Three players from Hendrix and two from Henderson State will be on the Crusaders’ roster in the 2017 edition of the Dream Bowl.

The Dream Bowl is a College Football All-Star Showcase of the best FCS, D-II and D-III players from across the country, according to a release. The game and the series of events held over Martin Luther King Weekend are a celebration of the excellence, commitment, and sacrifice made by the players and their families.

Oklahoma will be represented at the event by Tyler Clifton (DE, Hendrix), John Davis (LB, Henderson State) John McGee (OL, Henderson State), Seth Peters (QB, Hendrix) and Dayton Winn (RB, Hendrix).

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The Reddies saw the calendar turn and head into 2017 undefeated in conference games at 4-0.

Head coach Jill Thomas said it was a great conference start and that she is excited. But she is also tempering that excitement.

“I haven’t really put a whole lot of stress on that,” Thomas said. “I think that last year we put a too much on a perfect start early and we really didn’t finish the way we wanted to. So with a young group like we have right now I don’t want them thinking everything’s been accomplished already obviously, just because we have a 4-0 start.

“As any coach is going to tell you, January and February are very long months in basketball, especially for young kids who haven’t been in conference play like this. Back-to-back Thursday-Saturday games are not only tiring physically, they’re going to be tiring mentally.

“We’ve just been kind of taking each day to get better and prep and talk about what’s ahead, instead of what we did in conference play early.”

But conference play has been good for the Reddies so far. It’s those games against teams that aren’t members of the Great American Conference.

The Reddies’ 4-6 record is a bit of an anomaly. 4-0 against league competition; 0-6 against everyone else.

“Of course, it was an extremely disappointing non-conference schedule for us, starting with the very first game of the season at Southwest Baptist, who I thought was going to be our best non-conference opponent, and looking at it, they were.”

HSU had six players score in double figures in the season opener in Bolivar, Mo., but still fell 94-88 in overtime to the Bearcats.

“That game going into overtime with them, I was unbelievably excited and proud of our group. Such a young group fighting in such a tough environment with a senior and advanced-type MIAA team, I was very excited. But I didn’t think we grew throughout in all the games, like we did in that one.”

Of the six losses, one was a 15-point defeat to Northwest Missouri on a neutral court. The rest were single-digit margins.

“We were in it in all the games,” Thomas said. “And I saw some things get better with our defense and rebounding and those were two huge things that we talked about each game working on.

“In our last game against Texas A&M-Commerce, we went head-to-head with the No. 20 team in the country when it comes to rebounds, but then our offense fell off a little bit and we just didn’t make the easy ones, the free throws, the layups, so we’ve got to be able to put everything together.

“And that’s what seemed to happen in those non-conference games. Conference games, we seemed to be able to put it all together. And we have to be able to do that in both.”

Thomas has been getting solid play all around from this young group. Noticeably there has been production from Pink Jones, freshman from Fayetteville High, who is hitting 49 percent of her shots from the field and at 14.1 points per game is leading the team in scoring.

“She’s definitely ahead of schedule in those first six contests,” Thomas said. “The last two, I think she kind of hit a slump, which always happens in a freshman year. She came out of the gates better than any of us anticipated, and maybe even herself, I wonder.

“But she’s unbelievable. She’s so explosive. She’s so talented. And I’m really excited about what she’s going to be like for a second semester.

“A lot of freshmen don’t really understand this January-February schedule and how intense and how quick it happens. We put a lot on Pink’s shoulders and I hope has that maturity and she’s ready to handle that as we move through this conference play.”

That next semester begins tonight at home. The Reddies have the next four games in the Duke Wells Center, which starts with Southwestern Oklahoma State (7-3, 3-1 GAC) this evening and Northwestern Oklahoma State (3-8, 2-2 GAC) on Saturday.

“Southwestern is a team I can never speak enough praise about,” Thomas said. “I think they’re so well-coached and they have players that play so hard. And their offense is so good and they do such a good job of spreading them out and being able to make one-on-one plays. So when you have to help off one of those, they have the ability to hit one their shooters.”

With similar high-octane offenses, the scoreboard operator is usually busy when these two play. On Feb. 21, 2015, the teams combined for 224 points in a non-overtime game with SWOSU winning, 116-108, in the highest scoring game in conference history.

This year may be a little different. Maybe.

“Both teams are better on defense this year and both are very young teams. So it’s going to be an interesting matchup for us and I’m excited about the opportunity.

