Eleven Kats named preseason All-Southland
7/27/2011 10:00:00 AM | Football
The names of the 52 football players selected to the pre-season all-conference squad by vote of the league's head coaches were announced Wednesday morning at Southland Conference football media day at the L'Auberge du Lac Resort in Lake Charles.
Bearkats recognized as first team honorees are running back Tim Flanders, defensive linemen J. T. Cleveland and Preston Sanders, linebacker Will Henry and defensive back Kenneth Jenkins.
Second team selections from Sam Houston are offensive linemen Travis Watson and Caleb Hopson, defensive back Darnell Taylor, place kicker Miguel Antonio, punter Matt Foster and return specialist Brandon Closner.
Only defending Southland champion Stephen F. Austin placed more players on the preseason honor squad. The Lumberjacks had 12 players honored. Central Arkansas and McNeese State followed Sam Houston with eight selections.
"The most important all-conference selections are the ones after the season, but this is exciting to see that so many of our young players are respected throughout the league," Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz said. "Year in and year out, the Southland Conference is regarded as one of the toughest NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision leagues in the nation. This certainly is a list of outstanding young men."
Flanders, a 5-9 208-pound sophomore from Midwest City, Okla., earned Southland "Freshman of the Year" honors in 2010. He was the leading rusher in the Southland, running for 948 yards and 13 touchdowns. Flanders set Sam Houston school records for most rushing yards in a season by a freshman and most 100-yard rushing performances in one year.
Cleveland, a 6-0 290-pound junior from Baytown Lee, was a second team All-Southland selection in 2010. He started all 11 games, totaling 43 tackles and ranking second on team with seven tackles for losses and five sacks.
Henry, a 5-10 210-pound senior from Waco LaVega, is a two-time All-Southland selection who has totaled 133 career tackles, 24 tackles for loss and nine sacks in his Bearkat career. He has started 22 consecutive games at linebacker and led the team in tackles for loss (12.5) last year.
Jenkins, a 5-10 195-pound junior from Galveston Ball, was a first team All-Southland Conference safety as sophomore in 2010He ranked as the second-leading tackler for Sam Houston and ranked No. 16 in the Southland with 58 tackles including four for losses.
Sanders, a 6-3 255-pound sophomore from Red Oak, is a two-sport letterman for the Bearkats as a defensive lineman in football and a thrower for the Sam Houston men's track and field team, placing fourth in the conference shot put last spring.
Watson, a 6-2 295-pound senior from Norman, Okla., was a second team All-Southland Conference as the starting center for the Bearkats last season.
Hopson, a 6-6 290-pound junior from Early, is a two-year starter at offensive tackle for the Bearkats.
Antonio, a 5-10 165-pound junior from Lovelady, was the second-leading scorer for the Bearkats in 2010 with 14 field goals and 33 point-after attempts. He was an honorable mention all-conference selection as a sophomore.
Closner, a 5-10 175-pound senior from Arlington, earned second team all-league honors after ranking No. 2 in the league in punt returns (11.5 average) and No. 3 in both kickoff returns (25.8) and all-purpose yards (126.5).
Taylor, a 6-0 195-pound junior from Mesquite, was an honorable mention all-league honoree in 2010 who has totaled 108 career tackles in two seasons as a Bearkat.
The Sam Houston football team will report for 2011 preseason camp on Wednesday, August 3. The Bearkats will play six home games at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium this fall. The Kats open the season on Thursday Sept. 1 at home with a 6 p.m. contest versus the Western Illinois Leathernecks.
Season tickets for Sam Houston State football are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the Bearkat athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House in the south end zone of Bowers Stadium.
Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
THE 2011 PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SQUAD
OFFENSE
FIRST TEAMS
|
Pos |
Name |
University |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
|
QB |
Nathan Dick |
Central Arkansas |
6-4 |
214 |
Sr. |
|
RB |
Tim Flanders |
Sam Houston |
5-9 |
208 |
So. |
|
RB |
Andre Anderson |
McNeese |
5-9 |
190 |
Sr. |
|
FB |
Gralyn Crawford |
SFA |
5-10 |
175 |
Jr. |
|
WR |
Cordell Roberson |
SFA |
6-3 |
192 |
Jr. |
|
WR |
Simmie Yarborough |
Southeastern La. |
6-1 |
205 |
Sr. |
|
TE |
Justin Aldredge |
Northwestern St. |
5-11 |
211 |
Sr. |
|
OL |
George Bias |
SFA |
6-3 |
304 |
Sr. |
|
OL |
Miguel Gauthreaux |
McNeese |
6-1 |
291 |
Sr. |
|
OL |
John Steel |
SFA |
6-4 |
273 |
Jr. |
|
OL |
Matt Dickerson |
Central Arkansas |
6-5 |
278 |
Sr. |
|
OL |
Corey Dickerson |
SFA |
6-10 |
320 |
Jr. |
|
PK |
Josh Lewis |
McNeese |
6-0 |
190 |
Jr. |
SECOND TEAM
|
QB |
Paul Harris |
Northwestern St |
6-1 |
196 |
Jr. |
|
RB |
Jesse Turner |
Nicholls |
5-8 |
180 |
Jr. |
|
RB |
Terence Bobo |
Central Arkansas |
6-0 |
210 |
Jr. |
|
FB |
Isaiah Jackson |
Central Arkansas |
5-10 |
187 |
Sr. |
|
WR |
Dominique Croom |
Central Arkansas |
6-3 |
191 |
Jr. |
|
WR |
Anthony Foster |
SFA |
6-2 |
200 |
Jr. |
|
TE |
Brennan Rushing |
Central Arkansas |
6-2 |
237 |
Sr. |
|
OL |
Sam Houston |
6-4 |
295 |
Sr. |
|
|
OL |
Jonathan Landry |
McNeese |
6-4 |
295 |
Jr. |
|
OL |
Zach Case |
Northwestern St |
6-2 |
308 |
Sr. |
|
OL |
Caleb Hopson |
Sam Houston |
6-6 |
300 |
Jr. |
|
OL |
Joe LeHocky |
Central Arkansas |
6-4 |
286 |
Sr. |
|
PK |
Sam Houston |
5-10 |
170 |
Jr. |
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
|
DL |
Desmund Lighten |
McNeese |
6-0 |
250 |
Sr. |
|
DL |
J.T. Cleveland |
Sam Houston |
6-0 |
290 |
Sr. |
|
DL |
Sam Houston |
6-4 |
255 |
So. |
|
|
DL |
Devan Walker |
Southeastern La. |
6-3 |
245 |
Jr. |
|
LB |
Derek Rose |
Northwestern St. |
5-11 |
225 |
Jr. |
|
LB |
Sam Houston |
5-10 |
210 |
Sr. |
|
|
DB |
Malcolm Bronson |
McNeese |
5-11 |
188 |
Jr. |
|
DB |
Bobby Felder |
Nicholls |
5-11 |
200 |
Sr. |
|
DB |
Sam Houston |
5-10 |
195 |
Jr |
|
|
DB |
Josh Aubrey |
SFA |
5-11 |
191 |
Jr |
|
DB |
Jamaal White |
Northwestern St. |
6-0 |
193 |
Jr |
|
P |
Drew Nelson |
SFA |
6-1 |
193 |
Sr. |
|
RS |
Gralyn Crawford |
SFA |
5-10 |
175 |
Jr. |
SECOND TEAM
|
DL |
Darren Robinson |
SFA |
5-11 |
235 |
So. |
|
DL |
Larry Duvall |
Central Arkansas |
6-3 |
274 |
Jr. |
|
DL |
Pat Williams |
McNeese |
6-3 |
275 |
Jr. |
|
DL |
Edet Udoh |
Nicholls |
6-1 |
315 |
Jr. |
|
LB |
Frank Newsome |
Central Arkansas |
6-2 |
232 |
Sr. |
|
LB |
Devin Ducote |
SFA |
5-11 |
200 |
Sr. |
|
DB |
Jesti n Love |
Central Arkansas |
6-0 |
195 |
So. |
|
DB |
Darrell Jenkins |
McNeese |
5-10 |
205 |
Sr. |
|
DB |
Sam Houston |
6-0 |
200 |
Jr. |
|
|
DB |
Caleb Nelson |
SFA |
5-11 |
190 |
So. |
|
DB |
Brashard Booker |
Northwestern St. |
6-1 |
183 |
Jr |
|
P |
Sam Houston |
6-5 |
200 |
Sr. |
|
|
RS |
Sam Houston |
5-10 |
170 |
Sr. |
