Kingsville, Texas
-- University of North Alabama
senior football standouts Jason Messing of
Knoxville, Tenn., and Tim Hunt of Mobile,
Ala., have been selected to play in the 2008
Valero Cactus Bowl Division II All-Star
Game to be played at Javelina Stadium in
Kingsville, Texas on Friday, January 11,
2008 at 7:00 p.m.
The Valero
Cactus Bowl will be regionally televised in
up to 8 million homes on Fox Sports
Southwest.
The selection
committee picked from among the best seniors
in NCAA Division II football.
Messing caught
41 passes for 561 yards and six touchdowns
for the Lions this season and closed his
career as the school record holder for
career TD receptions with 23. He also caught
at least one pass in his last 36 consecutive
games at UNA. In his four years at UNA,
Messing caught 123 passes for 1,952 yards.
Hunt earned
all-conference and all-region honors during
his career and finished the 2007 season with
39 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss of 51 yards
and 6.5 sacks for 38 yards. He also caused
two fumbles.
Headlining the
East team is Harlon Hill Trophy finalist
Michael Eubanks. Eubanks is a linebacker
from Delta State (Miss.) and is one of only
two players in the history of the award,
given annually to the best player in NCAA
Division II, to make the three finalists as
a defensive player.
Other standouts
on the East team include Shepherd (W.va.)
running back Drevon Wallace who finished
second in the nation in rushing with 2138
yards and 24 touchdowns.
he two
quarterbacks for the East team were the
Players of the Year in their respective
conferences. Mark Nicolet of Hillsdale
(Mich.) was the Player of the Year in the
Great lakes Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference after throwing for 3,335 yards
and 31 touchdowns. Brad Roach of Catawba
(N.C.) was the Offensive Player of the Year
in the South Atlantic Conference after
compiling 3,332 yards and 32 scores.
The West team
includes wide receiver Nick Smart of
Southwest Baptist (Mo.) who set the NCAA
All-Division record for most pass catches in
a season with 143.
West
quarterbacks include Daniel Polk of
Midwestern State (Texas), who was the only
player in college football to pass for at
least 2,000 yards and rush for at least
1,000 yards, and Ben King of Minnesota
State-Mankato who led NCAA Division II with
4,096 yards passing.
Valero is a
part-owner of the San Antonio Spurs
franchise, stepping in to help organize a
bid when the franchise was being pursued by
out-of-town buyers who, potentially, could
have relocated the team.
Valero has also
been the title sponsor of the Valero Texas
Open since 2002. In that time, the
tournament has gone from the bottom of the
PGA TOUR in terms of charitable fundraising
to raising more for charity than any other
event in PGA TOUR history.
The Cactus Bowl
began as the Snow Bowl in 1994 at the Fargo
Dome in Fargo, North Dakota. After its
initial seven-year run, the game moved to
Kingsville in January 2001.
The game was
played in Kingsville for six years, took a
hiatus last year and will return to Javelina
Stadium in 2008.
2008 Cactus
Bowl West Team
Donovan
Alexander DB 6-0 181 North Dakota
Winnipeg, Man. (St. Paul’s High School)
Amos Allen RB 5-8 180 South Dakota
Miami, Fla.
Steve Allen LB 6-4 235 West Texas
A&M Del Ray Beach, Fla./Atlantic
Community
Jerale Badon WR 5-8 180 Abilene
Christian (Texas) Abilene, Texas
Brandon Borchardt OL 6-5 262 Western
State (Colo.) Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield
Eric Butler DT 62 305 Washburn
(Kan.) Leawood, Kan.Northeast
Will Clewis LB 6-1 240 Central
Oklahoma Fort Worth, Texas (Eastern Hills
HS
Weston Dressler WR 5-8 164 North
Dakota Bismarck, N.D./Bismarck High
School
Derek Dykstra WR 6-3 200 Colorado
Mines Seibert, Colo./ Hi-Plains H.S.
Jeff Fielder TE 6-5 260
Minnesota State-Mankato Salina, Okla./Salina
Dallas Flynn DE 6-5 280
Northwest Missouri Blair, Neb./Blair HS
Matt Frankel P 6-0 200 Central
Missouri Overland Park, Kan.Shawnee Mission
Ashton Gronewold WR 5-10 190
Missouri-Rolla Carthage, Ill./Carthage HS
Floyd Headen OL 6-7 330 West
Texas A&M Tampa, Fla.
Willie Hopson RB 5-8 185 Ouachita
Baptist Nashville, Ark.
Chris Johnson TE 6-3 275 Abilene
Christian (Texas) Fort Worth, Texas
Bobby Jones NG 6-4 285
Nebraska-Omaha Yankton, S.D./Yankton HS
Ben King QB 6-1 215 Minnesota
State-Mankato Marshfield,
Wis./Marshfield/
Kurt Kissner DT 6-3 245 Mesa State
(Colo.) Cedaredge, Colo. / Cedaredge
Jake Krause TE 6-4 270
Nebraska-Omaha Omaha, Neb./Millard South
HS
Rob Lewis DE 6-5 292
Nebraska-Omaha Kearney, Neb./Kearney HS
Johnny Lopez RB 5-8 188 Central
Washington Federal Way, Wash./John F.
Kennedy
Christian Morton OL 6-5 286 South
Dakota Norfolk, Neb./Norfolk HS
Rod Mosley DB 5-10 175 Texas
A&M-Kingsville Austin, Texas/ Reagan
Tywain Myles DL 6-2 305 Tarleton
State (Texas) Nacogdoches, Texas
Ranardrick Phillips DB 5-10 202
Tarleton State (Texas) Madison, Fla./Madison
County
Daniel Polk QB 6-2 202 Midwestern
State (Texas) Dallas, Texas/South Oak
Cliff HS
Kendall Ricketts DB 5-10 190 Central
Missouri Raytown, Mo/Raytown South HS
Jon Roberts K 6-0 190 West Texas
A&M Houston, Texas/Cypress Falls
Matt Robertson LB 6-1 235
Northwest Missouri State Fort Lauderdale,
Fla.
