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The 5TH QUARTER: Sept. 5, 2008
SCOREBARD, etc.
8:17 PM — Connally goes up 10-0 on Marlin with Nick Botello’s 30-yard FG. 9:26 left in the second quarter. Looks like the Dogs are officially having trouble getting their offense going after only scoring six points (in the fourth quarter) last week.
8:12 PM — Even injuries can’t slow down Waco High. Fullback Keyshun Russell, starting in place of the injured Bronshae’Keon Dugas, scores on a two-yard TD run on an inside handoff, giving Waco High a 17-7 edge with 10:42 to play in the opening half. Toylon Clark, who’s starting for Charles Silmon, is also running well. — Brice Cherry down south
8:11 PM — Looks like the Trojans won’t be running away in this one as Carter’s Anthony Miller finds room for a 56-yard TD run with 11:08 left. Trojans hold a 9-7 lead.
8:09 PM — Waco High is knocking on the door as the first quarter closes, 10-7. They’ll start the second with a 2nd-and-5 from the Cove 7-yard line.
8:08 PM — 1010 KBW guys says Mexia defense has been especially tenacious. James French is really doing yeoman’s work on special teams, though, as the Coogs down the ball at the Mexia 1. Early in the 2nd there.
8:07 PM — No good news for the Rockets, as Alvarado gets a 70-yard fumble return early in the 2nd quarter. According to the Trib’s Jason Orts, Robinson QB Ruben Martinez threws a lateral out in flat and Alvarado’s Justin Bonham read the play well, knocking the ball down. Thinking it was incomplete pass, the Rockets’ offense didn’t go after the rock and Samuel Loya picked up the ball took it to the house.
8:06 PM — Will Bosqueville put up a hunny? You never know. The Dogs leads 32-0 after another long pass play, this time Cameron Hoffmeyer getting a 35-yard score off the arm of Blaze Blackburn.
8:05 PM — Will 7-3A be a tighter district than expected? China Spring and Mexia are knotted at 7 after a quarter. (You can listen live locally on 1010 KBW.) Nothing against the Blackcats, but they’re one of those teams that seemed to sneak into the playoffs at 3-7 overall every year in the old 19-3A. And China Spring is, well, China Spring. We’ll keep a closer ear on this one.
8:02 PM — Randy Price extends the Trojans’ lead with a 4-yard scoring run. University leads 9-0 late in the first after the PAT fails.
8:01 PM — Robinson trails 7-0 after the 1st.
8:00 PM — Brice Cherry from somewhere in the vicinity of Fort Hood:
Copperas Cove strikes back, capitalizing on a defensive takeaway of its own. Four plays after a Bulldawg interception of Waco High QB Kollin Kahler, Cove running back William Wright scores on a one-yard TD plunge. The score is now 10-7 Waco with 3:37 left in an entertaining first quarter.
7:59 PM — Reggie Richardson puts Connally on the board with a 52-yard run. Cadets lead the Marlin Bulldogs 7-0 late in the 1st.
7:53 PM — Four touchdowns in the first isn’t a bad way for Bosqueville to start. David Johnson gets the job done with a 6-yard run, and it’s 26-0 Bulldogs over TCA as the clock expires in the first.
7:54 PM — John Hillman, out at Midway, lets us know the Panthers have scored on their second possession. Corey Holmes hit Trey Graham with a 37-yard touchdown pass. About 6 left in the quarter.
7:50 PM — Anyone surprised that Waco High’s defense has comes up big again? DB Raymond Moore recovers a fumble to set up an eventual 28-yard field goal from Ernesto Guevara. Waco High leads 10-0 with exactly seven minutes left on the first-quarter clock.
7:49 PM — Your undefeated University Trojans (man, it feels good to say that!) have taken an early lead over Dallas Carter. Ricardo Casares guides a 31-yard kick through the uprights for a 3-0 lead.
7:48 PM — Looks like Blaze Blackburn’s gonna have himself quite the night. The Bosqueville QB scores on a 2-yard run and Hunter Perry kicks the extra point to give the Dogs a 20-0 lead.
7:46 PM — Brice Cherry from Copperas Cove:
Just like last week, Waco High’s defense puts its first points on the board. On a 3rd-and-10 play for Copperas Cove, Waco’s Super Centex defensive end Andrew Weaver disrupted a running play and scooped up the ensuing fumble, returning it 33 yards for the TD. It’s 7-0, Lions, with 10:37 left in the opening quarter.
7:45 PM — Speaking of Midway, last week’s opponent has gone up 7-0 on Robinson early. The Rockets fumbled the opening kickoff and Alvarado’s Broam Hart broke through for a score on 4th and 2. About 9 left in the quarter in that one.
7:38 PM — Bet the Midway Panthers are glad to have John Hubert back. After holding Vista Ridge to a three-and-out, the star RB scores on Midway’s first play — a 53-yard TD run on sprint draw. Midway 7 - Vista Ridge 0 with 8:44 left in first quarter.
