LNJ: 'Jacks Take Show On The Road
3/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
'Jacks Take Show on the Road
By Hayden Henry
Longview News-Journal
A foundation is in place for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
On the field, 48 lettermen return from an 8-5 campaign a year ago that resulted in the program's seventh playoff berth. On the sideline, head coach Clint Conque returns after a breakout debut season a year ago, leading the charge and change in Nacogdoches.
- Full Release plus photo gallery
Daingerfield native and SFA senior defensive lineman Shayvion Hatten cracked a smile talking about beginning the second year under Conque.
"It's a new beginning and a new football," the 6-4, 300-pound defensive tackle said. "It's more much fundamental, more technique. It's just great, he's an unbelievable coach."
Fellow senior and the Lumberjacks' top receiver from a year ago Aaron Thomas backed up Hatten's words, adding he wishes he had a few more years to play under Conque.
"He's an intense guy and he cares about his player s and that's a special thing for everybody to know that he truly cares about us," Thomas, who hauled in 53 catches for 703 yards and two scores in 2014, said. "He's going to take this program to great places. I wish I had more years under him to get to experience that but this year we're going to make the most of it every day."
With the foundation set, the Lumberjacks took to the road for their eighth practice of the spring, and first scrimmage, Saturday in front of fans and family -- a crowd of approximately 200 -- at Lobo Stadium. Reaching out to prospective athletes and students was a plus, Conque said, but also breaking up the monotony of spring ball, as well as giving younger players the chance to experience what a game day is like is what brought the Lumberjacks to Longview.
"It was really cool to get to play at a different venue in the spring," Thomas said. "We're always practicing at the same field over and over so it's exciting to load up and come to a new place and have some fans out that haven't seen us.
"Today was a lot of fun."
A lot of fun and a lot of work for the Lumberjacks, who ran 92 plays during the open scrimmage, as well as work in the kicking game.
With the largest amount of returners being on the offensive and defensive front, the work on Saturday began with the foundation of the team.
"I thought that early on in the scrimmage the offensive line was dominant in the coming out part of it," Conque said. "Once we got on the plus side of the field, I thought the defense line really asserted themselves."
Being the eighth spring practice, installation was an integral part of the day with heavy substitutions both ways and a number of combinations both ways with Conque in the middle of the field from start to finish.
"We got a lot of work in today in 92 plays, that's what we thought we were going to do," Conque said. "We got a great deal of the young men in that we needed to see and some of them really flashed today."
In the secondary, an area where Conque said the Lumberjacks were thin, sophomore Allen Stewart, a Kingwood native, was a bright spot, closing out one portion of the scrimmage with an interception. Across from Thomas was Clarksville native Tre Rosser, a transfer from Tyler Junior College, who, along with Cedar Hill senior Demundre Freeman had a strong day.
"The defense is flying after the ball," Hatten said. "The defensive backs are looking good and they're giving us more opportunities to rush the passer so I appreciate what they're doing. The linebackers are playing with confidence; the whole team chemistry is just great right now."
Under center, Zach Conque, son of Clint, handled the pressure well using his legs to make plays as well as buying time, including a scrambling pass to the flat to pick up a first down.
A few main targets for the 6-6, 234-pound quarterback, the 2014 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year, were senior Braxton Bearden as well as junior wide receiver Edwin Mims, a Daingerfield native.
"The corners, having gone against them every day, they're looking good," Thomas said. "They're playing with a lot of confidence so I feel good about them. There's a lot of young faces at receiver and those guys are learning very quickly and stepping up.
"The competition has been great this spring and that's what we have to have, guys competing. It's been really good and has been pushing everyone to get better and be the best they can be."
Perhaps the largest void to fill is in the backfield with Gilmer native and SFA's all-time leading rusher Gus Johnson graduating.
With junior running back Joshawa West held out with an injury, senior Trinity Valley transfer Cameron Washington took the bulk of the carries on Saturday, taking the first snap of the day 10 yards up the middle and racing 60 yards down the sideline for a long touchdown run later in the session -- picking up some blocks from offensive lineman Shane Roberson and Anthony Pullins, both underclassman, along the way.
"I was really pleased with Cam Washington today," Conque said. "He was a spot player for us last year and he got to showcase himself today and made some great runs. The biggest thing with him with his size is that he's got to work on his blitz pickup and he did a good job of that. He can certainly run, has excellent vision and ball skills and can change the scoreboard from anywhere on the field."
Conque said the Lumberjacks were without seven players on Saturday and hopes most can return in the coming weeks as they head into the second half of the spring session.
"I was pleased with aspects on both sides of the ball today and we got some solid work in the kicking game as well," Conque said. "Getting healthy and execution is the big key in the second half of the spring.
"It's about getting back and working on the fundamentals, staying strong and healthy and identifying, as close as we can, our top 22 players on both sides of the ball."
The foundation is set, and as the slogan for the team 'We Rise' indicates, the Lumberjacks plan on building on it.
"We leave what we've done before in the past and rise to another level," Hatten said.
Thomas concurs.
"It means to step up to the plate, let's go win, let's go make plays, let's rise up to the challenge and the occasion," he said. "When we get into the season, there's going to be a lot of teams that don't care what we've done, where we've been or who we are and rising up is what we have to do."
For the second-year head coach in Nacogdoches, the past is in the past and the eyes of the Lumberjacks are on the future.
"We've got to keep pushing, we've got to stay hungry," Conque said. "We're going to push ourselves as coaches and we're going to push this team beyond whatever limits they've set for themselves to try to accomplish that.
"Although we've made great gains in this program in a year, there's a long way to go -- there's more rising to do."
Release courtesy of the Longview News-Journal
