Hounds set to finish spring football drills

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PORTALES — Josh Lynn admits he’ll miss Greyhound Stadium.

Right next to the football fieldhouse on University Avenue, a new on-campus stadium is well under way and expected to be ready in plenty of time for Eastern New Mexico University’s 2016 home opener on Sept. 10 against Western New Mexico, one of three new football-playing members of the LSC.

While he’s looking forward to the new digs, currently on track to perhaps be ready by mid-July, ENMU’s fifth-year coach is a bit nostalgic about leaving the venerable old stadium located on U.S. Highway 70 between Portales and Clovis.

“Absolutely,” said Lynn, who played tight end at ENMU and also served as an assistant coach under the late Bud Elliott. “Especially for myself, that’s where I was recruited to and where I played. There’s a lot of great memories out there for me.

“It’s got to be one of the most unique stadiums in the nation.”

The Greyhounds are busy finishing spring practice, which culminates with Saturday’s 9 a.m. Green & Silver Game at Greyhound Stadium — likely the last event to be played at the facility located near Blackwater Draw.

ENMU has about 90 players involved in spring drills, which consist of 15 practices/scrimmages over a 30-day period. Lynn said that when the team reports for fall practice in early August, the roster should number “at least 130.”

The Hounds return six starters on offense and nine on defense from last year’s squad, which went 6-6 (3-3 LSC) and lost to Arkansas Tech 51-35 in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl, the school’s first bowl or playoff game since joining NCAA Division II in the mid-1980s.

“The big question mark for us is quarterback,” Lynn said. “Jeremy Buurma has done a great job for us for the last three years.”

Candidates to replace Buurma are redshirt sophomore Adam Lucero of Aztec and redshirt freshman Wyatt Strand of Logan and Leondre Williams of El Paso (Chapin H.S.). Lucero and Strand have strong arms while Williams brings more of a running threat, Lynn said.

On the other side of the ball, the Hounds are looking to clean up their pass defense. “We weren’t real happy with that last year,” Lynn said.

Kamal Cass leads a solid stable of running backs. The Clovis High grad led the LSC in rushing last season as a sophomore with 1,514 yards, and he scored 22 touchdowns.

The Hounds will be young in the offensive line, having graduated eight players there, but hope their defensive front will be a strength.

Six of the team’s 11 regular-season games are at home this fall. The Hounds open the regular season with a Thursday night game against Southwest Baptist, one of two non-league contests on the slate, on Sept. 1, at Bolivar, Mo.

ENMU SCHEDULE

September

1 — at Southwest Baptist, 6 p.m.; 10 — Western New Mexico, 7 p.m.-x; 17 — Texas A&M-Commerce, 7 p.m.-x; 24 — at Angelo State, 5 p.m.-x.

October

1 — West Texas A&M, 7 p.m.-x; 8 — at Texas-Permian Basin, 6 p.m.-x; 15 — Tarleton State, 3 p.m.-x; 22 — Bacone (Okla.), 1 p.m.; 29 — at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 6 p.m.-x.

November

5 — Oklahoma Panhandle State, 1 p.m.-x; 12 — at Midwestern State, TBA-x.

All Times Mountain. x-Denotes Lone Star Conference games.