Tim Schneider OL 6-7 283 South
Dakota Adams, Minn./Southland HS
Pat Schwenke OL 6-5 300 West
Texas A&M Taylorsville, Utah/Taylorsville
Shane Simmons LB 6-1 230 Western
Washington Kent, Wash./Kentlake
Nick Smart WR 6-1 185 Southwest
Baptist (Mo.) Marionville, Mo.
John Strand OL 6-8 280 Chadron State
(Neb.) Imperial, Neb.
Brett Stray LB 6-2 251 Central
Washington Sammamish, Wash./Skyline
James Thabuteau DB 6-1 218
Truman State (Mo.) Palatine, Ill./Palatine
Beau Wendling DB 6-2 212 Chadron
State (Neb.) Rock Springs, Wyo.
Cary Williams DB 6-2 190 Washburn
(Kan.) Miami, Fla.(Madonna College Prep)
Rod Windsor WR 6-2 205 Western
New Mexico Bessemer, Ala./Jess Lanier
High School
Nathan Young OL 6-4 295 Abilene
Christian (Texas) Plainview, Texas
2008 Cactus
Bowl East Team
Almonzo Banks
WR 6-2 220 West Liberty State
Washington, D.C/(Dunbar
Mackenzy Bernadeau OL 6-4 303
Bentley (Mass.) Waltham, Mass./Waltham
Vince Black LB 6-2 245 Fairmont
State (Wva.) Marietta, Ohio/Parkersburg
Catholic
Bill Bourdlais OL 6-4 290 Ferris
State (Mich.) Newberry, Mich.
Jamar Brittingham RB 6-0 203
Bloomsburg (Pa.) Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy/Kiski
Prep
Mike Butterworth OL 6-7 330 Slippery
Rock (Pa.) Northern Cambria, Pa./N.
Cambria
Kyle Clement DE 6-4 266
Northwood (Mich.) Hudsonville, Mich/Hudsonville
Chris Conklin TE 6-4 255 Wingate
(N.C.) Snow Camp Southern Alamance
De’Audra Dix DB 5-10 160 Johnson
C. Smith (N.C.) Merritt Island,
Fla./Merritt Island
Michael Eubanks LB 6-2 225 Delta
State (Miss.) Cleveland, Miss./Cleveland
HS
Kory Fisher RB 5-10 195 Catawba
(N.C.) New Bern, N.C./New Bern
Bobby Floyd LB 6-3 215 Wingate
(N.C.) Fairmont, N.C./Fairmont
Nate Forse WR 6-4 220 California
(Pa.) Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands
Alex Hall DL 6-6 260 St.
Augustines’s (N.C.) Glenarden, Md.
Anthony Hailstock DB 5-10 170 Virginia
State Danville, Va.
Denatay Heard DB 6-0 180 Stillman
College (Ala.) LaGrange, Ga./Troup HS
Tim Hunt DL 6-5 274 North
Alabama Mobile, Ala./Alma Bryant
Kurt Hout DL 6-2 276 Ferris State
(Mich.) Arvada, Colo./West
Kurt Kutscher OL 6-7 315
Henderson State (Ark.) Navarro, Texas
Eric Lamoureux PK 5-11 178
Fayetteville State (N.C.) Roxbury,
N.H./Monadnock Regional
Maurice Leggett DB 6-0 180 Valdosta
State (Ga.) Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Zion
Jason Messing WR 6-1 200 North
Alabama Knoxville, Tenn. Farragut
Dan Marshall OL 6-4 298
Northwood (Mich.) Belmont, Mich./Rockford
Keith McCleary DL 6-2 300
University of Mary (N.D.) Napoleon,
N.D./Napolean HS
Tim McCutcheon OL 6-4 305
California (Pa.) Sewickley, Pa./Quaker
Valley
Jermaine Moye WR 6-3 215
California (Pa.) Rochester, Pa./Rochester
Mark Nicolet QB 6-1 220
Hillsdale (Mich.) Zionsville,
Ind./Zionsville
Jacob Owens DL 6-5 270 Fairmont
State (Wva.) Franklin, W.Va./Pendleton
County
Elfren Quiles WR 6-2 205 Kutztown
(Pa.) New Britain, Conn./New Britain
Brad Roach QB 6-6 245 Catawba
(N.C.) Williamston,N.C./Williamston
Eric Rice LB 5-11 205 Carson Newman
(Tenn.) Thomasville, Ga./County
Jeremy Ricks WR 5-9 175 Delta
State (Miss.) Hollandale,
Miss./Hollandale-Simmons
Paul Tetzel DB 5-10 195 Bentley
(Mass.) Millbury, Mass./Milbury
Rory Thomas OL 6-3 300
Indiana (Pa.) Beaver Falls,
pa./Beaver Falls
Matt Vanover P 5-10 195 Hillsdale
(Mich.) Adrian, Mich./Adrian
Dervon Wallace RB 5-6 177 Shepherd (Wva.)
Lusby, Md.
Jamarcus Wiggins DB 6-3 215 Delta
State (Miss.) Cantonment, Fla./Tate HS
Brian Witherspoon DB 6-1 180
Stillman College (Ala.) Butler,
Ala./Choctaw Co. HS
Kyle Witucki TE 6-4 249 Edinboro
(Pa.) Tarentum, Pa./ Highlands
