Sports News Southwest

Yuma, Arizona - Arizona Western College announced that Matador Football players Zack Masch, Jessie Mitchell, Travis Nua, Korey Toomer and Myles Wade have all signed official letters of intent today as part of National Letter of Intent Day. 

Zack Masch’s playing time increased with every passing game for the Matadors in ’07, and he continued to show why that extra PT was deserved with a pair of quarterback sacks, 5 solo tackles and 33 tackles overall. Masch then became one of the cornerstones in the middle of the D-line as a sophomore, playing in all 10 games in 2008, and recording 44 tackles (16 solo), 1 sack and even forced a fumble.

After spending his first year of college eligibility at Hinds Community College in Kansas, Jessie Mitchell signed with Tom Minnick when Minnick was still the head man at Joliet Community College, and then followed Minnick to Arizona when Minnick took over the reins of the AWC Football program last July. The offensive backfield are very happy that he did, since Mitchell started all 10 games for the Matadors this past season at right guard, and was one of the main reasons why the Mats had 1568 rushing yards overall, and why either Cotton or fellow tailback George Conley had a rushing performance of 90 yards or more 7 times.

When the rushers found success on the right side of the line, it was thanks to Mitchell. When they found success going left, it was usually Travis Nua that they could thank for it. Nua was a 2-year starter on the Mats’ O-line, starting the Mats’ first 8 games of ’07 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury; and then lining up at left tackle for every game in ’08. He also lived up to the pressure of national recognition, since he was named a 2^nd Team NJCAA Preseason All-American last July.

Outside linebackers had up-and-down days for the Mats the last two seasons, but the man in the middle linebacker spot, Korey Toomer, was solid just about every week for the past two years. Toomer started all 20 games the Matadors played during his 2-year stint, and was always around the ball. He was 2^nd on the team in tackles as a freshman with 86 (24 solo), with 8 ½ tackles for loss and even forced a fumble. In ’08, Toomer racked up 5 more tackles for a loss in his 22 tackles overall, forced another fumble, and was 2^nd on the team with 3 interceptions.

Myles Wade hasn’t been in a Mats’ uniform for a year now, but was still a constant source of recruiting chatter this winter because of what he accomplished for the Mats in 2007.   The 320-pound Wade moved into the Matadors’ starting D-line midway through the 2007 season, and recorded all of his 3 ½ sacks on the season in an impressive 3-game stretch late in the season, and impressed the coaches enough to earn All-Region I 2^nd Team honors after the ’07 season. He sat out this season from playing football, but his big frame and surprising speed kept several top schools in the hunt for him.

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