Kicker Miguel Antonio earns league Player of Week honor
9/27/2010 2:11:00 PM | Football
For the second year in a row, the sophomore from Lovelady has earned Southland Conference "Special Teams Player of the Week" honors after a solid performance in a Sam Houston home victory.
Last Saturday night Antonio was perfect on three field-goal tries and three PATs in the 30-14 victory over Gardner-Webb in the Bearkats' home opener.
Antonio connected from 20 and 26 yards and also hit from a season-long 43 yards. For the season, Antonio, who scored 12 points against Gardner-Webb, is 4-of-7 on field goal attempts and has made all five extra points.
In his second game as a true freshman in 2009, Antonio earned the same honor in last year's Bearkat Family Weekend 48-45 victory over North Dakota State. In that contest, Antonio kicked the game-winner with 26 seconds to play.
During the past two seasons, Antonio has connected on 16 of 27 field goals and kicked 42 extra points. He was an all-district kicking specialist for coach Kerry Therwhanger at Lovelady, missing only three extra points in four seasons and producing a career punting average of 47.2 yards.
Other Southland Conference "Players of the Week" today included running back Jesse Turner of Nicholls for offense and linebacker Mark Newbill of Southeastern Louisiana for defense.
Antonio's award Monday marks the first Southland Conference "Player of the Week" honor for the Bearkats this season.
Antonio also was named as a national honorable mention "Special Teams Player of the Week" selection by College Performance.com .
Next action for Antonio and the Bearkats will be a pair of road trips as Sam Houston travels to Lamar this weekend and opens Southland Conference action in two weeks at Nicholls.
The next home game for Sam Houston State will be Saturday October 16 with the Bearkat Homecoming game with Southeastern Louisiana.
Tickets for Homecoming, the "Bearkats for the Cause" Pink Out game with McNeese Saturday November 5 and the regular season finale with Texas State November 19 are onsale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the SHSU athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone is 936 294-1729.
