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Football Seth Dahle, Sports Information Director

EOU Football Announces 2016 Team Captains

LA GRANDE, Ore. – EOU head football coach Tim Camp has released the team captains for the 2016 campaign.

Senior quarterback Zach Bartlow, senior defensive back John Payne, junior wide receiver Calvin Connors, and senior linebacker Tucker Stanley will lead the Blue and Gold this fall. While all four had standout seasons last year, they were also successful off the gridiron and earned academic all-conference honors.

A first-team all-conference selection on offense last season, Bartlow is one of the top quarterbacks in the country and will lead the Mountaineers in 2016. He finished eighth in the NAIA in total offense (3,052) and 15th in passing yards (2,498) last season. He completed 25+ passes on four separate occasions and registered nine rushing and 23 passing touchdowns. He was also second behind Jace Billingsley with 540 rushing yards. A hard worker off the field, Bartlow was a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete in 2015.

Voted last year's 'Most Inspirational,' Payne not only provides leadership but is also a formidable presence at the cornerback position. In 2015, he mustered 34 tackles, four tackles for loss, and five pass breakups. He recovered one fumble and recorded five passes defended.

During a breakout sophomore campaign, Connors emerged as one of EOU's best receivers in 2015. He caught a team-high seven touchdowns en route to earning first-team all-conference honors on offense. He was just as good on special teams, averaging 29.7 yards per kickoff return and 17.6 yards per punt return – both good enough for third in the country. He went on to earn all-conference honors as a punt and kick returner. 

Wreaking havoc on the defensive end, Stanley is EOU's top returning tackler from a year ago. He tallied 70 tackles (29 solo), seven tackles for loss, five sacks, nine pass breakups, and nine passes defended. Stanley also brought home Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition. 

SEASON OPENER
EOU opens the season on Saturday when it hosts No. 2 Southern Oregon at 6 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Jace Billingsley

#7 Jace Billingsley

WR
5' 9"
Senior
Zach Bartlow

#4 Zach Bartlow

QB
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
Calvin Connors

#9 Calvin Connors

WR
5' 9"
Junior
John Payne

#1 John Payne

DB
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Tucker Stanley

#7 Tucker Stanley

LB
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Jace Billingsley

#7 Jace Billingsley

5' 9"
Senior
WR
Zach Bartlow

#4 Zach Bartlow

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
QB
Calvin Connors

#9 Calvin Connors

5' 9"
Junior
WR
John Payne

#1 John Payne

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
DB
Tucker Stanley

#7 Tucker Stanley

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
LB