Fritz Earns AFCA’s Highest Honor
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
WACO, TEX. — Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz and Montana State’s Rob Ash have been named as NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Region Five “Co-Coaches of the Year” by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
Fritz guided the Bearkats to an 8-3 record and Sam Houston’s second consecutive Southland Conference championship and NCAA Division I Football Championships playoff berth. The Kats finished the regular season ranked No. 5 nationally. The back-to-back Southland titles and FCS playoff appearances in 2011 and 2012 are a school first.
In three years at Sam Houston, Fritz has guided the program to a 29-9 overall record, the most victories in any three-year period in the university’s 97 seasons of football. Fritz is a repeat winner of the AFCA Regional Coach-of-the-Year honor, receiving the award in 2011 after a 14-1 season that saw the Bearkats reach the national championship final.
Fritz and Ash, who directed Montana State to an 10-1 and the No. 3 seed in the FCS playoffs this year, will face off in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Championships Friday night in Bozeman. The game will be telecast nationally on ESPN2. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Central time.
The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by Active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
The 2012 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the 2013 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, January 8.
2012 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Winners
Football Bowl Subdivision
Region 1: Charlie Strong, University of Louisville
Region 2: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M University*
Region 3: Brian Kelly, University of Notre Dame
Region 4: Bill Snyder, Kansas State University
Region 5: Mike Riley, Oregon State University
Football Championship Subdivision
Region 1: Sean McDonnell, University of New Hampshire
Region 2: Brian Jenkins, Bethune-Cookman University &
Chuck Priore, Stony Brook University (tie)
Region 3: Dino Babers, Eastern Illinois University
Region 4: Trent Miles, Indiana State University
Region 5: Rob Ash, Montana State University &
Willie Fritz, Sam Houston State University* (tie)
Division II
Region 1: Mark Maciejewski, Shippensburg University
Region 2: Connell Maynor, Winston-Salem State University
Region 3: Lee Owens, Ashland University
Region 4: Don Carthel, West Texas A&M University
Region 5: Aaron Keen, Minnesota State University-Mankato
Division III
Region 1: Mike Cragg, Hobart College
Region 2: Tom Watts, Ohio Wesleyan University
Region 3: Pete Fredenburg, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Region 4: Larry Kehres, University of Mount Union*
Region 5: Patrick Cerroni, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
NAIA
Region 1: Bill Cronin, Georgetown College (Ky.)*
Region 2: Ted Karras, Jr., Marian University*
Region 3: Paul Troth, Missouri Valley College
Region 4: Steve Ryan, Morningside College*
Region 5: Chuck Morrell, Montana Tech
Bearkat Bowlers Takes Kat Klash Tournament
by Cheval John
HUNTSVILLE, TX-The Sam Houston State Bearkat bowling team won the second annual Track Kat Klash Bowling Tournament on Sunday.
The tournament was the third that the Bearkats have won in this season.
It was also their second time that they won the Kat Klash tournament.
“This tournament was our biggest one so far and coming off with the win is huge,” senior Michelle Secours said.
The Bearkats came into the tournament ranked at No.8 nationally.
They went 12-1 in the three-day event with wins against four nationally ranked teams.
In the final day, they defeated No.9 Valparaiso Crusaders, No.2 Arkansas State Redwolves and No.14 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks.
But it wasn’t an easy road for the Bearkats.
Trailing 2-1 in the best of seven baker style play against Valparaiso and in danger of finishing in fifth place, SHSU had to dig deep in order to even the score.
With the Crusaders finishing at 183 and the Bearkats having two more frames to go at 145, Secours and junior Kimi Davidson got back-to-back strikes in the ninth and ten frame, respectively to keep their hopes alive.
On the next roll, Davidson got the last nine pins to give the Bearkats the match at 191-183 to even the match at 2.
“We made shots when we had to,” head coach Brad Hagen said.
“When we had to make strikes, we did. Everything worked out.”
The Bearkats won the fifth match 266-209 to pull out to a 3-2 lead.
However, the Crusaders took the sixth match to even it at 3 and forcing a winner takes all match.
Both teams were neck-and-neck in the first five frames of the match.
But with the Crusaders rolling nine pins in the sixth frame, opened up the door for the Bearkats to rum away with it.
That is exactly what they did.
Freshman Anna Groce started the party with a strike in the sixth frame.
Then the flood gates opened as junior Neishka Cardona, freshman Erin Brown, Secours and Davidson each made strikes to finish off the Crusaders and move on to the semifinal round against the Redwolves.
“There was a good cynergy between the upperclassman and the underclassman,” Hagen said.
“When everybody had to make a shot, they did.”
The Bearkats eventually defeated Arkansas State 4-2 to reach the finals against the Warhawks.
UW-Whitewater took the opening match 214-163.
