RICHARDSON, Texas – A dozen Eastern New Mexico University football student-athletes are part of a distinguished list of those earning all-conference honors.

Two Greyhounds were named to the first team all-LSC.

Freshman Elijah Zeh had a stellar debut season with Eastern New Mexico as he led a rushing attack that finished third in the nation averaging 284.0 yards per contest. Zeh ended the year with 194 carries, 792 yards, and nine touchdowns. His best game of 2023 came on the road versus Midwestern State where he took 30 attempts for 194 yards and two scores.

The other first teamer was Andre Jones. The freshman wideout caught 32 passes for 727 yards and seven touchdowns. His best game came against West Texas A&M where he had four receptions for 162 yards and a score. Jones also caught the game-clinching touchdown versus Western Oregon back in September.

Defensiveback Talon Sanders was the only Greyhound to earn second team all-LSC. The Roswell, N.M. proved to be one of the most consistent defenders for the Hounds. He made 41 tackles and brokeup seven pass attempts, including two against Angelo State and Central Washington. He also had a vital interception in ENMU's win over Sul Ross State this season.

Nine student-athletes are all-LSC honorable mention team members.

A trio of linemen were crucial in ENMU's dominant rushing attack and efficient passing offense. The student-athletes recognized are Hunter St. John, Christian Griego, and Bailey Adair. This is St. John's and Adair's second time earning this recognition and Griego's first.

Jace Martin was one of two tightends to receive the honor. The sophomore from Midlothian, Texas caught one pass in a win over Western Oregon. However, his most pressing contribution came in the blocking game where he was challenged to create space in the wing-T rushing attack.

Sophomore quarterback Mario Sanchez was named to the list after a sensational sophomore season. He started all eleven games under center. He guided the offense throwing 66-of-107 (61.7%) for 1,184 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was one of the primary rushers under Kelley Lee's offense. He posted 135 carries for 558 yards and 12 touchdowns. In each of the final three games, he rushed north of the century mark. The Denver City, Texas native proved to be vital in earning the team wins against Western Oregon, West Texas A&M, New Mexico Highlands, Sul Ross State, and Lincoln (Mo.).

Junior Jonathan Watson had a productive first season with ENMU. His honorable mention recognition comes after 52 carries for 362 yards and five touchdowns. The Inglewood, California native had a touchdown in each of the final three games for Eastern, including a 20-yard gut-punching run against West Texas A&M. He also caught six passes for 54 yards on the year.

Clovis, N.M. native Robert Nora made the honorable mention team as a return specialist. Over the course of the season he returned 21 kicks for 452 yards (21.5 avg). His freshman season highlight came on the road with a 93-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown. Offensively, Nora carried the ball 24 times for 191 yards and a score.

Two other specialists made the list Francisco Moreno Gonzalez was one of four punters selected on the list. The graduate student from Mexico posted 43 punts with 15 pinned inside the 20-yard line for an average of 40.1 yards per punt. He boasts the sixth best average per punt in a single season among Greyhound punters. His year was the best since 2011 when Tyler Cannon had a 42.59 average.

Long snapper Dillon Hein is a big reason why the punt game was so strong in 2023. In addition to those duties, the Las Cruces, N.M. native helped the team go 4-of-7 on field goals and 45-of-46 on PAT's. The 45 point after attempts is tied for the third most in single season program history.

In addition to recognition as a first-teamer, Andre Jones was named the LSC Offensive Freshman of the Year. This award is chosen by the coaches of the conference.

The Lone Star Conference also recognized two Greyhounds as members of the All-Academic team. Linemen Hunter St. John and Bailey Adair are two of eleven honorees. Only Eastern New Mexico and Central Washington had multiple student-athletes earn the recognition. St. John is a physical education major and Adair is pursuing studies in education.

2023 LSC FOOTBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Academic Player of the Year: Dominic Wieburg, Central Washington
[Sorted in alphabetical order by school name]
Player                      Team                         Yr.     Pos.  Major                                 Hometown
Alfred Grear             Angelo State              Jr.     RB     Coach, Sport, Fit Admin.     Del Valle, Texas
Tyler Flanagan         Central Washington    So.    RB     Sport Management             Woodland, Wash.
Brett McCalla           Central Washington    So.    LB     Undecided                         Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Tanner Volk             Central Washington    Jr.     S       Business Administration      Portland, Ore.
Dominic Wieburg      Central Washington    Jr.     CB     Law and Justice                 Sammamish, Wash.
Bailey Adair             Eastern New Mexico   Sr.     C       Education                          Gatesville, Texas
Hunter St. John        Eastern New Mexico   Sr.     OL     Physical Education             Clovis, N.M.
Luke Shaffer            Texas A&M-Kingsville So.    P       Marketing                          Falls City, Texas
Ben Patterson          UT Permian Basin      So.    WR    Petroleum Engineering       Fort Worth, Texas
LJ Vongsy               Western New Mexico  Sr.     LB     Business Management       Aiea, Hawaii
Keating Hinkley        Western Oregon         Jr.     OL     Business                            Portland, Ore.