Eastern New Mexico - 2010 Recruiting Class

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QB - With J.J. Harp's dismissal, suddenly the Greyhounds don't have much experience at quarterback. Sophomore Wesley Wood, who threw for 492 yards with 5 TDs and 6 Ints in limited time last year, is the lone returnee with playing time.

LB - Leading tackler Nathan Uland returns, but three starters are gone, including All-LSC South second teamers Edward Zamora and Texavier Henry.

DB - All American Rodney Mitchell returns as does fellow starter Tillman Stevens, but not a great deal of other experience.

Need Depth:

OL - Four starters return, but ENMU allowed 39 sacks and averaged just 2.5 yards per rush last year. Three of the returning starters are seniors, so its time to prepare for the future.

DL - Three starters are slated to be back, but two of them are seniors. Opponents rushed for almost 200 yards per game against ENMU, averaging over 5 yards per carry, and the Greyhounds totalled just 15 sacks in 2009.

RB - Troy Harris showed flashes last year, rushing for 279 yards, despite battling injuries. Stefan Mills and Terrence Griffin also rushed for 200+ yards. Griffin will be a junior, while Harris and Mills will both be sophomores.

Good Quality/Depth:

WR - As is needed with the Air Raid offense, there is good depth at wideout. Arvin Jackson, Dominic Preston, Jess Poku, Darian Dale, Chase Kyser and Matt Handler combined to catch 328 passes for 3,810 yards and 29 TDs. Once the youngest group of receivers in the conference, this unit is now one of the most experienced.

The Greyhounds brought in two QBs (2A player of the year, Sawyer Cornelius and Tyler Baker, video below). Cornelius threw for 3,200 yards and 44 TDs, while Baker also topped the 3,000 yard mark to go with 42 TDs. RB Jesus Davalos was a first team all state 3A selection, and rushed for over 1,000 yards despite missing several games with an injury. Corey Thomas (WR/RB) rushed for almost 1,300 yards. Jake Espinoza was a second team all state 4A choice after catching 51 passes for 949 yards and 13 TDs. The offensive line added four recruits, including first team all State 5A Dylan Sydenstricker. On the defensive side of the ball, Pedrun Khodaie (Mesa CC) should contend for a starting spot on the defensive line. Keighan Thetford (video highlights) could be a steal for ENMU. He was a second team All State 5A for Arlington HS. Jayson Serda (video highlights) is one to watch in the secondary.

LSC Ranking - 13

Overall Grade- C

The Greyhounds brought in some talented offensive players, which should help keep ENMU in the upper echelons of D2 offenses. But the defense, which was last in the LSC in both yards and points allowed and lost five full and part time starters (who combined for 436 tackles and 31.5 TFL) does not appear to have replenished their stock as well as the offense.

LSC Roundup 1-22

Recruiting Center

Recruiting News
Matt Berry (Northeastern Oklahoma JC) is headed to East Central (per the NEO website).

Jay Serda (Manzano (NM) HS ) has ENMU among his choices.

Sean Watson (Brandon (Fl) HS) is getting some interest from TAMC as well as several FCS schools.

We hear that Tyler Vanderzee (Mount San Antonio College) is headed to East Central. He threw for 680 yards and 7 TDs (155.24 eff. rating) while backing up FBS recruit Matt Faulkner.

LSC Roundup 1-21

Recruiting Center (Updated)

Men's Basketball News
Defense paves the way for Texans
Mustangs roll past Buffaloes, 90-69
Buffs take a hard fall


Javelinas Hold Off Rams
Rams fall in overtime against Javelinas
Hounds Tied For Second in LSC South After Falling at Tarleton State
Texans claim big win over Greyhounds
Mustangs run over West Texas A&M for 20th straight home win
#11-Ranked Midwestern State Too Strong for Buffs
UCO Races Past Bulldogs
Lions shoot down visiting Tigers, 101-83
Lions Improve to 3-0 in Conference Play With 101-83 Win Over East Central
A Technical Victory
Late NSU Run Dooms Storm

Women's Basketball News
Jones gets 1,000 in Tarleton win
Foul trouble dooms MSU women
Milestone victory: Lady Buffs coach Krista Gerlich captures 100th win
WT coach fastest to 100 wins


Javelinas knock off Rambelles
Hoggies Too Tough for Belles
#11 Lady Buffs too much for Midwestern, 82-62
Lady Buffs Pound Midwestern State, 82-62
Jones nets 1,000th point in TexAnns 55-43 win over Zias
#24 TexAnns Rally Past Zias as Clay Moves Up on ENMU Career Scoring List
Pioneers push past Aggie women
Women Lose to UCO, 82-43
Bronchos Clobber SWOSU
Lady Tigers cage Lions, 77-72
East Central Rallies Late to Defeat A&M-Commerce, 77-72
RiverHawks Roll
SE Falls Hard at NSU

Recruiting News
Rico Pollard (RB Neville HS (LA)) is getting interest from Southeastern Oklahoma, as is teammate Simeon Stevenson (DL). Timothy McNeill (WR Ouachita HS (LA) ) is also getting the attention of the Savage Storm.

