Athletic Report
November 15, 2001

CALE SANDERS AND JOSE MARTINEZ EARN FIRST TEAM ALL-LSC SOUTH HONORS
Fish, Varnado and Solis Named Second Team; Eight Greyhounds Receive Honorable Mention
PORTALES, NM — The Eastern New Mexico University football team, which finished the 2001 season at 6-4 overall and achieved its fourth consecutive winning record, has placed two players on the All-LSC South First Team. Three more ENMU players were selected for the Second Team, and eight Greyhounds received Honorable Mention recognition.

A total of 15 ENMU players were selected overall. The All-LSC South Team was chosen in a vote by the LSC South head coaches. Eastern opened the season 4-0, but lost four of its next five games before ending the season with a victory over West Texas A&M University in the 15th Wagon Wheel game. The Greyhounds finished 2-4 in the LSC South (tied for 5th place). The Greyhounds are 28-14 overall during the past four seasons.

1ST TEAM ALL-LSC SOUTH
Both of ENMU’s First Team All-LSC South selections were on offense. They were junior wide receiver Cale Sanders (Roswell, NM/Goddard H.S.) and sophomore offensive guard Jose Martinez (Artesia, NM/Artesia H.S.).

Sanders was Hon. Mention All-LSC South in 2000. Sanders led the Eastern offense with 48 catches for 948 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 6 times for 82 yards an 1 touchdown, and completed his only pass attempt for a 37-yard gain. Sanders also returned 29 punts for 306 yards (10.6 avg.) and 2 touchdowns. He led the Greyhounds in overall scoring with 9 touchdowns and 50 points.

Martinez was a leader in the ENMU offensive line. He helped the Greyhounds gain 233.6 rushing yards and 365.5 total yards per game. He was a key reason ENMU led the Lone Star Conference with 31 rushing touchdowns. He also contributed to the passing game, helping Eastern score 9 passing touchdowns while earning 131.9 yards per game through the air.

2ND TEAM ALL-LSC SOUTH
Eastern’s three players who chosen Second Team All-LSC South were senior offensive tackle Dustin Fish (Snyder, TX/Snyder H.S.), senior linebacker Larry Varnado (Clovis, NM/Clovis H.S.) and junior free safety Jonathon Solis (Roswell, NM/N.M. Military Institute). All three players started every game during the 2001 season.

Fish was one of five senior linemen for ENMU in 2001. At 6’6’, 310 pounds, he handled many of Eastern’s major blocking assignments. He helped the Greyhounds score 318 points in 10 games to break the old ENMU single season record of 317 points, set during an 11-game schedule in 1986. He also contributed to 3,655 yards of offense, as the Hounds averaged 4.6 yards per carry and 8.7 yards per pass. Fish was named Hon. Mention All-LSC South in 1999.

Varnado had his best season as a Greyhound. He ranked 2nd on the team with a career-high 71 total tackles (41 solo, 30 assists). He also recorded a team-high 15 tackles for loses (50 yards lost) and recorded 2 quarterback sacks for 15 yards lost. He had one interception, which he returned 20 yards against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He also recovered one fumble. Varnado made 157 total tackles during his 4-year career at ENMU, including 87 solo tackles.

Solis, in his first season at ENMU after transferring from New Mexico Military Institute, led the Greyhounds with 116 total tackles (60 solo, 56 assists). He recorded 4 tackles for losses, broke up 4 passes and recovered 2 fumbles. He was named LSC South Defensive Player-of-the-Week after earning 18 tackles and recovering 2 fumbles (including one he returned 23 yards for a touchdown) as Eastern New Mexico defeated Texas A&M-Commerce, 28-20, on Oct. 20.

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-LSC SOUTH
Eastern New Mexico placed eight players on the All-LSC South Honorable Mention list. Offensive players named Honorable Mention were senior offensive tackle Darryl McElwee (Mesa, AZ/Cibola H.S., NM), senior offensive guard Billy Biggar (Kemp, TX/Kemp H.S.), junior center Tyson Burkett (Lovington, NM/Lovington H.S.), senior running back Antoine Lacy (Richmond, CA/Contra Costa College) and senior place-kicker Mike Trimble (Houston, TX/Adams State College).

Honorable Mention defensive players were senior linebacker Jimmy Hamilton (Artesia, NM/New Mexico State University), redshirt freshman strong safety Adrian Quigley (Lubbock, TX/Monterey H.S.) and redshirt freshman defensive tackle B.J. Biggar (Kemp, TX/ Kemp H.S.). Billy Biggar and B.J. Biggar are brothers.

McElwee played four seasons at ENMU, while Billy Biggar played three seasons with the Greyhounds after transferring from Mayville State University in North Dakota. Burkett has been at Eastern for four years, but missed the 1999 season due to a knee injury.

All three offensive linemen were key blockers in Eastern’s option offense, which accumulated 2,336 rushing yards while scoring 31 rushing touchdowns and averaging 4.6 yards per carry. McElwee, Biggar and Burkett also protected ENMU’s quarterbacks, who helped the Greyhounds complete 75 of 152 passes for 1,319 yards and 9 touchdowns.Biggar was named 2nd Team All-LSC South in 2000.

Lacy played in 8 games and topped the Eastern rushing chart with 510 yards on 107 carries. He scored 8 touchdowns and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He concluded his two seasons at ENMU with 1,074 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns (17 TDs overall). He scored 54 points in 1999, then added 50 points this year (104 career points). He sat out the 2000 season.

Trimble converted 3 of 6 field goals and successfully kicked 37 of 39 extra points. His longest field goal of the season was 41 yards. He also punted 31 times and averaged 35.2 yards per punt, with 4 punts inside the 20. Trimble scored 43 points this year and 101 points in two seasons at ENMU. Including his sophomore season at Adams State, Trimble converted 20 of 27 field goals the past three years.

Hamilton finished 4th on the team with 53 tackles (28 solo, 25 assists) this season. He registered 6 tackles for losses, earned 1 quarterback sack and forced 1 fumble. In three seasons at ENMU, he has recorded 112 total tackles (59 solo, 53 assists). Hamilton was also named Honorable Mention All-LSC South last year.

Quigley, in his first season on the active roster after redshirting in 2000, was a key player on the ENMU defense. His performance at the strong safety position was solid, as he recorded 43 unassisted tackles and 26 assists for 69 total tackles during the season. He led the Hounds with 5 quarterback sacks for 36 yards lost, and made a total of 9 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a team-high 53 yards in losses.

B.J. Biggar, who redshirted in 2000, made an immediate impact on the ENMU defense in 2001 with 34 total tackles (24 solo, 10 assists). He provided 9 tackles for losses and 4 QB sacks. He also was credited with breaking up 2 passes. He started all 10 games, and showed great potential as an LSC defensive lineman.

LSC SOUTH SPECIAL AWARDS
The following special award winners were chosen: Offensive Back-of-the-Year, Steve Kelly (QB), Tarleton State; Receiver-of-the-Year, Eric Spencer, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Offensive Lineman-of-the-Year, Ryan Seward, Tarleton State; Defensive Lineman-of-the-Year, Mike Clay, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Linebacker-of-the-Year, Kiah Johnson, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Defensive Back-of-the-Year, Charles Davis, Tarleton State; Freshman-of-the-Year, Kyle Masters (TE), Tarleton State; Coach-of-the-Year, Todd Whitten, Tarleton State.