Four Vikings Garner Football All-American Honors

CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7898 or (518) 416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Four Hudson Valley Community College football student-athletes garnered 2023 NJCAA Division III Football All-America honors as announced by the NJCAA Football Committee on Tuesday, December 12.

Shamarr Joppy (Harrisburg, Penn / Central Dauphin), Sean King (Chatham / Chatham), Shamilyn Joppy (Harrisburg, Penn / Central Dauphin) and Joshua Peguero (Middletown / Minisink Valley) were all named to All-American teams with Shamarr Joppy garnering first-team accolades and King, Shamilyn Joppy and Peguero earned second-team recognition.

Shamarr, a six-foot sophomore linebacker from Harrisburg, Penn., was the leader of the Vikings defense, which finished inside the NJCAA top-10 in defensive interceptions, defensive touchdowns, tackles and sacks during the 2023 season. Individually, Joppy finished atop of the national leaderboard with 5 interceptions and 82 total tackles, which was second best in the NJCAA. He averaged 8.2 tackles per game, with 52 solo tackles and tallied one sack. He was named the NJCAA Division III player of the week following his three-interception performance against Erie in the Region 3 championship game. Joppy was also named the Vikings Defensive Player of the Year last month during the annual end of the year banquet.

King, the Chatham, New York native, was a force on the defensive line this season as he accumulated 45 tackles, 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss this season. King played a big role in the 2023 Region 3 championship game as he accumulated six tackles and added one sack and two tackles for loss as the Vikings narrowly edged Erie 7-6 for their third straight Region 3 title.

Shamilyn Joppy, a 6' 1" defensive back from Harrisburg, Penn., was often tasked with covering the opponent's top offensive threat, which he often succeeded as one of the nation's top-ranked defenders. Joppy accumulating a NJCAA-best five interceptions. He proved to be a quality open-field tackler, amassing 32 total tackles, including a season-high five tackles and three defensive breakups in the Region 3 title game.

Joshua Peguero, a 5' 8" return specialist from Middletown, New York, had a couple games where he surpassed over 120 return yards in a game. He was always a speedy threat to return a punt or a kickoff for a touchdown. He collected 21 kickoff returns for 475 total yards and returned seven punts for 85 yards.