Photo by: SFA Athletics
2017 SFA Football Fall Camp Report: Tight Ends
8/6/2017 10:44:00 PM | Football
The ‘Jacks held their first night practice of fall camp and got their first experience practicing under the lights inside Homer Bryce Stadium
The 2017 Stephen F. Austin football season is just around the corner and the Lumberjacks have begun fall camp, beginning the countdown to the 91st season of Lumberjack football in Nacogdoches. Throughout camp, SFAJacks.com will break down each position, tonight highlighting the tight ends.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin football team took to the turf inside Homer Bryce Stadium Sunday night and got its first experience practicing under the lights. The Lumberjacks remained in shells with shoulder pads and helmets for their fourth day of fall camp.
The team enjoyed cooler temperatures without the heat of the sun as the fourth practice of preseason camp featured a strong dose of 11-on-11 drills. The purple and white's energy was felt throughout Homer Bryce as music rang out during the first hour of practice. That enthusiasm and intensity was evident later in the night when players' emotions could be seen on the field while participating in full 11-on-11 plays.
The defense shined Sunday night as the practice started to get loud with the cave drill. Lined up opposite of each other for the one-on-one drill, the defense seemed to get revenge on the offense from the day before as the entire unit erupted after each takedown. Throughout the 11-on-11 drills from both the left and right hash marks, the defense seemed to have the upper hand and made it very difficult on the SFA offense, thwarting several pass attempts with athletic breakups. Offensively, a pair of nice grabs from sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Sam (Pearland, Texas) and junior Texas A&M transfer Frank Iheanacho (Houston, Texas), and a nice run by junior Arkansas transfer Juan Day (Little Rock, Arkansas) were highlights of the unit's 11-on-11 drives.
Practicing a little longer than the previous three days, the 'Jacks did not participate in any team conditioning at the end of practice. Instead, an engaging speech from head coach Clint Conque during the team's closing huddle wrapped up day four.
"Tonight was bumping, they got out here and they were moving around", assistant coach and special teams coordinator Jeremy Hammock said about the team after practice. "They were hitting, people were hitting the ground, too much for us right now because we're not in full pads. The guys are fired up and hopefully everybody made it through healthy, I know my guys did. It was fun tonight, it's good to feel some cool air and not the thick east Texas heat."
"There are a lot of young guys running around here now", Coach Hammock continued. "They want to be seen, they play hard. In my group in particular, I've got one senior (Will Taylor) and he's leading those guys. This team is a little different, they have a lot of energy, a lot of guys who like to run around and hit and play ball. It's encouraging because, obviously, we haven't performed the way we want to perform in the past couple years."
Tight Ends
One of the more experienced positions on the offensive side of the ball, SFA's tight ends will be anchored by senior Will Taylor (Euless, Texas), a three-year starter for the 'Jacks. During his career in Nacogdoches, Taylor has played in 34 games with 12 catches for 141 yards while also emerging as one of SFA's leaders both on and off the field.
In total, the 'Jacks feature five tight ends/fullbacks, including two returning letter winners and three freshmen. Sophomore Kiki Hill (Goliad, Texas) made the move over to the tight end/H-back position following an impressive freshman season that earned him All-Southland Conference honorable mention honors. Hill caught 19 passes for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2016 and put together a strong spring campaign for the 'Jacks. In July, Hill was named as a preseason All-Southland Second Team pick.
"Being the leader Will Taylor is, being here all four years and as long as I have, the guys kind of follow his lead", remarked Coach Hammock. "Kiki (Hill) came in half way through last year so he's kind of had to get in line and do what we do as far as coming to work every day."
With three newcomers, a major addition for the tight end group came by way of Louisiana as Coach Conque brought in high school signee Allen Arclies (Abbeville, Louisiana). A two-time all-district selection at Abbeville High School, Arclies recorded over 1,200 receiving yards during his high school career. Redshirt freshman Mark Reed (Palestine, Texas) joined the team in January and will look to contribute this fall, while freshman Tony Gilbert II (Charleston, Ill.) arrived in Nacogdoches this summer.
"The young guy in the group (Arclies), the baby, he's coming along pretty good", Coach Hammock commented. "I mean he's still a baby, still kind of wide eyed but he plays hard and he's always following Will (Taylor) around so hopefully he follows in his footsteps and plays some good ball for us. I'm excited for him (Arclies), I'm excited about the group as a whole and him (Arclies) being a young guy showing things that he can do right now."
SFA will return to the practice fields behind the SFA Fieldhouse Monday afternoon for day five of fall camp. The 'Jacks will remain in shells and resume to their 3:45 p.m. practice time. Following Monday's practice, SFA will take Tuesday off for one of the team's three off days of camp.
The 'Jacks open up the 2017 season at SMU on Saturday, Sept. 2, before beginning the home portion of their schedule the following weekend against Southern Utah (Sept. 9).
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete 2017 fall camp coverage.
2017 SFA FOOTBALL FALL CAMP SCHEDULE
Monday, Aug. 7 – Practice 5 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Wednesday, Aug. 9 – Practice 6 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Thursday, Aug. 10 – Practice 7 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Full Pads
Friday, Aug. 11 – Practice 8 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Helmets
Saturday, Aug. 12 (Scrimmage One) – Practice 9 (4 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Full Pads
Sunday, Aug. 13 – Practice 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Shells
Tuesday, Aug. 15 – Practice 11 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Wednesday, Aug. 16 – Practice 12 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Thursday, Aug. 17 – Practice 13 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Shells
Friday, Aug. 18 – Practice 14 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Helmets
Saturday, Aug. 19 (Scrimmage Two) – Practice 15 (4 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Full Pads
Monday, Aug. 21 – Practice 16 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Tuesday, Aug. 22 – Practice 17 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Shells
Wednesday, Aug. 23 (Scrimmage Three) – Practice 18 (7 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Full Pads
* – Practice fields located behind the athletics fieldhouse
-SFA-
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin football team took to the turf inside Homer Bryce Stadium Sunday night and got its first experience practicing under the lights. The Lumberjacks remained in shells with shoulder pads and helmets for their fourth day of fall camp.
