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WEEVILS
FACE STEEP HILL TO CLIMB
Picked to Finish Last
August 5, 2008
Contact: Brian Ramsey, UAM SID
 MONTICELLO
– For the third straight season, the University of Arkansas
at Monticello football team has been picked to finish last in
the Gulf South Conference in a poll voted on by the league’s
head coaches.
The Weevils responded correctly to the prediction in 2006 by
going 1-7 in GSC games, but turned a few heads in 2007 by going
3-5 in league action to finish the season in a tie for sixth
place with in-state opponent Arkansas Tech.
“For us to be picked last after the season we had last year,
I’ve got to believe the head coaches in the league think that
the assistants that were here played a huge role in our
success,” said fourth-year head coach Gwaine Mathews. “If
you look at it by the players we have this year, we are bringing
back most of those offensive guys that allowed us to put up
those big numbers against some of the best teams in the nation.”
Along with the pre-season poll, the 2008 Pre-Season All-GSC Team
was released. There were no UAM players selected to the team,
marking the only program in the league to not be represented.
“This is one of the toughest leagues in the nation, if not the
toughest,” said Mathews. “There are a lot of stellar athletes in
this league…I think a couple of our guys are good enough for
this team, but with the low placement of our team in the poll,
along comes less votes for UAM players.”
The pre-season release also included the listing of the 2008 top
newcomers. Making the list from UAM is freshman kicker Derek
Jambon (Marrero, La.), junior cornerback Augustus Ashley
(Central Florida), junior defensive lineman Stephen
Harris (Solano Community College) and junior defensive back
Marcus Van Buren (Highland Community College).
UAM received three votes for last place (10th), four votes for
ninth place, and one vote for both eighth and seventh place.
Defending NCAA Division II national champion Valdosta State was
picked as the pre-season favorite, followed by North Alabama,
2007 GSC champion Delta State, Henderson State, Harding,
Arkansas Tech, West Alabama, West Georgia, Southern Arkansas and
Ouachita Baptist.
Click
here for the full 2008 GSC
Football Pre-Season Release.
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