SPORTS UPDATE #96

Welcome!

*** Thursday – November 15, 2007 ***

• Football: UIL / TAPPS / TCAF Playoff Pairings

• High school early signing list — The early signing period to sign a national letter of intent for non-football sports began today. Keep up with where local athletes will be taking their skill to the next level.

• Next stop: playoffs – Pirates whip Wildcats; face SG Saturday at Texas Stadium  -  The Pirates upended Lake Highlands 34-17 Friday to secure a playoff berth in only their second season in Class 5A.  They’ll meet District 10-5A champion South Garland 1 p.m. Saturday at Texas Stadium.  Read Full Story >> (Wylie)

• This week’s games all big  -  There is no such thing as the Big Country Game of the Week after Week 10. Once postseason arrives, they’re all games of the week, as far as I’m concerned.

• Cy-Fair gets second chance in state volleyball tourney

• Hidden gems could sparkle in playoffs  -  Most area high school football teams have their share of unsung heroes. SportsDay takes a look at some of these hidden gems who could sparkle in the playoffs.

• Study Hall: The visiting team

• Ask Keith (DFW)

• Finding his Mark: Lufkin DB hitting stride at both cornerback and safety 

• Lazcano making an impact for Corrigan-Camden 

• Q&A with Coach Outlaw   (Lufkin)

• Harleton’s playoff opener takes on added twist 

• Lobos not overlooking W.T. White in playoff opener   (Longview)

• Since Day 1, teams were on fast track to state  (VB)

• 2A final four volleyball teams 

• 3A final four volleyball capsules 

• Area foursome to play at next level   (Longview)

• Football: Extra tickets won’t be available until Saturday
  The Ector County Independent School District has sold out its allotment of tickets for Saturday’s… (full story)

• Commentary: No one won in AlpineWhen a football game is finished, there is supposed to be loud cheering….

• Football: Mansfield gets program going in changing timesKirk Thor took over the Mansfield High football program four years intent on building a winning program….

• Football: Thursday’s preview playoff capsulesCRANE GOLDEN CRANES VS. COMFORT BOBCATS…

• J’Covan Brown ready to sign….more>>

• Nederland’s girls, PN-G’s boys host tournaments 

  Galena Park coach down on his recent luck

  La Villa set for Bulldogs  -  LA VILLA — First year head coach Eugene Garza must feel like a genius after what his La Villa… (full story)

  Welcome Back  EDINBURG — Despite finishing with just five wins combined in the 2005 and ’06 seasons, expectations were…

  Volleyball: Garvey headed to Nevada  -  When Erin Garvey transferred to Guyer from Flower Mound Marcus before the start of last year, it didn’t take her but about a month to be noticed by her new coaching staff.

  Football: Blackmon makes big plays for Falcons  (Lake Dallas)

  Boys basketball: Quick starters   (Denton)

  Plano West duo heads south to join Longhorns
  Plano West seniors Alex Moon and Brett Spencer both signed with Texas on Wednesday morning, but their paths to becoming Longhorns were anything but the same. –

  Hooper signing no Shocker
  Many times this season, the Plano Star Courier referred to Plano Senior senior Mary Elizabeth Hooper as a “superstar.”

  I’m going to California
  The road to Signing Day is different lengths for different athletes. -

  Family legacy continues
  Plano West senior Paige Burke signed with Central Arkansas Wednesday morning, but she is not the first person in her family to be courted by the Sugar Bears.

  Inconsistency plagues Cougars in opener
  As season openers go, this one was rather inauspicious for The Colony.

  Cougars collapse in costly stretch to close season
  Thirty-nine seniors took the field for the last time Friday in the season finale for The Colony. It wasn’t the farewell they were hoping for.

  Jaguars’ receiving corps could cause trouble for Dragons
  Flower Mound and Carroll’s football programs have a limited history as opponents.

  District winning streak hits 40 games
  Carroll wrapped up its six-consecutive perfect run through district play Friday with a 54-14 District 5-5A victory against Richland at Dragon Stadium.

  Youngblood looking for right mix on court
  Being the third coach to lead Carroll’s boys basketball program in less than two years is a delicate situation for John Youngblood.

  Lady Dragons upend Kingwood, Dragons fall
  Carroll’s Lady Dragon swim team stayed perfect this season with a tight win at Humble Kingwood Friday, while the Dragons suffered their first loss of the season against Kingwood.

  Lady Dragons stay unbeaten in basketball
  Carroll’s girls basketball team remained undefeated after picking up homes wins against Flower Mound Marcus and Argyle.

  Eagles undefeated district champions
  PLANO — It was inevitable; one streak had to end last Thursday night at Clark Stadium.

  Goal is four-for-four in quadruple header
  Some teams say that beating a team three times in a row is a difficult task.

