Adam Farkesby Adam Troxtell
A football team without a quarterback that leads is like a ship without its captain or an army without a commander. None of those things can be successful without the one central, leader position. This season, Adam Farkes’ job was to do just that, but also cope with the options he had at the same time.
In ten games, Farkes threw 174 for 336, 14 interceptions and 12 touchdowns. Yes, it is always better for a quarterback to score more times than he gives the ball to the other team, but there is much more to the story.
A&M-Commerce’s offense was not at its best this season, but Farkes made it work. He went out every weekend and worked hard to make sure the offense did its best to pressure the opposing team and get the ball into a scoring position. One Saturday, against Eastern New Mexico, he managed to do that plus some, completing 32 of 61 passes and scoring six touchdowns, two of which he ran in himself.
Farkes showed good passing ability and good mobility for a quarterback this season. Under his leadership, this Lions team was unmatched in the LSC North Division and came close to toppling two of the areas best Div. II teams. Cory Whitfield was also a driving force, and has every right to be proud of his LSC North Division Linebacker of the Year award. However, it is extremely difficult to not name a quarterback the team MVP. Farkes has my vote for MVP this season because he did the most he could with an offense that did not always fire on all four cylinders.
Hopefully, Farkes will show the same kind of leadership abilities next season. Having a year under his belt should make this much easier, as will having a team around him that is a year older and wiser.
Cory WhitfieldCaleb Slinkard
The Texas A&M University-Commerce football team won the Lone Star Conference North Division because of a strong defense that forced turnovers, scored points, and shut down opposing offenses. No player had a bigger role in A&M-Commerce’s defensive play than Cory Whitfield. The senior linebacker placed second in the LSC and 10 in Division II with 111 tackles in 10 games, including 56 solo tackles, which were also second in the LSC. Whitfield also added three sacks, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, an interception and a blocked kick during the season. His outstanding performance was officially recognized when he won the LSC North Division linebacker of the year.
Whitfield established himself as one of the leaders on a Lions defense that, while it struggled against the pass, was on the field for an average of 42 minutes (out of 60) a game. A&M-Commerce played the run hard, ranking second in the LSC in run defense after allowing only 83.8 yards a game and 2.5 yards per carry on the ground. It was the defense that kept the Lions toe to toe with then-ranked number two Abilene Christian University in the Harvey Martin Classic and against top ten-ranked Texas A&M University-Kingsville at Homecoming and provided key scores in victories against Southeastern and Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
While the A&M-Commerce defensive line certainly played their heart out, it was the linebacking corps that the Lions relied on during key plays to force turnovers and shut down offenses. No one provided more energy and playmaking ability to the Lions than Whitfield, which is why he is the A&M-Commerce Most Valuable Player of the Year.