MACOMB, Ill. - Following up their first two-a-day practice, Western Illinois returned to Hanson Field early Thursday morning for practice eight of fall football camp.  

Head coach Mark Hendrickson was pleased with the team's performance during the seventh consecutive day of practice.

"We responded well this morning. We slowed it up a hair in practice number two last evening, but this morning we bounced back with more energy. I anticipated we would, we talked about that before practice," said Hendrickson. "We started right off the bat with some skelly (pass skeleton 7-on-7), we got in our first live reps today, there was a minimal amount of live scrimmage work but we had to start somewhere and we started that this morning. Overall that went well. We had a very good practice during the remainder of the morning and got a lot done."

As the countdown to August 30th continues, Hendrickson sees his squad right on track in the learning curve.

"We feel like we are just about exactly where we need to be at this time. We have installed a lot, there's been a lot of mental learning, and therefore there's a lot of thinking right now," stated Hendrickson. "That's going to improve as the amount of thinking can go down and the reaction time can improve to what each player sees on each snap. We are where we want to be right now but we have a long way to go. I'm glad we are not playing a ballgame tomorrow but we are heading in the right direction."

More of the coach Hendrickson interview can be found on www.GoLeathernecks.com . The team returns to action on Friday morning then later in the day for practices 9 and 10.

PHIL STEELE'S PRESEASON ALL-MVFC ANNOUNCED: The Phil Steele's 2012 Preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team was released by the publication on Thursday. The three Leathernecks that were named preseason all-conference last week by the league office were selected, along with two other teammates.

Senior defensive back Kieron James (Honorable Mention by the MVFC) was the lone First Team selection. Junior offensive lineman Jimmy Holtschlag and senior defensive lineman Dwight Harris (Honorable Mention by the MVFC) were chosen Second Team.

The three were joined in the national publication listing by senior running back Caulton Ray and senior linebacker Theon Dixon, both Second Team selections at their respective position.

2 MINUTE DRILL: Senior offensive lineman Andrew Robiskie is featured in the third installment of '2 Minute Drill'.

FAN DAY SET FOR AUGUST 12: Western Illinois Athletics will hold its annual 'Leatherneck Fan Day' on Sunday, August 12th at 5 p.m. The event takes place at Hanson Field and is free to the public. The Leatherneck football team will sponsor a clinic for children ages 12 and under on Hanson Field, starting at 5. Coaches and student-athletes from men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's cross country, along with football, will be on hand to sign autographs for all fans during the event. There will be free prizes, food and Coca-Cola products for those in attendance. Fans can also purchase tickets for the upcoming 2012 football season during the event. For more information on the event contact the Athletics Marketing department at (309) 298-1190.


TICKETS ON SALE: Both season and single-game tickets are currently on sale for the 2012 Football season. Fans can call (309) 298-1190 or go online at www.GoLeathernecks.com to purchase tickets.

FALL CAMP DAY/TIME
Friday, August 10: 8:30-11 am and 5:45-7:35 pm
Saturday, August 11: 10-11:45 am
Sunday, August 12: No practice KIDS CLINIC from 5-6 pm
Monday, August 13: 8:30-11 am and 5:45-7:35 pm
Tuesday, August 14: 8:30-11 am
Wednesday, August 15: 8:30-11 am and 5:45-7:35 pm
Thursday, August 16: 8:30-11 am
Friday, August 17: 8:30-11 am and 5:45-7:35 pm
Saturday, August 18: 9-11 am (end of fall camp)
Monday, August 20: First day of classes