Tag Archive | Jr.

Was It Really Worth It?

By Cheval John

Many students dread going back to school.

They want to soak up the last few days of “freedom” before the summer season ends.

Some would go out and do something worthwhile like volunteering at camp, cheerleading workshops, etc. in order to overcome summer “boredom”

But what James Edwards, Jr., Chancey Luna and Michael Jones did to find “excitement” is really beyond me.

Last week, these “idiots” or I should say animals, went out and randomly shot and killed 23 year old Christopher Lane in Duncan, Oklahoma.

According to reports, they did it because they were “bored out of their minds” and wanted to go out and kill someone.

What were they thinking?

Where they really that bored that they felt the need to kill someone?

Couldn’t they go out and make a difference in their communities during the summer?

In their minds, they felt that it would be fun to scare someone and laugh at them.

They didn’t care to think that by doing this crime, they ruined the lives of Mr. Lane’s family in Australia and bring shame to Americans.

They didn’t care to think that by doing this crime, that they would tarnish the reputation of Duncan, Oklahoma.

They didn’t think that they would get caught and face the consequences for their actions.

Well, guess what, boys? For your stupidity and ignorant thinking, the price for your action is being charged with first-degree murder.

Mommy and daddy could have bailed you out for petty things, but they can’t help you now.

You’all took a promising young player’s life because you wanted to overcome boredom?

Last time I checked, hearing the stories of prison life from a former correctional officer, it is not boring.

You’all are about to find out how “exciting” it is when the jurors finds you guilty of first-degree murder and then you spend the rest of your miserable, pathetic lives behind bars.

Was it really worth?

To Mr. Lane’s family and friends, the answer is a big, fat, No!!!

Bearkats Massacred Texas Southern 50-6 At BBVA Compass Stadium

Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information

Sam Houston scored early and often as the Bearkats rolled up 549 yards total offense in a 50-6 non-conference win over Texas Southern Thursday at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.

Quarterback Brian Bell passed for 209 yards and three touchdowns including two scoring plays to Chance Nelson.

The transfer from Texas A&M caught three passes for 127 yards.

The Bearkat defense limited the Tigers to 149 yards total offense.

Linebacker Darius Taylor totaled eight tackles including two quarterback sacks.

The Bearkats took only 50 seconds to score their first points of the game.

Bell found Chance Nelson open behind the Tiger secondary for a 61-yard scoring pass three minutes into the contest.

Dax Swanson’s 12th career interception set up the Kats’ second score.

Trey Diller scored on a 32-yard run after an option pitch by Bell to complete a six play 54-yard drive and put SHSU up 14-0 with 5:18 to go.

Swanson needs one more interception to tie the Sam Houston career interception mark of 13 set by Ronnie Choate in 1955 through 1959.

An interception return by Steven White to the SHSU 14 set up a 16 yard scoring pass from Justice Jones to James Davis to put the Tigers on the scoreboard with 12:11 to go in the second quarter.

Preston Sanders blocked the extra point and Kenneth Jenkins picked up the ball at the 20 and ran it back for a defensive PAT return.

The two points marked the third defensive PAT return by a Bearkat player in school history.

Sam Houston upped the lead to 23-6 with 10:16 to play before half as Bell ended a 65-yard scoring drive with a 22-yard pass to Stephen Williams.

Miguel Antonio added a 19-yard field goal and Bell hit Nelson for a 32-yard pass to make the score at intermission 33-6.

Keshawn Hill scored on a 36-yard run to lift the Bearkats to a 40-6 lead with 3:43 left in the third quarter after a 57-yard lead.

An 18-yard punt return by Trey Diller set up a four-yard touchdown run by Ridgeway Frank.

Antonio added a 39-yard field goal with 6:35 to go.

UCA Upsets No.3 SHSU 24-20

This article is courtesy of Paul Ridings, Associate Athletic Director for Sam Houston State Bearkat athletics.

Conway, Ark. – Quarterback Wyrick Smothers directed Central Arkansas on touchdown drives of 72 and 75 yards in the final five minutes as the Bears upset No. 3 ranked Sam Houston State Saturday afternoon at Estes Stadium.

SHSU had taken a 20-10 lead with 5:24 to play with drives for a touchdown and field goals after UCA tied the contest 10-10 late in the third quarter.

Smothers found Dominique Croom in the left corner of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown for the winning score with 57 seconds remaining.

In the final minute, the Bearkats drove to the UCA 24 before the Bears intercepted a pass in the end zone on the contest’s final play.

Sam Houston dropped to 1-2 for the season while Central Arkansas upped its record to 3-1. The contest was the Southland Conference opener for both squads.

