Four 'Cats to play college football

By SCOTT TYLER

H-P Sports Editor



A quartet of Palestine football players will take what they learned on the field and in the classroom at Palestine High School and use it at the next level.

D.J. Hall, Adorian Arthur, Kevin Swanson and Kevin Birdow signed letters-of-intent last week to play football at the college level.

“These four young men are going to be leaders of our society and it is great to see them get a chance to go play football in college and get an education,” Palestine head coach Glen Tunstall said.

Hall will head to Texas State University, Arthur will be going to Texas A&M; University - Commerce and Swanson and Birdow both will be playing for Midwestern State University.

“It is such an honor for me to help get these young men to get to play at the next level,” Tunstall said.

Hall will head to Texas State after being a two-year starter on the Palestine offensive line.



“This means a lot to me to get to play at the next level,” Hall said. “I was able to play football, which will help me pay for my education and get a degree.”

Hall said he choose Texas State, which is located in San Marcos, because of the location and the coaching staff, including first-year head coach Brad Wright.



“They had good people there and I liked their head coach because he was a former offensive-line coach,” Hall said. “It also is a beautiful town and it is between Austin and San Antonio.”



The Bobcats play in the Southland Conference and were 5-6 last year.

Hall said he has goals for both the classroom and the football field when he gets to San Marcos.



“First I want to get my degree,” Hall said. “I also want to be an all-conference lineman for two years.”

Hall, who also is a powerlifter, received several honors at Palestine including being a two-time all-district selection and being named to the Associated Press Class 3A All-State second team as a senior.

Although he was a tackle for Palestine, Hall most likely will be redshirted his first year as he is converted into a center or a guard.

“Anyone who has meet D.J. knows what kind of young man he is and how outstanding of a football player he has made of himself,” Tunstall said. “He has the opportunity to be a great offensive lineman and when he learns his new position, he could be playing on Sundays.”

Arthur may be the surprise of the four Palestine players as he developed into a talented receiver in his senior year to get the chance to go to the next level.

“It means a lot to me,” Arthur said of playing college football. “The hard work finally paid off.”

Arthur played on the defensive side of the ball as a junior but became a mainstay on offense during spring workouts.

“Adorian was our biggest surprise on offense last year,” Tunstall said. “We knew he could run and had a great vertical jump and in the spring he started to catch everything.”

Arthur, a District 19-3A first-team selection, finished the season second on the team with 35 catches for 559 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 15.97 yards a catch.

“I knew I was going to have some big shoes to fill so I put in a whole lot of hard work,” Arthur said.

That hard work has paid off in a chance to play football at Texas A&M-Commerce.;

“It felt like home when I went to visit,” Arthur said of the university. “They run the same offense as we did here and their coaches and staff remind me of the Palestine coaches.

“I want to be on the dean’s list and win a national championship.”

The Lions, who were 5-5 last season under third-year head coach Scotty Conley, play in the North Division of the Lone State Conference in the NCAA Division II.

“Adorian has the body and the hands to be a big-time receiver,” Tunstall said. “He has a chance to make a impact at the college level.”

Arthur, who also plays basketball and runs track, said he realized he wanted to play college football after Palestine’s first game of the 2006 season. It was Arthur’s first game as a wide receiver and the Wildcats rallied from a 27-point deficit to defeat Hallsville.

“After the Hallsville comeback I knew I wanted to play in college,” Arthur said. “That game meant a lot to me.”

Swanson and Birdow will remain teammates at the next level as both will be heading to Wichita Falls in the fall to play for the Midwestern State Mustangs.

“I know that I will always have someone there for support,” Swanson said.

Birdow felt the same way about being able to have a high school teammate in college.

“Knowing Kevin was going there certainly had an impact and made it an easier decision,” Birdow said. “It is going to be fun to watch Kevin play for four more years because he is a real talented athlete.”

Midwestern State is a NCAA Division II school in the South Division of the Lone Star Conference, which means there is a chance Birdow and Swanson will be facing Arthur at some point in their college careers.

“We joke about playing against each other,” Birdow said. “I keep telling Adorian that he better not come across the middle of the field.”

Birdow was a two-year starter for Palestine’s defense. As a junior, he was a nose tackle but moved to the outside as a defensive end and had a lot of success in leading him to get the chance to play at Midwestern State.

“It is exciting and a relief to know I am going to play college football,” Birdow said.

Birdow, who also plays basketball for Palestine, said one of the reasons he selected Midwestern State was because of the players he meet.

“It came down to the fact that I got along with the players when I went on my visit,” Birdow said. “I felt at home there plus it is not too far away from Palestine.”

Birdow, a District 19-3A first-team selection, was third on the team as a senior with 84 tackles. He also had three fumble recoveries, a caused fumble and a sack.

“Kevin was a force on the outside for us this year,” Tunstall said. “He worked hard in the summer to get faster and quicker and he was something special.”

Birdow said his main goal when he attends Midwestern State is to get his degree.

“Everyone has the dreams of making the NFL but I want a degree,” Birdow said.

Swanson will join Birdow on a Midwestern State team that was 10-3 last year as the Mustangs reached the second round of the NCAA II Championship.

“Going to college means that the hard work has paid off,” Swanson said. “This opens up new areas to explore and a chance to get a degree.”

Swanson said he liked Midwestern State because of the environment.

“The people up there and the coaching staff reminded me of Palestine,” Swanson said. “And their offense is a lot like ours was.”

Swanson, who also plays basketball and runs track, had a lot of success in the Palestine offense as he was a two-year varsity starter. As a junior, Swanson was Palestine’s second-leading receiver and in his senior year, he seemed to do it all for the Wildcat offense.

“We knew this year, Kevin was going to be our playmaker,” Tunstall said. “We knew we had to get the ball in his hands and he would do whatever we asked of him.”

Swanson, the District 19-3A Offensive Player of the Year, led the team in receiving with 44 catches for 616 yards and seven touchdowns. He was third on the team in rushing with 602 yards and six touchdowns. The Palestine senior also returned a punt for a touchdown.

“I think Kevin is going to surprise some people at Midwestern,” Tunstall said. “I will not be surprised if he is starting as a freshman.”

While Swanson has proven he can play multiple positions — receiver, running back, defensive punt and punt returner — he will be asked to be a wide receiver with the Mustangs.

“I am glad that I am going to get to play receiver because that is the position I started with in high school,” Swanson said. “It is where I feel real comfortable, but if they ask to me play somewhere else, I will.”



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Scott Tyler may be contacted via e-mail at styler@palestineherald.com

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