Five Mustangs sign college football letters

Mustangs Kyle Morgan, J.D. Standley, Alonzo Whaley, Steven McKenzie and Josh Snow signed national letters of intent Feb. 6 to continue their football careers at the collegiate level. Dave Lewis/Madisonville Meteor.

One of the largest groups of Madisonville Mustangs ever to sign national letters of intent on a single day were up early Wednesday, Feb. 6 , and so were their families.

Alonzo Whaley, J.D. Standley, Josh Snow, Kyle Morgan and Steven McKenzie took their seats behind the MCISD trustees' dais as family members, teachers, coaches and members of the media awaited the moment, the smells of fresh coffee and doughnuts wafting through the room.

“I'm really proud for all these guys,” said athletic director Greg Morgan. “They've worked hard for this, and it's nice to see them reap the rewards.”

Nebraska called on Whaley, and he responded, signing with the Cornhuskers of the Big XVII Conference.

“Well, it (Lincoln, Neb.) is a little bigger than Madisonville, but I felt like I fit in there,” Whaley said. “The coaches impressed me most. They're the kind of people I want to be around. I've been looking forward to this day ever since I started playing football. This is a goal I set for myself, and I've tried my best to get there.”

The Cornhusker defensive staff has talked to Whaley about playing either inside or outside linebacker “depending on how much weight I can gain,” he added, “and if I can keep my speed.”

McKenzie decided on East Texas Baptist University in Marshall and hopes he'll be a Tiger next football season.

“They talked to me about coming in as a highly looked-at prospect, as a punter and place kicker. They treated me as part of the family and made me feel really comfortable,” he said. “Basically, I think that's what being on a football team is all about is being one big family.”

In more than one game his senior year as a Mustang, McKenzie's place kicks kept dangerous return men from breaking long ones against the Mustangs. Some coaching at a higher skill level is something he thinks he'll benefit from. He would like to be able to one day see if he can make it in the National Football League as a kicker. “If I get the opportunity, I'll definitely take it,” McKenzie said.

Snow knows Navarro has sent a number of quality players on to larger schools once their two-year football careers have ended, and he'd like to join that group coming out of Corsicana. “They talked to me about maybe playing outside linebacker or strong safety,” Snow recalled. Asked what he'd like to accomplish at Navarro, Snow simply said, “Breaking the school tackling record. I think the record is 170.”

Snow said he began thinking about college ball when he was a freshman. “I didn't know where I was going to go, I just wanted to play college ball.”

Morgan will return to Louisiana, having signed with Northwestern State's Demons. He admits he's only lived in Louisiana briefly, and he doesn't remember it. “I lived there about a week and then we moved.” he said.

Morgan said the Natchitoches campus' athletic facilities are undergoing many improvements and that he was impressed on his visit.

“I kind of like the area and the school, and I really like the coaches.” As for the Demon offense, Morgan, who has quarterbacked the Mustangs the past two seasons, said he likes what he's seen. “They like to mix it up, some spread, some double tight end with an H back. It's similar to ours at times, and that's another reason why I like it.”

Morgan said he's going to have to work really hard and improve his strength and speed. “I'm just going to do my best and see what happens.”

Standley hopes to be playing football almost within shouting distance of Mustang Stadium when he enrolls at Sam Houston State University, and the Bearkat football program is one with which he's familiar.

“I've been to two or three of their games when I was younger, and it seems a pretty good place - the coaches and facilities - and I like it. They are growing,” he said of the football program and college, “and I like the way they use their tight ends. They graduated two tight ends last year, and brought in three, so I think I may have a pretty good chance of playing this year.”

Standley said the Bearkats run an offense similar to Madisonville's. “They throw to their tight ends quite a bit. The past four years they've had two All-America tight ends, so they're starting to come back into play a lot.”

One of the biggest advantages Standley sees in SHSU is the university's Ag department, since he plans to major in Ag business.

“It just seemed like the right fit for me,” he said.

Coach Morgan said it's going to be hard to see this group of seniors go.

“These seniors have been a good group. They've been extremely successful as a senior group, culminating with a 9-1 season and an early departure from the playoffs, which was really heartbreaking, but having this many guys continue to the next level from a 3-A school is just pretty phenomenal.”