Kohou’s Defensive Back of the Year Award Among 18 Lions Named to All-LSC Teams

By Lion Athletics

RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce football team is well represented in the Lone Star Conference’s year-end awards and honors. 18 members of the Lion football have been named to the all-conference and all-academic teams announced on Friday afternoon.

Kader Kohou (Euless – Trinity) has been named the 2021 Lone Star Conference Defensive Back of the Year, also earning first team all-conference honors. He is joined on the all-LSC first team by defensive end Elijah Earls (San Antonio – Stevens), safety and all-purpose double honoree Dominique Ramsey (Converse – Judson), safety Alex Shillow (Pflugerville), offensive tackle Amon Simon (Humble – Atascocita), and kicker Jake Viquez (Rockwall).

The Lions are represented on the all-LSC second team by center Christian Hernandez (Frisco – Lone Star), wide receiver Chance Cooper (Leander – Rouse), and deep snapper Wyatt Leath (Rockwall) on second team all-conference.

Defensive tackle Anthony Hayes (Panama City, Fla.), Defensive end Jaylon Hodge (Houston – Fort Bend Travis), defensive end Celestin Haba (Columbia, S.C.), defensive end Dominion Ezinwa (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), linebacker Cedrick Wilcox III (Panama City, Fla.), linebacker Dee Walker (Moultrie, Ga.), cornerback D’Angelo Ellis (Cy Ridge), cornerback Darius Williams (Fort Worth – Arlington Heights), and cornerback Daryion Taylor (Humble – Atascocita) are named honorable mention.

Shillow, wide receiver Matt Childers (Henderson), and defensive tackle Devin Beamon (North Forney) earned LSC All-Academic honors.

Kohou is named to all-conference team for the third time in his career and second time to the first team. This is his first career player of the year award. He started all 11 games and made 24 tackles and six pass breakups. He also had two tackles for loss. Kohou contributed in the return game with five returns for 44 yards and caught a 40-yard pass on Senior Day. He is the first Lion to earn the award since Uriah Harris in 2016. Since the award’s inception in 1984, Kohou is the sixth Lion to earn the award.

Ramsey earned the honor of first team defensive back as well as a first team returner. He led the LSC with 444 punt return yards, as well as scoring the only touchdown on a punt return in the conference. He also had 51 tackles, which led the team as well as two tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, and one fumble recovery. Ramsey has been honored as a first team all-LSC player for the third time. He also made his mark offensively with 44 passing yards, 32 receiving yards, and three rushing yards.

Earls has been selected as an all-conference player for the first time in his career. He had 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks which led the team. He also had 43 tackles, three quarterback hurries, and one fumble recovery.

Shillow was named as the Defensive Player of the Week on November 1 and finished the season with 49 tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, and a blocked kick as well as a 100-yard interception returned for touchdown. He is selected to the first team all-conference for the first time and third time overall.

Simon and Hernandez are part of the offensive line unit which made way for the offense to gain 3,580 total yards and allowed less than two sacks per game. Simon is named to the first team all-LSC for the third time and Hernandez has earned all-LSC honors for the third time, having earned honorable mention the previous two times.

Viquez made LSC-leading 17 field goals and scored second most points in the conference, 84, on his way to his second all-LSC selection. He was named to second team all-LSC in 2019. Viquez also had 2,560 kickoff yards and 11 touchbacks, he went 33 for 36 in point after attempts.

Leath is named to all-LSC team for the second time. He and Childers contributed to Viquez’s efforts, as the long snapper and holder. He also was part of the punting unit that averaged 34.04 yards per punt, 13 punts inside the 20-yard line and no blocks.

Cooper was second on the team with 374 yards in just nine games played. He led the team with four touchdown catches and averaged 12.9 yards per catch. He is elevated to second team all-LSC, after being named an honorable mention all-LSC wide receiver in 2019.

Hayes, Haba, Wilcox III, Walker, Ezinwa, and Ellis are named all-LSC players in their first seasons as Lions. Hayes was second on the team with 5.5 sacks and team-leading two forced fumbles. He had 27 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup, two quarterback hurries, and a blocked kick. Haba also led the team along with Earls in tackles for loss with 9.5, he had five sacks. He also had two forced fumbles, 18 tackles, one quarterback hurry, and one fumble recovery in just six games.

