2010 Preview - West Texas A&M

2009 Recap
Everyone knew the early schedule for the Buffaloes was going to be brutal with 4 ranked teams (including three in the top 10) in the first six weeks.  But no one expected WT to emerge with a 1-5 record and out of the playoff race midway through the season.  At that point, no one expected the Buffs to turn around their season winning their last 5 regular season games outscoring their opponents by a 224-116 margin.  While the team did not qualify for the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2004, they were chosen to represent the LSC in the inaugural Kanza Bowl, where they defeated MIAA represenative Nebraska-Omaha 31-25.

The biggest difference in the team in the first half of the season and the latter half was the offense.  Over the first six games, the offense averaged 21 points and 376 yards.  Those numbers improved to 42.5 points and 493 yards.  There were several factors contributing to the struggles early on.  A new starting quarterback and several new receivers played a role, but the biggest factor was a preseason injury to running back Keithon Flemming that sidelined him over that period.  He returned to average 80 yards per game rushing and 54 yards receiving, scoring an impressive 16 TDs in just 6 games.

For the season, WT was an uncharacteristic 4th in the LSC in scoring (31.8 pts per game) and 2nd in yards gained (434.8 per game).  The defense allowed 25.6 points per game (5th) and 353.4 yards (4th).

2010 Outlook
Out with the old
To say Keithon Flemming will be missed is a gross understatement.  In his three years at WT, Flemming rushed for more than 2,400 yards with 37 TDs and also caught 150 passes for another 1,300 yards and 10 TDs.  Despite missing quite a bit of playing time due to injuries, he was twice named 1st LSC South, and once to the second team.  Up front J'Marcus Webb (now with the Chicago Bears) was also a two time 1st LSC South selection, and Jon Ioane was a second team selection last year.  The defensive line will be missing two-time LSC defensive lineman of the year Eugene Sims (now with the St. Louis Rams) and two-time 1st LSC South Broderick Marshall as well as starter Marcus Rowe.  Mark Ford and Joseph Peterson started a combined 8 games at linebacker last fall, and had 53 tackles between them.  James Chandler (2nd LSC South) was a perfect 42-42 on PATs and hit 14 of 21 FGs.

Welcome Back
Taylor Harris (HM LSC South) returns for his senior season.  He threw for 3,735 yards and 22 TDs last fall. He will have his top three targets from last year as well - Tyson Williams (66-847, 5 TDs), Stephen Burton (62-888, 2 TDs) and Brittan Golden (46-946, 10 TDs)  Also back is leading rusher Kelvin Thompson (529 yards and 6 TDs).  The line also returns several experienced players - starters Isaiah Lewis, Shaun Wesley and Michael Zoch as well as Daniel Sherwood, Hector Rodriguez (both starters in 2008) and Aaron Mullane.

Bryan Braman leads the defensive returnees.  Braman (1st LSC South) had 16 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.  Aaron Wampler also returns on the line after racking up 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in a reserve role.  Due to a number of injuries last year, there are quite a few experienced players returning at linebacker.  Anthony Scott (HM LSC South) led the team with 106 tackles.  Also back are Drew Graham, Shad Baichtal, Kyle Voss and Kevin McCluskey, who had a combined 147 tackles with 11.5 for loss and 3 interceptions.  The secondary returns the most experience with starters Curtis Jefferson (1st LSC South), Tae Evans (1st LSC South), Jordan Smith (HM LSC South) and Caleb Randolph topping the list.  The quartet combined for 288 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 11 interceptions and 23 passes broken up.

Tim Cowdrey returns as the team's punter.  He averaged 36.4 yards per punt last season.  Jeremy Watson was the leading return man for both punts (7.8 average) and kickoffs (24.9 average).

In with the new
Running back Tommy Hampton garnered All-American honors last season at Los Medanos after rushing for 1,708 yards and 16 TDs last year (2,400 yds and 24 TDs in two seasons).  Can you ever have enough receivers in the WT offense?  Junior college transfers Ray Magee (originally signed with Utah out of JC) and Myron Dillard will provide even more depth.  The  Buffs also brought in several transfers for the offensive line.  David Grant was an NJCAA All-American at Navarro JC (Nebraska commit out of HS), Shawn Johnson (UCLA commit in 2009) was an All-Region honoree at College of the Canyons, Justin Brown (UCLA commit out of HS) played at Saddleback CC, and James Otero comes to WT from Delta State.

Defensively, the Buffaloes brought in several transfers for the defensive line.  The prize recruit is Simi Kuli from El Camino College who signed with Oregon State after the 2007 season.  Rivals had Kuli ranked as their #1 JC recruit, while Scout had him as their #8.  Other transfers of note - Navarro's Justin Williams (Kansas State commit in December), Drew Jones from Blinn (signed with Houston out of HS), Jonathan Hatton from Tyler JC and Dishon Robertson from Hinds CC in Mississippi.  Linebacker D. J. Ross from Blinn will add depth to the linebacking corps.

All Conference Candidates
QB - Taylor Harris
WRs - Tyson Williams, Stephen Burton, Brittan Golden
OL - David Grant, Hector Rodriguez
DL - Bryan Braman, Simi Kuli, Aaron Wampler, Justin Williams
LB - Anthony Scott
DB - Curtis Jefferson, Tae Evans, Jordan Smith

All American Candidates
QB - Taylor Harris
DL - Bryan Braman, Simi Kuli
DB - Curtis Jefferson, Tae Evans

Big Games
9/2 - at Grand Valley - to be the best, you have to beat the best, and the Lakers have been the best team since 2001, with 4 national championships and two runner-up finishes over the last 9 seasons
10/23 - Midwestern State - the Mustangs were the last team to beat WT in 2009
11/6 - Abilene Christian - this game could decide the LSC Title, or be a playoff knock-out game

Best Case Scenario
10-1  After a very tough season opener, the Buffs schedule is much more manageable the next four weeks, allowing them to gel as a team.  If they can get good production from the running game, the offense should be back to its expected spot as one of the best in the nation.  The defense should be improved, with experience in the secondary, and a potentially super defensive line.  The depth appears to be better than last year as well, which should help them get through the tough LSC South.

Worst Case Scenario
6-5  Just like all the other contenders, their is little margin for error.  If the running game does not gel, it could be a repeat of last year, with several close games not going in WT's favor.  Also, while several of the recruits look to be major contributors, it is not easy to replace to NFL draft picks or Keithon Flemming.  We realize that a 6-5 record is unlikely, but we would have said the same thing last year (even more strongly).

West Texas A&M - 2010 Recruiting Class

Need Help:

RB - Keithon Flemming (1st LSC South) has signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving a huge hole at the running back spot. Flemming missed the first six games of the season and the Buffs were 1-5, averaging just 21 points and 376 yards per game. Upon his return, WT was 6-0, averaging 42.5 points and 493 yards per contest. Kelvin Thompson (102-529 6 TDs) returns, but not much other experience.

DL - Gone are Los Angeles Rams draft pick Eugene Sims (1st LSC South), Broderick Marshall (1st LSC South), and Marcus Rowe. Sophomores Aaron Wampler, Bo Campbell and junior Rashad Sanders are the only returnees with significant playing time.

Need Depth:

OL - J'Marcus Webb (1st LSC South), Jon Ioane (2nd LSC South) and Renarko Cunningham were seniors last year. Returnees Michael Zoch, Isaiah Lewis and Shaun Wesley started a combined 27 games last year. Coming back from injuries are Daniel Sherwood and Hector Rodriguez, who were lost very early in the season.

Good Quality/Depth:

QB - Taylor Harris finished 2009 strong, ending the season with 3,735 yards and 22 TDs. Backup Tanner Marsh did well in limited playing time, completing 60% of his passes for 432 yards, 5 TDs and 0 Ints. Harris will be a senior and Marsh just a sophomore.

