Carrollton, Ga. – December 8, 2005 – Two West Georgia standouts, Jeff Carpenter and Kelvin Morris, were named to the East Team at the 2006 Whataburger Cactus Bowl in Kingsville, Texas. The game will be January 6, 2006.
Carpenter is a three-time All-GSC winner and two-time All-American, while Morris was the Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Year this season. Both were named to the All-South Region team just over a week ago. The last West Georgia player to earn this honor was Marquis Floyd in the 2003 Bowl.
The Cactus Bowl is the Division II equivalent of the Division I Senior Bowl, which is usually played Christmas Day. It is a chance for outstanding Division II players to catch the eye of professional scouts for the April NFL Draft.
The two Braves will join seven GSC players on the East Team Defense. Four other All-GSC First Team honorees also received invitations—North Alabama cornerback Blake Farris, Valdosta State defensive end Tim Thompson, Southern Arkansas defensive tackle Chris Herring
Rounding out the defensive standouts are UNA defensive end Lee Vickers and SAU defensive end Chris Turner
The league also placed two offensive lineman on the East Team Offense. Leading the way is First Team Valdosta State offensive tackle Richard Collier, while Arkansas Tech center Bailey Dickson also made the squad.
The 2006 Cactus Bowl is scheduled to kick-off at 6:35 pm (Central) on Friday, January 6th at Javelin Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M-Kingsville; in Kingsville, TX.