Tyler Bates had a breakout season as a sophomore but his senior season has been one to remember as well. East Texas Baptist athletics photo

Tyler Bates was only 3 when his mom passed away, so the memories of her are difficult to recall and hold onto because he was so young when he lost her.

But what Bates can hold onto that will never be forgotten is a letter his mom wrote him before she died. He reads it every year on her birthday.

“I was so young when I lost her so I don’t remember as much, but having that letter is special,” Bates said. It means a lot to me. It always lights a fire under me when I read it. It gives me extra motivation to be at my best.”

The letter held even more meaning this year as Bates turned in one of the most special performances of his impressive career at East Texas Baptist. The senior wide receiver broke the single-game record for receiving touchdowns in a game (four) as the Tigers rolled over Texas College 56-14.

Keep in mind that Bates holds six school records and is on the cusp of breaking two more. But that record, the one he broke on an emotional day, carries the most meaning.

“It definitely meant a lot and was my favorite one to break,” Bates said. “I went out there that day and really pushed myself to do something special.”

Bates said he says a prayer before each game and believes she is watching over him every step of the way.

“No doubt she is with me and pushing me in the right direction. I know she is watching over me,” Bates said.

If his mom could see him now she would proud of what Bates has become. He’s a star on the field, making 52 catches for 1,040 yards and 11 touchdowns to help catapult the Tigers into contention for the American Southwest Conference championship.

He also works hard in the classroom and is a leader by example.

“Tyler is special and always comes to work,” East Texas Baptist coach Joshua Eargle said. “He has tremendous hand-eye coordination and he focuses on the finer points of being a great receiver. He’s also a great teammate and a leader.”

Bates represents the type of athlete Eargle wants in his program, which is in the midst of its first winning season since 2005. The Tigers won only seven games in Eargle’s first two seasons. They are 6-2 this year.

“I really sold the guys on being men of character and doing a great job with the decision making process on and off the field, Eargle said. “We want our guys to have a team GPA of at least a 2.75 and have a 100 percent graduation rate. It all translates into winning on the field.”

Bates has played a big part in the success and needs only 171 yards to break the single-season receiving record at East Texas Baptist. He had 1,156 receiving yards a season ago.

He holds single-game records for receptions in a season (73), career touchdowns (33), career yards (3,243), career receptions (234) and receiving yards in a game (274).

“I’ve had a pretty good year and feel good about the way I’ve played,” Bates said. “As a team, we’ve matured a lot and are finding different ways to win games. We don’t get down when things get tough, we don’t give up. We keep working hard.”

The hard work has paid off. The Tigers play Hardin-Simmons on Saturday with first place on the line in the ASC. Both teams are 3-0 in league play. Hardin-Simmons is 8-0 in the conference.

“No one picked us to be this good, but it’s been neat to watch us progress and have a chance to compete for a championship,” Bates said. “We’re going to work hard and prepare like we’ve never prepared before. It’s been a challenge to get here because of the past years, but to be here now, it couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

Cowboys win pivotal showdown

Hardin-Simmons has waited a long time to beat Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Cowboys had lost the last 11 games to the Crusaders but their fortunes changed Saturday in a 29-26 win to remain tied for first atop the American Southwest Conference standings.

Hardin-Simmons is 8-0 for the first time since 2004 and its victory snapped Mary Hardin-Baylor’s 61-game regular-season win streak and its 39-game conference win streak.

Defense was key to the Cowboys’ success. They held the Crusaders to 343 yards of offense, with Korey Zavala helping to lead the way. Zavala came through with 14 tackles and a sack. The three-year letterwinner is tied for third on the team in tackles (49) and is third in sacks (4) as well. The Cowboys allow 332.5 yards per game and have given up 20 or more only twice this year.

Warriors maintain hold on second place

Seth Peters was tough to slow down on Saturday and helped Hendrix rally for a 45-27 win over Rhodes in Southern Athletic Association action. The Warriors scored the final 21 points of the game to improve to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Hendrix is in second place in the SAA.

Peters completed 22 of his 26 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a pair of scores.

Meanwhile, Dayton Winn returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to give Hendrix the lead for good at 31-27. Winn also rushed for more than 100 yards (121) for the seventh time and finished with 235 all-purpose yards. He came into the game as the nation’s leader in that category.

Bulldogs back on track

Texas Lutheran shook off the disappointment of a loss to Mary-Hardin Baylor two weeks ago by opening up Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play on a high note Saturday. The Bulldogs took their first step toward a third consecutive title with a 21-14 win over Trinity.

The Bulldogs are 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. They are 7-0 all-time in the SCAC, with three of those wins coming against Trinity.

Trenton White stepped up for Trinity, throwing for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Two his scoring strikes found the hands of Caleb Oliver. White has thrown for more than 2,000 yards (2076) and has connected on 23 touchdown passes this year as he appears to be well on his way to earning all-conference honors for the second consecutive year. Oliver has caught seven of those touchdown passes while rolling up nearly 600 yards receiving (591) on the year.

Noteworthy

Cooper Woodyard scored the game-winning touchdown in Austin’s 20-17 victory over Southwestern in the SCAC opener for both teams. Woodyard finished with two rushing touchdowns and threw for 173 yards as the Kangaroos improved to 5-3 overall. Brooks Ward led the defense with 11 tackles.

Heath Haden tied the single-game record for passing yards in a game Saturday as he helped lead Centre to a 42-26 win over Birmingham-Southern. Haden completed 21 of his 32 passes for 445 yards and threw a pair of scoring strikes. He has thrown 62 touchdown passes in his career, needing only four more to break the school record. The Colonels finished with 619 yards of and won their third consecutive game, pushing their record to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the SAA.

Contact Me

If you have a great story idea or notable accomplishments that deserve a mention in this column, feel free to reach out to me at brian.lester@d3sports.com. You can also follow on Twitter @BLester1993.