  Eagles look to pick up pace, victories in 2007-08
  Watch one practice and it’s easy to see how this year’s Allen team differs from last season.

  Character creates success for Lovejoy
  Lovejoy entered the 2007-08 season with a roster chalked full of sophomores and freshmen.

  Player died of blocked artery   -  Dozie Njeako, the Summit High School junior varsity football player who collapsed and died last September during a football game, had a blocked coronary artery, the Tarrant Count Medical Examiner said today.

  Up-front approach: Offensive line’s attitude, improvement in Wing-T fuel Wildcats’ playoff charge
  Offensive linemen often are the last players on the football field to get noticed. For them, sometimes that can be a good thing because it means they’re not being penalized for false starts or holding.

  Temple’s Pickett earns 13-5A honor; Tem-Cat Smith, Belton’s Warehime, Owen on first team
  It was a successful volleyball season for Temple junior middle blocker Jordan Pickett, who helped carry the Tem-Cats to the playoffs, then earned a top district honor.

  Lee nose guard commands attention  – Lee senior J.T. Cleveland’s name does not show up much in the stat box, but his number shows up on film. (Baytown)

  Hall becomes third in family to sign D-1
  Loyalty goes along way with Barbers Hill senior Chandler Hall.

  Crosby standout chooses Arkansas State
  Brittany Hoag can’t remember when she wasn’t busy year-round with sports.

  Nederland tournament boasts diverse field 

  Senior fullback leading rusher in PN-G’s power ground attack 

  Eagles sprint to playoffs
  LAKE JACKSON — After a 9-1 regular season, including a 5-0 record en route to a District 5 championship, the Brazosport Christian Eagles are entering the postseason with more good news.

  Oilers face familiar foe in first round
  PEARLAND — The Oilers have battled through a 9-1 season, including an undefeated trek through District 24-5A, and are ready for the playoffs. With state championship aspirations, the next obstacle in Pearland’s way is Forth Bend Kempner.

  Panthers’ tourney to tip off
  DANBURY — The boys high school basketball season tipped off this week and soon so will a slew of regular season tournaments across Texas. One such event taking place in the area is the Danbury Basketball Tournament that runs today through Saturday.

  Five questions for county football playoffs
  Does Texas City have a shot at winning the Class 4A, Division II state title after going unbeaten in district? Answers to this and more.

  Cheek inks with Loyola Marymount
  SEGUIN — After her family moved from Houston to Seguin more than a year ago, Emily Cheek told her parents she had one regret.

  Panthers at home despite record
  GERONIMO — The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) has long served as a kind of playoff.

  Marion wins season opener
  SAN ANTONIO — It was the battle of two new head coaches on Tuesday night.

  Cougarettes in season’s final stretch
  UIL tourney is final stage of Canyon’s big odyssey

  Canyon baseballer Ramirez picks Tulane
  Comal County’s reigning baseball Player of the Year has decided where he’ll spend the next several years following high school.

  Area hoop teams begin tourneys today
  NB boys at Highland Park; Canyon, SV girls in SAISD event; NB girls in Gonzales this weekend

  UIL VOLLEYBALL TEAMS, INFORMATION
  The teams and Canyon-Friendswood lineup for the state tournament

  SV softball’s Arredondo, Turk, Ward sign
  Rangers players headed to Tennessee, Baylor and Northwestern Louisiana State, respectively

• High School Notebook 11.15.07 (Abilene)

• Wylie baseball standout headed to Texas Tech

• Cubs face more questions than answers  -  The Brenham High School basketball team will enter the 2007-08 season with more questions than answers.

• Tenaha opens playoffs tonight 

• Billies Battle Fox Tech In Bi-District Showdown (Fredericksburcg)

• Varsity Boys Open Basketball Campaign With OT Loss
  Poor shooting and costly turnovers led to Fredericksburg High School’s season-opening 55-50 overtime varsity boys’ basketball loss at Dripping Springs Tuesday night.

• Harper Beats Leakey, Advances To Bi-District
  Four Cutter Bernhard touchdowns n three through the air, one on the ground n helped propel Harper past Leakey Friday by a 45-0 margin to run the table on its four District 28-1A opponents and earn the league’s football title outright.

• Westlake seniors wanting to write their own perfect volleyball ending

• Wimberley hoping tough schedule has playoff dividends

• High School football picks  (Central Texas)

• Boys high school basketball games (Abilene)

• Panthers season comes to a close (Aransas Pass)

• Brazos Valley Basketball Box Scores 

• Strong finish nets first win for Lady Lions
  After witnessing a 15-point first-half lead evaporate, the Brownwood Lady Lions used a 15-2 run during the fourth quarter to spark their 63-54 victory over the Glen Rose Lady Tigers Tuesday night — their first win of the season.