“We’ve talked about the importance of this game early in the season, because Southwestern has always been a powerhouse in the GAC. Always a top team, always in the conference championship. I think if we could be able to take a two-game lead on them, it would be very big for us right now.

“But it’s not going to come easy, by any means. They’re a great team.”

And Thomas said the team is getting ready for the challenge of what the next two months will present to it.

“Like anyone will tell you, it’s very dangerous in the GAC with what some of these teams can do offensively.”

Tip time for the Southwestern game is set for 5:30 p.m. with the men’s game to follow.

The doubleheader with Northwestern on Saturday is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

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In our first GAC Weekly of 2017, we get to hear from Henderson State women’s basketball coach about the team’s 4-0 start in league play.

GAC Weekly Jan 4, 2017

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EL DORADO – For the second-straight season, the Murphy USA Classic trophy will reside in Magnolia as the Southern Arkansas football team took care of No. 15-ranked Henderson State by a score of 50-24 on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado.

RECORDS
No. 15 Henderson State Reddies (6-2, 6-2 GAC)
Southern Arkansas Muleriders (6-2, 6-2 GAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED – First Half

• After forcing the Reddies to punt on their first possession of the game, the Muleriders used a methodical 16-play, 75-yard opening drive to score the game’s first points. A missed extra point, however made it just 6-0 SAU. That opening drive by the Muleriders ate up nearly nine minutes of game clock and gave the ball back to the Reddies with just over three minutes left in the first quarter
• Henderson responded quickly to that Mulerider score with a quick scoring drive following a good return on the kickoff that put the Reddies into SAU territory on the drive start. The Reddies made good on their extra point attempt and took a 7-6 lead
• SAU’s next drive stalled in the red zone at the Henderson 18-hardline, but Bradford Grems was good on his 35-yard field goal attempt to put SAU back up at 9-7
• Henderson’s Houston Ray matched Grems field goal on their next possession and the lead changed hands once more, 10-9 in favor of Henderson
• With 5:32 left in the second half, SAU grabbed the lead once more as Michael Nunnery converted and scored on a 4th-and-1 from the Henderson 2. That rushing TD by Nunnery was his second of the game to that point as he accounted for the Muleriders’ opening TD
• Another good kick return by Henderson gave  them a short field and the Reddies wasted little time in finding the endzone and in the process taking another one-point lead, 17-16
• The back-and-forth offensive showcase continued as the Muleriders scored on their ensuing possession, retaking the lead, 23-17. On that scoring play, Barrett Renner connected with Jaylon Dews from 18-yards out
• On the ensuing kickoff, the Muleriders, after several long returns by Henderson, elected not kick the ball deep and the change in strategy paid off as the Reddies’ return man Jacoby Lewis came up to field the shortened kickoff, but Lewis muffed the return as the Mulerider recovered the ball at the Henderson 30-yardline with 1:42 left before halftime
• SAU quickly turned that initial turnover into points as Renner hooked up with Darion Ardoin from 17-yards out to put SAU 30-17. The Muleriders forced another takeaway on an interception by Elgin Moore, but were unable to add any more points before the break

HOW IT HAPPENED – Second Half

• After winning the toss and deferring to the second half, the Muleriders had aspirations on extending their lead early in the third quarter, but a pair penalties and sack on third down were the undoing of that opening possession
• A slight momentum shift occurred four plays later as the Reddies scored another quick touchdown and made it back to a one-score game, 30-24
• Seemingly unfazed by the unproductive first drive of the second half, the Muleriders offense went on another long and methodical drive of 75 yards on 12 plays over the next 5:59 of the game. That drive was capped off with a Nunnery touchdown from a yard out; his third of the game
• On Henderson’s ensuing possession, the Muleriders turned the game completely in their favor by forcing their third takeaway of the game. This turnover was a sack-fumble forced by Davondrick Lison and it set up a quick scoring drive that made it a three-possession game. That short drive was capped by a six-yard run by Keiandre Purifoy; his fourth of the season
• The Reddies attempted to get back into the game on their next possession and got the ball just outside of the redzone in Mulerider territory, but SAU’s fourth takeaway prevented any Reddie points from coming on the board as Q’Niko Thomas intercepted Andrew Black in the endzone and returned it 33 yards to the SAU-33.
• SAU’s final points of the game came early in the fourth quarter as Malachi Pointer blocked a punt attempt by Henderson and Stacy Lawrence recovered it for a scoop-and-score from 25-yards out. That score gave the Muleriders 50 points in the game for the second time this season and the first time against Henderson since 2003 when SAU beat Henderson 53-14