The team enjoyed cooler temperatures without the heat of the sun as the fourth practice of preseason camp featured a strong dose of 11-on-11 drills. The purple and white's energy was felt throughout Homer Bryce as music rang out during the first hour of practice. That enthusiasm and intensity was evident later in the night when players' emotions could be seen on the field while participating in full 11-on-11 plays.
The defense shined Sunday night as the practice started to get loud with the cave drill. Lined up opposite of each other for the one-on-one drill, the defense seemed to get revenge on the offense from the day before as the entire unit erupted after each takedown. Throughout the 11-on-11 drills from both the left and right hash marks, the defense seemed to have the upper hand and made it very difficult on the SFA offense, thwarting several pass attempts with athletic breakups. Offensively, a pair of nice grabs from sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Sam (Pearland, Texas) and junior Texas A&M transfer Frank Iheanacho (Houston, Texas), and a nice run by junior Arkansas transfer Juan Day (Little Rock, Arkansas) were highlights of the unit's 11-on-11 drives.
Practicing a little longer than the previous three days, the 'Jacks did not participate in any team conditioning at the end of practice. Instead, an engaging speech from head coach Clint Conque during the team's closing huddle wrapped up day four.
"Tonight was bumping, they got out here and they were moving around", assistant coach and special teams coordinator Jeremy Hammock said about the team after practice. "They were hitting, people were hitting the ground, too much for us right now because we're not in full pads. The guys are fired up and hopefully everybody made it through healthy, I know my guys did. It was fun tonight, it's good to feel some cool air and not the thick east Texas heat."
"There are a lot of young guys running around here now", Coach Hammock continued. "They want to be seen, they play hard. In my group in particular, I've got one senior (Will Taylor) and he's leading those guys. This team is a little different, they have a lot of energy, a lot of guys who like to run around and hit and play ball. It's encouraging because, obviously, we haven't performed the way we want to perform in the past couple years."
Tight Ends
One of the more experienced positions on the offensive side of the ball, SFA's tight ends will be anchored by senior Will Taylor (Euless, Texas), a three-year starter for the 'Jacks. During his career in Nacogdoches, Taylor has played in 34 games with 12 catches for 141 yards while also emerging as one of SFA's leaders both on and off the field.
In total, the 'Jacks feature five tight ends/fullbacks, including two returning letter winners and three freshmen. Sophomore Kiki Hill (Goliad, Texas) made the move over to the tight end/H-back position following an impressive freshman season that earned him All-Southland Conference honorable mention honors. Hill caught 19 passes for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2016 and put together a strong spring campaign for the 'Jacks. In July, Hill was named as a preseason All-Southland Second Team pick.
"Being the leader Will Taylor is, being here all four years and as long as I have, the guys kind of follow his lead", remarked Coach Hammock. "Kiki (Hill) came in half way through last year so he's kind of had to get in line and do what we do as far as coming to work every day."
With three newcomers, a major addition for the tight end group came by way of Louisiana as Coach Conque brought in high school signee Allen Arclies (Abbeville, Louisiana). A two-time all-district selection at Abbeville High School, Arclies recorded over 1,200 receiving yards during his high school career. Redshirt freshman Mark Reed (Palestine, Texas) joined the team in January and will look to contribute this fall, while freshman Tony Gilbert II (Charleston, Ill.) arrived in Nacogdoches this summer.
"The young guy in the group (Arclies), the baby, he's coming along pretty good", Coach Hammock commented. "I mean he's still a baby, still kind of wide eyed but he plays hard and he's always following Will (Taylor) around so hopefully he follows in his footsteps and plays some good ball for us. I'm excited for him (Arclies), I'm excited about the group as a whole and him (Arclies) being a young guy showing things that he can do right now."
SFA will return to the practice fields behind the SFA Fieldhouse Monday afternoon for day five of fall camp. The 'Jacks will remain in shells and resume to their 3:45 p.m. practice time. Following Monday's practice, SFA will take Tuesday off for one of the team's three off days of camp.
The 'Jacks open up the 2017 season at SMU on Saturday, Sept. 2, before beginning the home portion of their schedule the following weekend against Southern Utah (Sept. 9).
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete 2017 fall camp coverage.
2017 SFA FOOTBALL FALL CAMP SCHEDULE
Monday, Aug. 7 – Practice 5 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Wednesday, Aug. 9 – Practice 6 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Thursday, Aug. 10 – Practice 7 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Full Pads
Friday, Aug. 11 – Practice 8 (3:45 p.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Helmets
Saturday, Aug. 12 (Scrimmage One) – Practice 9 (4 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Full Pads
Sunday, Aug. 13 – Practice 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Shells
Tuesday, Aug. 15 – Practice 11 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Wednesday, Aug. 16 – Practice 12 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Thursday, Aug. 17 – Practice 13 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Shells
Friday, Aug. 18 – Practice 14 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Helmets
Saturday, Aug. 19 (Scrimmage Two) – Practice 15 (4 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Full Pads
Monday, Aug. 21 – Practice 16 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Practice Field* | Attire: Shells
Tuesday, Aug. 22 – Practice 17 (9:15 a.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Shells
Wednesday, Aug. 23 (Scrimmage Three) – Practice 18 (7 p.m.)
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium | Attire: Full Pads
* – Practice fields located behind the athletics fieldhouse
-SFA-
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