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11/17/2017 | Football
Friday, November 17, 2017
PORTALES, N.M. –On Friday afternoon, The Lone Star Conference released its 2017 all-conference football team. Eastern New Mexico University was well represented with 17 overall selections. The Hounds’ honors were highlighted by Kamal Cass’ third first-team selection and second consecutive Offensive Back of the Year honor. From the opening kickoff against Southwest Baptist to the final touchdown drive against fourth-ranked Midwestern State and from the western reaches of New Mexico all the way to West Virginia, Eastern’s 2017 season was a fantastic run by a strong group of players. The Greyhounds made their first appearance in the American Football Coaches Association poll since the 2003 season and won eight games for the first time since the 2002 season. Eastern finished second in the nation in rushing offense and seventh in stopping the run, and led the LSC in both categories. The Hounds also led the NCAA Division II in time of possession. LSC Offensive Back of the Year The selection as LSC Offensive Back of the Year was the second straight for ENMU’s all-time leader in rushing yards. The senior led the league in rushing in each of the last three seasons and claimed the 2017 LSC rushing crown by a 586-yard margin. Cass reached the century mark seven times as a senior to bring his career total to 20 games. He entered the season finale needing 178 yards against fourth-ranked Midwestern State to become ENMU’s all-time leader in rushing yards and registered a career-best 276-yard performance to go along with three touchdowns. The league’s preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year concludes his Greyhound career with 4,301 rushing yards, 50 touchdowns (rushing), 15 receptions for 287 yards and three scores. He also has been a key special-teams player with 33 kick returns and 10 punt returns. Cass accumulated 5,322 all-purpose yards over 44 games. All-Academic Team Russell Montoya and Bailey Hale represented the Greyhounds on the All-Academic Team. The duo turned in big performances for the Hounds on the gridiron this season, and were also strong performers in the classroom. Eligibility for the LSC All-Academic Team requires that a student athlete either be a sophomore or a transfer with at least one full year at the nominating institution. The student-athlete must maintain a cumulative average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale and participate in at least 50 percent of the team’s competitions. Bailey Hale, a sophomore sports management major, started the season strong with a three-for-four performance against nationally-ranked Southwest Baptist. His 41-yard field goal in the waning moments, lifted ENMU to a 23-21 victory. Hale also made a pair of field goals against UT Permian Basin in a three-point win. He finished eighth in the LSC in overall scoring and third among kickers with 72 points. Hale also limited the opposition’s scoring opportunities with 34 touchbacks on 62 kickoffs. Russell Montoya, a sophomore accounting major, ranked seventh in the LSC in yards-per-catch average. He finished the season with 11 grabs for 203 yards and scored on a 54-yard reception at West Liberty. Montoya had at least one catch in each of his last six contests of the season. In addition to his receiving skills, Montoya’s downfield blocking ability has been critical to the success of Eastern’s triple-option offense. Six First Team All-LSC (Two Offensive Linemen, one Running Back, two Linebackers, one Safety) ???????Tobi Amadi emerged as a lockdown defensive back for the Hounds in 2017. He was one of just seven players to reach double figures in passes broken up. He also tied for the team lead with 47 tackles, with a team-high 28 solo stops. Amadi had a career game against fourth-ranked Midwestern State, with nine tackles and two pass break ups. Desmond Blue, a Second team All-LSC linebacker last season had a standout year for the Hounds in 2017. He led the Hounds with 8.5 tackles for a loss which included four sacks. Equally adept in coverage, Blue broke up five passes. In a hard-fought win over Angelo State, he forced a fumble early in the second quarter of a game ENMU won by 10 points. Blue had a strong game at Tarleton State with two sacks in addition to a quarterback pressure. Josh Bongiovanni was an Honorable Mention All-LSC performer in 2016 and helped the Hounds reach the next level offensively this season. Entering the final week of play, he had 127 knockdown blocks, which brought his career total to 446. He helped pave the way for the league’s top rushing attack in each of his four years on the team. Entering the final week of play, Bongiovanni had accumulated 139 knockdown blocks to bring his career total to 423. His consistently strong blocking allowed ENMU to top the 500-yard mark in each of the final three games and set up Cass to reach the career-rushing mark. ???????Kamal Cass garnered his third first team selection and was chosen as the league’s Offensive Back of the Year. Brad Hardin, a First Team All-LSC selection in 2016 continued his success this year. A strong linebacker with a versatile skill set, he had 6.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, three interceptions, four pressures and a fumble recovery. His three interceptions, which came in wins over Western New Mexico, West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville, tied for second in the conference. Over a three-game stretch, Hardin recorded 5.5 tackles for a loss, with Eastern winning all three games.
