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News Release
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ENMU arrow Athletics arrow News arrow Press Releases arrow 2002 Archive arrow 11/19 Jose Martinez, Jimmy Hamilton, Ty Touchstone Receive First Team All-LSC South Recognition
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arrow2002 Archive

 

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Jose Martinez, Jimmy Hamilton, Ty Touchstone Receive First Team All-LSC South Recognition
Greyhounds Place Six Players on Second Team; Six ENMU Players also Earn Honorable Mention

PORTALES, NM – The Eastern New Mexico University football team, which finished the 2002 season with an 8-3 overall record and went 4-2 in the Lone Star Conference South Division (3rd place tie), has placed three players on the First Team All-LSC South squad. An additional six ENMU players were chosen for the Second Team, and six Greyhounds received Honorable Mention.

A total of 15 ENMU players were selected overall. The All-LSC South Team was chosen in voting by the LSC South head coaches.

Eastern recorded its seventh winning season in nine years under Head Coach Harold “Bud” Elliott. It was also ENMU’s third 8-3 season since 1998 and the Greyhounds’ fifth winning season in a row. Elliott was named 2002 LSC South Coach-of-the-Year, as he earned the award for the fourth time in five seasons.

ENMU running back Dwayne Davis (RS Fr., Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS) was selected LSC South Freshman-of-the-Year. Davis ran for 826 yards and scored 10 touchdowns for the Greyhounds this season.

The Greyhounds defeated eventual LSC South co-champion Texas A&M-Kingsville, 37-34, on Nov. 2, giving the Javelinas their only loss to an NCAA Division II team during the regular season. ENMU won the annual Wagon Wheel Game against West Texas A&M for the fourth year in a row, taking a 27-16 road victory on Nov. 9.

1st Team All-LSC South

Senior offensive guard Jose Martinez (Artesia, NM/Artesia HS) received First Team All-LSC South honors for the second year in a row. Senior linebacker Jimmy Hamilton (Artesia, NM/N.M. State University) and sophomore free safety Ty Touchstone (Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS) were named First Team All-LSC South for the first time.

Martinez was the leader of ENMU’s offensive line. He helped the Greyhounds set ENMU records for scoring (339 points in 11 games), rushing offense (3,188 yards) and total offense (4,457 yards). Martinez also contributed to 37 rushing touchdowns and nine passing touchdowns. As a First Team All-LSC South selection in 2001, he provided key blocking that allowed Eastern to set the previous scoring record with 318 points in 10 games. The Greyhounds also rushed for 2,336 yards and passed for 1,319 yards in 2001.

Hamilton recorded 70 total tackles this season to rank third on the ENMU defense. He achieved 51 unassisted tackles, made seven tackles for losses and registered 4.0 quarterback sacks for 43 yards. He was named Honorable Mention All-LSC South in 2000 and 2001. He completed his four seasons at ENMU with 182 total tackles, including 110 unassisted tackles. Hamilton’s top game this season was against Texas A&M-Kingsville, when he earned 18 total tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks.

Touchstone led the ENMU defense with 109 total tackles, 73 unassisted tackles and 36 assists. He also led the Greyhounds with four interceptions, which he returned a total of 96 yards. Touchstone broke up two passes, forced a fumble, recorded one quarterback sack and made four tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Touchstone was slated to be ENMU’s back-up free safety this year, but moved into a starting role when returning Second Team All-LSC South player Jonathon Solis (Roswell, NM/N.M Military Institute) was forced to miss the season with a broken leg. Touchstone ranked first on ENMU’s tackle chart in six games in 2002, and registered double-digit total tackles seven times in Eastern’s 11 games.

2nd Team All-LSC South

Five of Eastern’s six players named Second Team All-LSC South were on offense. The list included senior quarterback Heath Ridenour (Lovington, NM/Lovington HS), senior center Tyson Burkett (Lovington, NM/Lovington HS), senior offensive guard Draco Miller (Brownwood, TX/Brownwood HS), senior fullback Randy Montoya (Roswell, NM/Goddard HS) and redshirt freshman running back Dwayne Davis (Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS). Senior defensive tackle Jose Gutierrez (Clovis, NM/Clovis HS) also earned Second Team honors.

Ridenour carried the ball 179 times for 932 yards to lead the Greyhounds in rushing. He scored 13 touchdowns, including a 74-yard TD run against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He set the ENMU single game record by rushing for 294 yards (31 carries, 4 TDs) against Kingsville. He also completed 69 of 147 passes for 1,251 yards and nine touchdowns this season. In four years at Eastern, Ridenour rushed for 1,262 yards and 19 TDs on 319 carries, completed 160 of 332 passes for 2,726 yards and 18 TDs, and gained 3,988 yards of total offense. He was named LSC South Offensive Player-of-the-Week three times this year.

Burkett was one of four senior linemen for ENMU in 2002. He was a member of the Eastern football team for five years, but missed the 1999 season due to a knee injury. He set an ENMU team record with 184 knockdowns this season, as he provided some of Eastern’s most effective blocks. Miller played four seasons with the Greyhounds, and increased his playing time each year. He played in two games as a freshman, three games as a sophomore, nine games as a junior, and started all 11 games this season. Both linemen helped ENMU lead the LSC in rushing offense (289.8 yards per game) and total offense (405.2 yards per game) in 2002. Burkett was named Honorable Mention All-LSC South in 2001.