• Early, Brookesmith girls notch blowout victories

• Calming effect  -  On a team with just two players returning from last year’s Tigers boys basketball squad, coach Andy Dotson expected a little nerves in Tuesday’s opener against Waco.  (Corsicana)

• Playoff games set to take place at Tiger Stadium (Corsicana) There are three playoff games scheduled at Tiger Stadium this weekend. Friday, Madisonville and Crockett will play their Class 3A — Division II, Region III playoff game Friday at 7:30 p.m.

• Panther Cagers to make San Antonio trip (Aransas Pass)

• Area Girls Basketball Roundup: Lady Tigers boss around Scurry-Rosser  -  It doesn’t matter to Laura Walker-Holmes that Scurry-Rosser is a Class 2A team. The Lady Tigers coach was happy with her team’s 52-37 win Tuesday at Scurry-Rosser and the play of Capricia Jones, who had a career-high 20 points. (Corsicana)

• Rams begin season with win
  It was a tale of two halves in the Rams’ 76-61 win over Eagle Pass C.C. Winn Tuesday night. (Del Rio)

• Leander beats Cedar Park 34-23, clinches playoff spot

• Hoops duo creating a buzz at Cypress Springs   -  To say there’s a high level of excitement around the Cypress Springs high school campus surrounding this season’s boys basketball team would be an understatement.

• Goodson leads talented Collins team   -  Coming off a 29-win season and a trip to the state quarterfinals last year, the Klein Collins Tigers have only one goal in mind for 2007-08, and that is to win the state 5A championship.

• On top of their game; Eagles soar back into 5A playoffs  -  Less than two years after losing football prospects to a school district split, Eagle Pass is back in the 29-5A playoffs and ready to continue its climb to the top. Full Story

• Top-ranked Jackrabbits win; Lady Bulldogs remain unbeaten – GRAFORD – The number-one ranked Graford High School Jackrabbits opened the season at home on Tuesday with a 63-50 win over the Millsap Bulldogs.….more>>

• Lady Rams outlast Lady Broncos in 58-45 win  -  MANSFIELD – The Mineral Wells Lady Rams basketball team used a strong second half to take a 58-45 win over the Mansfield Legacy Lady Broncos on Tuesday in Mansfield.

• Calabrese leads Hays past SMHS  -  Shelby Calabrese scored 21 points and Ashley Rankin finished one rebound short of a double-double to lead the Hays Lady Rebels past county neighbor San Marcos 68-56 Tuesday.

• Snakes triumph in season opener  (San Marcos)

• Girls basketball: Krum remains unbeaten

• Boys basketball roundup: Ponder wins opener at Lipan

• Girls basketball roundup: Lady Wildcats drop game to Peaster

• Terrell boys hold off late rally to win season opener - TYLER – Even with a 16-point lead midway through the third period of Tuesday’s season-opener, Terrell coach Willie Coulter knew his boys were still in for a fight.

• CHS-Mathis in play-offs
  For the sixth consecutive year, Cuero High School’s Gobblers are in the play-offs. The Gobblers will face the Mathis Pirates in bi-district Friday in Refugio at Bobcat Stadium. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. and Cuero is designated as the visiting team. Gates open at 6 p.m.

• Lady Tigers 3-0 after 63-50 win over Hallsville (Mt. Pleasant)

• Mustangs start season with victory  -  SLOCUM — For the Slocum Mustangs to have success this season, head coach Jay Bruce believes the Mustangs’ defense will be the key. more>>

• Lady Mustangs top Douglass   -  SLOCUM — Slocum girls’ head coach Barry Gill knew when junior Leah O’Dell went down in the Lady Mustang’s first scrimmage with a season-ending injury, he would have to have everyone else on the team step up.

• Lady Panthers fall to Buffalo  -  The Westwood Lady Panthers came up short in the long run, falling in Tuesday night’s basketball game to Buffalo, 52-35.

• Wildcats win season opener
  For the last three seasons, Paris High’s Courtney Jackson has been a force in the paint. This year he’s increased his range some 20 feet.

• NL girls use free throws to upend Athens
  ATHENS — North Lamar made 26 free throws Tuesday night against Athens in a rough and tumble game that ended in a 64-56 Pantherette victory.

• Red River Valley basketball continues
  Detroit boys, Roxton girls win Tuesday basketball games in the Red River Valley.

• Runnin’ Indians edged by Everman 65-62  -  With a depleted lineup due to several players still playing football, Head Coach Lonnie Gaylor sent his Runnin’ Indians into battle with the Everman Bulldogs at Solis Gymnasium last night. (Waxahacie)

• 2007-08 Aransas Pass Panthers Girls Basketball Preview