WR - Tyson Williams, Stephen Burton, Brittan Golden and Jeremy Watson lead the returnees. They combined for 192 receptions for 2,814 yards and 18 TDs. Burton is the lone senior in the group.

LB - Strong returning group - Bryan Braman (1st LSC South), Anthony Scott (HM LSC South), Drew Graham, Chris Brown, Kyle Voss and Kevin McCluskey combined for 283 tackles with 35.5 for losses and 8.5 sacks. Braman and Scott are the only seniors.

DB - Curtis Jefferson (1st LSC South), Tae Evans (1st LSC South), Jordan Smith (HM LSC South), Shad Baichtal, Caleb Randolph, Curtis Slater, Maurice Caldwell and Lawrence Hood return, giving WT a deep and talented secondary. This octet had 389 tackles, 14 interceptions and 31 passes broken up.

Another large class for WT, but (early on at least) not as many transfers as in previous classes. The transfers that they have announced should step right in and contribute - Gabe Tuata at WR, David Grant and Shawn Johnson on the OL, and D. J. Ross and Simi Kuli at DL. The top HS recruits appear to be QB Westin Williams, RBs Jay Baines, William Wright, and Donnie Foster, WR Cody Reeves, OL Chris Clees, DL Greg Castro, Xavier Mitchell and Cole Gossett, LBs Fred Simpson, Shane Sobnosky and Derrick Davis and DBs D'mentrie Lacy and Lakeem Wilson.

LSC Ranking - 1

Overall Grade- A++

The Buffs did not lose as many players as some teams, but they did lose some that will be hard to replace. With their transfers, they addressed some of the biggest questions, while bringing in a lot of high schoolers to slug it out for the long term.

LSC Roundup 11-16

WTAMU tops ACU to win fourth straight and 11th overall league title
No. 6 West Texas A&M dropped the first set but rebounded to top Abilene Christian, 3-1, in the Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championship game in front of a crowd of 1,569.

WT will hit road for v-ball regional
The No. 6 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, the D-II women's volleyball committee announced Sunday night.

WT (34-3), the third seed in the eight-team field, will face sixth-seeded Truman State (24-12) on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Host Central Missouri is the top seed, while Washburn earned the second seed.

ACU misses volleyball playoffs
The Abilene Christian volleyball team won’t be advancing to the NCAA Division II playoffs, despite putting together a 29-6 record — its best since 2005. West Texas A&M (31-3), which beat ACU 3-1 in the Lone Star Conference tournament final on Saturday, is the only LSC team to get in. The No. 3-seeded Buffs play No. 6 Truman (24-12) in the first round of the South Central Region tournament on Thursday in Warrensburg, Mo.

The three conference champions in the region, plus the next five highest ranked remaining teams advance to the region playoffs. ACU was ranked No. 8 in the region, but for the second straight year an unranked team kept ACU out of the playoffs. Dallas Baptist got the eighth and final spot by winning the Heartland Conference tournament. The Patriots (20-16 play No. 1 seed Central Missouri (32-4) in the first round.

Lions Volleyball Adds Five for 2010
Texas A&M University-Commerce head volleyball coach Mark Pryor announced recently the signing of Kayla Bond, Chelsee Hudson, Alyssa Hatton, Ciara Holmes and Jordan Neal to letters of intent.

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WTAMU advances in NCAA Regional
No. 13 West Texas A&M defeated Truman State 1-0 on Sunday afternoon on their home field in Canyon, Texas in the second round of the NCAA South Central Regional.

The Lady Buffs' Becky Hewson put home a shot early in the second half and goalkeeper Kelly Skehan made three saves to preserve the shutout victory.

WTAMU (15-2-3) will play No. 22 St. Edward's on Friday in San Diego, Calif. at 2:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the national quarterfinals. The teams played Sept. 11, with the Lady Buffs winning 1-0.

#3 Buffs fall in NCAA-DIV. II Regional Final, 3-1, to #1 Fort Lewis
After a delay due to weather conditions, the West Texas A&M men's soccer team was unable to find their offensive rhythm during Sunday's NCAA regionals final round and were defeated by #1 Fort Lewis College, 3-1.

WTAMU defeats MSU in first round of NCAA regional
No. 3 West Texas A&M defeated Lone Star Conference foe No. 8 Midwestern State 3-0 on Friday afternoon in Durango, Colo., in the first round of the NCAA regional, after the teams played to two ties during the regular season.

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Javelinas' season ends in double OT classic - With Video
Texas A&M-Kingsville and Tarleton St. squared in a playoff battle that will be remembered by both sides for years to come, and in the end it was the Javelinas that saw their season come to an end.
Related: Area College Football Roundup: Nov. 16, 2009
Related: State/Southland roundup
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'Belles start basketball season with LSC title on mind
The Angelo State University women’s basketball team is out to put a disappointing 2008-09 season behind it. A season ago, the Rambelles went 16-12 and lost in the first round of the Lone Star Conference tournament. They failed to make the regional tournament for the first time in eight seasons.

Eight returning players will be joined by a talented freshman class to try to get the team back to the top of the LSC and the South Central Region. ASU opens the 2009-10 season tonight at home against St. Edward’s. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Junell Center.

Lady Buffs win opener; reserves provide spark
West Texas A&M Lady Buffs head coach Krista Gerlich didn't particularly want to open the basketball season with a pushover game. Instead, the Lady Buffs took on Incarnate Word, which won 21 games last season, returned a handful of seniors and played in its first South Central Region tournament.

Gerlich came away from Sunday's opener before 790 fans at the First United Bank Center happy with what she saw. The Lady Buffs forced 27 turnovers of which they converted into 28 points en route to a 59-50 triumph.

Hot second-half helps MSU women take opener
An 11-0 run to end the half gave the Harding Bison a 31-24 lead over the Midwestern State women Sunday afternoon. But something Mustangs head coach Noel Johnson said during the intermission must have made a difference.

MSU responded by shooting 70 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes, while limiting the visitors to 27 percent as the Mustangs opened the 2009-10 season with a 69-58 win in D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs will play in the Skyhawk Classic in Durango, Colo., this weekend facing Western State on Friday and Fort Lewis on Saturday. They return home on Nov. 29 for a 2 p.m. game against Northeastern State.

Hagen spurs Mustangs past Trinity
Chris Hagen scored seven of his game-high 22 points during a decisive 8-minute stretch to lift Midwestern State to a 63-52 win over Trinity Sunday afternoon in the St. Edward’s Shootout.
The Mustangs (1-0) close the tournament against the host team tonight at 7 p.m.

Hagen and Mustangs answered the bell after NCAA Division III Trinity chiseled away at a one-time, 12-point Mustang lead to tie the contest at 45-45 on a Ryan Beall jumper with 8:42 to play.

“At that point, you want to see which one of your guys is going to be the one that decides you’re not going to lose,” said Grant McCasland, who won his first game as MSU’s coach. “He was that guy tonight.”

Greyhounds ready to make some strides
Bronchos Host Emporia Monday
Opening Disappointment
PITTSBURG, Kan. (Nov. 15) -- No. 12-ranked Central Oklahoma dropped a disappointing 70-69 season-opening decision to Pittsburg State here Sunday afternoon when the Gorillas converted a last-second three-point play.

Javs Open Season on Right Foot
KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women’s basketball team picked up where they left off last season by defeating Lone Star Conference North Division rival East Central University, 81-57 on Sunday afternoon at Kingsville Hampton Inn Court. (box score) The Javelinas (1-0) struggled from the field in the first half, but were scorching hot in the second half making 50 percent of their shots. They outscored the Tigers (0-1) 26-8 over the final 10:45.

Lady Tigers drop opener at TAMUK
KINGSVILLE, Texas ? East Central failed to overcome 30 turnovers and 36.2 percent shooting as host Texas A&M-Kingsville rolled to an 81-57 season-opening victory over the Lady Tigers Sunday afternoon in a Lone Star Conference women's crossover basketball game on Hampton Inn Court.

