The Lone Star Conference Football Preseason Media Day drifted further south than ever before with the annual luncheon being held last Tuesday on the beautiful campus of the University of the Incarnate Word, the newest member of the conference.

The same could be said for team’s recruiting areas as well. The presence of San Antonio in the LSC could be an extra pipeline for players that now have a few coaches around the league already excited.

“This is a hotbed of recruiting,” West Texas A&M head coach Don Carthel said. “We always have about six to 10 kids every year out of San Antonio. We’ll expect to do the same thing recruiting wise as we’ve always done.”

Carthel said the second-year of UIW’s football program will also help in a couple of ways.
“It gives a lot of kids down here in San Antonio another opportunity to play Division II scholarship football,” he said. “But for us and the other schools, it’s good for us to recruit these kids from San Antonio and let them come back and play in front of their hometown fans.”

ACU head coach Chris Thomsen said having a presence in the Alamo City will be extremely beneficial to the conference.

“This will be great for the LSC,” Thomsen said. “San Antonio is an awesome city. This is my first time on this campus, but seeing the commitment they’ve got to football, it won’t take them long to be a force in the conference.”

However, opposite from Carthel, Thomsen said it might be tougher to recruit this area than in years past.

“It might be harder now because (Incarnate Word) is going to take away a few players that you’ve counted on before,” Thomsen said. “We just graduated Tony Harp from Converse Judson who was the Defensive Back of the Year. We might not have gotten him four years ago. So that part could be tough, but overall I think it helps the conference.”

Cary Fowler might be the only new head coach this year in the Lone Star Conference, but Tarleton State’s new sideline leader is certainly not a new face to the league.

Fowler is considered a veteran of the LSC, having served as an assistant coach at both Midwestern State and Tarleton for many years before being named the new coach for the Texans back in March.

But it’s been anything but an easy summer for Fowler and the staff at Tarleton, which dealt with the dramatic loss of a player – Zach Shaver, who passed away in April after suffering a head injury in spring practice.

“In the past several months, we’ve been through a lot at Tarleton State,” Fowler said. “I hope no one has to go through that.”

Fowler, a defensive coordinator for nine combined years in the LSC at MSU and Tarleton, has been part of seven LSC division title winners and three outright conference championships.

“It’s an exciting time for me,” Fowler said. “I’m excited to be here at Tarleton State. I’ve waited a long time and worked hard for this opportunity. And to be the head coach of a storied program like this, it’s just a special time for me.”

Northeastern State head coach Kenny Evans knows his star wide receiver Ben Randle won’t be with his teammates during the Aug. 7 practice back in Tahlequah. In fact, Randle will be thousands of miles north at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Randle is the nephew of former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle John Randle, one of seven new inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

Randle, a junior receiver who was a second-team All-LSC North selection last season, said he’s learned a lot from his uncle, who was one of the most feared players in the NFL, most-known for his outgoing personality and his intense use of eye-black on game days.

“No, I keep it toned down a little,” said Ben Randle, when asked if he used a similar make-up patter on game days. “But (John Randle) has been keeping in touch. He hasn’t been able to come down to make a game yet. He talks to me a lot about not having the crowd on his side at the beginning. And he always tried to get the crowd pumped up.”

When he first learned of the conflict in the practice schedule, Ben said he needed a little convincing.

“I actually didn’t want to go at first. My uncle understood where I was coming from,” Ben said. “I don’t like to miss work and have the guys look at me funny. But my dad talked to me about it being a once in a lifetime deal and to be there to support the family. I told my coach that I’ll just work twice as hard when I come back.”

The day before the LSC Media Day in San Antonio, Midwestern State head coach Bill Maskill and star quarterback Zack Eskridge went over to the nearby Texas High School Coaches Association convention to mingle with some of the top coaches from the state and the nation.

Wearing the same MSU polo shirt, the two shook hands with many coaches on Monday and most of them had the same conclusion.

“All of them thought I was a coach,” Eskridge said. “I guess that’s what they just assumed. But all of them called me ‘coach.’ That’s fine.”

And in some ways, it’s likely that Maskill didn’t correct them, considering his All-LSC quarterback is definitely a coach on the field with his leadership skills. In fact, MSU and Maskill are hoping Eskridge can lead the Mustangs to a second straight conference title.

As much as fun as the West Texas A&M team had in Topeka, Kansas last December, winning the inaugural Kanza Bowl game, the Buffaloes have no intention of returning to such a destination this year.

With the highest-ranked, non-playoff teams from both the LSC and MIAA pitted to play in the Kanza Bowl, it’s certainly not a goal for any team, especially one such as WTAMU that was picked to win the LSC South in the preseason polls.

 However, Buffaloes head coach Don Carthel said he believes the momentum his team enjoyed from its 31-25 win over Nebraska-Omaha in last year’s game, has definitely carried over to a strong offseason of spring practice.

“Yeah, we had a great spring and this summer we’ve had about 95 to 100 kids working out every day,” Carthel said. “The excitement is there and the hunger is there to do something really special this year.”

And while the Kanza Bowl was special enough, Carthel said he’s hoping another LSC team has the chance to enjoy it.

“The experience of playing there was tremendous. I highly recommend it for anyone who gets there, but it’s certainly not the goal.”

On the first day of Central Oklahoma’s spring practice, linebacker Tucker Cason made a statement. Not just for himself and his 6-1, 210-pound frame, but the entire defense.

And he set the tone in practice when he got mixed up with the biggest offensive tackle the Bronchos have, ignited quite a fight in practice, and one that head coach Tracy Holland even mentioned during the LSC Media Day.

“Tucker is just a great kid. He’s got great character and he’s a great leader,” Holland said. “But what would you expect your linebacker to do on the first day of practice – he did what he needed to do. He got in a fight with one of the biggest offensive linemen we have. That kind of set the tone that we’re not backing down from anyone.”

Cason is UCO’s only returning all-conference player from last year, when he earned first-team All-LSC North recognition.