Serving the High Plains

18 at ENMU named to All-LSC

RICHARDSON, Texas - Senior fullback Paul Terry and senior placekicker Tyler Vargas were named to the All-Lone Star Conference first-team offense in football in awards announced on Friday by the league office.

They headed a list of 18 ENMU players chosen to All-LSC selections, which included Logan native Wyatt Strand.

Terry, from Amarillo, finished off a record-breaking year with four touchdowns and 97 yards rushing in the Greyhounds' season-ending 35-27 victory at Western Oregon. That gave him 1,778 yards rushing for the season, second in NCAA Division II, and boosted him over 3,500 yards for his ENMU career.

Vargas, from San Diego, was on the first team as a placekicker and the second team as a punter. He was fifth in the LSC in scoring with 80 points, hitting 41-of-42 PAT tries and 13-of-17 field goals, while averaging just under 40 yards per punt.

ENMU had four second-team selections, including Vargas, junior Vili Fisiiahi at guard, senior Wyatt Strand at running back and freshman Mazin Richards at defensive end. Strand actually has started every game for the Hounds at quarterback since his sophomore year, but was designated by the conference as a running back for the team. The Logan High grad finished this season third in the LSC in rushing yards (888) and touchdowns (11), to go with seven TD passes.

Thirteen players were chosen for honorable mention - sophomore guard Bailey Adair, sophomore tackle Aseli Finau, senior center Braeden Fox, senior tight end Tyler Lynch, senior running back Johnny Smith, junior return specialist Justin Manyweather, senior defensive tackle Jamar Claibourn, junior inside linebacker Noah Sweitzer, sophomore outside linebacker Colby Russ, senior cornerback Charles Countee, junior safeties Josh Wilson and Vicente Walker, and junior deep snapper Roope Henry.

LSC champion Tarleton State posted 12 first-team choices and also dominated the league's "special" awards, garnering seven of the 11 selections, including co-coach of the year with the Texans' Todd Whitten sharing that honor with Angelo State's Jeff Girsch. No other team had more than one selection.

Strand, Countee earn all-academic honors - Strand and Countee were also chosen to the 11-man LSC football all-academic team. Angelo State had four players earn academic awards, while Texas A&M-Commerce also had two and Tarleton State, Texas-Permian Basin and Western New Mexico garnered one spot apiece.

Strand is a math and agricultural sciences major while Countee, from Albuquerque, is majoring in business administration.

The all-academic squad is chosen by the league's sports information directors, who vote on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement. To be eligible, players must have played in at least 50 percent of their team's games, completed at least one full academic year at the nominating institution, and carry at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (based on the 4.0 system) for their entire collegiate career.

Commerce safety Alex Shillow was chosen the league's academic player of the year.