2008 Season Stats

2007 Season Stats

2006 Season Stats

All-Time Records

A not-so-new face will enter the 2008 season as head football coach.

Wayne Schroeder was named 16th head football coach at Sul Ross State University in February, 2008.

Schroeder, who spent the past 2 seasons as defensive line coach for the Lobo football team, replaces Steve Wright who stepped down from the head coach’s position in December. Schroeder helped guide the Lobos to a 10-9 record including an American Southwest Conference mark of 8-9.

Schroeder takes the head coach’s job with a coaching career that spans more than 35 years.

A 1969 graduate of Southwest Texas State University-San Marcos (kinesiology), Schroeder served as athletic coordinator and head football coach at William B. Travis High School in Austin from 2001-06 where he led the team to a bi-district appearance in 2004.

Prior to his run in Austin, Schroeder served as director of athletics and head football coach at Taylor High School from 1987-2000, leading the team to eight playoff showings.

Schroeder was also head football and boys basketball coach at Granger High School (1972-74). He began his coaching career as head football and basketball coach at Hutto High from 1969-71.

“I can’t express the gratitude I have for Sul Ross allowing me this tremendous opportunity,” Schroeder said. “To be able to walk into a program that Coach Wright has taken to a competitive level and continue to improve on that foundation brings many exciting challenges and I know that we are looking forward to meeting those challenges.”

“With continual improvement not just on the field but in the recruiting and retention aspects, we will continue to solidify a growing loyalty between our football program and the Alpine community.”

2007 Recap

Eight seniors – one a grandfather – led Sul Ross through an injury-plagued season to a 5-5 record.

With 59-year-old Mike Flynt returning after a 37-year hiatus for his final year of eligibility, Lobo practices and games drew widespread media attention throughout the campaign. Seven other seniors, including all-conference offensive standouts Austin Davidson and TJ Barber, led the steady progression from an 0-6 start as freshmen.

Quarterback Davidson (Hallsville) set a single-season touchdown pass record with 24 scoring strikes and finished his career with new standards of 8,071 passing yards and 61 touchdowns. Barber (Midland High), a two-time first-team All-American Southwest Conference running back, extended his career rushing mark to 3,898 yards. He scored 10 touchdowns to establish a new career mark of 42.

Defensive linemen Zach Gideon (Hallsville) gained all-conference recognition despite injury, while linebacker Nathan Graham (Odessa Permian) and defensive back Preston Watts (Brazoria/West Columbia) also merited ASC honors. Defensive lineman Chris Vela (Stockdale) and linebacker Milo Garza (Pharr North) also completed their careers.

Graham finished second in total tackles (72), including eight for losses and a sack. Garza had 60 stops, seven for losses; Gideon, who missed three full games and parts of others, finished with 36 tackles, including three behind the scrimmage line, and blocked three kicks. Watts had 33 tackles, broke up 10 passes, intercepted another and forced two fumbles, while Vela was in on 23 tackles, six for losses, and had two fumble recoveries.

Former coach Steve Wright praised the dedication of the senior group, seven who helped turn a program from an 0-26 start. Sul Ross finished 2-8 in 2004, their first campaign; 3-7 in 2005 and 5-4 last season.

“This group was instrumental in revitalizing this program,” Wright said. “Mike’s (Flynt) thread is the reason our program and the university gained a great deal of visibility, and he also contributed to the team’s success in many ways. He worked hard, he deserved to play, and we had plans to use him more extensively before he was injured.

“What I saw early, when he was healthy, he would have helped us compete.”

The loss of two wide receivers (Jacob Warden, Bandera, and Joc Quise Brown, Temple) to injuries forced adjustments to the Lobos’ offensive scheme, but both players will return next season. Brown was the second leading receiver with 28 catches for 491 yards and six touchdowns. Warden caught six passes for 121 yards before being lost to injury in the fourth game. Freshman Jarrett Dickerson (Willis) topped the category with 51 grabs for 829 yards and nine scores. Freshman of the Year Carlo Dominguez (Ramondville), who will likely inherit the quarterback spot in 2008, had 22 grabs for 433 yards and three scores. He also rushed for 292 yards, a 7.7 average, scoring four times; threw a touchdown pass and averaged 39.9 yards on 52 kicks, including an 80-yarder.

“We overcame a great deal of adversity and costly injuries to reach 5-2. We won twice in overtime, another game in the final minutes and lost one (to Louisiana College) on the final play of the game,” said Wright. “We did all this despite playing six games on the road in one of the most competitive conferences in D-III football.

“Our entire receiving corps, offensive linemen and critical defensive personnel are made up of underclassmen, and we had one of the most talented freshmen classes since I have been here. One of our key areas for improvement will be our snapping game, which affects our offense, special teams and how we react defensively to ball movement.”

Revived alumni enthusiasm, a major increase in attendance and six home games all point to continued growth in 2008.

“Something we got back with Mike’s presence...was the way the atmosphere at games was racheted up,” Wright said. “There was an unconditional desire for these kids to want to win, and the atmosphere built from warmups to the end of the game.

“Mike and his fellow seniors will be as vital figures next year and in succeeding years. As alumni, they can play extremely influential roles in supporting and generating more alumni backing for a program that they have been such a vital part of re-energizing.”