2006 All-Southland Conference Preseason Football Teams Released
July 26, 2006
LAKE CHARLES, La. -
Preseason favorite McNeese State leads all teams with seven first-team selections on the 2006 Preseason All-Southland Conference football squads. Included are six players which were named first or second-team All-SLC following the 2005 season and automatically named to the preseason squad. The vacated spots on the preseason teams are voted on by the league's head coaches.
The Cowboys have four first-team offensive players, including both wide receivers in Quinten Lawrence and Carlese Franklin. Lawrence returns for his junior season after being named second team in 2005. In nine games last year, Lawrence (6-0, 175) caught 27 passes for 572 yards and a 21.2 yards-per-catch average. Franklin (5-11, 178), a senior from Kentwood, La., caught 23 passes in eight games for 401 yards and a 17.4 average last year.
Offensive Lineman Brent Pousson (6-4, 290), anchors the front for the Cowboys as a first-team pick. He was a second-teamer in 2005.
The fourth offensive player for McNeese on the first team is kicker Blake Bercegeay. The Southland's Freshman of the Year in 2005, the Gonzales, La., product led the league with 16 field goals made on 19 attempts for an 84.2 percent accuracy. He was also good on 16-of-18 extra points to lead the SLC in kick scoring at 7.1 points per game.
Defensively, McNeese has linebacker Trey Bennett, cornerback Jonathan Walker and return specialist Stephen Whitehead on the top squad. All three were second-team selections in 2005.
Defending co-champion Nicholls State lands five on the preseason first team.
Joseph Tobias leads the list after being voted the top running back in the league last season. A senior from Tangipahoa, La., Tobias (5-11, 220) ranked third in the SLC last season with 71.8 yards rushing per game. He ran for 718 yards in 10 games for Nicholls' triple-option attack on his way to being named SLC Newcomer of the Year.
Also a large part of the Colonel offense is fullback Broderick Cole. A junior from New Orleans, Cole (5-10, 230) was also first-team pick in 2005 after finishing fourth in the SLC with 71.7 yards an outing.
The two backs will spend much of their time running behind first-team picks Jacob Bender and Ben Gombossy. Bender (6-6, 305), a senior, and Gombossy (6-1, 280), a junior, helped Nicholls lead the SLC with 364.8 yards rushing per game. As a team, Nicholls ranked second nationally in rushing yards per game last season.
Defensively, linebacker Cory Vavala was a first-team pick a year ago and returns to the first unit for Nicholls in 2006. A senior from San Antonio, Texas, Vavala (6-2, 225) finished second in the SLC with 8.5 tackles per game as a junior.
Northwestern State sports four first-team picks in the preseason, all on the defensive side of the ball. Three of those are on the line in Tory Collins, Ed Queen and Charlie Brooks. The fourth is Russ Washington at safety. All are seniors with the exception of Brooks, who is a junior.
Collins (6-3, 265) and Washington (5-8, 170) were both first-team picks in 2005. Queen (6-2, 26) and Brooks (6-4, 225) were voted to the preseason first team by the coaches.
Defending co-champ Texas State, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin each have three representatives on the first units.
Offensive lineman Ryne Miller (6-4, 309), cornerback Walter Musgrove (5-9, 190) and safety Gary Shepard (5-10, 212) return for a Bobcat team which posted an 11-3 record last season. Musgrove and Shepard were both all-conference last year with Musgrove on the first team and Shepard on the second. Miller was voted in this season.
SHSU's representatives are Lance Hancock in the offensive line, Blake Martin at tight end and defensive lineman David Branch. All three were voted to the first-team.
Hancock (6-5, 290) is an Academic All-Southland pick two years in a row with 3.18 grade point average. He has started 31 games for the Bearkats during the past three seasons at offensive tackle. Last year as a junior, he started all 10 games at offensive tackle, blocking for an attack that ranked third in the SLC in passing yardage.
Branch (6-2, 265) is a three-year letterman who has totaled 108 tackles during his career. He was named All-SLC honorable mention after starting every game and leading the Bearkats in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (7) as a junior in 2005.
Martin (6-2, 236) was a solid performer at tight end who was one of the Bearkats' top receivers last season. As a sophomore, he started seven games and ranked third on the squad in receiving with 25 catches for 268 yards.
Stephen F. Austin quarterback Danny Southall (6-2, 215), a junior from Hitchcock, Texas, leads three Lumberjacks on the first team. Running back Louie Runnels (6-0, 234) and safety Keldrick Holman (6-0, 195) join Southall with high expectations at their positions.
Southall completed 32-of-55 (.582) passes for 318 yards and one touchdown while working with the No. 1 offensive unit during the spring. He played in nine games, earning two starts as a sophomore. He completed 50-of-85 passes (.588) for 704 yards and five touchdowns.
Holman was named Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA Division I-AA First-Team All-American and second-team All-America by the Sports Network. He finished second on the team and third in the SLC with 82 tackles and led the team with 40 unassisted tackles and six interceptions.
A second-team All-SLC selection, Runnels played in 11 games in 2005, earning starts in the final three. He finished fifth in the league, averaging 70.8 rushing yards per game.
Rounding out the first-team selections is Southeastern Louisiana's Jim Hall at punter. A senior playing for his hometown school, Hall led the SLC with 41.9 yards per punt on his 43 boots last year.