7:38 PM — You might say he was due … Brandon Due, that is, who scored another Bosqueville touchdown on a 31-yard grab from QB Blackburn. A missed PAT makes this one 13-0 with 7:29 left in the first.
7:32 PM —Â Bosqueville isn’t wasting any time with a score on the first play from scrimmage. Cody Feight grabbed a 59-yard pass from Blaze Blackburn to make it a quick 7-0 lead for the Bulldogs over TCA.
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Videocast: Week 1 preview
Brice Cherry, Chad Conine and News Channel 25’s Vince Erickson talk high school football after one week in the books.
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Midway volleyball wins Temple tournament
The Midway volleyball team won seven matches this weekend to claim the Temple Invitational championship.
After breezing through its first six matches, Midway fought past Pflugerville in the final, 27-25, 20-25, 26-24.
Aletra Ware, Lauren Ray and Amanda Woolley made the all-tournament team.
The flurry of wins boosts Midway’s record to 16-9.
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The 5TH QUARTER: Aug. 29, 2008
SCOREBARD, etc.
All right, let’s check out what games we’ve gotten called in so far!
Saving the best for last … Hearne-Bremond? Yep, this is the most almost-symmetrical box you’ll ever see, with six in the first and second, 13 to 12 in the third and no scoring in a nailbiting fourth. Last year’s state semifinalists held on for a 25-24 win against Hearne.
All of Hearne’s scores were big plays, including a 75-yard punt return, a 56-yard pass and a 39-yard run. (The Eagles managed only 7 first downs all night.) But LiDarrel Bailey and Jacob Yezak kept the Tigers true with 2 and 1 score, respectively.
We’ll have to mention kicker Dylon Lindley — his boot on the last score of the third quarter was the difference in the game after both teams had failed to manage a two point-conversion on 7 previous scores.
You might’ve been skeptical about Itasca’s ranking in the preseason poll, but that was before the Wampus Cats pasted Holland, 50-6, tonight behind 300 yards of rushing.
Desmond Guy went for 225 on the ground with two scores. The Cats might want to be wary on defense, though — Holland’s Clayton Ash threw for 150 yards. Another fumblerific game with 8 total, as well as 2 Holland INTs.
We don’t know what happened to Midway tonight, as John Hubert doesn’t even show up in the stats leaders in the Panthers’ 17-7 loss to Alvarado. Rising star Trey Graham hauled in 3 catches for 36 yards, though, and QB Cory Holmes passed for nearly 100 yards.
In an awesome-looking shootout, we’ve got to call the name of Connally’s Reggie Richardson, who scored 3 TDs behind 174 rushing in the Cadets’ 41-37 loss to Cameron.
Connally was up 34-21 at the break, but could only muster a field goal in the fourth. The Cadets’ Justin Crow deserves a nod as well for his 7-tackle defensive effort.
Groesbeck-Madisonville was a slugfest, with nearly 500 total yards of rushing on the night. This one was 7-6 Groesbeck at the half, then 13-12 Goats in the third, but the Mustangs scored 12 unanswered for a 24-13 win.
A little bit of sloppy play in this one, as each team had four fumbles apiece. Penalties raise an eyebrow too — 110 for Groesbeck and 72 for M’ville.
Salado looked awfully sharp in swatting playoff contender West tonight, 26-0. 15 first downs to 3, 207 passing yards to 27, 169 rushing yards to 35 — that pretty much tells the story. Eagles QB Garret Ward had more than 250 total yards.
I’m not gonna be able to contain my excitement — seriously — about a Moody win in the first week. The Bearcats came back late after jumping out early to post a 19-15 win.
Hayden Coffey went 61 yards for Moody’s first score, and QB Nate Wilburn added a 30-yard strike to get the Cats out to a quick 12-0 lead in the first quarter. But Thrall snuck back to get up 15-12 until Wilburn found Ricky Syler on a 12-yard TD pass in the last period. Both teams posted big rushing numbers (192 for Thrall, 175 for Moody) and the Bearcats’ Walter Hammond went over 100 yards.
It was a tight one tonight as Mexia snuck past Gatesville at the Hornets’ nest, 15-14. Wackiness ensued on the points-after as Mexia ran it in after its first score, Gatesville’s kick failed on its first, then the Hornets got back to square up 14-8 in the third.
The game all came down to Mason Alvarado’s true boot with 43 seconds left for the Blackcats. Gatesville’s Zane Evans racked up 2 sacks and Cody Sheet ran for 88 yards for the Hornets. Mexia’s Trae Davis was 16-for-25 passing for 120 yards to lead the offensive players.
10:40 PM: We’ve got video! Thanks to our new partnership with News Channel 25 (KXXV-TV), we can now bring you highlight reels from tons of local games every Friday night here on WacoTrib.com.