Lions Win Season Opener Over St. Edward's, 73-60
Senior Ronnie Morgan had the first double double of his career, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, to lead Texas A&M University-Commerce to a 73-60 win over host St. Edward's in the season opener on Sunday afternoon in Austin at the 2009 St. Edward's Shootout.

RiverHawks Win Home Opener
RiverHawks behind Jasmine Webb win home opener over Missouri Southern 67-50

M. Basketball: SE Drops Double OT Thriller
DURANT, Okla. ? Despite having six players, including all five starters, score in double figures, Southeastern was unable to hold off a second half rally by Oklahoma Baptist which sent the game to a pair of overtimes before handing the Savage Storm a 106-101 loss on Thursday night.

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Bronchos Place Seven
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Nov. 14) -- Heavyweight Dustin Finn knocked off the defending Division I national champion en route to a runner-up finish in leading seven Central Oklahoma placers at the Central Missouri Open here Saturday.

LSC Scoop Game Previews - Week 11

Yuck, 4-3 last week, bringing the season tally to 56-19.

Last Week's Games
West Texas A&M 66, Northeastern State 23
The Buffaloes continue their late season assault, blowing out Northeastern State by 43. Brittan Golden had his best day as a Buffalo, catching 7 passes for 178 yards and 3 TDs. Taylor Harris and Tanner Marsh combined for 464 yards and each had 3 TD passes. Keithon Flemming rushed for 110 yards and 3 TDs and also caught 4 passes for 26 yards all in the first half. WT has now won 4 in a row, averaging 44 points a game during that stretch.

Central Oklahoma 42, East Central 25
The Bronchos jumped out to an early lead and kept ECU at arm's length the rest of the day. Jason Palmer had a big day, rushing for 146 yards and 2 TDs, and Brandon Noohi threw for 230 and rushed for 61. Josh Phillips had a big day for the Tigers, throwing for 305 yards and 3 TDs, but ECU was held to just 3 yards rushing.

Midwestern State 50, Eastern New Mexico 17
The Greyhounds tied the game at 10 with 3:55 remaining in the first half, but it was all Midwestern State from that point on, with the Mustangs outscoring ENMU 40-7 the rest of the way. The Mustangs threw for 356 yards and rushed for 300, including a 73 yard TD run by Brandon Kelsey as time expired.

Oklahoma Panhandle State 28, Southwestern Oklahoma 24
The Bulldogs took a 24-14 lead early in the third quarter, but turnovers doomed two other scoring opportunities as Panhandle State squeaked out the win. Bruce Hatton scored all 3 SWO TDs, and Steve Day threw for 256 yards. Panhandle State's Darryl Brister was the star for the Aggies, as he ran for 227 yards and 3 TDs, including the game winner with 2:51 in the game.

Texas A&M-Commerce 27, Southeastern Oklahoma 17
With a 3 point lead and the Savage Storm driving, TAMC got another big defensive play, as Cory Whitfield sacked Justin Pitrucha, forcing a fumble that Stephen DeGrate picked up and ran 55 yards for the game clinching score. Marcus Graham rushed for a season high 166 yards and one TD, and Taylor Fore had a 47 yard TD reception to lead the Lion offense. Justin Pitrucha threw for 300 yards but had three turnovers in TAMC territory. Daniel Nichols had another TD reception and trails Romar Crenshaw for the Savage Storm career record, he also needs 37 yards receiving for 3,000.

Tarleton State 21, Angelo State 14
The Texans shut the door on Angelo State's playoff hopes, while keeping theirs alive in this defensive battle. The Rams drove 72 yards on their opening drive for an early 7-0 lead, but the Tarleton defense clamped down, picking off a pass on the next drive and forcing the Rams to punt on 6 of the next 7 possessions. Tarleton's offense got off to a slow start, the result of good ASU defense and poor field postion in the first half, but was able to put together three long scoring drives and take a 21-7 lead with just under 12 minutes in the game. Markeith Jones picked off a Scott Grantham pass inside the Ram 10 yard line keeping the Rams alive. After driving 87 yards for a TD, Angelo State recovered the onside kick, only to fumble the ball and game away six plays later. Roderick Smith rushed for 104 yards and a TD, while Devin Guinn caught 8 passes for 129 yards and 2 TDs. Josh Neiswander had 233 yards passing for Angelo State.

Abilene Christian 47, Texas A&M-Kingsville 35
The Wildcats played like a cornered animal scoring 37 straight points in the second and third quarters. During that stretch, the defense forced 3 punts, 3 turnovers and a safety, while the offense had two touchdown drives of over 80 yards, as well as converting the turnovers into TDs. In a matchup of the top two rushing offenses, ACU outgained the Javelinas 167 to 50. Billy Garza did throw for 309 yards and 3 TDs, with over half of the yardage coming in the fourth quarter. Fred Thompson led the Wildcat defense with 9 tackles, 2.5 for losses, 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. ACU was flagged for 5 personal foul penalties during the game.

This Week's Games
#7 Texas A&M-Commerce at #12 Southwestern Oklahoma - Mismatch of the week
The Lions look to end 2009 on a very upbeat note. With a win, the Lions would even their record at 5-5 and wrap up the LSC North title - their first outright divisional title since the LSC split into two divisions in 1997. TAMC has enjoyed their LSC North schedule, winning all four games to date by a 28-20 margin. On the other hand, the Bulldogs have been outscored by an average of 13-25 in their four games, avoiding a winless season with a last second game winning touchdown two weeks ago against East Central. Look for the Lions to head to 2010 with confidence winning 5 of their final 6 games, TAMC 28-14.

#8 Southeastern Oklahoma at #13 East Central
Barring a major upset in Weatherford, the Savage Storm will be the LSC North runner-ups. Over the past 8 seasons, Southeastern Oklahoma has finished first or second in the LSC North, compiling a 29-10 divisional record. The offense has played well this season, averaging 32 points and 390 yards per game, but the defense is giving up 30 points and 387 yards, with Southwestern Oklahoma the only D2 teams they have held to under 24 points all season. Lucky for them, they are facing an East Central squad that has only broken the 20 point barrier three times all season (but interestingly, all in the last four games) and scored just 31 points total in their first six games. SOSU in a snoozer 32-14.

#11 Northeastern State at #10 Central Oklahoma
The Riverhawks offense has shown some signs of life, scoring 92 points the past three weeks (compared to 91 in the first 6 weeks). The defense however has been shredded, giving up 153 (compared to 173 in the first 6 weeks). The Broncho's offense has also stepped it up lately, averaging 32.5 points in LSC North games (compared to 18.3 against everyone else), and the defense has tightened up a bit, but is stilling allowing too many points at 29 per game. Expect a lot of points in this one, with UCO coming out on top 38-31.

Incarnate Word at #9 Eastern New Mexico
Interesting set up in this one - Incarnate Word joins the LSC next year and will compete in the South division, with the Greyhounds moving to the North. ENMU should be compete for the divisional title right away - over the past three years, they are 0-18 in the LSC South, but 6-3 in crossover games. JJ Harp should continue his impressive season and needs 3 TD passes to claim the team single season record - he could have that in the first quarter. ENMU 49-14.

#6 Angleo State at #4 Texas A&M-Kingsville
For the first time since 2005, this season ending rivalry game has playoff implications. Angelo State is the most improved team in the conference, but has run into stiff competition late in the season, dropping games to ACU, WT and Tarleton. In those three games, the Rams were outscored by an average of 14-34 and outgained by an average of 323-435. Meanwhile Texas A&M-Kingsville has been a Jeckyll and Hyde team this year. 2-2 on the road with an average score of 25-34, and 6-0 at home and an average score of 36-18. Coupled with the home field advantage is the fact that the Javelinas must win to have a shot at the playoffs. TAMK 35-27.