TURNING POINT

• Up by 12 points (two possessions) with just over six minutes left in the game, SAU’s Davondrick Lison forced a fumble, which was recovered by Jaquel Owens on a sack of Reddie quarterback Andrew Black to account for the Muleriders’ third takeaway of the game.
• The Muleriders then needed just three plays to find the endzone to go up by three scores, 43-24

OF NOTE

• The win for SAU over Henderson is the first for the Muleriders since 2005. Henderson had won the last nine meetings over the Muleriders
• SAU is now 2-4 all-time in the Murphy USA Classic with their two wins coming in consecutive years (2015 vs. Ouachita and 2016 vs. Henderson State). Prior to that, SAU was 0-4 in the neutral site game held in El Dorado
• For the first game this season, SAU did not turn the ball over. Additionally, their four takeaways tied a season-high
• The Muleriders also had over 500 yards of total offense for the fourth-consecutive game and are now averaging 456.0 yards per game
• Nunnery saw his string of over 100-yard rushing games end at three, but the junior tailback did score a single-game career-high three touchdowns. Nunnery also set a new season-high in touchdowns as he now has seven; previous most was six TDs set a year ago
• Jaylon Dews and Darrion Ardoin each caught their first TD passes of the year. SAU now has nine different receivers who have caught a TD pass

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ARKADELPHIA – Henderson State compiled over 500 yards of offense as the No. 15 Reddies defeated Arkansas-Monticello 45-17, Saturday at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium/Ruggles Field in Arkadelphia, Ark.

With the win, head coach Scott Maxfield secured his seventh straight winning season at Henderson becoming the only coach in HSU football history to accomplish the feat.

Henderson, 6-1 this season, scored on its opening possession as Jaquan Cole broke free for a 46-yard scamper just 90 seconds into the game.

UAM, 2-5 on the year, put together an 11-play, 59-yard drive capped off by an 18-yard field goal with 8:33 left in the quarter. The Weevils had 1st-and-goal on the Reddie 6, but big defensive plays by Gary Vines and Cameron Sonnier kept UAM from reaching pay dirt.

Cole would score his second touchdown of the game just before the end of the quarter plunging in from 6 yards out to make the score 14-3. Andrew Black had a 22-yard rush on the drive and the hit Zacari Lavender on a 14-yard pass to set up the score.

Jeremy Wilson picked up his longest rush of the year early in the second quarter with a 78 touchdown jaunt to put Henderson on top 21-3.

UAM would cut into the deficit late in the half on a 7-yard touchdown toss from Cole Sears to Jalen Tolliver.

However, the Reddies quickly answered as Black would spin out of several tackles and go 62-yards to the UAM end zone to give Henderson a 28-10 advantage at the break.

Houston Ray set the Henderson career field goal record with a 23-yard kick to begin the scoring in the second half to extend the Reddie lead to 31-10. Ray increased his career total to 42 field goals surpassing Bo Adkisson who had 41 from 1974 to 1977.

UAM put together a 19-play, 75-yard drive on its next possession with Sears scoring on a 1-yard dive to make the score 31-17 with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter.

Again Henderson responded quickly as Evan Lassiter moved the Reddies down field with a 24-yard pass to Wilson, followed by an 8-yard toss to Lavender. Wilson then scored on a two-yard plunge to put the Reddies back in front by 21 points.

The final score came on Henderson’s next possession with Lassiter hitting Cole for a 49-yard score on the first play from scrimmage.

Henderson would finish with 513 yards of offense on just 55 plays including 295 rushing yards. UAM compiled 410 yards, running an astonishing 94 plays.

The Reddies averaged 9.3 yards per play having the ball for just 20:58 compared to UAM’s 4.4 yards per play and 39:02 time of possession.

Wilson led the Henderson rushing attack with 98 yards on 10 carries, while Black had 90 yards on 5 attempts and Cole carried the ball 6 times for 76 yards.

Defensively the Reddies were led by Sonnier with 14 tackles including 1 ½ stops for lost yardage. Dondre Wright followed with nine tackles and a pair of pass breakups.

The Reddies totaled 11 pass breakups for the game with Sheldon Watson and Jonathan Edouard both having an interception and Malik Brown a fumble recovery.

