Lumberjack Football Wraps Up First Full Week of Spring Practice, Hosts First Scrimmage of 2018

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Lumberjack Football Wraps Up First Full Week of Spring Practice, Hosts First Scrimmage of 2018

4/6/2018 8:59:00 AM | Football

SFA completes first full week of spring football with Sunday night practice, hosts first scrimmage of spring Saturday at Nacogdoches High School

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The first full week of spring college football in Nacogdoches will draw to a close Sunday night as the Stephen F. Austin football team wraps up a busy week of practice. The Lumberjacks have already completed their originally scheduled three spring practices for the week but will host a 7:30 p.m. practice under the lights of Homer Bryce Stadium Sunday, April 8, to complete the week. The fourth practice this week was added after last Wednesday's practice was called off due to inclement weather.

Fans of SFA will be able to get their first real taste of football this Saturday, April 7 as the 'Jacks will take to Dragon Stadium at Nacogdoches High School at 2 p.m. for their first scrimmage of the spring. It's the first of three scrimmages SFA will take part in during their 15 allotted spring football dates. The 'Jacks will host a second scrimmage next Saturday, April 14 inside Homer Bryce Stadium before SFA's annual Purple and White Spring Game Saturday, April 21.

After getting just two practices in last week before Easter break, the 'Jacks strapped on full pads for the first time of 2018 Monday as SFA hosted a 21-sesssion practice. With the emphasis on fundamentals of the game and going through install, the 'Jacks went live Wednesday in their fourth spring practice. The final two periods of Wednesday's 21-session practice were devoted to full-contact football with SFA getting about 36 plays in. Thursday, the 'Jacks dialed back into shoulder pads and helmets for an 18-period practice session on the grass fields behind the athletics Fieldhouse. SFA will be in shells once again for the final practice of the week Sunday after conducting approximately 90 plays in full pads during Saturday's scrimmage.

Several Lumberjack football players have really stepped up and shone through the first five practices of the spring as head coach Clint Conque and his staff have seen development and growth at many positions. Both the offensive and defensive side of the ball have benefited from young players making an immediate impact in their first on-field experience in a SFA jersey.

Looking to replace senior slot receiver Trae Hart (Mesquite, Texas), the 'Jacks have seen plenty of likeable things from redshirt freshman Josh Thompson (Garland, Texas) and sophomore Garden City Community College transfer Remi Simmons (Chicago, Illinois). Both have shown their quickness and ability to help increase SFA's speed in the not only the vertical passing game but the horizontal passing game as well. The duo has a combined seven years of playing in front of them as Thompson has four seasons of eligibility and Simmons three.

Coach Conque and his staff also like what they've seen from wide receivers redshirt freshman Thomas Nolley (Fort Worth, Texas) and junior Lar'Darion Cobb (Dallas, Texas), who have really stepped up in SFA's first five practices of spring ball. Thompson, Simmons, Nolley and Cobb all feed off of the confidence that has been displayed by returning All-Southland Conference Second Team junior Tamrick Pace (Brownsboro, Texas) and senior Terian Goree (Carthage, Texas).

In the Lumberjacks' running game, it has been redshirt freshman Dominic Williams (Round Rock, Texas) who has been running hard with a ton of speed and power. He has placed himself in a position to bring some competition to junior running back Jamall Shaw (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and sophomore Josh McGowen (McAllen, Texas). Coach Conque has been pleased with the growth and maturity he has seen from junior quarterback Jake Blumrick (Pearland, Texas), who started eight games in 2017, and sophomore Zach Smith (Pearland, Texas), while senior Foster Sawyer (Fort Worth, Texas), who went 2-1 as a starter last season, continues to make significant strides in his comeback from knee rehabilitation.

With the goal of the offense to grow with consistency and decision making in both the run and pass game, SFA's offensive line continues to show improvement. Guards senior Josiah Hunter (Fontana, Calif.), junior A.J. Brown (Arlington, Texas) and sophomore Cooper Williams (Spring, Texas) have shown growth, along with the Lumberjacks' young tackles.

On the defensive side of the ball, SFA continues to hang its hat on developing quality defensive lineman and has seen multiple players step up with the absence of All-Southland defensive end performer and 2018 NFL Draft prospect John Franklin (Greenville, Texas). The linebacker position has shown tremendous competition in the early going with junior East Mississippi Community College transfer Quin Jones (Abbeville, Miss.) moving to the top with his leadership.

In the Lumberjacks' secondary, coach Conque has been really impressed with sophomore cornerbacks Caleb Lawton (Cedar Hill, Texas) and Eli Jones (Duncanville, Texas), while junior Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College transfer Aretavious Hendrix has picked things up quickly and is making an instant impact at the cornerback position as well. Sophomore safety Trenton Gordon (Rowlett, Texas), SFA's leading tackler in 2017, continues to grow and play with confidence after making eight starts last season. He has moved over to the STAR or low safety position as sophomore Gavin Roland, who played in nine games this past fall, has shown he can handle both the STAR and TIGER positions. Coach Conque has also been pleased with the development of senior safety Lawrence Ghansah (Cypress, Texas) in the JACK position after he played in all 11 games and made three starts in 2017. Redshirt sophomore safety Trey Ramos (Azle, Texas), who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in last year's opener at SMU, is back and practicing but has not been cleared for live ball play yet.

The remaining spring football schedule for SFA is as follows:

Saturday, April 7 | Scrimmage 1 | 2 p.m. | Nacogdoches High School
Sunday, April 8 | Practice 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Monday, April 9 | Practice 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Wednesday, April 11 | Practice 9 | 3:50 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Friday, April 13 | Practice 10 | 3:50 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Saturday, April 14 | Scrimmage 2 | 2 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Monday, April 16 | Practice 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Wednesday, April 18 | Practice 13 | 3:50 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Friday, April 20 | Practice 14 | 3:50 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium
Saturday, April 21 | 2018 Spring Game | 6 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium

Practice and scrimmage times are subject to change due to weather. Fans should call (936) 468-3502 for all weather-related schedule changes and follow Lumberjack football on social media, via Twitter (@SFA_Football), Facebook (@SFAFootball) and Instagram (@sfa_football).

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout this spring.

-SFA-