# 5 West Texas A&M at #2 Tarleton State
Talk about a monkey on your back. Since 2005, the Texans have had a shot at the playoffs three times heading into this game, and three times the Buffaloes sent them home short of their goal. The last two games weren't even close, with WT outgaining Tarleton by a 604-311 margin and outscoring them by an average of 45-7. But that was the past and this is the present. So what about this year? Well the Texans are 9-1, ranked number 7 in the latest AFCA poll, and more importantly #3 in this weeks NCAA Super Region 4 poll. West Texas is just 5-5 and far removed from playoff contention. They also happen to be the hottest team in the LSC right now, winning their last four games by an average of 44-21 and gaining almost 500 yards per game. Tarleton has also won their last four contests, but have not been nearly as dominant. We have to go with the hot hand, WT 35-21.

#3 Abilene Christian at #1 Midwestern State - Game of the Year (Part VI)
Can't the NCAA just call this a playoff game? You have #12 at #9, and whoever comes up short will almost assuredly not be playing next week. And that will be a shame, but losses earlier in the season that put them in that position, not this game.

How they stack up
Scoring offense - MSU 38.3, ACU 32.9
Scoring defense - MSU 12.6, ACU 18.5
Rushing offense - ACU 183.3, MSU 152.1
Rushing defense - ACU 34.3, MSU 102.8
Passing offense - MSU 287.1, ACU 211.5
Pass efficiency offense - MSU 183.5, ACU 125.7
Passing defense - MSU 213.9, ACU 231.8
Pass efficiency defense - MSU 94.2, ACU 111.4
Total Offense - MSU 439.2, ACU 394.8
Total Defense - ACU 266.1, MSU 316.7

Not much to separate the teams on paper - the Mustangs have shown a little more offense, while the Wildcat's defense has been a bit better.

ACU leads the LSC in rushing with Darryl Richardson and Reggie Brown combining for over 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns rushing. Mitchell Gale bounced back after two subpar outings, with 289 yards and 2 TDs against TAMK. Edmund Gates had his third 100 yard receiving game and had a 72 yard TD reception, his longest of the season. The offensive line did their job as well, not allowing a sack and doing a solid job with run blocking. The defense has allowed 300 yards just three times this season and leads the nation against the run - just 34.3 yards per game. Kevin Washington has come on of late, giving ACU a dynamic pair of linebackers - a combined 89 tackles, 23 for losses totalling 108 yards and 9 sacks. Tony Harp is the leader in the secondary, and has a team high 52 tackles. Aston Whiteside will look to add to his 12.5 TFL and 8 sacks as well.

MSU will counter with an offense led by Zack Eskridge. Eskridge currently leads the NCAA in QB efficiency with a rating of 187.97 (Billy Malone had a 189.66 rating in 2008 for comparison). More impressively, he hasn't had a bad game all year - his worst rating was 154.8 against West Texas - and he has 27 TD passes to just 5 interceptions. Andy Tanner remains his favorite target and now has 61 receptions for 999 yards and 11 TDs. Sheldon Galloway (25 catches for 255 yards and 3 TDs the past 4 games). With the absence of Marcus Mathis, BeeJay Mathis has picked up the slack at running back, running for 299 yards over the past four games. The Mustangs defense has been good also, but not quite at ACU's level. Five of the last six opponents have gained over 300 yards with Tarleton getting 509 and Eastern New Mexico 458. Surprisingly, their opponents over that period were only able to convert that yardage into 17 points per game, with only Tarleton scoring more than 21. Ryan Craven, Danny Jackson and Micah Hill head up the secondary (9th best in the nation in pass efficiency defense), while linebackers Emmanuel Bagley and Matt Ellerbrock have combined for 99 tackles, with 13 for losses.

For Midwestern State to win, they will need another great outing by Eskridge, since it is unlikely that they will run the ball too effectively. The Wildcats will be looking to stuff the run and get pressure on Eskridge, and they have the players to do it. On offense, they need to run the ball enough to keep the MSU defense honest. The big intangible here is big-game experience, and that is in ACU's favor. ACU in a slug-fest 21-17.

LSC Football Roundup 10-25

LSC Game Recaps

Box Scores, Statistics

Texans topple Wildcats
Two weeks ago, the Abilene Christian University football team was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation. Now, the Wildcats’ playoff hopes are in jeopardy.

Scott Grantham threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jahmeel Hobson with 4:32 remaining Saturday to lift No. 11 Tarleton State over No. 9 ACU 13-6 in a Lone Star Conference game at Tarleton State Memorial Stadium.

Devin Guinn also returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter as Tarleton rallied from a 6-0 halftime deficit to hand the Wildcats their second consecutive loss.

“It’s tough, because I don’t think we executed very well,” ACU coach Chris Thomsen said. “But Tarleton did a great job — a great job on their part.”

Buffs sack ASU
Surging WT rolls up 557 yards in 43-15 rout
The only problem with West Texas A&M's win over Angelo State on Saturday night? The Buffs regret there are only two games left in the regular season.

WT, playing arguably its best football all season, continued its late season surge, knocking off Angelo State, 43-15, in front of 7,197 fans in the home finale at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

Buffs blow past Rams
CANYON — A pair of Rams set new school records, but their efforts weren’t enough as the Angelo State University football team fell to West Texas A&M 43-15 Saturday at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

Josh Neiswander completed 22 passes to give him a single-season school-record 190 completions this season and receiver V’Keon Lacey had six receptions to give him a single-season school-record 58 catches on the year.

But the Rams’ LSC title hopes and NCAA Division II playoff aspirations took a serious blow as the Buffs took advantage of good field position on several occasions and held the ASU offense in check for most of the game.

Eskridge on target again as Mustangs win 43-16
By last week’s standards Saturday night was an off night for Midwestern State quarterback Zack Eskridge he threw four incomplete passes and an interception.

But by any other standards it was well worthy of the highest rated quarterback in NCAA Division II.

Eskridge completed 15-of-20 passes for 339 yards and three scores as the Mustangs dominated the Central Oklahoma Bronchos 43-16 in front of a homecoming crowd of 7,127 at Memorial Stadium.

RB Winborn breaks Bailey's rushing record in Javs win
One of the most hallowed records in Texas A&M-Kingsville history fell Saturday night at Javelina Stadium. Just as important, the 14th-ranked Javelinas found a way to slow the offensive juggernaut that has become Eastern New Mexico just enough and keep their postseason aspirations simmering.

Fred Winborn cracked Johnny Bailey’s 22-year-old single-game rushing record with a 263-yard, three-touchdown performance and the Javelinas held off the pass-crazed Greyhounds 38-31.



ENMU falls short at Kingsville
Eastern New Mexico University has still never won at Texas A&M-Kingsville, but the Greyhounds are certainly getting closer.

Junior running back Fred Winborn rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns, but the Javelinas had to hold on at the end Saturday night to beat the Greyhounds 38-31 in a Lone Star Conference South Division game.


Coaching is way of life for both Thomsens
Abilene Christian University can thank LeAnn Thomsen for her husband’s recruiting prowess. After all, he honed those skills trying to convince her to marry him 17 years ago.

It seems it was a difficult sell.

“She was really my first big recruit because I had to recruit her to get her to marry me,” said Chris Thomsen, ACU’s head football coach. “I learned to recruit by trying to convince her to marry me. I had to throw out some key reasons why we should get married. That took a little time."

LSC Roundup 9-24

Jacob Rowe selected to 2009 AllState AFCA Good Works Team
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – For a select group of college football players, including Tarleton's Jacob Rowe, the words “sacrifice” and “commitment” extend far beyond the football field to places that don’t require helmets and shoulder pads. Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) today have announced the 22 student-athletes chosen for the 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams®, honoring dedicated and hard-working student-athletes for their off-the-field achievements and selfless contributions to their communities.

