The Catawba College Indians, who finished their 2000 football season 11-1, have been toasted with a glass of champagne by their peers.

Regional and national awards are pouring in.

Twenty-one schools were represented on the South Region all-star team and for the second straight year, Catawba had more players than anyone (six).

Devonte Peterson and Radell Lockhart, along with linebacker Todd McComb, were repeat first-teamers. Linebacker Shawn McBride and defensive back Ryan Norman were on the second team.

Don Moore, a preseason All-American, was named second-team guard.

Peterson, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end, was an American Football Coaches Association first-team All-American for the second straight season. The Clinton native had 49 stops this season, 25 for losses, as he helped Catawba win its first outright South Atlantic Conference crown ever. He fractured an ankle in the final regular season game at Lenoir-Rhyne and did not play in Catawba’s two Division IIplayoff games.

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And then, there’s Catawba coach David Bennett, who has made a habit of winning postseason awards in his six years as head coach.

For the third time, he was named Regional Coach of the Year by the AFCA. Bennett will now go on to national competition. If he wins the national award, he and his wife will get an all-expenses paid trip to Honolulu to coach in the annual Hula Bowl All-Star Game.

As of today, Peterson is an alternate. Bennett said six defensive ends are chosen and Peterson is No. 7.

The Hula Bowl participants are picked by NFLscouts.