Following a loss to Baylor last week, the result marks the first time SHSU has lost two consecutive games since 2010. The Kats went 14-1 in 2011, reaching the NCAA Division I national championship game.

Smothers completed 24 of 41 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. UCA rolled up 413 yards total offense while Sam Houston totaled 470.

The end of the contest erased another strong performance by Timothy Flanders and Richard Sincere. Flanders rushed 22 times for 125 yards including TD runs of 39 and 11 yards. Sincere rushed for 53 yards including two big runs to set up scores for the Bearkets.

The 100-yard performance by Flanders is the 17th 100-yard game of his career. The two scores move him up to No. 5 in Southland Conference career rushing touchdowns with 39.

Sam Houston scored on its opening drive of the game after a UCA punt. Miguel Antonio put the Kats up 3-0 with 8:21 to play in the first quarter after an 11-play 48-yard drive.

After an exchange of punts, SHSU took two plays to score its first touchdown. Brandon Willkerson rushed 33 yards to the UCA 39 on a reserve. Then Flanders took a pitch from Richard Sincere down the left sideline for a 39-yard score. SHSU led 10-0 with 1:41 to play in the opening quarter.

Sam Houston had another scoring opportunity early in the second quarter after an interception by J. T. Cleveland. But Antonio missed a 24-yard field goal attempt.

Wynrick Smothers put UCA on the board with a 30-yard scoring pass to Terence Bobo, cutting the lead to 10-7 with 10:05 to play in the half.

UCA had three chances to score its second TD late in the third quarter, but the Bearkat defense held and forced the Bears to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Eddie Camara with 2:03 remaining in the third to tie the game 10-10.

Sam Houston answered with an 11-play 80-yard drive to go back in front 17-10. Bell hit Chance Nelson for a 20-yard gain to the UCA 29 and Richard Sincere dashed 19 yards around left end to set up the score. Flanders picked up his second TD of the day with an 11-yard run.

The defense forced a punt and the Kat offense took 5:24 off the clock and added three more points with a 12-play 66-yard drive that ended with Antonio’s 26-yard field goal.

UCA bounced back with an eight-play 75-yard drive that ended with a 17-yard run up the middle by Smothers to cut the margin back to a field goal, 20-17, with 3:18 to go.

Wendell Baker: The Martin Luther King of Huntsville

by Cheval John

Today begins the month of black history. Everyone knows about Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus in which it led to her arrest and started the protest in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. That led to the emergence of Martin Luther King, who organized and led protests in the South for civil rights. Everyone knows his famous speech “I Have a Dream” in Washington, D.C. in 1963. But few know about the Martin Luther King of Huntsville and Walker County, who organized and led protests for integration not only at Sam Houston State University, but also for the entire city of Huntsville. That man is Wendell Baker. He was born on November 13,1922 in West Walker County, Texas to Jesse and Fannie Baker. He was the eighth of ten children. He grew up in a farm in Walker County and learned the lessons of hard work and dedication from his parents. He was a very talented and smart person. He graduated from Sam Houston High School in Huntsville in 1939. He wanted to attend Sam Houston State Teachers College (now Sam Houston State University), but couldn’t because they did not accept African Americans. He served in World War II and after the war, he attended Texas Southern University and graduated in 1949 with a bachelors degree in chemistry. He had aspired to go to medical school and taught at Huntsville Intermediate School as a science teacher. With a wife and a growing family, he realized that he would not fulfill that dream. He was the chair of the science department there and continued to teach there until 1962 when he got fired for building his home near a new white subdivision. That not only changed the destiny of Mr. Baker, but would also change the destiny of Sam Houston State. In that same year, he got hired at the Goodyear Tire Company in Beaumont as a quality control specialist, making him the first African American technical professional in the Golden Triangle. He got promoted to chemical engineer in which that position increased his salary and it allowed him to be an activist for civil rights in Huntsville and Walker County. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed in Congress and the winds of integration began to shift. In that same year, Angie Kizzie applied to Sam Houston and was denied admission because of her race. The same thing happened to another black student. That led Mr. Baker, along with the Voter’s League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) to file a suit with the federal district court. Before the suit could reach the court, the governor, knowing the negative publicity that they would recieve, ordered the Board of Regents to change the policy and admit black students. The board did just that and in that same year, John Patrick became the first African American to enroll at Sam Houston State. Since then, the university have a diverse student body. Mr. Baker continued his activism until Huntsville was fully integrated. He stayed with Goodyear until 1984. Now he is retired and still lives in Huntsville. Sam Houston State University is a much better place thanks to Wendell Baker, the Martin Luther King of Huntsville.