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“ATHLETES OF YEAR” AWARDED WITH SURPRISE SCHOLARSHIPS

Midland, Texas—The Midland Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Sports Commission has awarded Amber Zant and Ryan Rowland with $1,000 scholarships for recently being named “Athletes of the Year”. Zant and Rowland were presented with the award checks today by Sports Commission Chair, Garth Wright.

“We are so proud of these young athletes,” Wright stated. “They are both excellent examples of what we were looking for…someone who succeeds in sports and academics, and still makes time to give back to the community.”

The Paul C. Rea Athlete of the Year Award is awarded each year to an outstanding male and female athlete. Winners are selected based on their sports accomplishments, academic accomplishments and community involvement. Zant and Rowland were selected out of a pool of fourteen athletes, and were honored at the Sports Banquet last month.

(Couple paragraphs about Zant - deleted.)

Ryan Rowland played quarterback for the Midland High School football team. He was named to several All-Star teams, served as team captain, and was a driving force in the success of 2002 team. He is a 3-year varsity letterman in both football and baseball, was the MHS Bulldog Team MVP, All-West Texas Super Team MVP, All-Permian Basin, and recognized by Who’s Who in Sports. Ryan is a member of First Presbyterian Church, has worked as a church camp counselor, is involved in Teen Community Bible Study, referees for Upward Basketball, is an area mission outreach services volunteer, soup kitchen volunteer, volunteer tutor for students / athletes, and named the Lions Club Lion of the Week. He is also a 4-year academic letterman, Texas Scholar, member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and Leadership Council. He was named Academic All-State, is recognized by Who’s Who, and is an All-American Scholar. Ryan received the Theresa Klapproth Award for highest GPA, 5.5 (on 6.0 scale), U. S. National Mathematics Award, National English Merit Award, and Cream of the Crop Outstanding Student Award by Big 2 News.

Other notes:
- Rowland threw for 1,199 yards and 8 TDs as a junior.
- When Arlington Lamar's Drew Biery sustained a neck injury in the 5A Division I Region I championship game against Midland, Rowland was among those who went out of his way to send a get-well wish to his injured opponent.
- Rowland was one of 21 recipients of the Outstanding Camper Award at Texas Tech's 2002 football camps.

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Sounds like a very impressive young man. Welcome to SMU!

Welcome indeed!

Hey Guru, got a scouting report on this guy?

I gave a pretty detailed account of his accomplishments last year under the headline "Bennett To Appear on TXCN at 6:10" post about a week ago on the Football board.

I had Rowland listed at just under 6-2, and right at 200 pounds, and running about a 4.7. He reminds me a little bit of former USC star Rob Johnson. Like Johnson, he has a good frame but isn't huge. He isn't a pure sprinter in the Michael Vick mode, but he certainly isn't slow. And while he may not throw 70-yard strikes, he is extremely accurate on passes within his range. He's supposed to be an extremely bright guy who makes smart, quick decisions. His passing numbers weren't too gaudy, but remember that his HS team ran the ball a lot, and he was a vital part of that running game. He can tuck the ball and turn upfield, but he also is very adept at using his quickness to get to the sideline, drawing defenders toward him and then pitching the ball to a running back. He's pretty strong and protects the ball well when he's on the run. He doesn't have the overwhelming size or the huge arm that so many college coaches covet, but he has the potential to be a solid college player.

Did he get any scholarship offers from D-1 schools?

I watched that amazing Championship game, and he looked pretty sharp. The problem certainly wasn't the offense.