Montoya carried the ball 55 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns this season. He also supplied key blocks for Eastern’s other running backs, paving the way for the Greyhounds’ record-setting season. He played in all 31 games during his final three years at ENMU, and concluded his career with 94 carries for 344 yard and four touchdowns. The Hounds averaged 245.7 rushing yards and 365.5 total yards per game during his four-year career.

Davis trailed only Ridenour on Eastern’s rushing chart. He finished the season with 134 carries for 826 yards and 10 touchdowns. Davis rushed for over 100 yards three times. He gained 137 yards on 11 carries against East Central. He also earned 107 yards on 21 rushing attempts against West Texas A&M and ran for 101 yards on 14 carries against Abilene Christian. Davis is ENMU’s second LSC South Freshman-of-the-Year in three seasons. Defensive back Eric Mims (Amarillo, TX/Palo Duro HS), now a junior, received the award in 2000.

Gutierrez recorded 12 total tackles this season. He achieved six tackles for 22 yards in losses, including 2.0 quarterback sacks. Nine of his overall tackles were solo stops. He also broke up one pass and recovered one fumble, while putting significant pressure on opposing quarterbacks and running backs. He helped the ENMU defense allow just 309.7 total yards per game, including only 264.8 yards per game by LSC South opponents. Gutierrez concluded his career with 52 total tackles, 33 unassisted tackles, 13 tackles for losses and 4.0 sacks.

Honorable Mention All-LSC South

Eastern New Mexico placed six players on the All-LSC South Honorable Mention list. Three of the Honorable Mention selections were from the offense and three were from the defense. Offensive choices were senior offensive tackle Jose Gonzales (Andrews, TX/Andrews HS), senior running back Taryll Boxton (Albuquerque, NM/Del Norte HS) and freshman wide receiver Derrick Hunter (Lamesa, TX/Lamesa HS). Defensive choices were junior defensive end Wayne Childs (Odessa, TX/Permian HS), junior linebacker Jared White (Pampa, TX/ University of Texas-El Paso) and sophomore strong safety Adrian Quigley (Lubbock, TX/Monterey HS).

Gonzales played four seasons at ENMU. He saw action in 28 games, including all 21 games the past two seasons. He started all 11 games in 2002, and helped the Greyhounds lead the Lone Star Conference with 240 first downs during the season.

Boxton started every game this fall, and rushed for 473 yards and six touchdowns on 82 carries (5.8 average). He also caught 16 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Boxton played four seasons with the Greyhounds and concluded his career with 1,469 rushing yards on 244 carries, an average of 6.0 yards per rush. He scored 15 career rushing touchdowns, and also caught 36 career passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns.

Hunter became a freshman starter when returning First Team All-LSC South selection Cale Sanders was forced to miss the season with an injured pectoral muscle. Hunter responded by becoming Eastern’s top pass receiving threat in 2002. He led the Hounds with 30 catches for 644 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked 8th in the LSC with 58.5 receiving yards per game. His top performance was against Angelo State, when he caught five passes for 132 yards.

Childs supplied 31 total tackles during the season. He made 21 solo stops, registered seven tackles for losses, provided one quarterback sack and recorded one fumble recovery. He has earned 44 career tackles - including 11 tackles for losses - in three seasons at ENMU. He played in every game in 1999 and 2000, but missed the 2001 season following shoulder surgery.

White ranked fourth on the team with 50 total tackles (31 unassisted) and finished second with 4.5 quarterback sacks. He also contributed eight tackles for losses totaling 45 yards, to go with one pass breakup and one fumble recovery. In three years at ENMU, he has played in all 31 games, while achieving 104 total tackles (59 unassisted), 15 tackles for losses and 6.5 sacks.

Quigley was named Honorable Mention All-LSC South for the second year in a row. He ranked second on the ENMU defense with 73 total tackles. He earned 50 solo tackles, led the team with 15 tackles for losses (77 yards) and ranked first on the squad with 7.5 QB sacks. He broke up three passes, forced three fumbles, recovered two fumbles and blocked a kick. In 2001, he earned 69 tackles, including nine tackles for losses and a team-high 5.0 QB sacks.

LSC Special Awards

The following special award winners were chosen by the LSC South Coaches:
Coach-of-the-Year, Harold “Bud” Elliott, ENMU; Freshman-of-the-Year, Dwayne Davis, ENMU; Offensive Back-of-the-Year, Abel Gonzalez, TAMU-Kingsville; Receiver-of-the-Year, Gary Lusk, TAMU-Kingsville; Offensive Lineman-of-the-Year, Walter Wigfall, TAMU-Kingsville; Defensive Lineman-of-the-Year, Mike Clay, TAMU-Kingsville; Linebacker-of-the-Year, Chaun Thompson, West Texas A&M; Defensive Back-of-the-Year, Nicholas Davis, TAMU-Kingsville.

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