COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Northwest Mississippi sophomore defensive tackle Hal Northern and sophomore offensive guard Damien Lewis have been named to the 2017 NJCAA All-American Football Team, the organization announced Tuesday.

Northern earned first team honors, while Lewis was named to the second team for a second straight season, making him the first-ever two-time NJCAA All-American offensive lineman in program history.

The duo gives Northwest 113 All-American selections in its rich football history, including 11 over the last four seasons alone.

Northern finished his Ranger career with 81 tackles, 31.0 tackles-for-loss (5th most in school history) and 14 sacks in 23 games. He added nine quarterback hurries, three breakups, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. 

The three-star prospect and Ole Miss commit led Northwest's 12th-ranked scoring defense with 15.5 tackles-for-loss and 7.5 sacks this season en route to being named the MACJC North Division's defensive line MVP, first team all-conference and NJCAA All-Region 23.

Lewis wrapped up his Ranger career in style by being named an NJCAA Second Team All-American for a second straight season, something no other offensive lineman has ever accomplished at Northwest.

The three-star prospect and LSU commit helped pave the way for the nation's sixth-ranked offense at 485.5 yards per game thanks to an unbelievable combination of power and foot speed that helped him grade out at the highest percentage of all Ranger offensive linemen.

What's most impressive about Lewis is his balance in the classroom and on the field. The Canton product was named to the 2017 Capital One Academic All-District Football Team, 2016-17 MACJC All-Academic Team, 2016-17 NJCAA All-Academic Third Team and the spring 2017 Dean's List. He's expected to repeat with at least three more academic awards in the coming month.

Safety Joshua Norwood rounded out the list of Rangers to earn All-American honors this fall, with the WVU commit being named a JCGridiron.com All-American along with Northern and Lewis.