“This is a great honor for Jacob, our football team and our University,” said Tarleton head football coach Sam McElroy. “There are a great number of kids that do things throughout the year to help others, and for Jacob to be singled out as one of the best means a great deal to us. He certainly deserves this award and the things he does to help others is wonderful. We know he will continue to serve because that is who Jacob is.”

ARN Lone Star Conference rankings
1. ACU (4-0) — The offense takes a step forward, and the defense does a fine job against a potentially explosive Southeastern team. Now, can they shut down — or keep up — with the No. 1 offense in the nation in Eastern New Mexico this week?

2. Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-0) — The Hoggies keep on squealing, rooting up 530 yards on offense last week against Northeastern State (Okla.). They’ve got the sixth-best offense in the nation, and they’re not too bad on defense either — ranked No. 7 in the nation.

3. Midwestern State (4-0) — Who says they don’t play defense in the LSC? The Mustangs are ranked No. 4 in the nation in total defense, and QB Zack Eskridge is ranked No. 2 in passing efficiency.

Lone Star collision: No. 17 Midwestern State takes aim at Angelo State
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The Midwestern State University football team went into this season picked to finish fifth in the Lone Star Conference South Division, just one spot ahead of Angelo State — its opponent this week. After allowing just 16 points in four games this season, and outscoring their opponents by an average score of 44.5-4, the Mustangs have moved all the way up to No. 17 in this week’s American Football Coaches Association Division II poll.

After soundly defeating four schools with a combined 3-12 record, MSU will get its toughest test of the season Saturday against the 3-1 Rams at San Angelo Stadium. It is the Lone Star Conference South Division opener for both teams.

Javs gear up for West Texas A&M
CORPUS CHRISTI — For the first time since Don Carthel arrived on the West Texas A&M campus four-plus years ago, the Buffaloes aren’t striking a lot of fear in their football opponents. The Buffaloes have posted at least 10-win seasons under Carthel and have reached the NCAA Division II playoffs in each of his four seasons as coach. They have unleashed a spread-out passing style of offense that has since become the choice of poison for teams in the Lone Star Conference, as well as the rest of the country’s college squads.

This year, some of the gaudy offensive numbers still are being posted. But at 1-3 entering Saturday night’s Lone Star Conference South Division opener against 10th-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville, West Texas isn’t strutting as haughtily as it had been.

“I don’t know if this bunch has played well enough to get any swagger yet,” said Carthel, who in four seasons has moved into third on WT’s all-time list of coaching wins with 45. “They’re going to have to earn their stripes. That has yet to be done. We’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot of improving to do before we can be with the upper part of this conference.”

MSU's Tanner shows off speed
Anyone looking at Andy Tanner when the Midwestern State Mustangs go to an offensive formation with four wideouts might think he is the possession receiver of the foursome — and he may be. But don’t make the mistake of believing he is the stereotypical “slow, white guy.”
Do that and he’s liable to make you pay — just like he did last Saturday night against the Incarnate Word Cardinals.

He caught five passes for a career-best 146 yards and three touchdowns — including the Mustangs opening score where he caught the ball on a bubble screen and ran 80 yards for the TD. But the 5-11, 185-pound senior opened up quite a few eyes on that play. After catching the pass from Eskridge, it appeared Tanner would probably get a first down after he turned the corner. Several Cardinals had the angle on him and could simply push him out of bounds. But those players never got the chance as he sprinted by them, down the sideline to tie for the third longest reception in school history.

“I come out here and work hard every day,” Tanner said. “Coach says to expect success; expect to win; expect to catch every ball; and expect to make big plays. That was what I was trying to do. Once I got by everyone I was just thinking, ‘Don’t get caught and score.’ At that time we needed a big play from somebody on offense. The defense had just made a big play, but we were rusty and not looking good. We needed someone to spark us.”

ASU volleyball capsule, 9/24
The Rambelles look to get back on track tonight when they travel to Abilene to face their archrival ACU. ... ASU is coming off a three-set loss to No. 7 West Texas A&M on Saturday. The ’Belles lost 25-20, 25-17, 25-17 to the Lady Buffs. Chelsea Gibson led ASU with eight kills. Kaitlyn Standard added seven. Alex Allard led ASU with 11 digs. Alex Woolsey had 23 assists and 10 digs. ... ACU is coming off a three-set sweep of Eastern New Mexico on Saturday ... ASU is 53-27 all-time against ACU. The ’Belles won last year’s match between the two teams in four sets. ... ASU will take a break from conference action this weekend when it travels to Topeka, Kan., for the LSC/MIAA Crossover Tournament.

WT Volleyball Preview
The Match: No. 7 West Texas A&M (13-2, 2-0 Lone Star Conference) at Texas A&M-Commerce (14-3, 2-0), 7 tonight, Texas A&M-Commerce Field House, Commerce.

Rambelles prepared to bounce back in LSC
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Riding a six-game winning streak, the Angelo State University women’s soccer teams opens Lone Star Conference play Friday against archrival Abilene Christian. Since a 10-0 loss to Regis to open the season, the Rambelles have gone 6-1, with that one loss coming against then-No. 3 Metro State, a 1-0 double-overtime defeat.

Over the past six games — all wins for the ’Belles — ASU has outscored its opponents 14-3. ASU’s lastest victory was an overtime win against Dallas Baptist last Saturday in which Christian Willman converted a penalty kick four and a half minutes into the extra period.

Lone Star Conference Soccer weekly release (09/23/09)
Women’s conference play kicks off
The first women’s Lone Star Conference match of the season will take place this Friday, as Abilene Christian travels to Angelo State. The first men’s conference game of the season saw a double overtime tie between West Texas A&M and Midwestern State last Friday.

Players of the Week
MEN’S OFFENSIVE
Nick Auditore, Midwestern State, Sr., F, Phoenix, Arizona/Desert Vista HS
Auditore notched two goals in the opening 25 minutes to help No. 18 Midwestern State bury Eastern New Mexico as the Mustangs rolled to a 5-0 win. Auditore, who leads the Lone Star Conference with five goals, placed two of his five shots on goal as MSU also fought West Texas A&M to a scoreless draw Friday night at the MSU Soccer Field.

MEN’S DEFENSIVE
Ryan Spence, Midwestern State, So., D, Decatur, Texas/Decatur HS
Spence helped organized a defense that allowed 16 shots and just two shots on goal last week against No. 18 West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. The sophomore from Decatur played a key role in limiting Lone Star Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Ben Everson to three shots with just one falling on goal in Friday night’s scoreless draw against the Buffs. The No. 12-ranked Mustangs have strung together five-straight shutouts and lead the national with a 0.25 team goals against average.

WOMEN’S OFFENSIVE
Courtney Wilson, Abilene Christian, Jr., M, Odessa, Texas/Odessa HS
Wilson scored three goals last week including two against Dallas Baptist. Her first two points of the young season included a penalty kick late in the game to give the Wildcats a 3-1 victory over DBU. In a 3-2 victory against UT-Permian Basin, she scored the game tying goal in the 82nd minute off a corner kick to send the game to overtime.

WOMEN’S DEFENSIVE
Alli Miller, Central Oklahoma, Sr., D, Norman, Oklahoma/Norman North HS
Miller headed up a dominating defensive effort that carried Central Oklahoma to a pair of easy wins last week. The senior fullback and reigning LSC Defensive Player of the Year led the Bronchos to back-to-back shutouts as UCO ran its winning streak to five straight. Miller and the Bronchos allowed just nine shots in two games -- including two on goal -- in rolling over St. Mary’s (4-0) and Texas A&M International (6-0).