Henderson State will next travel to El Dorado, Ark. on Saturday, October 22, to face Southern Arkansas in the Murphy USA Classic. Kickoff is set for 2 pm at Memorial Stadium.

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ARKADELPHIA – Harding’s No. 1-ranked defense forced six Henderson State turnovers that led to four touchdowns, and the 16th-ranked Bisons defeated the No. 5 Reddies 35-3 on Saturday in Great American Conference action at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.

Henderson State also turned the ball over on downs three times. Harding did not have a turnover for the second straight week and has only one in the last three games.

Harding improved to 6-0 for the first time in program history and sits alone atop the GAC standings. Henderson State fell to 5-1 overall and in conference. It was the first time Harding defeated Ouachita Baptist at home and Henderson State on the road since 1989, the same year Harding won its last conference championship in football.

Henderson State committed five turnovers in the first half, and Harding capitalized with four touchdowns to lead 35-0 at the break.

Harding senior Park Parish scored on a 1-yard touchdown with 3:36 left in the first quarter that followed a Henderson State fumbled punt at their own 12-yard line.

Harding’s only extended scoring drive of the half came on its first drive of the second quarter, and it also came after a turnover. Senior cornerback Corey Bassett intercepted a pass in the end zone, and Harding drove 80 yards on 11 plays with senior fullback Michael Latu scoring from 2 yards out.

The Bisons took a 21-0 lead at the 7:23 mark of the second quarter. Senior defensive end Arthur Akers took the ball away from Henderson State quarterback Andrew Black and raced 17 yards for a touchdown.

Harding’s only touchdown that did not come from a turnover came late in the first half. With less than 20 seconds remaining Parish found a wide-open Bobby Green on the Bison sideline for a 51-yard scoring strike.

Henderson State had time for one last play before halftime, and it resulted in Harding’s final touchdown. Black was under heavy pressure from two Bison defenders and threw to his left. Senior defensive back Scott Middleton intercepted the pass, cut across the field, beat one Reddie player and scored on a 27-yard return.

The only points of the second half came on a 31-yard field goal by Henderson State’s Houston Ray with 9:39 left in the third quarter.

Harding rushed for 214 yards on 54 carries. Latu led the team with 63 rushes on 14 carries.

The Bisons limited the Reddies to only 73 rushing yards and 235 passing yards on 45 pass attempts.

Harding returns to First Security Stadium next Saturday at 6 p.m. to take on Southeastern Oklahoma.

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Arkadelphia – Defense was the key to the game for Henderson State as the No. 9 ranked Reddies shutout Southeastern Oklahoma in the second half to beat the Storm 13-11, Thursday at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.

Led by key plays by Cameron Sonnier, the Reddies limited SOSU to just 109 yards of offense and three first downs in the second half.

With Henderson leading 13-11 with 5:13 left to play, the Storm began their drive form the Reddie 43 needing just a field goal to win.

The Storm overcame a big 6-yard sack by Sonnier when CB Cantwell completed a 19 yard pass to Kaymon Farmer on 4th-down moving the ball down to the Reddie 17.

On 4th-and-6 from the Reddie 13, Joel Carlos attempted a 30-yard field goal but Henderson’s Adrian Tucker got a hand on the ball and deflected it wide left to save game for Henderson.

The first half was a mistake-plagued half for the Reddies as Henderson committed a pair of turnovers, committed a 15-yard penalty that halted a potential scoring drive and a missed field goal.

The Reddies got on the board first as kicker Houston Ray kicked a 31 yard field goal with 1:15 left in the opening quarter.

Jaquan Cole set up Henderson’s score as he broke free for a 63-yard run down to the Storm 21.

The Storm knotted up the score at 3-3 early in the second quarter as Joel Carlos booted a 34-yard field goal to cap off a 9-play, 43-yard drive.

On the ensuing kickoff, Zacari Lavender got loose for a 31 yard return, bringing the ball out to the Reddie 32. After an 18 yard pick up by Cole into SOSU territory, the senior from Cedar Hill, Texas, plunged forward for eight yards but Trent Hannah forced the ball loose with Bobby Jackson recovering on the SOSU 36 to end the Reddie drive.

Henderson would force a three-and-out as Adrian Tucker and Henry Davis stopped Devlon Wortham short of the line to gain on a 3rd-and-2.