It seemed as if the Warhawks was going to take a 2-0 after finishing the match at 202 courtesy of two strikes in the tenth frame.
But Davidson rolled 9 pins and a spare in the the tenth frame that allowed her to get another chance to even the score for the Bearkats.
Davidson got the much needed 9 pins to win the match at 212-202 to tie it at 1.
From there, the Bearkat took advantage of their opportunities and got three straight wins against the Crusaders to win the tournament.
“We did what we needed to do and we kept the momentum going and overall it was a great weekend,” Davidson said.
“She (Kimi Davidson) come a long way,” Hagen said.
“She had a great first half which is good. … .We looking for her to do it again in the second half of the season.”
Davidson finished the day with an 211 pin average. That was second behind a 214.2 averegage by Secours.
Brown averaged a 194 while Cardona averaged a 185.8.
Though Groce had a 180.25 average, her game played an important role in the Bearkats getting their third tournament title.
“She set the tone for us and overall she did a great job,” Davidson said.
Bearkat Basketball Loses To Northern Arizona 77-60
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Flagstaff, Ariz – Despite double figure performances by Demarcus Gatlin and Terrance Motley, Sam Houston State fell 77-60 in a non-conference men’s basketball game Saturday at the Skydome.
Gatlin scored 14 points and pulled down six rebounds.
Motley added 13 points and 11 boards as Sam Houston dropped to 3-5 for the season.
Northern Arizona was led by DeWayne Russell with 22 points and Gabe Rogers with 19.
NAU stands 3-4 for the year.
Sam Houston took an early four-point lead as Aaron Harwell’s jumper put the Kats up 8-4 six minutes into the contest.
After a 12-12, Northern Arizona went on a 22-10 run to build a 14 point lead with 3:15 in the half and led 34-25 at intermission.
NAU eventually led by as many as 21 points, 57-36 at the 10:37 mark.
Erik Williams, playing in his second game of the season, added nine points for Sam Houston.
The Bearkats out-rebounded Northern Arizona 44-37, outscoring their opponents 26-20 in the paint and collecting 22 second chance points.
But Sam Houston managed only 22-of-68 from the field for 32.4 per cent.
No.5 Bearkats Holds Off No.12 Mustangs 18-16
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Huntsville, TX – Miguel Antonio kicked field goals of 20, 32 and 26 yards and running back Timothy Flanders rushed 17 times for 101 yards as No. 5 Sam Houston State held off No. 12 Cal Poly for an 18-16 victory in an NCAA Division I Football Championships second round game Saturday at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
Quarterback Andre Broadous rushed for 54 yards and passed for 113 more to lead Cal Poly.
The Mustangs cut the margin to two points on a 50-yard halfback reserve pass by Ryan Taylor to Willie Tucker with 1:34 to play.
But Sam Houston’s Trey Diller recovered the on sides kick attempt and the Bearkats ran out the clock.
Keshawn Hill scored the game’s only touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Brian Bell with 0:31 left in the third quarter to end a nine-play, 83-yard drive.
After trailing 8-0 at halftime after two Antonio field goals and a safety on a punt block by Vincent Dotson, Cal Poly scored on fields goals of 23 and 27 by Bobby Zalud at the 9:34 and 3:88 mark in the third.
Sam Houston, which reached the finals of the FCS playoffs last year, advances to the quarterfinals and will face No.3 Montana State Bobcats in Bozeman on Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Bearkat Bowlers Goes 5-0 On First Day Of Kat Klash Tournament
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
The Sam Houston State women’s bowling team won all five of its matches in quad baker match play Friday as the second annual Track Kat Klash tournament completed its first day of action.
The Bearkats defeated Tulane 744-595, Louisiana Tech 833-703, Nebraska 847-838, Wisconsin-Whitewater 822-767 and Vanderbilt 785-771.
Sam Houston State came into the tournament ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division I women’s bowling.
Eight of the 16 teams in the event stand in the top 20. The Bearkats’ victories Friday included wins over the No. 4 (Vanderbilt), 5 (Nebraska) and 14 (Wisconsin-Whitewater) squads in the rankings.
The event is being held at Huntsville Lanes.
Other ranked teams in the field include No. 2 Arkansas State, No. 8 Sam Houston, No. 9 Valparaiso, No. 10 Stephen F. Austin and No. 17 Prairie View A&M.
Bowl.com has announced is streaming all three days action live all weekend on VIA www.bowl.com
The schedule for the Track Kat Klash calls traditional team matches on day two and bracket play best of seven Baker competition on the final day.
Tournament action will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Sam Houston won inaugural Track Kat Klash championship last year, defeating Arkansas State four games to none in the finals.
This year’s Bearkat bowlers have already won tournament championships at Tulane and Alabama A&M and finished as runner-up at Bethune-Cookman.