Great American Conference report

Henderson State linebacker Keaton Stigger during 1st quarter action against Southern Nazarene at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia.

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/JIMMY JONES
Henderson State linebacker Keaton Stigger during 1st quarter action against Southern Nazarene at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia. Special to the Democrat-Gazette/JIMMY JONES

Stigger’s big game a winner

A Henderson State football player earned national honors for a third consecutive week as senior linebacker Keaton Stigger was named the national player of the week by Beyond Sports Network following a multi-faceted performance Saturday.

Stigger made 11 tackles, including two for losses, in Saturday’s 44-35 victory at Southeastern Oklahoma and scored four touchdowns in his first career action at fullback.

Stigger, of Collierville, Tenn., had four carries and scored three times. He scored three times on 2-yard runs and once on a 4-yard carry to tie a Great American Conference single-game record for touchdowns.

Henderson State’s Kevin Nichols and Southern Nazarene’s Derick Perkins set the record last year, with Nichols scoring his four touchdowns against Ouachita Baptist and Perkins getting his four touchdowns against College of Faith. Both players set the record Nov. 10.

Stigger, a two-time firstteam All-GAC selection, leads the Reddies with 25 tackles, including five for losses. He was also named the Great American Conference’s defensive player of the week.

Previous winners of the Beyond Sports Network award include Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers and the Reddies’ offensive line (Deveron Powell, Kelton Hays, RJTaylor, Doug Despain and Ricky Gonzales) for their performance in the season opener against Southern Nazarene.

Wide receiver Al Laskerwon it for his performance against McKendree in the second week of the season.Run aground

Arkansas Tech committed to the ground game at Southern Nazarene on Saturday, and it paid dividends.

The Wonder Boys pounded the struggling Crimson Storm 49-7, posting their best rushing day (277 yards) since 2009, and producing their first 100-yard rusher (Ketrich Harmon with 132) since 2011. Harmon was named GAC offensive player of the week.

Arkansas Tech took advantage of three turnovers and scored all seven of its touchdowns on rushing plays while holding Southern Nazarene to 218 yards, including 27 on the ground.

Building a pipeline

Former Henderson State lineman Cherokee Streetman didn’t have to go far to find a job after his eligibility expired.

Streetman remained in Arkadelphia to coach the offensive line at Arkadelphia High School. The Badgershave outscored their opponents 154-48 while winning their first three games of the season.

“He brought maybe a little bit of something to the Badger program, I hope,” Henderson State Coach Scott Maxfield told the Arkadelphia Football Club last week. “It’s good to see your former players go out and be successful, especially if they become coaches.

We’ve got coaches now, since I’ve been here nine years. We’ve got coaches throughout the state of Arkansas and Texas.

“That has really helped our recruiting, and I can draw from those kids and they can call me and that opens up a lot of roads to places that possibly we wouldn’t be able to recruit.”Looking ahead

Arkansas-Monticello freshman kicker Jamie McGee kicked a 43-yard field goal, a career best, in the Boll Weevils’ 22-20 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday, earning the GAC special teams award.

McGee, who was 3 for 3 on field-goal attempts Saturday and is 6 for 6 overall, said he kicked a 52-yarder in high school at Lake Charles, La., and knew the game-winner was within his range.

Coach Hud Jackson predicted even better days for McGee.

“Before it’s over most of those records will be under his name,” Jackson said.

In honor of Willie

The Henderson State Hall of Honor committee has created the Willie Tate Meritorious Humanitarian Award in honor of the late assistant who coached for the Reddies from 1990-1999.

Tate, who died in March 2012 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, played college football at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (then known as Arkansas AM&N) and received his master’s degree from Henderson State. He also coached track and golf for the Reddies. He coached golf from 1995 until his retirement in 2006.

The first award will be presented to Tate’s family at the Reddie Hall of Honor Ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Garrison Center Day Gym. Henderson State plays host to East Central Oklahoma at 3 p.m.

Todd Traub is a special contributor who covers the Great American Conference for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

SATURDAY’S GAMES All times Central So. Arkansas at NW (Okla.) St., 1 p.m.

E. Central (Okla.) at Henderson St., 3 p.m. Southern Nazarene at Harding, 6 p.m.

Arkansas Tech at Nicholls State, 6 p.m. Ark.-Monticello at SW Okla. St., 6 p.m. SE Okla. St. at Ouachita Baptist, 7 p.m.

Sports, Pages 21 on 09/27/2013

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