Wilcox III was second on the team with 50 tackles, he also had a 73-yard fumble recovered for touchdown. He had four tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, and two fumble recoveries. Walker had 34 tackles and 2.5 for loss. Ezinwa sacked the quarterback 2.5 times and also recorded six tackles for loss, 34 tackles, three quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble. Ellis appeared in nine games, starting all nine. He had two interceptions, three pass breakups, as well as 19 tackles and one for a loss. Ellis also made contributions on special teams with 76 kickoff return yards and punt return yard for 20 yards.

Hodge had six tackles for loss, including five sacks on his way to his second all-LSC selection. He had 19 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups, and five quarterback hurries.

Williams and Taylor are named to all-LSC teams for the first time in their careers. Williams made 46 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, one quarterback hurry. He had eight tackles in the season opening win at CSU-Pueblo. Taylor also had an interception and made 45 tackles, four tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one quarterback hurry, and two fumble recoveries.

Shillow has been named to the all-academic team for the second time in his career. He has been named CoSIDA Academic All-District three times and CoSIDA Academic All-America twice.

Childers and Beamon have made their mark in the classroom, holding the best grade point averages on the team. Both are named to the all-academic team for the first time in their careers. Childers is a business major and Beamon is an electrical engineering major. On the field, Childers had 30 receptions for 382 yards and two touchdowns, while also contributing on special teams as the holder. Beamon had 26 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.

The Lions went 7-4 overall and 5-2 in their final season in the Lone Star Conference.

2021 LSC FOOTBALL ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS

Player	Team	Pos.	Yr.	Major	Hometown
Weston Bauer	Angelo State	Jr.	DE	Business Administration	Brady, Texas
Zach Bronkhorst	Angelo State	Jr.	QB	Homeland Security	Galveston, Texas
Rigoberto Carrillo	Midwestern State	Sr.	LB	Master’s in Criminal Justice	Lemoore, Calif.
Caleb Brown	Midwestern State	Sr.	OL	Master’s in Criminal Justice	Rowlett, Texas
Austan Davis	Midwestern State	Sr.	OL	Masters in Sport Admin.	Sulphur Springs, Texas
Alex Shillow	A&M-Commerce	Grad	DB	Sport and Rec. Mgmt/MBA	Pflugerville, Texas
Matt Childers	A&M-Commerce	Jr.	WR/H	Business Administration	Henderson, Texas
Devin Beamon	A&M-Commerce	Sr.	DL	Electrical Engineering	Forney, Texas
Karch Kaspar	Texas A&M-Kingsville	Jr.	K/P	Biology	Brazoria, Texas
Brandon Blair	West Texas A&M	Jr.	RB	Biology	Spring, Texas
Nick Gerber	West Texas A&M	Jr.	QB	Instructional Design & Tech.	Levelland, Texas

Special Recognition
Academic Player of the Year: Brandon Blair, West Texas A&M
2021 LSC FOOTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
SPECIAL AWARDS
Offensive Player of the Year (J.W. Rollins award): Dillon Sterling-Cole, Midwestern State
Offensive Back of the Year: Nathan Omayebu III, Angelo State
Receiver of the Year: Justin Manyweather, Eastern New Mexico
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Willis Patrick, Angelo State
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Jalen March, Midwestern State
Defensive Player of the Year (J.V. Sikes award): Hunter Kyle, Angelo State
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Mazin Richards, Eastern New Mexico
Linebacker of the Year: JT Cavender, West Texas A&M
Defensive Back of the Year: Kader Kohou, A&M-Commerce
Defensive Freshman of the Year: JT Cavender, West Texas A&M
Newcomer of the Year: Dillon Sterling-Cole, Midwestern State
Coach of the Year: Bill Maskill, Midwestern State

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

Jacob Neal	Angelo State	OG	Jr.	Palestine, Texas
Jacobi Lott	West Texas A&M	OG	So.	Amarillo, Texas
Amon Simon	A&M-Commerce	OT	Sr.	Humble, Texas
Willis Patrick	Angelo State	OT	So.	Grand Prairie, Texas
Alfredo Fernandez	Angelo State	C	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
Nick Gonzalez	Midwestern State	C	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Dagen Dunham	Angelo State	TE	Jr.	Muleshoe, Texas
Justin Manyweather	Eastern New Mexico	WR	Sr.	Los Angeles, Calif.
Kylan Harrison	Midwestern State	WR	Jr.	Dallas, Texas
MJ Link	UT Permian Basin	WR	Jr.	Lakeland, Fla.
Kellen Pachot	Angelo State	WR	Sr.	Fontana, Calif.
Dillon Sterling-Cole	Midwestern State	QB	Sr.	Orange, Texas
Nathan Omayebu	Angelo State	RB	So.	Sherman, Texas
Jalen March	Midwestern State	RB	Fr.	Fort Worth, Texas
Cason Brown	Angelo State	FB	Jr.	Schulenburg, Texas
Jake Viquez	A&M-Commerce	PK	Sr.	Rockwall, Texas
Kylan Harrison	Midwestern State	RS	Sr.	Paris, Texas

