixth in the NAIA for most receiving yards and tops in the Mid-South (92.6 yds/gm). The third-year receiver was also second in the Conference with 5.7 receptions per contest.

The Brookneal, Va. product has increased his receiving output from 729 yards as a freshman to 898 yards last season to the 1,019 yards this fall. His receptions have went up with the yards correlation from 48 to 52 to 63. Barbour became the UVa-Wise career leader in the two major receiving categories with 163 grabs for 2,646 yards while fifth with 14 scoring catches.

The junior could not have had a bigger second half of the 2008 season. Barbour recorded five 100-yard receiving days in the last six contests. He tied a Cavs' single game record with 13 catches against Union College which covered 177 yards. Matt also had 117 yards on seven grabs against eighth-ranked University of the Cumberlands and five receptions for 124 yards versus Campbellsville.

Lovett returns to the East Division's top slot back despite missing three games due to injury. The junior was the top vote receiver at his position. The slot back hauled in 799 yards receiving over 42 catches and tied his own school record of 17 touchdown catches.

The Spotsylvania, Va. started the season with nine catches covering 232 yards, third most in a single UVa-Wise contest, and tied the school record he set in 2007 with five scoring catches against Kentucky Christian. The effort earned him Mid-South Offensive Player of the Week. 

He led the Cavs' season scoring with 104 points with the 17 touchdown catches and one two-point conversion grab. The Massaponax High alum set the UVa-Wise career receiving touchdown this season with his 17 per season over the last two falls for 34.

Lovett posted four 100-yard games over the first five affairs. Along with his first game effort, the junior had six catches for 133 yards and two scores at Newport News and six grabs for 144 yards with one touchdown against 16^th-ranked Lambuth. Jason added eight catches for 100 yards and two scores at Georgetown and registered five touchdown receptions on six receptions for 73 yards versus Campbellsville.

Over his time with the Cavs, Lovett ranks third in career receptions (117) and fifth in career receiving yards (1,867 yards).

On the defensive side, James Haley was selected for the second time onto the Mid-South East first team. He received the most votes by the Division's coaches of the defensive backs across the seven teams.

Haley led a UVa-Wise defensive unit which made good strides for the 2008 season. The junior assisted the group to allow 10.5 points per game less than a year ago down to 24.6 points per game. The strong safety was a big part of the Cavs holding five opponents to 14 points or less including the first shutout since the 2001 season at Newport News (42-0) and holding the first Mid-South foe in Pikeville without a touchdown (14-6).

The Gladys, Va. native had a solid season of 75 total tackles, 36 solo, three tackles for loss and a sack. Haley picked off three pass including one at Cumberland (Tenn.) University to seal a 27-14 victory. He added three recovered fumbles, a forced fumble, three pass breakups and returned a botched extra point for two defensive points.

The William Campbell High former player had a career best 17 tackles including 11 solo stops with a forced fumble against 16^th-ranked Lambuth. He had two more double figure tackle games. James posted 11 stops, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery at Pikeville and followed the next week with 10 tackles and another fumble recovery against 11^th-rated Union.

In three years, Haley has taken down 172 ball carriers, 99 solo, 10 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks from his strong safety position.