Oskar Cadena (DB Keller HS) may be headed to Southwestern Oklahoma.

Football News
Record-breaking Greyhounds QB dismissed from team
Record-breaking sophomore quarterback Eastern New Mexico University J.J. Harp has been dismissed from the football team, according to Greyhounds coach Mark Ribaudo.

Ribaudo declined to discuss the reason Harp was dismissed. He said he was let go Tuesday. ENMU sports information director Adam Pitterman said Harp was dismissed for violating university policy.

Harp, from Argyle, Texas, passed for 4,367 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, both school records. He set all-division NCAA records in single-game pass attempts (94) and single-game completions (64) in a 49-47 loss to Southeastern Oklahoma. He set NCAA Division II records with 695 passing yards and 681 yards of total offense in the same game.

Harp and three teammates were suspended for a game during the season for what Ribaudo called a “violation of team rules.”

Harp could not be reached for comment.

The Hounds had four other quarterbacks listed on their 2009 roster, including last year’s backup, freshman Wes Wood of Muleshoe.

Ribaudo said he was not sure if Harp’s dismissal would affect the Hounds’ recruiting.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Recruiting Insight - Lawrence Syon

Today, we have Lawrence Syon, defensive back from Houston Bellaire. Lawrence had 4 interceptions in just 5 games as a junior, and followed that up with a strong senior season - 57 tackles, 42 solo, and 2 interceptions, one of which he returned for a TD. He really turned it up a notch in district, with 39 tackles (28 solo) in the final four district games.

Profiles: Takkle, Scout

Q - Lawrence, what an outstanding senior season in a very competitive district. What will you remember most from your time at Bellaire?
LS - I remember the first day i attended Bellaire as a junior and how my DB' coach pushed me to become a better athlete, a better person, and one of the greatest DB's that he has ever coached

Q - Tell us a little bit about recruiting. When did colleges start coming around? Was it ever a distraction?
LS - Kansas, Colorado, and Iowa State came around to see me during the spring. I would and still continuously get mail from Kansas (3-4 letters a week), but the smaller school have been calling me and are showing more dedication to get me into there school. At first the big D1 colleges were a distraction, when they started to come around during the end of my Junior year, but now my opinions are still open but the smaller D-1AA and D-2 school im likeing more espically when i have a great chance of playing in the playoffs. I havent got a change to play in the playoffs yet and I' am hungry for a chance to do that.

Q - Who are the schools interested in you?
LS - Texas State, Texas A&M Kingsville, Eastern New Mexico, Sam Houston, UTSA are all the school that i know are interested in me but now i get schools coming to Bellaire alot lately. Abilene christian came to visit the other day. They seem really interested in me and the recruit loved my size.

Q - What schools are you most interested in?
LS - Iam interested in all the schools, me signing will just depend on the vibe i get from them, what the program is about, how much the program is committed to wining and doing watever it takes to win, and openings in the DB position

Q - How big of a role do academics play in your decision? Have you decided on a major?
LS - Academics plays a big role, i made some mistakes as a freshman and sophomore in highschool and tragedy that has struck my household didnt help my decisions at all. Now I' am blessed with a lil brother that turns one years old December 5th that i need to set an example for and there has been plenty of young children who are looking up to me, so all i want is a second chance in Academics. I want to major in sports medicine and business.

Q - What strengths do you have that will help you be successful at the collegiate level?
LS - Me dedication to the game of football. I have been playing since i was five and i have been in love with it ever since. My work eithic is like no other. I went from catching passes every single day in the offseason ever since the end of my sophomore year, to having ex-NFL player Marcus Wilkins being my mentor and personal trainer, Isiah Coleman as my personal trainer, NFL Quarterback Guru Jerry Rhome inviting me to a private training session. I think that you can be blessed with talented, but success is something that has to be worked for, and believe or not there are different levels of success and the more hardwork and focus you put into it the higher and more successfull you will be .

Q - Any advice for guys that will be going through this process in the next year or two?
LS - To not worry about recruiting until after the football season, and stay focused on your grades. If you don't worry about the recruits and play hard, they will come to you.

Q - What teammates do you think have the ability to play at the collegiate level? Are they being recruited?
LS - Most Definitely my teammate Able Puntes and Jaun Rodriguez. Able lives in the weight room and he is always hyped in practice and games. The man can flat out play outside linebacker and Jaun is a beast on the o-line he might not be blessed with a lot of height but he not that short either. He gets tons of pancakes it just him getting injured made him not get that much attention.

Thanks Lawrence. We look forward to seeing you play on Saturdays soon.

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.