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

Tylen Coleman	Western New Mexico	DT	So.	Maricopa, Ariz.
G’Karri McCoy	Angelo State	DT	Sr.	Dallas, Texas
Elijah Earls	A&M-Commerce	DE	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
Mazin Richards	Eastern New Mexico	DE	So.	Burleson, Texas
Hunter Kyle	Angelo State	ILB	Sr.	Wichita Falls, Texas
JT Cavender	West Texas A&M	ILB	Fr.	Midlothian, Texas
Eric Collins	West Texas A&M	OLB	Sr.	Cedar Hill, Texas
Daron Allman	Angelo State	OLB	So.	Killeen, Texas
Kader Kohou	A&M-Commerce	CB	Sr.	Euless, Texas
Tobias Harris	West Texas A&M	CB	Jr.	Pflugerville, Texas
Dominique Ramsey	A&M-Commerce	S	Sr.	Converse, Texas
Leddy French	Angelo State	S	Sr.	Brock, Texas
Alex Shillow	A&M-Commerce	S	Sr.	Pflugerville, Texas
Fernando Piedra	Midwestern State	P	Sr.	Jacksboro, Texas
Clay Englhardt	Texas A&M-Kingsville	DS	So.	San Antonio, Texas
Dominique Ramsey	A&M-Commerce	AP	Sr.	Converse, Texas

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

Caleb Gill	Midwestern State	OG	So.	Denton, Texas
Vili Fisiiahi	Eastern New Mexico	OG	Sr.	Honolulu, Hawaii
Braxton Webb	Angelo State	OT	Sr.	San Angelo, Texas
Caleb Brown	Midwestern State	OT	Sr.	Rowlett, Texas
Christian Hernandez	A&M-Commerce	C	Sr.	Frisco, Texas
Zane Madison	West Texas A&M	C	So.	Van Alstyne, Texas
Jeremie Karngbaye	West Texas A&M	TE	Jr.	Portales, N.M.
Noah Bogardus	West Texas A&M	WR	Jr.	Eastvale, Calif.
Chance Cooper	A&M-Commerce	WR	Sr.	Leander, Texas
Ty Chisum	Texas A&M-Kingsville	WR	Sr.	Eagle Pass, Texas
Ryan Martinez	Texas A&M-Kingsville	WR	Sr.	Kingsville, Texas
Zach Bronkhorst	Angelo State	QB	Jr.	Galveston, Texas
Carl Odom	Angelo State	RB	Jr.	Hemet, Calif.
Jarrod Compton	West Texas A&M	RB	Jr.	Lubbock, Texas
Jordan Johnson	West Texas A&M	FB	Sr.	Eagle Pass, Texas
Asa Fuller	Angelo State	PK	Sr.	Fountain Valley, Calif.
Ritse Vaes	Midwestern State	PK	Fr.	Wichita Falls, Texas
Andrew Pitts	Angelo State	RS	Fr.	McKinney, Texas
Alfred Grear	Angelo State	AP	So.	Del Valle, Texas

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

Tevita Mounga	Texas A&M-Kingsville	DT	Sr.	Juice County, Calif.
Alex Alvarado	Midwestern State	DT	Jr.	Fort Worth, Texas
Melik Owens	Midwestern State	DE	Jr.	Houston, Texas
Weston Bauer	Angelo State	DE	Jr.	Brady, Texas
Josh Quinton	Angelo State	ILB	Sr.	Lubbock, Texas
Justin Guillory	Midwestern State	ILB	Jr.	Houston, Texas
Cameron Cauthen	Texas A&M-Kingsville	OLB	Jr.	Mont Belvieu, Texas
Donavyn Jackson	Angelo State	OLB	Sr.	San Angelo, Texas
Dylon Davis	Midwestern State	CB	Fr.	Abilene, Texas
DeShaun Douglas	Angelo State	CB	Jr.	Carrollton, Texas
Malik Sonnier	Midwestern State	S	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Satchel Escalante	West Texas A&M	S	Jr.	Casa Grande, Ariz.
Darrick Dickerson	Angelo State	S	Sr.	Missouri City, Texas
Carson Roberts	UT Permian Basin	P	Fr.	Odessa, Texas
Wyatt Leath	A&M-Commerce	DS	Sr.	Rockwall, Texas