You’ll be able to find the video on our homepage or our high school sports page.
10:17 PM: Mart makes it uneventful in the late going, and quietly runs out the clock for a 24-14 win over Chilton.
10:05 PM: Fairfield finally gets on the scoreboard. Dalton Piske goes over left side from 2 yards out. PAT fails, and China Spring leads 49-6 with 7:51 remaining.
9:59 PM: Chilton can’t stop scoring — 2 points, anyway. Mart, deep in its own territory, elects to take a safety rather than get a punt blocked. They lead 24-14 with 8:16 left.
9:57 PM: Finals: Waco High 35-6 over San Marcos, La Vega 35-6 over Marlin. We’ve also got a few six-man finals on our Friday night scoreboard — and we’ll be uploading stats all night long, so check back for boxscores as fast as we can get them online.
9:54 PM: Watch out, 7-3A: China Spring now leads 49-0 after Travis Veselka goes up the middle for a 12-yard scoring run. 9:24 left to play.
9:53 PM: Marlin gets on the board as Darrel Washington hauls in an 11-yard pass from Charles Hitchens. Run failed.
9:52 PM: DeAndre Thompson is leaving McGregor in his dust as he scores again. Coogs up 27-0 with 7:51 left.
9:51 PM: I’m no 6-man expert, but Dallas Covenant beating Blum, 38-36, seems like an upset to me.
9:42 PM: Matt Hicks scores his third rushing touchdown of the evening, a 7-yarder, and kicks the extra point to put China Spring up 42-0 over Fairfield. 1:35 left in third quarter. — from John Hillman
9:40 PM: Chilton’s Xavier Shaw isn’t giving up yet, as he breaks free on a 51-yard TD run to close the gap to 24-12 behind Mart. The 2-point run failed. 3:59 left in the third.
9:38 PM: One play, one score. Denzel Mitchell hauls in a Kollin Kahler pass for a TD, and then the Lions get an excessive celebration penalty. Heh. The penalty is assessed on the PAT, but Ernesto Guevara can handle the 35-yard kick no sweat. It’s 35-6 Lions.
9:36 PM: Score one for special teams — there’s a mad scramble for the Lions’ pooch kick and Waco High comes up with the ball on the San Marcos 14.
9:33 PM: Put this one in the books. Keyshawn Russell streaks 44 yards to the house — on a fullback dive — to put Waco High up 28-6.
9:25 PM: Take a break, Chad Ward. La Vega’s Arron Brandon puts the Pirates up 35-0 with a 42-yard interception return. 3:22 left in the 3rd.
9:24 PM: John Hillman reports: Mike Hicks gets his share of gridiron glory by returning the opening second-half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Bell passes to Travis Veselka for 2 points, and China Spring leads 35-0 with 11:45 left in third quarter.
9:22 PM: But Chilton gets on the board with a kickoff return for a score! That makes it 24-6 with about 8 and a half minutes left. Montreze Landrum took it to the house — do they ever run out of Landrums in Chilton?
9:21 PM: Brice Cherry reports from Mart-Chilton that Jakeem Hoffman had an 11-yard TD run to put the Panthers up 24-0. It was made possible by Mart’s third fumble recovery of the game.
9:18 PM: I have a hunch we’ve got a Player of the Week nominee, as La Vega’s Chad Ward gets his fourth TD of the game to put the Pirates up 28-0 over Marlin. (Danzel Wilson added a 2-point run to get the score looking right.)
9:14 PM: Worth noting — Waco High and San Marcos have been virtually penalty-free all game. And the Lions haven’t given up any points since the first drive of the game.
Looking for photos from Waco ISD Stadium? We’re uploading plenty of shots of fans in the stands. Action photos a bit later. Keep checking WacoTrib.com.
9:12 PM: Rosebud-Lott continues to score, Ben Guthrie hauling in a 22-yard catch to put the Cougars up 20-0 over McGregor with 5:16 left in third.
9:07 PM: Charles Silmon takes it to the house! He goes 63 yards — presumably to 1-up Toylon Clark. That’s doubly, maybe triply impressive against San Marcos’ speedy defense and considering how far he’s come from last year’s knee injury.
9:02 PM: Midway’s coming back on Alvarado, now trailing 10-7. According to the FW Star-Telegram: With 8 seconds left in the first half Ahmad Dixon of Midway returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown to cut Alvarado’s lead to 3.
8:55 PM: One play, one score! Toylon Clark takes it all the way through a gaping hole on the right side, courtesy of Bronshae’Keon Dugas and The High’s offensive line. That’s nearly 60 yards. Lions are up 14-6.
8:55 PM: Waco High’s Denzel Mitchell continues a trend of good returns for the Lions special teams. The Lions have the ball at their 45 to start the second half.
8:45 PM: The C-Sun says Blooming Grove is having its way with Wortham, 37-7, and Valley Mills is struggling with Kerens, down 32-0. Both at the half.