WOMEN’S GOALKEEPER
Mallory Whitworth, Midwestern State, Fr., GK, McKinney, Texas/McKinney HS
Whitworth made five saves and recorded her first career shutout last week to help No. 12 Midwestern State get out to its best start in school history at 5-0-1. The true freshman from McKinney made one save and played all 90 minutes in a 2-0 shutout of Northwood (Texas) Thursday night, then made four saves while playing in the second half of Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Oklahoma Baptist. Whitworth rates ninth in NCAA Division II in goals against average at 0.29 and is 11th in save percentage at .917.

2009 Preview - West Texas A&M

2008 Recap
After an opening game scare at Mesa State (23-20), West Texas A&M kicked it into gear, winning their next 6 games by an average margin of 31, and with no team within 20 points. That set up a showdown between #4 WT and #3 ACU. The Wildcats jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead and held off the Buffs 52-35. WT got to within 10 points twice, but ACU answered with TDs each time. WT quickly put that game behind them, winning their final three LSC games by a 137-9 margin, shutting out Angelo State and Tarleton State in the process. That set up a rematch with ACU. Conventional wisdom was for a high scoring blowout, but that doesn't come close to describing what happened on that November afternoon. The teams combined for 1,531 yards of offense and 161 points. West Texas A&M's were outstanding - 721 total yards, 595 yards passing, 7.7 yards per play and 63 points. ACU's were unbelievable - 810 yards, 14.5 yards per play, and 93 points. Not the way the Buffalo faithful wanted their season to end.

Offensively, it was more of the same for WT - a high scoring, passing-dominated offense. The Buffs finished second in the LSC in points scored (48.2 per game) and yards gained (544.5 per game). WT easily led the LSC in passing yardage, with Keith Null setting several LSC records enroute to 5,097 yds and 48 TDs passing. His top target was Charly Martin, another LSC record setter, who caught 95 passes for 1,867 yds and 22 TDs. Carl Johnson (73-925 9 TDs), Seth Hayden (66-832 6 TDs), and Anthony Clark (38-486 4 TDs) were also busy targets. The team only finished 6th in rushing yards (116.5 per game) but were third with a 4.2 per carry average. Keithon Flemming led the Buffs with 756 yards, despite missing a couple of games with injuries, and not being 100% for a good portion of the season.

Defensively, WT finished the season 9th in points allowed (26.4) and 7th in yards allowed (353.8). Those numbers are skewed by the two ACU games - take them out and WT only allowed 18 points per game and 282 yards. The run defense was 10th, allowing 128.7 yards per game (85.9 w/o ACU), and the pass defense was 4th, giving up 225.2 (196.2 w/o ACU). The team finished third in the LSC in sacks, 5th in red zone defense, 7th in Ints and 8th in third down conversions.

2009 Outlook
Out with the old
QB Keith Null - 2nd in LSC career passing yards, TDs (9,769 and 92) despite only two years as starter, single season leader in yardage (5,097) and TDs (48), and single game marks for yards (595) and TDs (7)
WR Charly Martin - All-time LSC leader in receptions (244), yards (4,108) and TDs (45), also holds single season records (95-1,867 22 TDs) and single game yardage (323) and TDs (5)
RB/KR Wayne McKnight - 1,281 all purpose yards, 14 TDs, 2nd LSC South
WR Seth Hayden - 66-832 6 TDs, 2nd LSC South
WR Anthony Clark - 38-486 4 TDs
TE Carl Johnson - 73-925 9 TDs HM LSC South
OL Devario Dorsey - 2nd LSC South
OL Tommy Crowley - 2nd LSC South
DT TJ Nickelberry - 21 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2 sack, HM LSC South
DE Brandon Swain - 27 tackles, 7 TFL, 3.5 sacks, HM LSC South
LB Jared Brock - 83 tackles, 14 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 1st LSC South, All American
LB Eldon Grimslid - 63 tackles, 9 TFL, 1 sack 2nd LSC South
DB Bralon Davis - 2 Ints, 5 passes BU, 1st LSC South
DB Darnell Johnson - 6 Ints, 7 passes BU, 1st LSC South

Welcome Back
RB Keithon Flemming - 756 yds, 13 TDs rushing, 39-341 1 TD receiving
RB Kelvin Thompson - 226 yds, 4 TDs rushing
WR A J Ruffins - 20-163 4 TDs
OL J'Marcus Webb - 1st LSC South, All American
OL Jon Ione
OL Brad McCarty
DT Broderick Marshall - 28 tackles, 7 TFL, 1 sack, 1st LSC South
DE Eugene Sims - 56 tackles, 13 TFL, 10 sacks, 2nd LSC South
LB Mark Ford - 34 tackles, 4.5 TFL
LB Anthony Scott - 47 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 1 sack
DB Curtis Jefferson - 50 tackles, 1 Int, 6 passes BU 2nd LSC South
DB Tae Evans - 15 tackles, 1 Int, 4 passes BU
K James Chandler - 8-13 FG, 77-79 PAT, 101 points

In with the new
WR Stephen Burton
WR Anthony Burrell
TE Dalton Etimani
OL Isaiah Lewis
DL Jerry Miller
LB Bryan Braman
DB Shad Baichtal
DB Chuck Roberts
DB Lawrence Hood

All Conference Candidates
QB Taylor Harris
RB Keithon Flemming
WR A J Ruffins
OL J'Marcus Webb
OL Dan Sherwood
DL Eugene Sims
DL Broderick Marshall
DB Curtis Jefferson

All American Candidates
RB Keithon Flemming
OL J'Marcus Webb
DL Broderick Marshall

Big Games
Aug. 29 #1 Grand Valley
Sep 5 Central Oklahoma
Sep 12 @ Central Washington
Sep 26 Texas A&M-Kingsville
Oct 3 @ Midwestern State
Oct 10 Eastern New Mexico (Wagon Wheel)
Oct 17 @ Abilene Chrisitian
Nov 7 @ Tarleton State

Best Case Scenario
10-1 The Buffs will need several things to fall into place: Taylor Harris to pick up where Keith Null and Dalton Bell left off, a full and speedy recovery by Keithon Flemming, solid play from the receivers, and overall improvement from the defense against the top teams. The talent is there for another LSC title, but WT will need some good fortune.

Worst Case Scenario
6-5 This is potentially the toughest regular season schedule of any D2 football team in the nation. Not only did WT lose some stellar athletes, they lost a ton of leadership. If Harris merely proves to be good instead of outstanding, if Flemming doesn't quickly rebound and the receivers are not up to recent standards, a burden falls on the defense. And that defense will be going up against some of the best offenses in the nation, so help might not be there.

LSC Roundup 7-31

Official LSC Releases from the Media Day event

LSC Football Preseason Poll announced
Five selected for LSC football preseason honors

Volleyball preseason honors announced
Volleyball: Preseason poll announced

Preseason poll announced for men's soccer
Men's Soccer: Everson, Martinez claim preseason honors

Women's Soccer: Preseason poll announced
Women's Soccer preseason honors announced

ACU, MSU picked in cross county preseason polls


and from the school sites
ACU picked to win South
Rams Picked Sixth in LSC South
Bronchos Favored In LSC North Football
Johnson preseason offensive player of the year
Football: Preseason Poll: Mustangs tabbed fifth in the LSC South
Football: Football Picked Second in LSC-North Poll
Texans picked to finish third in LSC South
Smith named LSC South Division Offensive Preseason POY
Lions' William Green and Meagan Lasley Earn Pre-Season Lone Star Conference Honors
A&M-Commerce Picked to Share Second Place in the LSC North in Preseason Poll
Javelinas Picked 4th in LSC South
Football. Buffs Picked Second in Preseason LSC South Poll

