Football players given honors, recognition

The Crusader football team goes into this off-season as the eighth ranked team in the nation, according to the AFCA top 25 poll. Along with this honor, the Cru accumulated many individual honors.

The squad placed eight on the allregion team including LB Jerrell Freeman, CB Elliot Barcak and FS Josh Kubiak, voted to the All-South Region First Team Defense, while DT Terence Carroll was named to the Second Team. Also RB Jarvis Thrasher, OT Caleb Woodall and PK Zach Newcomb represented the Crusaders on the All-South Region First Team Offense, while OG Josh Littlejohn was named to the Third Team.

“The awards are a great honor and really help players strive to be better for next year,” senior Elliot Barcak said. “We have so much talent, I expect even more people to get awards next season.”

The 2006 squad received awards on a national level also. Zach Newcomb was named to the D3Football.com All- American First Team along with Jerrell Freeman and Josh Kubiak. Caleb Woodall and Terrence Carroll were named Honorable Mention All-American.

There are three All-American polls done each year, and Freeman was placed on every one of them. D3Football.com All American Team the AP Little All- American Team and the AFCA Coaches’ All American Team.

“This is something I have strived for since I came to UMHB, and I am extremely honored,” Freeman said. “Coming in as a freshman and seeing all the guys on the All-American wall in the field house and now I am going to join them. It’s an honor.”

The players were not the only ones to receive awards. Head Coach Pete Fredenburg was placed in the Texas State University Hall of Honor this year.

He is a 1970 graduate and was a threeyear letterman for the Bobcats as a defensive back.

Fredenburg is the only coach in the nine-year history of the UMHB football program and has led the Cru to four conference championships and to the Amos Alonso Stagg Bowl to play for the national championship in 2004.

In a press release Fredenburg said, “It was a tremendous experience and just a tremendous honor. It was the farthest thing from my mind that I would ever be inducted into the Hall of Honor at Texas State. To even be considered is just such an honor, and I never thought I would be recognized that way.”