The Reddies began moving the ball, but Andrew Black was picked off by Raheen Wilson who went 32 yards down the sideline to the Reddie 33 which would set up the Savage Storm’s next score.

It took seven plays for SOSU to take the lead as CB Cantrell completed a 19 yard pass to Bryce Steele for the score. The Storm then converted the two-point conversion to take an 11-3 lead with 5:29 left in the half.

Henderson would put together a drive at the end of the half but Ray’s 27-yard field goal attempt hit the upright and the score would stand at 11-3 at the break.

In the second half, the Reddies manufactured a 12 play, 48 yard drive but had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Ray to make the score 11-6 with 5:01 left in the third quarter.

The Reddies would finally put the ball into the end zone early in the fourth quarter when Evan Lassiter plunged in from 2-yards out to make the score 13-11.

Black completed an 11-yard pass to Austin Bennett to begin the drive, before hitting Ben Johnson for a 51-yard pick-up as the third quarter ended.

Black began the fourth quarter with an 18 yard completion to Courtney Whitehead to set up Lassiter’s score.

Henderson had a chance to put the game away when Cole broke free for an apparent 58-yard score midway through the quarter. However, the play was nullified by a tripping penalty and the Reddies would be forced to punt which set up SOSU’s last surge.

Henderson totaled 407 yards of offense while limiting Southeastern to 269 yards.

Cole ended the night with 90 yards on 13 attempts, while Jeremy Wilson had 9 carries for 54 yards. Black completed 20-of-34 passes for 237 yards using eight different receivers.

Sonnier had a career game for the Reddies defensively with 12 tackles including a pair for lost yardage. Dondre Wright had eight stops while Gary Vines had six.

Henderson will next travel to Ada, Okla. on Saturday, Sept. 10 to take on East Central with kickoff slated for 6 p.m.

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The Reddies find themselves atop the GAC preseason football poll again this year.

HSU, which has gone 40-4 in the five years of Great American Conferenc play, received 10 of 12 first-place votes and was picked as the league’s preseason favorite for the fifth time in six years.

Harding also received a first-place vote and was tabbed second in the poll, while 2014 GAC champ was picked third.

Southwestern Oklahoma finished 2015 on a six-game winning streak and was picked fourth.

East Central, seventh place in the preseason ranking, received the final first-place vote.

2016 GAC preseason football poll

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We wrap up the 2015-2016 athletic season with a series of Podcasts visiting with the coaches of the conference champions during the year. Today’s visit is with Henderson State men’s golf coach Forrest Schultz.

GAC Weekly July 18, 2016

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The division entered into an agreement with the networks to deliver coverage of more Division II events.

With 18 games predetermined, there are an additional four flex games – two per network – which will be finalized later in the football season and played Nov. 5 and 12.

The Great American Conference matchup featuring Henderson State at East Central will be televised on American Sports Network on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m.

Henderson State leads the all-time series 15-11-1, but East Central won last year’s matchup, 35-28, handing the Reddies their only regular season loss of the year.

Here’s the full schedule:

Thursday, Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. – Colorado State University-Pueblo at Colorado School of Mines – ESPN3
Saturday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. – Tuskegee University at Clark Atlanta University – ASN
Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. – Southwest Minnesota State University at Northern State University – ESPN3
Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. – Henderson State University at East Central University – ASN
Saturday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. – Valdosta State University at University of North Alabama – ASN
Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. – West Texas A&M University at University of Texas of the Permian Basin – ESPN3
Saturday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. – Central State University vs. Kentucky State University (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis) – ESPN3
Saturday, Sept. 24 at 2:30 p.m. – Ashland University at Ferris State University – ASN
Saturday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. – Catawba College at Newberry College – ESPN3
Saturday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. – Florida Tech at University of West Florida – ASN
Saturday, Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. – Glenville State College at Shepherd University – ASN
Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. – Midwestern State University at Texas A&M University-Commerce – ESPN3
Saturday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. – University of New Haven at Stonehill College – ESPN3
Saturday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. – Kutztown University of Pennsylvania at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania – ASN
Saturday, Oct. 22 at 12 p.m. – Bowie State University at Virginia Union University – ESPN3
Saturday, Oct. 22 at 2:30 p.m. – Humboldt State University at Western Oregon University – ASN
Saturday, Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. – Pittsburg State University at Northwest Missouri State University – ASN
Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. – William Jewell College at University of Indianapolis – ESPN3
Saturday, Nov. 5 – TBD
Saturday, Nov. 12 – TBD

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