Isaiah Talbert garnered Second Team All-LSC in 2016 and had another strong year. He helped pave the way for the league’s top rushing attack in each of his four years on the team. Entering the final week of play, Talbert had accumulated 139 knockdown blocks to bring his career total to 423. His consistency and power on the right side of the Greyhound offensive line allowed ENMU to top the 500-yard mark in each of the final three games and set up Cass to reach the career-rushing mark. Two Second Team All-LSC (one Running back, one Offensive Lineman) ???????Tayshaun Gary garnered his first All-LSC selection and has been an explosive offensive threat for the Hounds. With three 100-yard games this season, Gary brought his total to six for his career. Gary ranks 14th in the league in rushing yards and 16th in yards per carry. An all-purpose threat, he registered a career-high three catches for 43 yards in ENMU’s season-opening win over Southwest Baptist. Over his career-, he has also been a valuable contributor on special teams. Lane Cummings play at center earned his first All-LSC selection. Entering the final week of play, he had 134 knockdown blocks to bring his career total to 440. He helped pave the way for the league’s top rushing attack in each of his four years on the team. Entering the final week of play, Cummings had accumulated 139 knockdown blocks to bring his career total to 423. His blocking along the Greyhound offensive line allowed ENMU to top the 500-yard mark in each of the final three games and set up Cass to reach the career-rushing mark. Seven Honorable Mention All-LSC (one Running back, one Quarterback, one Kicker, two Defensive Linemen, one Linebacker, one Cornerback) Charles Countee earned his first All-LSC selection and developed into one of the league’s top cornerbacks. He tied for second in the LSC with 11 pass breakups, which included three in a win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. Countee also paced the defense with 47 tackles with 25 solo stops. He made a career-high seven tackles in games against fourth-ranked Midwestern State and Tarleton State. Also on the LSC All-Academic Team, Bailey Hale earned Honorable Mention All-LSC. ???????KeAndre Hall garnered Honorable Mention All-LSC last year, but had an even stronger 2017 season. He tied for second in the league in fumble recoveries and was ninth in return yardage. With 5.5 tackles for a loss and eight hurries, Hall always applied pressure to opposing offensive units. He recovered fumbles in back-to-back games against #18 Southwest Baptist and Western New Mexico, which ENMU won by a combined five points. Zach Johnson was one of the Hounds most consistent performers and tied for second in the conference in both forced and recovered fumbles. With 4.5 tackles for a loss, he threatened to disrupt opposing offenses on every play. At Western New Mexico, Johnson forced and recovered a fumble on one play, and re had a fumble recovery in the Wagon Wheel Game at WT. Dakota Montoya garnered Honorable Mention All-LSC in 2016 and followed with an extremely strong season. He consistently was a disruptive force in opposing backfields and led the Hounds with 11 quarterback hurries. When needed, Montoya showed the ability to make the big play for the Hounds, as his interception return for a touchdown at third-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce displayed. He continuously hampered UT Permian Basin with five quarterback pressures, which limited the Falcons to a 36.3 completion percentage in a three-point win. Johnny Smith’s explosiveness and ability made him a feared weapon in the ENMU offense and earned his first all-conference selection. He led the LSC in yards-per-reception (30.6) and was fifth in yards per carry (8.8). Smith rushed for 449 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Wyatt Strand, last season’s LSC Freshman of the Year, continued his success. With the first eight-win season at ENMU since 2002, Strand has quarterbacked the Hounds to 15 wins over the last two seasons. One of the toughest quarterbacks in the nation to intercept, Strand only tossed two this season and rushed for 678 yards and six touchdowns. Fe’ao Vunipola garnered his first All-LSC selection with a standout season for the Hounds. He finished with 45 tackles, which included six for a loss. Vunipola also recovered a fumble in ENMU’s win over Southwest Baptist. He registered a season-high eight stops in wins over SBU and West Texas A&M. 2017 LSC FOOTBALL ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS Jacob Sherrill Midwestern State LB Sr. Respiratory Care Burleson, Texas Special Recognition 2017 LSC FOOTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Vincent Hobbs Texas A&M-Commerce TE Jr. Mesquite, Texas FIRST TEAM DEFENSE SECOND TEAM OFFENSE SECOND TEAM DEFENSE DaMarcus Wilson Midwestern State CB So. Forth Worth, Texas HONORABLE MENTION Peyton Searcy Texas A&M-Commerce DT Jr. Killeen, Texas |
