Schallenberg: Not all is lost

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January 9, 2012

Sam Houston set up for another title run in 2012

By Gene Schallenberg Assistant Sports Editor The Huntsville Item Mon Jan 09, 2012, 12:43 AM CST

HUNTSVILLE — That drive back to Huntsville on Saturday evening must’ve seemed even longer than on most days.

Sure, it can still feel pretty bitter after witnessing the Bearkats come so very, very close to winning a national championship only to fall short.

What shouldn’t be lost in such a remarkable season is all the things the Kats were able to accomplish with such a young squad.

From cruising through the Southland Conference toward their first outright title, going through the regular season undefeated — the fact that Sam Houston was the only unbeaten Football Championship Subdivision team out of 120 squads speaks to the difficulty of such a feat — and advancing to the national title game, beating Stony Brook, Montana State and Montana in the manner the Kats did, there was certainly plenty of highlights and lots of excitement to go around in their 14-1 season.

Considering Sam Houston was picked to finish fourth in the Southland Conference by the league’s coaches during the summer, ending the campaign as a national runner-up isn’t too shabby of a consolation prize.

While previous Sam Houston squads (1991, 2001 and 2004) made the playoffs and then went through years of mediocrity, the way the current group of Bearkats is currently constructed — no one-year transfer quarterback wonder this time — there’s no reason to think that this team will be another flash in the pan.

With a solid core of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball with quarterback Brian Bell, utility man Richard Sincere, running backs Tim Flanders, who could on the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award, and Ryan Wilson, and receivers Keith Blanton and Trey Diller all just sophomores and soon-to-be juniors in the fall, the Bearkats have their weapons lined up to make even bigger strides in the 2012 campaign, even with a new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bearkats, which were one of the nation’s top defensive units in all of the FCS, bring back a bulk of returners, though they’ll be losing defensive end Eddie Decambre and linebackers Kash David and Will Henry.

The defense, which finished the season ranked in the top five in four defensive categories, including No. 1 in rushing defense, No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 3 in total defense, will be one of the more experienced squads around.

Defensive backs Darnell Taylor, Kenneth Jenkins, Robert Shaw and Mike Littleton will be entering their senior seasons as well as linebackers Darius Taylor and Eric Fieilo. The defensive line will also be seasoned with seniors Andrew Weaver and J.T. Cleveland, along with juniors Preston Sanders, Gary Lorance and Forbes Baggett.

“We’re going to go back and regroup and see everything that’s transpired this season. But we are a very young football team, without question,” Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz said following Saturday’s 17-6 loss in the FCS national title game.

“And got a lot of guys coming back. ... The future’s very bright for the Bearkats.”

With plenty of depth at key positions across the board, head coach Willie Fritz has the Bearkats on the right path and can even improve on that with a solid recruiting class.

If the 2010 season served as setting the foundation, then the 2011 campaign may very well provide the framework for a championship run next season.

Sam Houston went from average, skipped good and went straight to great. Now the Kats have the opportunity to build upon it.

A young North Dakota State team used a devastating loss in the 2010 playoffs to eventual national champion Eastern Washington and turned it into a championship run with plenty of senior leadership.

Well, that same formula could be in the Bearkats’ future, barring injuries and other intangibles. Sam Houston, now with plenty of playoff experience, can be a team that regroups from Saturday’s loss and turns that into its own national championship.

If anything, the Kats were a year ahead of schedule, not only winning the Southland, but reaching the national championship game with a large amount of underclassmen.

From a strong base to work from, the Bearkats, who may start out the 2012 season as the No. 1 team in the country, are poised with all of the right ingredients in place to do something even greater.

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May 25, 2012
Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark.

May 24, 2012
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark.

May 23, 2012
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May 20, 2012 1 Photo
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Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds

May 19, 2012
Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.

May 16, 2012 2 Photos
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For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.

May 14, 2012 1 Photo
SHSU MEN'S BASKETBALL — Kats sign ‘winner’ from Trinity Valley
Will Bond, a 6-3 guard from Trinity Valley Community College, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State University and play men’s basketball for head coach Jason Hooten.

May 14, 2012
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May 14, 2012
BEARKATS BASEBALL — Sam Houston wasn't going to be denied regular-season title
With four conference games left to play, all that kept Sam Houston from a Southland Conference regular season championship was just one win. Whether it was at Central Arkansas later in the week or in the Kats’ conference home finale on Sunday, just one victory would hand Sam Houston it’s first regular season conference title in 23 years. Relaxed and ready to pounce, Sam Houston jumped all over Southeastern Louisiana’s pitching staff early and relied on a strong starting pitching performance from senior Michael Oros. The Kats cruised to an 8-3 victory over the second-place Lions and the celebration was on.

May 13, 2012 2 Photos
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