8:40 PM: I don’t mean to give Tom Barfield too much of a hard time, but it’s pretty funny hearing him try to pronounce “Joekkava Yzaguirre”. He’s a senior running back star for San Marcos.
And for more elocution fun, Butch Henry is on the halftime show right now. You can tune in on 1660-AM in the Waco area, or you can visit 1660espn.com on the Web.
8:35 PM: Here’s the report from out at Waco ISD Stadium from our new kid on the block, Jason Orts:
San Marcos controlled the ball and the clock for nearly the entire first half, but a 45-yard fumble return by Lamarquet Jones has the Lions ahead 7-6 at halftime.
The Rattlers took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards on nine plays, the final 33 coming on a run by Michael Wilburn around the right side of the line.
The Lions, who ran only three offensive plays in the first quarter, caught a break on the Rattlers’ next drive. San Marcos quarterback Ryan Schweers was hit as he stumbled, dislodging the ball forward and right to Jones, who had a clear path to the end zone with 2:43 left in the first quarter. Ernesto Guevara’s extra point gave Waco High the lead, and the Lions defense has made it hold up.
8:33 PM: Mart goes up 17-0 with a field goal, a Matthew Schaffer 41-yarder. Just about a minute left in the half.
8:30 PM: So, I wonder if there’s good QB blood in the Bells? China Spring’s Brian throws a 16-yard score to Jerome Lloyd, but the 2-point conversion try fails. Cougars are rolling, 27-0, late in the half. Thanks to Trib Friday night stalwart John Hillman for keeping us constantly updated.
8:28 PM: I’m pretty sure the H-E-B guy on 1660’s halftime show just said “the kids are our future”. That’s a bad 1985 flashback I didn’t need.
8:24 PM: Halftime at Waco ISD as the Lions hold a 7-6 lead.
8:20 PM: Mart’s showing that defense is what wins championships (or so we hear) — on the second play after a blocked punt, QB Xavier Williams runs 16 yards to the house to put the Panthers up 14-0 with 3:40 left. Panthers special teamer Ryan Montgomery gets the props for the block.
Earlier in the half, the Mart secondary nullified a 60-yard run by Chilton with a picture-perfect ball-stripping play on the 5-yard line.
8:19 PM: La Vega’s Chad Ward gets his third TD, a 21-yarder, kick no good. Pirates up 20-0 with 5:07 left.
8:18 PM: Who needs Dustin Eskew, eh? Brian Bell shows he’s got game with an 18-yard TD strike to Reece Meador. Cougars lead Fairfield 21-0 with 7:24 left.
8:16 PM: Did we underestimate the Coogs, or overestimate the Dogs? Rosebud-Lott takes a 13-0 lead as DeAndre Thompson hauls in a 19-yard pass from Ernesto Flores (kick failed). Looks like the experienced R-Lott defense is handling McGregor nicely so far. It’s 13-0 with 4:57 left in the second.
8:15 PM: We’ve got constant scoring updates on the ticker on our high school sports page, including Bosqueville up 21-0 on Dawson and Hubbard struggling with Dallas Life Oak Cliff, down 14-0.
8:13 PM: We hear from the guys at News Channel 25 that the Teague Lions are up 12-0 over New Waverly in the second. You know the Lions are hungry after last year’s stunning bi-district loss.
8:11 PM: Division I prosepct Kenneth Cluley has the Reicher Cougars moving smoothly as he throws an 8-yard TD to Stephen Harrison with 10:37 in second. Reicher leads, 14-0.
8:08 PM: Waco High is starting to move the ball a little. The ESPN 1660 guys say they seem to be finding their rhythm here in the second quarter.
8:07 PM: Matt Hicks scores his second touchdown on a 26-yard run over left tackle to put China Spring up 14-0 early in the 2nd.
8:03 PM: La Vega keeps scoring, as Chad Ward breaks free for a 22-yard score. 2:18 left in first as the Pirates lead Marlin 14-0.
8:02 PM: Bit of a scare for Waco High — after (finally) getting a stop, the Lions muffed the punt return, but luckily recovered. We’re in the 2nd now.
8:00 PM: Looks like Mart-Chilton is bound to be a close one, as expected. It’s 7-0 after a quarter of play.
7:57 PM: We’re just getting on 1660’s Waco High broadcast, but we hear Aaron Sexton saying that the Waco High coaching staff has to be frustrated. Seems like every play the Rattlers run goes for 5 yards or more.
7:52 PM: Can’t keep those Lions down for long! Waco High’s Lamarquet Jones picks up a fumble as the San Marcos QB bobbles the ball, and dashes 45 yards for a TD with 2:43 left. That puts the Lions up by 1 on San Marcos, 7-6.
7:49 PM: Would you believe it? La Vega scores a rushing touchdown — imagine that. With 8:21 left in first, Chad Ward pounds in a 4-yard run. Pirates up 7-0 on Marlin.
