|
Western football returning players best in I-AA
Three Western Carolina football players – Felipe Foster, Tim Mayse and Mike Malone – were listed among the NCAA I-AA’s top returning players at their respective positions by The Sports Network.
Foster, a senior from Athens, Ga., was tabbed the eighth-best returning defensive tackle. He was named first team All-Southern Conference last season by the league’s coaches despite tallying just 21 tackles on the season, including three tackles for losses and two sacks. However, it was Foster’s play up front, disrupting plays and commanding double teams, which went a long way in Western Carolina ranking first in the nation in pass defense, ranking fifth nationally in pass efficiency defense and ranking among the SoCon top three in five defensive categories, including first in total defense. Foster’s top game in 2005 was an eight-tackle performance versus Wofford. He additionally blocked a field goal versus the Terriers to help preserve a shutout, which was the first time Wofford had been shutout in a SoCon game. Prior to the 2005 season, Foster was tabbed first team preseason All-SoCon by the coaches even though he only had 13 tackles during his sophomore season.
Mayse, a senior from Pine Mountain, Ga., was ranked as the fourth-best returning punter in I-AA football. He is a two-time, second team All-SoCon selection who led the SoCon in punting each of the last two seasons. Last season, he averaged 41.80 yards per punt to rank 11th in the NCAA and in 2004 he averaged 39.8 yards per punt to rank 26th nationally. Of Mayse’s 49 punts in his junior season, including a long of 63 yards, he had eight punts of 50 yards or more, 10 punts fair caught and 11 punts which pinned the opponent inside their own 20. Mayse’s 2005 season average ranks sixth on the WCU single season list. Also, with one year remaining, his current career punting average of 40.8 yards per punt ranks third on the WCU all-time list.
Malone, a junior from Gainesville, Ga., ranks as the fifth-best return specialist coming back for 2006. He was a first team All-SoCon pick as a kick returner this past season, his first honor in football. He ranked second in the nation and led the Southern Conference in kick returns, averaging an impressive 31.29 yards per return. Western additionally ranked first in the nation in kick returns with an average of 27.44 yards per return. Malone bolstered his season average versus Elon. First, he returned the opening kickoff 80 yards, setting up a field goal. The next time he touched the ball, he returned the kickoff 90 yards for his first career touchdown. Those 170 yards in kick returns rank 10th on the SoCon single-game list. Malone got the year off to a good start, returning his only kickoff 46 yards versus Mars Hill and having kick returns of 35 and 34 yards in an upset win over Furman. His 31.29 yards per return for 2005 are eighth on the SoCon single-season top 10 and second on the WCU all-time list. In addition to his football talents, Malone is one of the top sprinters in the SoCon. He was the 2005 100 and 200-meter Southern Conference champion and the 2006 400-meter hurdles SoCon champion.
Below are a few items of interest to look forward to:
July 21 – WCU Football’s 10th Annual Catamount Classic Golf Tournament at Broadmoor Links, for more information or to register, call 227-7395.
August 2 – WCU Alumni Association/Catamount Club’s Western Open Golf Tournament at the Waynesville Country Club, for more information or to register, call 227-7337.
August 4 – Football players report to campus
August 5 – Football practice begins
August 23 – WCU classes begin
August 31 – WCU Football opens 2006 season with Chowan at 7 p.m.
|
