By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor Over 90 ACU football players reported to preseason camp practice on Aug. 11 with a slightly different schedule. In an attempt to curb the sometimes disastrous effects of heat-related illnesses that have received much intention in recent years, the NCAA mandated that, beginning this summer, Division I and II ... [Read More…]
ACU holds off WTAM in finale: ACU ends season with first winning record since ’97
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor It wasn't pretty, but ACU got the job done on Saturday by holding off a dismal West Texas A&M team 35-31 in Shotwell Stadium. With the win, ACU (6-4 overall) secured its first winning season since 1997 and tied Texas A&M Kingsville for a share of the Lone Star Conference South Division title with a 5-1 mark. The ... [Read More…]
Cats not quitting just yet: ACU shooting for winning campaign in final game
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor The playoffs are out of the picture, but a winning season is not. The 5-4 football team will take this mindset into its final game Saturday against winless Lone Star Conference South opponent West Texas A&M. ACU plays host to the Buffaloes a week after a heartbreaking 22-16 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville that ... [Read More…]
Weekend of disappointment: Cats’ run comes up short at TAMUK: Loss shatters ACU’s streak, postseason chances
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor What goes up must come down. The Wildcats found this to be true Saturday when a 22-16 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville snapped their five game winning streak, as well as a bid to the Division II playoffs. ACU needed to be one of the top four teams in the West Region Poll to qualify for the postseason. The Cats, who are ... [Read More…]
Cats/Javs to be ACU’s biggest game since ’86: Everything at stake for Wildcats in Saturday’s matchup
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor The ACU football team is in a must-win situation, and they're thrilled to death about it. The Wildcats travel to Texas A&M-Kingsville this weekend for the biggest game they've played in years. Their playoff hopes, a conference title and a five-game winning streak are all at stake, but that's the fun part. "I'd be ... [Read More…]
Hot Wildcats keep on rolling: ACU wins fifth straight, moves up one spot in region
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor After dropping their first three games, Coach Gary Gaines and his Wildcats knew they'd have to win every one of their remaining seven games to have a shot at making the playoffs. Five down, two to go. The ACU football team climbed the next rung of its ladder to the postseason with a 47-6 crushing of Texas ... [Read More…]
ACU guns for five straight against TAMC: Cats, Lions bring opposite seasons to Shotwell Saturday
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor Both ACU and Lone Star Conference South opponent Texas A&M-Commerce have one thing in common-they haven't had the seasons they were expected to have. On one hand, the Wild-cats, who were picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the LSC South, have reversed the prediction with their current share of first place ... [Read More…]
Four in a row? Say it ain’t so!: ACU makes Midwestern the next victim, 21-20
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor The ACU football team has four wins in a row. No, this isn't news from 1986, though that was the last time the Wildcats accomplished such a feat. Instead, after Saturday's 21-20 victory over Midwestern State, this is reality. "It's almost like a big dream to me," said senior running back Eric Polk, who led the Cats ... [Read More…]
Happy Homecoming: Cats win third straight
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor Momentum. That's what the Wildcats have after picking up three straight victories, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since the 1999 season. The most recent link in ACU's momentum chain came on Saturday, when the Wildcats edged rival Angelo State 30-29 in their Homecoming matchup. Angelo State had previously ... [Read More…]
Gary Gaines: The Player’s Coach has team’s respect, admiration
By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor Ever since he was a child, Gary Gaines knew what he wanted to do with his life. All he had to do was look to his uncle, a sideline general from yesteryear, and he knew he was going to be a football coach. "He was my childhood hero," Gaines said of his uncle. "I had great admiration for him and what he did, and I ... [Read More…]