7:44 PM: Although we picked Rosebud-Lott fifth in 20-2A and McGregor to win 16-2A, the Cougs are making a statement early as QB Ernesto Flores tosses a TD pass to go up 7-0 halfway through the first quarter.
7:42 PM: China Spring’s Matt Hicks gets an early score with an 8-yard TD on on a sweep left. The Cougars lead Fairfield, 7-0, with 10:17 left in the first quarter.
7:42 PM: Clarence Willis makes a big return for Waco High across midfield, putting Johnny Tusa’s boys in good field position.
7:40 PM: With 10:09 left in the first, Reicher star Ross Rasner showed why he’s a team leader with a 1-yard TD run to put the Cougars up 7-0.
7:39 PM: Michael Wilburn got San Marcos on the board early with a 33-yard run against Waco High. The kick was wide left, so the Rattlers are up 6-0 on the Lions with about 9 left.
7:38 PM: Brice Cherry reports in from Mart-Chilton to tell us the Panthers are on the board early after Kaleb Freeman picked up a fumble and returned it 14 yards for a score. The Pirates were going for it on fourth and 1 when they committed the turnover. It’s 7-0 with 9:17 left in the first quarter.
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Welcome to THE 5TH QUARTER: 2008
SCOREBARD
Welcome to The 5th Quarter for 2008!
In addition to our high school ticker and constantly updated scoreboard of area finals, those of us who spend Friday nights collecting info in the Trib newsroom will try to highlight the standout performances, big upsets, surprising stats and any other interesting tidbits that cross our desks.
But that’s only half the story. We’re stuck indoors — but you’re out there, at more than 50 football games every week. So we want you to write! Comment on the post with anything from on or off the field that’s weird, unusual, spectacular, hilarious or downright interesting, so that all the Centex high school football fans can get the full scoop on what’s going on.
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First high school game in the books: Ennis wins, 43-8
Ennis finished off a nice start to its season with a 43-8 victory over Belton tonight at Waco ISD Stadium in the first game of the Heart O’ Texas Kickoff Classic.
Ennis led 15-0 after the first quarter and never looked back.
Waco High and San Marcos will play the second game of the Classic at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
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Ennis rolling past Belton at halftime, 22-0
Jyavon King ran for 140 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown, and D.J. Betik threw for a score and ran for another to give Ennis a 22-0 halftime lead in the opening game of the Heart O’ Texas Kickoff Classic at Waco ISD Stadium.
The Lions, who churned out 306 yards of offense in the first half, opened the scoring with an efficient eight-play, 67-yard march that was capped by a six-yard run by Betik with 3:34 left in the first quarter.
After King’s touchdown run on Ennis’ next possession, the Lions struck again with 41 seconds left in the half on an 18-yard fade pass from Betik to Kyle Guinyard.
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Videocast: High school football season preview
Brice Cherry, Chad Conine and News Channel 25’s Vince Erickson talk some high school football in anticipation of Zero Week.
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Are you ready? I am
I’m sitting here in my cubicle, one week before the first Friday night of the football season. While I can’t say I’m brimming with anticipation — I’m more mellowed out from finishing a nice load of work for our preview section that comes out on Thursday — I can definitely sense the excitement brewing.
Frankly, August is a lot of work. I certainly don’t envy the players and coaches who spend hours on the practice field every day. My job — asking coach after coach about his team’s prospects and going position by position through the squad — is much easier. At this point, it’s all run together. It seems every team in the area has three offensive line starters returning, a battle for the quarterback spot, a couple of different running backs with styles that complement each other, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah ….
The players don’t practice just to practice and I’m not in journalism to write previews. They like playing games and I like reporting on games. Bottom line. And, like The Eagles, I’ve got a peaceful, easy feeling that those game are only a week away.
To whet the football appetite of the Central Texas football hoard, here’s my list of the top 5 games in the area next week:
San Marcos vs. Waco High — The Friday night marquee of the Kickoff Classic
Marlin at La Vega — The Pirates are the most highly touted team in Central Texas, but they can’t overlook Marlin or La Vega will stumble out of the gate.
Mart at Chilton — Even though both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2007, the matchup of 2006 state champions is still pretty intriguing.
Midway at Alvarado — The Panthers go on the road for the first Friday night of football season.
Houston Crosby vs. University — The Matt Carroll era at University opens with the Saturday night game of the Kickoff Classic.
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Bump set spike, volleyball is here
STORY
So volleyball season is here. It’s not like it snuck up on me. I knew it was coming. But I have to admit I probably missed a great match last night between Temple and Midway.
Temple outlasted the 4A defending champion Pantherettes in five games, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12. What a way to start the year. I’m sure both of these squads will rack up plenty of wins this season.