Rambelles Tabbed Sixth in LSC
UCO Volleyball Picked Seventh
Volleyball: Picked fourth, MSU has room to grow in 2009
Volleyball: Volleyball Tabbed Ninth in LSC Poll
TexAnns picked to finish thrid in LSC
Lions Picked to Finish Eighth in the Lone Star Conference
TWU picked to finish fifth in LSC Preseason Volleyball Poll
W. Volleyball. Lady Buffs Picked As Favorite In LSC Preseason Poll


Soccer Picked Sixth in LSC
Soccer Tabbed For Third
M. Soccer: Preseason Poll: Midwestern slated to take fourth-straigh conference title
W. Soccer: LSC Preseason Poll: Mustangs ticketed for fourth place finish in 2009
Lions Picked to Finish Second in the Lone Star Conference
Soccer tabbed eighth in Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll
M. Soccer. Buffs Picked Second In LSC Preseason Soccer Polls
W. Soccer. Women's Soccer Tabbed as Preseason Favorite By LSC

Cross Country: Making strides: MSU picked to win second-straight LSC title
Men Picked to Finish Third; Women Picked Ninth in Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll
XC men picked second, women picked seventh in preseason polls
W. Cross Country. Lady Buffs Picked Second In Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll
M. Cross Country. Buffs Picked Seventh In Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll

From the papers
ACU picked as South's preseason No. 1
Unexpected respect for WT
MSU picked fifth in LSC South preseason football poll
NSU down low in preseason picks
Javelinas football picked fourth in LSC
Morriss is content just to coach
UCO picked to win North, SOSU tied for 2nd
LSC poll doesn't favor Rams football
Javelinas Picked 4th In LSC South
UCO's Cudjo billed LSC North's Co-Defensive Player of the Year
UCO picked to win LSC North Division
LSC media day provides riverhawks with motivation
Day, Cocannouer re-unite at Southwestern

Lady Buffs expected to dominate

Two MSU teams picked to repeat as LSC champs
Good year forecast for WT soccer

LSC Roundup 7-28

Taylor Fore Selected as Nominee for 2009 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team
Texas A&M University-Commerce redshirt sophomore wide receiver Taylor Fore on Thursday was one of 106 nominees for the 2009 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. The award is given to “hard-working and committed college football players” and has nothing to do with touchdowns, tackles or receptions.

In addition to being a member of the Lions' football team, he has served as a volunteer basketball and baseball coach for the Commerce Parks and Recreation Department. This fall, he will serve as the chair of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. He has been involved with the Big Event, a city-wide clean up in Commerce, the Commerce Children’s Museum Father/Daughter Dance and the Hunt County Special Olympics.

A total of 106 student-athlete football players were nominated by sports information directors for the team which honors college football players who make “outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement.” The number of nominations is the largest number in the 18-year history of the award and ’09 nominees represent 41 states, including Washington, D. C. and 45 conferences.

From the 106 nominees, a national panel will select two 11-player Good Works Teams, one team composed of players from the NCAA Bowl Subdivision and a combined team from the Championship Subdivision, Divisions II and III and the NAIA.

West Texas A&M's James Chandler nominated for Allstate AFCA Good Hands Team

James Chandler has been nominated for the 2009 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. Chandler, born in London, England, has been involved in numerous community service projects, including:

• Traveling to Taiwan , May 17- June 2, 2009, to perform missionary work through Baptist Student Ministries.
• Leading Youth Worship and performs Youth Ministry at Believers Way Church in Amarillo , Texas .
• Serving as counselor at Angel Tree Camp in 2008 and will again in 2009. This is a four-day camp, held each August at Ceta Canyon Methodist Camp, outside of Canyon, Texas, which administers to inner-city Amarillo, Texas youths.
• Giving testimonies at West Texas A&M chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He also gave a testimony during the Panhandle-area FCA banquet, as well as speaking at area high-school FCA chapters.
• Making regular visits, along with West Texas A&M teammates, to the Children’s Wards of Amarillo hospitals.
  
  

Mustangs lend many helping hands
College and professional athletes have long been considered spoiled, many of them displaying a “what have you done for me lately?” attitude.

But the football coaches for the Midwestern State Mustangs have tried to develop a different attitude on their team — more like “What can we do for you?”

So the Mustangs were involved in several community service projects during the spring semester of 2009.

“We decided in December, as a staff, that we needed to do more things together as a team — off the football field,” head coach Bill Maskill said. “And in doing that, we could do some things within the community.”

Zia Volleyball Team Earns Second Straight AVCA Academic Award
PORTALES, N.M.— For the second consecutive season, the Eastern New Mexico University volleyball team has been selected for the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. The Zias were one of 46 NCAA Division II teams to receive the award.

The AVCA created the award in the 1992-93 year to honor both college and high school teams that maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or a 4.1 GPA on a 5.0 scale.

Following the 2008 season, Heidi Geyer (OH, Santa Fe, N.M./St. Michaels HS) was selected Academic All-Lone Star Conference, while Caitlin Murphy (L, Amarillo, Texas/Tascosa HS), Vanessa Wilcox (OH, Houston, Texas/Kempner HS), Karen McIntyre (S, Houston, Texas/J. Frank Dobie HS) and Grace Brandt (S, Dumas, Texas/Dumas HS) were named to the LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Sigwing Selected as the Seventh Head Coach of Zia Softball Program

PORTALES, N.M.— Eastern New Mexico University athletic director, Dr. Jeff Geiser has announced the selection of Lauren Sigwing as the new head coach of the Zia softball program. Sigwing is no stranger to the highly competitive nature of NCAA Division II softball, having served as a graduate assistant at Northwest Missouri State, and played collegiately at Central Missouri State in the Mid-American Athletic Association. Most recently, she served a three-year stint at Fort Scott Community College and led the program to its best season in 2009, winning 36 games.

“I am very excited about coaching the softball program at ENMU,” said Sigwing. “I think there is a lot of potential and am looking forward to coaching them.”

“The fact that she was a 4.0 student in psychology was very impressive,” said Geiser. “She was a NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete and what that tells me is that she is a very hard worker and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. She played in the MIAA and is very familiar with Division II and the Lone Star Conference. The search committee did an outstanding job and I think we have hired an outstanding softball coach”

In the 2009 season, she guided FSCC to a 36-23 record, including a 17-9 mark in the competitive Jayhawk Conference. The Lady Hounds picked up a doubleheader sweep second place Johnson County and split with third place Pratt. The squad closed their season by earning a second-place finish at the District D Regional Tournament and ended up breaking team records in home runs and stolen bases.

Sigwing attended NCAA Division II Central Missouri State, where she was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association of America All-American Scholar Athlete and a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Presidential Scholar.

UIW football to be on ESPN radio

Incarnate Word’s inaugural season will be broadcast on ESPN 1250 The Zone, the university announced.

The deal includes pregame and postgame shows, and a weekly show with coach Mike Santiago set to air at 7 p.m. each Thursday. ESPN 1250 personality Paul Alexander will provide play-by-play action.

The Cardinals open the season against Monterrey Tech at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 at Benson Stadium.

LSC Roundup 4-27

LSC Softball Championship: ACU, ASU advance to championship series
Abilene Christian and Angelo State both prevailed at the four-team tournaments of the 2009 Lone Star Conference Softball Championship to advance to the three-game championship series next weekend. ACU earned the right to host the best-of-three series by virtue of being the higher seed to advance as South Division regular season champions. The Wildcats and Rambelles will play the first game on Friday at 5 p.m. With the second and if-necessary contests set for Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.

The two teams have played three times this season with ASU winning two of the three contests in early April.

Click here for photos from the ACU-UCO game
Click here for photos from the ASU-SE game
Relaed: Power, Partin lead ACU to LSC finals
Related: ASU softball team advances to LSC championship against ACU
Related: Wildcats Eliminate UCO
Related: Rambelles Advance to LSC Final

LSC Baseball Championship field set
The top six Lone Star Conference baseball squads will meet in Abilene, Texas, next weekend for the annual LSC Baseball Championship. The tournament features six teams for the fourth straight year. The double-elimination event starts on Saturday and concludes on Tuesday.

