2012 All-Lone Star Conference Football Awards
ABILENE – Abilene Christian junior
Taylor Gabriel and senior
L.B. Suggs Friday were respectively announced as the Lone Star Conference's Receiver and Defensive Back of the Year. Both veterans also debuted on the all-conference first team.
A native of Mesquite, Texas, Gabriel started all 11 games and averaged 81.9 all-purpose yards, which included 85 on the ground, 684 through the air and 132 on punt returns. He also scored nine touchdowns to rank ninth among the conference leaders in scoring (4.91 ppg), and ranked eighth with 4.7 receptions per game.
Gabriel, who shares his Receiver of the Year Award with Torrence Allen of West Texas A&M and A&M-Kingsville's Robert Armstrong, is a two-time all-conference selection. He made last year's second team after catching 64 passes for 988 yards and 10 touchdowns.
This year, Gabriel caught 14 fewer passes, but still enjoyed 100-yard receiving games vs. McMurry (108), Eastern New Mexico (112) and Midwestern State (116). He also rushed for a season high 42 yards on four carries at Delta State and returned a punt 54 yards at Cowboys Stadium to set up the go-ahead touchdown midway through the third quarter.
Gabriel's talent for returning punts – five returns for 132 yards (26.4 avg.) – earned him a spot on the all-conference second team as its return specialist.
Joining Gabriel on the second team are wide receiver
Darrell Cantu-Harkless, fullback
Elton Crochran, and outside linebacker
Mike Wallace. Crochran and Wallace are both first-time conference honorees, while Cantu-Harkless previously made honorable mention as running back in 2010 and again this season as the return specialist.
A native of Cedar Hill, Texas, and two-time LSC honorable mention, Suggs enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2012 that included 98 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles. Three of his sacks came during last week's season finale at Incarnate Word.
Suggs made all 11 starts and served as team captain for 10 games. Four times he recorded 10 or more tackles, including three straight times vs. Kingsville, Tarleton and Angelo State. In an upset win over No. 12 West Alabama, Suggs had nine tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass breakup.
The senior duo of cornerback
Steven Ford and punter
Spencer Covey also earned first team recognition. Ford started every game and was credited with 60 tackles, six breakups, seven passes defended and an interception vs. Midwestern State.
A two-time LSC honorable mention, Covey punted 38 times this season for an average of 41.1 yards and had five of his punts land inside the 20. His longest punt of the season traveled 60 yards, while four more sailed over 50 yards.
Cantu-Harkless and senior quarterback Mitchell Gale, who finished as ACU's and the LSC's all-time career leader in passing yardage with 12,109 yards headed up the Wildcats' list of honorable mentions. Offensive linemen
Josh Perez and
Blake Spears, defensive linemen
Melvin Shead and
Nick Richardson, linebacker
Thor Woerner, safety
Angel Lopez and deep snapper
Brent Schroeder were also included.
The Wildcats' wrapped up their 2012 season last Saturday with a 24-12 win at Incarnate Word. ACU's overall 7-4 record gave the program its 25th season of at least seven wins, including seven straight (2006-12).