I think I would’ve preferred to watch the Tem-Cats vs. Pantherettes rather than the beach volleyball match between the U.S. and Cuban teams last night on the Olympic coverage. I’m not a huge fan of two-on-two volleyball as the hitters are able to easily place the ball away from the two players on the other side. On the other hand, six-a-side volleyball is one of my favorite sports to cover and I’ll hopefully see more of it this fall as Brice Cherry will be covering more Baylor sports.
But it will be a little bit before I see a live volleyball game, I fear. The duty of hitting as many high school practices as possible to prepare for football season calls.
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Troy going mad over pads
Midnight Madness has been a staple for college basketball programs for around two decades, but now Troy High School is bringing it to the world of prep football.
The Trojans will hold their own variation of Midnight Madness beginning at the stroke of 12 tonight at Trojan Field. Friday is the first official day that UIL allows football teams to begin working out in full pads, and head coach Grady Rowe figures his team might as well get an early start at the hitting.
Rowe expects about 250 Troy fans to attend tonight’s event. The Trojans open up their season Aug. 29 at home against Whitney.
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Two-a-days should always feel this good
Standing on the sidelines at Mart’s new football stadium on Tuesday didn’t feel like attending a 1A preseason practice. It didn’t feel like it for a couple of reasons.
First, Mart’s new stadium, complete with field turf, feels like the setting at a much larger school. It’s tough to think of Mart as a 1A school for one thing. But also, at least from field level, it’s about as nice of a high school facility as I’ve been in.
Secondly, it was 70 degrees and raining. I had to go to my car for my rain jacket. Honestly, watching the Panthers practice on turf under overcast skies and wearing a jacket, well that took me back to the fall of 2006 when Mart won the 2A Division II state title though.
Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not complaining. In fact, bring on rain for the rest of the preseason.
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Yikes, only 24 days until showtime
The sounds of football in August, metaphorically speaking, are not unlike an orchestra warming up.
Take this morning, for example. I drove out to Midway to check out their first workout, listening to sports radio on the way and hearing (for the 785th time this week) about the Brett Favre saga in Green Bay. I arrived at practice to hear coaches barking orders “Come on linemen, get to the line quick and know where you’re going when you get there.” I saw some dropped passes at Midway practice and heard the grunt and slapping together of receivers’ gloves. Later, a Midway quarterback would tell me the ball was getting there a little quicker than the receivers expected.
I got back in my car to hear more sports radio and an interview with Drew Brees about the upcoming season. Brees was a good interview, but I have to say he sort of primed me for the kind of quotes I’ll be hearing for the next month.
“Well, we’ve got a lot of talent out there. It’s just a matter of putting it together and getting everybody on the same page and seeing how it all fits together. Really, we’ve just got to take it one practice at a time and try to get better every day. If we do that, I think we’re going to be a very competitive football team.”
Understand, that’s not exactly what Brees said, in fact it’s probably not even that close. But it’s what you hear a lot of this time of year. Everybody has a lot of work to do and, it feels like, not a lot of time to do it. And I think that overwhelmedness kind of muddles up the brain.
I arrived at my cubicle to find Brice Cherry and he informed me it was August. Of course, I know it’s August, but I understood what he was saying. “We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there,” I said. Then I added, “You know, Brice, I don’t think it’s your first rodeo and it’s not mine.” At that point he accused me of pulling out all the cliches, which I’ll do from time to time as sort of a running gag. The thing is, though, I wasn’t trying to be cliche. I was genuinely trying to remind myself that I’ve done this deal before and it will come together.
I’m guessing that’s how a lot of football coaches feel today, too, as the orchestra starts to warm up for the symphony that is football season.
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Single-site football championships on their way? Will there be a 6A?
SAN ANTONIO — When UIL athletic director Charles Breithaupt met with the media today, it wasn’t all about steroids. (Just most of it).
There actually were a couple of other notable topics that arose, the most interesting of which were the concept of creating a 6A and a potential future of single sites for football state championship games.
First, regarding 6A: Breithaupt said that, at the moment, the idea has been tossed around, with the perceived benefit being an equitable balance of around 200 schools in each classification. But he also admitted that right now there aren’t enough schools to make it work, and that it would probably create some travel headaches. (Though less so than a Division I/Division II setup).
I have no real strong feeling about the potential of creating a 6A. If that were to happen, however, I would offer the suggestion of going back to one football state title per classification. It’ll never happen, but a guy can dream.
Incidentally, it was good to hear Breithaupt say that in the wake of a fourth playoff team in 4A, he doesn’t envision any future playoff changes in the near future.
“if we let many more teams in, we’re going to have to let everybody in,” Breithaupt said, “and I can tell you that no one on our (UIL) staff wants that.”
Then the single site issue arose, and while it didn’t garner as much discussion as steroids, it wasn’t too far behind. Breithaupt championed how well the single site concept has worked in Class 5A, and he brought up some good points. Namely, the fact that the single-day, single-site setup allows for a TV broadcast of both championship games, which “helps grow the sport,” Breithaupt said.
