Three finish tied atop Lone Star standings
Talk about parity. Three different teams ended up winning the Lone Star Conference football title, thanks to West Texas A&M’s 49-35 victory over No. 7 Tarleton State on Saturday in Stephenville. As a result, Tarleton, Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville all tied for the LSC title with 7-2 records. All three, along with WT, also shared the LSC South Division title at 4-2 each, while Texas A&M-Commerce went undefeated in the LSC North.
No. 9 Midwestern State denied No. 12 Abilene Christian University, the defending LSC champs, a share of the title with a 15-13 victory on Saturday in Wichita Falls, while No. 17 Kingsville held off Angelo State 35-32 on Saturday in Kingsville. Midwestern State, Kingsville, Tarleton State and ACU all advance to the Division II playoffs, while WT appears headed to the Kanza Bowl, which will be played in Topeka, Kan., on Dec. 5.
Gholson: The sweet taste of victory
They were all here two years ago to witness the Bernard Scott vs. Daniel Polk show. They watched Abilene Christian erase Midwestern State’s 17-point lead that day and win by one stinking point, 42-41. They understand what it’s like to watch ACU players and coaches celebrate making the playoffs on your home turf while at the same time, feeling the emptiness of knowing you’re staying home but deserve better.
“It was a bad feeling,” linebacker Emanuel Bagley said.
“It was an eerie feeling for them to take it down on us in the last two minutes like they did. It takes everything out of you,” defensive end Stephen Turner added.
“I tried to forget about it,” center Lance Calloway said.
But, as hard as they might try, the MSU seniors who were here two years ago could not forget that awful loss. The bad taste has been their mouth for 728 long days. On Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, they finally spat it out.
Javelinas end 5-year playoff absence
Texas A&M-Kingsville is back in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since 2004. As an added bonus, the Javelinas also host a first-round game. The first round of the Super Regional Four playoffs will be rematches of Lone Star Conference ballgames. The 9-2 Javelinas were seeded fourth and will host fifth-seeded Tarleton State (9-2) at noon Saturday. In the other first-round game, No. 6 seed Abilene Christian (8-3) travels to third-seeded Midwestern State. The Mustangs (9-2) defeated ACU 15-13 in last Saturday’s regular-season finale in Wichita Falls.
Top-seeded Central Washington, the nation’s lone undefeated Division II team at 11-0, and No. 2 Northwest Missouri State (10-1) have first-round byes. Gaining a fourth seed and being able to host a first-round game didn’t shock Javelinas coach Bo Atterberry, whose Javelinas shared the overall LSC title with Midwestern and Tarleton.
“Not after the way things unfolded yesterday,” Atterberry said. “I guess from what people were saying and the numbers and all that stuff it came out like it should have based on who lost and strength of schedule and all these things.”
WT closes slate with a flourish
To say the West Texas A&M Buffaloes finished the regular season on a roll is a bit of an understatement. WT capped off the regular season Saturday night in impressive fashion in Stephenville, knocking off No. 7 Tarleton State, 49-35.
Here's how the Buffs, who started the season 1-5 but finished 6-5, ended up:
Five straight wins to close out the regular season, including victories against NCAA Division II playoff teams Tarleton State and Abilene Christian, both on the road.
A share of the LSC South Division championship.
Averaging 44.8 points in their past five games.
Against Tarleton, the Buffs had 536 yards passing, the most against a Texan team.
"I've never won a championship in my life. I came from the locker room crying because I'm so happy," said WT defensive end/linebacker Bryan Braman after collecting two tackles and a blocked punt against TSU. "Most teams that start out 1-5 don't have the courage and the heart to face the adversity that this team did. We pulled together and came together as a team."
"The coaches told us that we could make this a success story, and made it a success story," said Buffs receiver Tyson Williams, who burned the Texans repeatedly over the middle, finishing with eight catches for 148 yards and a touchdown. "We finished strong."
Football: Former rushing great dies
Luther's Steve Tate, who held the state's high school career rushing record for over 20 years and later played at Central Oklahoma, died Saturday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Related: Former Central Great Passes Away
ACU nets sixth seed in playoffs
Mustangs headed to playoffs; will host ACU again
Buffs to find out about bowl today
The West Texas A&M Buffs will find out today if their football season continues. The 2009 Kanza Bowl committee has scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. to announce the two teams for the bowl, one of four NCAA Division II bowl games for teams that do not earn a spot in the D-II playoffs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soccer News
WT falls in final
It took two overtimes and a shootout to determine the Lone Star Conference women's soccer tournament champion Sunday.
LSC Champs!
Summer White had the go-ahead score and Nathalie Bernigaud the clinching one to lift Central Oklahoma to a thrilling shootout victory over West Texas A&M here Sunday afternoon in the finals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament.
Buffs prevail at Northeastern
The WT men's team defeated Northeastern State, 3-0, in its regular-season finale and secured a regional berth.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cross Country News
WT cross country teams finish 12th
The West Texas A&M women's cross country team finished 12th.
Missouri Southern sweeps titles
Aggies take 5th, Korir to Nationals
Sutrick finishes 19th; ECU 11th
Bronchos Finish Season
Runners hit regionals
Kogo and Reid Place 34th and 36th at Regional Championships
Cross Country: Cole garners All-South Central Region honors, but MSU finished 8th at South Central Regionals
Texan XC places fourth at South Central Regional
Tyler Tyndell Earns All-Region Honors at NCAA South Central Regional Meet
CC at NCAA Regionals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volleyball News
WT to face Midwestern in LSC tourney
The West Texas A&M Lady Buffs will begin their quest for a fourth consecutive Lone Star Conference volleyball tournament championship at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the WT Fieldhouse.
Pioneers advance to Lone Star Conference Tournament
TWU volleyball sweeps East Central on senior day
LSC Tournament field set
Wildcats Win 3-1 to End Regular Season
UCO Tames Mustangs
Volleyball: Mustangs fall to Central Oklahoma 3-1 in regular season finale
Streaky 'Belles sweep TAMUK
Hoggies Drop Season Finale
Volleyball: SE Snags 3-0 win at A&M-Commerce
A&M-Commerce Falls in Regular Season Finale to Southeastern Oklahoma
CU ends year with 3-0 sweep, 17 wins
TWU ends ECU volleyball season
TexAnns fall 3-1 to ACU in final match of 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment