Four Lone Star Conference football stars were honored Monday as league officials announced the LSC Preseason Players of the Year for the 2007 season.

ACU's Billy Malone

      Abilene Christian quarterback Billy Malone was named LSC South Division Offensive Player of the Year, while West Texas A&M outside linebacker Jared Brock earned the division's Defensive Player of the Year award.  Northeastern State wide receiver Jarrett Byers was selected as Offensive Player of the Year in the North Division, and Central Oklahoma linebacker Will Clewis earned that division's Defensive Player of the Year honor.

      The league's preseason awards were selected by a vote of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.

      ACU's Malone, a 6-3, 235-pound junior from Paris, Texas, tallied votes on 11 of 20 ballots and edged two other offensive standouts - Tarleton State's Michael Sampson (four votes) and Midwestern State's Daniel Polk (three votes) - for the award.  Malone will be looking to improve upon a stellar sophomore season in which he took the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA Division II playoff experience.

      Last season, Malone posted one of the best seasons in ACU football history, completing 245 of 386 passes for 3,136 yards and 27 touchdowns, while throwing only six interceptions.

WTAMU's Jared Brock

      WTAMU's Brock, a 6-1, 210-pound junior from Abernathy, Texas, is a powerful linebacker who led the Buffaloes in tackles (119), tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (4), quarterback hurries (4), fumbles forced (3) and fumbles recovered (2).  He garnered the award with 10 votes to slip by a pair of Texans, safety Ranardrick Phillips (seven votes) and lineman Tywain Miles (two votes), and ACU middle linebacker Cody Stutts (one vote).

      In the North, Byers, a 6-0, 195-pound senior from Kansas City, Kan., was the choice as the top returning offensive player after earning LSC North Division Receiver of the Year honors in 2006, while catching 51 passes for 844 yards and 11 touchdowns.  The dynamic receiver also rushed for 182 yards on 14 carries for one score, and returned six kickoffs for 113 yards.

      Byers took the award by getting 12 votes, while Southwestern Oklahoma quarterback Jimmy Sangster finished behind him with three votes.

UCO's Will Clewis

      UCO's Clewis captured defensive honors after racking up a league-leading 117 tackles, which ranked fourth in NCAA Division II and was the most tackles by a UCO player since 1998.  The 6-1, 240-pound junior from Fort Worth, Texas, also finished with 12 tackles for loss, two sacks and broke up two passes.  A punishing defender, he made a season-high 15 tackles in two games and also recorded 10 or more stops in seven contests.

      Clewis tallied eight votes to edge out Texas A&M-Commerce linebacker Garnet Smith (six votes).

      These players will take their teams on the field in less than a week when preparations begin for the 2007 football season.  The LSC has 13 teams ready to compete this fall, with each team playing a maximum of 11 regular-season games and a total of nine conference contests.  LSC teams will play their season openers as early as Thursday, Aug. 23.