He also made the comment that the UIL is able to broker a better financial deal with big stadiums like the Alamodome or Reliant Stadium — site of this year’s 5A title games — than individual schools would. He added that the coaches who have participated in those 5A state title games the last two years appreciated not having to worry about setting up a playoff site for once.
However, that’s all well and good, but many other coaches have been vocal in their opposition, including the directors of the THSCA. One of their primary concerns is travel. For instance, let’s say for argument’s sake that Waco High and Killeen met in the 4A Division I title game, which could (on paper) happen since the Lions are in Region II and the Kangaroos are in Region IV.
If a preset 4A site were in place in, say, San Antonio, it wouldn’t make a lick of sense to bypass a more natural site (like Temple’s Wildcat Stadium) just so the rest of the state can watch on TV.
Breithaupt at one point said the single-site setup is “good for the fans,” but in the preceding example (and others like it), I’d say it’s not.
At any rate, given how much the UIL seems to like the idea and since Class 4A now has four playoff teams per district like their 5A brethren, you can bet more single sites are on their way.
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Scheduling difficulties from San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO — I’ll be logging on periodically from the Alamo City over the next several days, as I’m down here to cover the Texas High School Coaches’ Association’s 76th annual Coaching School and All-Star Games.
One of the jewels for sportswriters that one always digs up at coaching school is a book of football schedules for every UIL school in the entire state. Though I’ve had some schedules in my possession for a while, I always find it interesting to flip through for games that catch my eye.
From a Central Texas perspective, those include:
- Waco HIgh at Copperas Cove, Sept. 5 — Though the Bulldawgs returned to Class 5A after a two-year hiatus, Jack Welch’s bunch will resume its annual rivalry with Johnny Tusa’s Lions. It may not be for a district title, but it’s a humdinger of a nondistrict clash.
- Robinson at China Spring, Sept. 12; and Gatesville at Connally, Sept. 26 — The old 17-3A is no more, of course, as Gatesville and China Spring moved to Region I in realingment while Robinson, Connally, Lorena and La Vega hooked up with Mexia and Groesbeck in the newly crafted 19-3A. But it’s nice to see some of the ol’ district battles continue.
- La Vega at Brownwood, Sept. 5 — Two state-ranked 3A behemoths who expect to be playing in Week 15 or 16 will hook up against one another in Week 1. Think there might be a few college scouts in attendance to view La Vega tailback Chris Parr and Brownwood quarterback Casey Pachall?
- Marlin’s entire nondistrict schedule — Jerry Malone is the kind of guy who wouldn’t dodge even if the game was dodgeball. He refuses to duck anyone, which is why his Bulldogs will play four Class 3A opponents (La Vega, Connally, Rockdale and China Spring) before district starts. Marlin’s lone nondistrict foe that isn’t a 3A? That would be Mart, the 2A state champs in 2006 and an expected 1A kingpin this season.
- Mart at Chilton, Aug. 29 — I believe this is the third straight year the Panthers and Pirates will meet in their season opener, and the last two games didn’t disappoint.
- Chilton at Bremond, Sept. 26 — Another familiar fall fracas, yet played out in nondistrict action rather than for a league title. Incidentally, Bremond should be mighty tough again this year despite graduating a number of talented players off last year’s 1A state finalist. It doesn’t hurt that the Tigers still have the electric LiDarral Bailey putting a charge into the scoreboard.
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She Knows How to Win
Local softball fans have known that Midway’s Sherry Rogers has presided over one of the area’s top programs for some time.
But try this on for size — Rogers isn’t just the winningest softball coach in Central Texas, but in all of Texas.
A Web site that follows Texas high school softball recently updated its rankings of coaching records, and Sherry is at the tip-top of the list, with 422 wins. In terms of winning percentage, only Brenham’s Wade Wilson — who has coached six fewer seasons — ranks above Sherry, with an .856 mark to Rogers’ .846.
What the site doesn’t say is that Rogers’ Pantherettes have dominated their district over the years like few teams possibly could. If memory serves, Midway has lost only two district games since 1993, an incomprehensible level of success.
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UIL State Championship: Bosqueville vs. Flatonia
6:05 p.m. — Randolph fields a grounder back to the mound and tosses to Kosar for the final out. There’s a mob of Bosqueville Bulldogs between first and second base as they’ve WON THE 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! Bosqueville 10, Flatonia 3.
6:04 p.m. — Boen squeezes out No. 2 on a fly ball to center. Two out, nobody on.
6:02 p.m. — Randolph gets Flatonia pinch hitter Gabriel Velasquez to ground out to Samford a second. One out, nobody on.
5:59 p.m. — Bosqueville goes down in order in the top of the seventh. They’re taking the field trying to retire Flatonia in less than seven runs to win the 1A state championship.