HONORABLE MENTION

Troy Billman	Texas A&M-Kingsville	OG	So.	Kingsville, Texas
Parker Hanna	West Texas A&M	OT	Jr.	Stratford, Texas
Adam Alcorta	West Texas A&M	OT	So.	New Braunfels, Texas
Branon Jackson	Texas A&M-Kingsville	OT	Fr.	San Antonio, Texas
Oly Ta’ase	Western New Mexico	TE	Sr.	Pago Pago American Samoa
Matt Zubiate	UT Permian Basin	TE	Jr.	El Paso, Texas
Ja’Juan Mason	Midwestern State	WR	R-Fr.	Allen, Texas
Kobe Robinson	UT Permian Basin	WR	Jr.	Odessa, Texas
Darrian Hambrick	Texas A&M-Kingsville	WR	Sr.	Nashville, Tenn.
Nick Gerber	West Texas A&M	QB	Jr.	Levelland, Texas
Howard Russell	Eastern New Mexico	RB	Fr.	Phoenix, Ariz.
Bryce Coleman	Western New Mexico	RB	Jr.	Tucson, Ariz.
Christian Anderson	Texas A&M-Kingsville	RB	So.	Cypress, Texas
Jayvon Davis	UT Permian Basin	RB	Fr.	Houston, Texas
Gilbert Garza	Texas A&M-Kingsville	PK	Fr.	Weslaco, Texas
Hesston Marshall	West Texas A&M	RS	Fr.	Wheeler, Texas
Anthony Hayes	A&M-Commerce	DT	Jr.	Panama City, Fla.
La’Daidreain Glasker	UT Permian Basin	DT	Sr.	Waco, Texas
Dominion Ezinwa	A&M-Commerce	DT	Sr.	Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Zed Asowata	Midwestern State	DT	So.	Houston, Texas
Jensen Misa’alefua	Western New Mexico	DT	So.	Carson, Calif.
Xavier Rivera	West Texas A&M	DT	Jr.	Abernathy, Texas
Tre’Darius Colbert	Angelo State	DE	So.	Temple, Texas
Jaylon Abdul-Karim	Midwestern State	DE	Sr.	Dallas, Texas
Jacob Clarkson	Texas A&M-Kingsville	DE	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Jaylon Hodge	A&M-Commerce	DE	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Celestin Haba	A&M-Commerce	DE	Jr.	Columbia, S.C.
Cedrick Wilcox III	A&M-Commerce	ILB	Sr.	Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Chris Thomas	West Texas A&M	ILB	Jr.	Humble, Texas
Kaleb Gutierrez	Western New Mexico	ILB	Jr.	El Paso, Texas
Miquon Mayes	UT Permian Basin	ILB	Jr.	Dallas, Texas
Dee Walker	A&M-Commerce	ILB	Jr.	Moultrie, Ga.
Dailon Gants	Texas A&M-Kingsville	OLB	Jr.	Beaumont, Texas
Jaques Tyler	UT Permian Basin	CB	So.	Schertz, Texas
D’Angelo Ellis	A&M-Commerce	CB	Sr.	Cypress, Texas
Devin Washington	Angelo State	CB	Sr.	Deltona, Fla.
Khalil Finley	Midwestern State	CB	Sr.	Denison, Texas
Amos Coleman	Texas A&M-Kingsville	CB	R-Fr.	Houston, Texas
Isaiah Jocobs	Texas A&M-Kingsville	S	Jr.	Austin, Texas
Darius Williams	A&M-Commerce	S	Jr.	Fort Worth, Texas
Cameron Santa Cruz	Eastern New Mexico	S	R-Fr.	Eunice, N.M.
Daryion Taylor	A&M-Commerce	S	So.	Humble, Texas
Jacob Cavazos	Texas A&M-Kingsville	P	Fr.	Weslaco, Texas
Cade Fuller	Angelo State	P	Jr.	Fountain Valley, Calif.
Dane McElrath	Angelo State	DS	Sr.	Needville, Texas