Saturday, Nov. 13, will mark the final time that 19 Arkansas Tech senior football players will suit up for the Wonder Boys.
Tech’s 2010 football seniors will be honored during a pre-game ceremony at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.
Kickoff for the 2010 season finale against Southwest Baptist is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Click here to read a preview of the game. Steve Mullins, director of athletics and head football coach at Arkansas Tech, took time earlier this week to share some thoughts about the 19 young men wearing the green and gold for the final time. Below is a partial transcript of Mullins’ comments about his seniors.
For the complete interview, listen to KWKK 100.9 FM or http://www.atu.edu/techathleticaudiostreaming.shtml at halftime of Saturday’s game. Drew Hanna, Kicker, Russellville: “He’s been one of my favorites this year. I sit around and visit with the kickers before practice quite often. He did a good job for Central Baptist as a soccer player and earned his bachelor’s degree there. He is in graduate school and wanted to come out and be part of the team. He’s been a pleasure and a very positive person. I think his attitude will carry him far in life.” Jeremy Haynes, Wide Receiver, Seaside, Calif.: “Jeremy is a good example of a person who continued to work and try to improve himself. He spent a good deal of the year on our ready squad, but he has come back late in the season and contributed.” Whisly Laurent, Wide Receiver, Brooklyn, N.Y.: “Whisly has done a good job with us. He’s done some good things on special teams, and he’s a guy who practices hard every day and gives it his very best.” Robert Sagerian, Quarterback, San Diego, Calif.: “Robert has had his ups and downs, but he still goes out there and works hard and tries to prepare himself the best he can. We’ve counted on Robert to lead us and help us try to win.” C.J. Hunter, Wide Receiver, West Helena: “C.J. has done an outstanding job as a holder on our place kicking unit this year. He has really been excellent on all of our special teams.” Jarrod Martin, Wide Receiver, Crossett: “Jarrod came to us as a walk-on and he just kept on working. He stayed with it, and now he is to the point of almost earning a college degree. We’re very proud of how far Jarrod has come.” Scharvundrick Franklin, Wide Receiver, Dumas: “Like a lot of these guys, Scharvundrick has had to battle to get where he is today. He’s on track to graduate. He has been our most productive senior on offense.” Donquell Davenport, Defensive Lineman, Longview, Texas: “Donquell plays hard every down. He has some key roles for us on special teams. He has his goals in life well defined, and I’m very proud of Donquell.” T.J. Langley, Defensive Lineman, Hugo, Okla.: “T.J. is probably the best big athlete we have on the team. He started out at tight end, but we felt like his talents were a little wasted at that position. He’s done a great job at nose guard and I want to wish him continued success as he works toward his degree.” Brannon Kidd, Defensive Back, Crossett: “Brannon started his college football career several different times, but he has matured to the point of being a senior athletically and academically.” Michael Chapman, Defensive Back, Kansas City, Mo.: “Like Brannon, Michael took on a much larger role this year than we would have anticipated at the end of last spring. Both of those guys continued to battle and continued to fight.” Antonio Charles, Defensive Back, Sarasota, Fla.: “T.C. is a tremendous football player. He stayed healthy this year and was a leader by example.” Derandus Frye, Defensive Lineman, New Orleans, La.: “Derandus has improved so much athletically and academically. He’s a guy who I think is an all-conference type player.” Josh Govan, Defensive Lineman, Crossett: “Josh has totally transformed himself. He has gone from being a 300-pound, plug the gap guy to a pure speed guy. He’s another guy who has already finished his bachelor’s degree and is working on his master’s degree.” RonDerrick Jackson, Defensive Back, Bossier City, La.: “RonDerrick is a wonderful child, and it broke my heart when he got hurt (Oct. 30 vs. Valdosta State). He gave it his best every day, and it has hurt us the last several weeks with him not being out there.” Brandon Wright, Linebacker, Stuttgart: “Brandon is an outstanding player and an outstanding individual. If both of my sons grow up like Brandon Wright, I’ll be the happiest father in the world. When you look at academics, personal integrity, leadership and effort, he is what you wish everyone on your team was. Brandon’s a special guy in a lot of different ways. He’ll start working on his master’s degree this spring.” Terrance Boykin, Defensive Back, Wynne: “Terrance always has a smile on his face and always keeps a positive attitude. He has been up and down in his career because of injuries, but he’s always done his rehab and taken care of business in the classroom.” Tario Dansby, Defensive Back, Ashdown: “I feel so good about Tario. When he came to us, he was not prepared academically. He has worked hard, his family has worked hard, his coaches worked hard and he has already earned his bachelor’s degree. He really debated coming back to play this year, and even though his senior year was really messed up by injury, I’m glad he came back and I hope it has been a positive experience for him.” Danny Martin, Linebacker, Tulsa, Okla.: “We could have lumped Brandon Wright and Danny Martin together because they are both linebackers who are beyond fine individuals. Danny is an extremely hard worker. The only negative about Danny is he’s about to finish his degree in engineering and he’s talking to me about wanting to be a coach. I hate for him to waste all that talent, but he’s a guy who has passion for the sport. Danny is a brilliant young man, and we’ll see what he does with his degree and his talent.”
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