LSC champion Cameron is the top seed, while Angelo State is the No. 2 seed. Abilene Christian is seeded third, followed by Southeastern Oklahoma at No. 4, Eastern New Mexico at No. 5 and Tarleton State at No. 6.

All games will take place at Crutcher Scott Field on the campus of Abilene Christian University. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here. Fans interested in pre-ordering an all-session tournament pass can order those online for $20, or they can order single-day tickets for $10 apiece.

Click here for the championship web page
Related: ACU salvage series split
Related: Baseball Sweeps Javelinas
Related: Hounds Punch Ticket for Abilene, Texas, with Series win over West Texas A&M
Related: Texans split with Wildcats, earn No. 6 in LSC Tournament
Related: Baseball Tournament Bid Ended

Knox, Null and Scott selected in 2009 NFL Draft
Former Lone Star Conference standouts Johnny Knox, Keith Null and Bernard Scott were selected Sunday on the second day of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Knox went to the Chicago Bears with the fourth pick of the fifth round (140th overall), Null was 23rd pick of the sixth round (196th overall) by the St. Louis Rams and Scott was the final pick of the sixth round (209th overall), going to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Knox will join former Abilene Christian all-America defensive back Danieal Manning on the Chicago Bears' roster. He became ACU's all-time leader in touchdown receptions in 2008, finishing his two-year career with 30 TD receptions. He also finished in the top 10 in ACU history in catches and receiving yards.

Null, the offensive MVP of the 2009 Cactus bowl, concluded his career holding the West Texas A&M single-season and career records for passing yardage, TDs and total offense and became the first WT quarterback to pass for 9,000 yards during his career. He ranked first, nationally, in passing yards per game and second in total offense and threw for at least 300 yards in all but two games this past season (he was pulled after throwing for 227 yards and two TDs against Tarleton and 261 yards and two TDs in two quarters against Northeastern State). He recorded his second 500-yard passing game of the season when he completed 42-of-63 passes for 595 yards and sevens TDs at Abilene Christian in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Scott, the 2008 Harlon Hill Award winner as the top player in NCAA Division II football, became ACU's all-time leading rusher in just two seasons, piling up 4,321 yards in just 25 games (172.8 yards per game). He topped the 2,000-yard mark twice, becoming the only player in LSC history to put together multiple 2,000-yard rushing seasons. His 63 rushing touchdowns are second in ACU history, and his 73 total touchdowns are second in both ACU and LSC history.
Related: Knox goes to Bears in 5th; Bengals grab Scott in 6th
Related: Wildcats' Knox, Scott taken in NFL draft
Related: Rams draft WT's Null in sixth round
Related: Wrap-up: Defense takes major step
Related: Bengals are headed in the right direction
Related: NFL: CenTex trio Miller, Iglesias, Null drafted on second ...
Related: Bears' fifth-round pick clocked 4.34 40 time
Related: D-II offers Day 2 bright spots
Related: Bengals take a chance on troubled RB Scott
Related: Bengals Draft Bernard Scott, Another Player With Extensive Legal ...

West Texas A&M - 2009 Recruiting Class

Need Help:
Offensive Line - Two LSC South second teamers are gone (Devo Dorsey and Tommy Crowley) and an third starter, Hector Rodriguez, might not be back either. J'Marcus Webb returns, and will be an All-American candidate. Brad McCarty, Jon Ioane and Daniel Sherwood combined for 12 starts in 2008. Quite a few young players after that.

Defensive Line - With Brandon Swain and TJ Nickelberry (both HM LSC South) gone, and uncertainty surrounding Eugene Sims' (2nd LSC South) return, this is another postion short on experience. Broderick Marshall will be back (1st LSC South) and will be another All-American candidate. Other returnees with some experience are Marcus Rowe, Derrick Peoples and Rashad Sanders. Bo Campbell and Aaron Wampler don't have the game experience but should start to contribute this fall.

Defensive Secondary - Darnell Johnson (1st LSC South), Cashmin Thomas, Keyon Kiles, Kyle Seals, LeAndrew Hicks and Arseel Shakoor were all seniors last year, and Braelon Davis (1st LSC South) is not listed on the spring roster. Curtis Jefferson (2nd LSC South) and Jordan Smith are expected to "step into the safety positions and be quality players in the conference" according to Coach Carthel. Tae Evans and Maurice Caldwell lead a young group of cornerbacks.

Need Depth:
Quarterback - Maybe not more depth, but more experience. Keith Null leaves WT as #2 on the LSC career passing charts (pending ACU's appeal of NCAA sanctions). Taylor Harris is expected to be the starter and has played well in limited opportunities the past two seasons (as did Null, and Dalton Bell before him). Kyler Hill and Kevin Smith are two other returnees, but have little to no game experience.

Wide Receiver - Again, more experience is the issue here. Not only did All-American Charly Martin (95 receptions, 1,867 yds and 22 TDs in 2008) graduate, but Carl Johnson, Seth Hayden and Anthony Clark are gone as well (177 catches, 2,243 yards and 19 TDs) . A. J. Ruffins is the most experienced returning Buffalo (67 catches for 782 yards and 13 TDs in two seasons). After that, there is not much experience.

Linebacker - Another spot losing an All-American - this time its Jared Brock - and fellow starter Eldon Grimslid (2nd LSC South) as well. Starters Anthony Scott and Mark Ford are back, and Coach Carthel said "they both had great springs and give great leadership on defense." Zane Farris played a lot last year and is expected to be a starter. The final spot could be between Kevin McCluskey and redshirt freshman Taylor McCuller.

Good Quality/Depth:
Running Back - Keithon Flemming (2nd LSC South) and Kelvin Thompson return, and are backed up by Marcus Jackson, Joe Joe Jones and Davoyea Johnson.


West Texas A&M lost more talent than any other team, with the exception of Abilene Christian. Most of the departures will be filled from the current roster. There are a few transfers that will help out - Isiah Lewis on the offensive line, and Bryan Braman at linebacker to name two. But the number of transfers is much, much lower than in previous years. There may still be a few additions, (ala last summer with J'Marcus Webb and Broderick Marshall), but WT's philosophy of building around high school players is here.

And this year's high school recruiting class is HUGE. On signing day, WT announced 78 high school recruits had signed letters of intent. Broken down by position, it was 7 QBs, 5 RBs, 20 WRs, 9 OL, 6 DL, 14 LBs, 16 DBs and 1 kicker. And they weren't sacrificing quality for quantity either. Certainly a large number of the 78 will likely never see the playing field, but a good number of them will. QBs Spencer Church, Blake Forester and Luke Halpin, RBs Ketrich Harmon, Darius Miller and Chris West, WRs Torrence Allen, Dakota Dill, Joshua Graves, Derrick Osborn, Sidney Parker, Lance Ratliff, John Simpson, Regis Wilson and LaRay Woodard, OL Emory Atterberry, Micah Kemp, and Shaun Wesley. On defense, Kenneth Garrett, and Charles Rigsby on the DL, Brandon Boyd, Jacob Hanna, William Thornton, Cade Hollandsworth, and Kyle Voss at LB, while DBs Keith Baker, Kevin Butcher, Kendrick Green, Ryan Grametbaur, Paris Johnson, Zamir Linton and Chard Ward were all rated by several recruiting services. Harmon, Ratliff, Garrett, Johnson and Ward were mentioned as true freshmen who might not be red-shirted.

LSC Ranking - 1

Overall Grade: A++
Recruiting is not an exact science, so the WT staff made sure it covered all of the bases ... several times. The Buffs had more recruits rated than some schools had total recruits. It could be a challenge for the staff to get everyone enought reps to properly evaluate them, but that is an issue I'm sure they will be happy to take on.