5:54 p.m. — Randolph retires Flatonia in order in the sixth, fanning Dakota Pinney for the third out. Randolph might not win the championship game MVP, but he’s having a nice day with six strikeouts.
5:48 p.m. — After Perry’s homer, Williams retires Bosqueville in order. Going to the bottom of the sixth.
5:46 p.m. — Not to be outdone by Feight, Perry homers over the wall in left. It cleared at almost the exact same spot. Bosqueville 10, Flatonia 3. If Bosqueville holds on, it’s going to be a tough call for tournament MVP between Feight and Perry. Any thoughts out there?
5:43 p.m. — 6-4-3 GDP. That’s how we sportswriters communicate that Perry fielded a ground ball at short, flipped to Samford at second for the second out of the inning, then Samford turned and threw to Kosar for the inning-ending double play. Bosqueville 9, Flatonia 3. Bosqueville is six outs from a state title.
5:42 p.m. — Flatonia No. 2 hitter Schacherl singles through the left side. One on, one out.
5:41 p.m. — Randolph strikes out Flatonia leadoff hitter Hunter Pinney for the first out.
5:38 p.m. — This is a big half inning for Bosqueville. Flatonia’s 1-3 hitters are coming up. If Randolph can sit them down, Bosqueville will be six outs away from a state title with a six-run lead.
5:34 p.m. — Bosqueville tacks on a run as Johnson singles to left, moves to second on a sac bunt by Randolph, goes to third on a wild pitch and comes home on a throwing error by the catcher. Bosqueville 9, Flatonia 3 after 4.5.
5:30 p.m. — Randolph retires Flatonia in order in the fourth — on eight pitches. He can take some of the suspense out of this thing if he can do that consistently the rest of the way.
5:25 p.m. — Williams retires Bosqueville in order in the fourth. I agree with Mojica, 20 minutes ago this was looking like a possible run-rule win for Bosqueville. Now it’s starting to look like a fight. I’m guessing Brice Cherry would call it a Bulldog fight since both schools’ mascots are Bulldogs.
5:18 p.m. — Randolph gets Dakota Pinney to ground out to Samford at second, ending the inning. Flatonia made a dent in the Bosqueville lead, but can Flatonia hold down the Bosqueville bats?
5:15 p.m. — A single through the left side by Sean Masek scores two for Flatonia. Bosqueville 8, Flatonia 3. The Flatonia fans have come back to life.
5:14 p.m. — Randolph walks in a run. The 2-2 pitch looked pretty good, but Randolph didn’t get the call. That’s not what you want to see if you’re a Bosqueville fan.
5:12 p.m. — Flatonia loads the bases as Dallas Ponder hits a chopper that gets away from Perry up the middle. That’s going to go as an error, but it was a tough play. Ponder’s on first, Schacherl’s at second and Hunter Pinney is at third with two out.
5:08 p.m. — Perry makes another nice play at short. Flatonia’s Brandon Williams takes off for second, drawing a throw down from McCormick. Perry caught the ball on the second-base side of the bag and reaches back to tag out Williams.
5:02 p.m. — That said, Williams gets out of the third with no further damage. Bosqueville 8, Flatonia 0.
4:58 p.m. — Samford walks. Flatonia’s Jordan Williams was 1-1 on the mound coming into the state tournament. Brandon Williams doesn’t even have a pitching record listed by his name in the program. That leads me to believe Bosqueville is in an enviable position. Even if Flatonia scores some runs, Williams, or whoever else pitched for the maroon-clad Bulldogs, is going to struggle to get Bosqueville batters out for the rest of the day.
4:53 p.m. — Boen singles up the middle to drive in Kosar and Johnson. Bosqueville has now batted around for the third time in eight innings here at the state tournament. I’m watching a baseball dynasty in the making, considering the Bulldogs have no seniors on the field.
Good bye to Williams, looks like Brandon Williams will be the next Flatonia pitcher to give it a shot.
4:51 p.m. — Johnson singles up the middle to drive in Feight. Randolph gets hit by a pitch to load the bases with Boen coming to the plate for Bosqueville. Bosqueville 6, Flatonia 0.
4:47 p.m. — After McCormick struck out, Kosar singled to right to keep the Bosqueville rally going. Feight moved up to second.
4:41 p.m. — There goes Schacherl. Now pitching for Flatonia, right-hander Jordan Williams.
4:40 p.m. —
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One coach said “These people have just given a voice to the most idiotic, cess-pool dwelling folks around; people who don’t need to be heard.”
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The new “side-line” rule should have many Red Flags thrown at loud-mouth Coach Mark Bell of China Spring. Coach Bell’s loud profanity can be heard up in the stands (by children and little old lady Sunday School teachers). Mark Bell loves
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August is the time for Texas High School Football players to…….suffer.
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Reminds me of two-a-days in Death Valley (Cameron Park)as a Waco High School Tiger in 1966,1967,and 1968.I am a May 1969 grad of Waco High.
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