Page 4B • The Leader • February 16, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com

The Greater Houston area consistently has some of the top football players in the U.S. Sure, the Southeastern Conference, Big 12 Conference and Pac-12 Conference will fi nd the top prospects in Houston, and throughout the nation.

But there had been a disconnect between Houston and small football programs throughout the United States.

Milby head football coach Phil Camp had an all-state lineman who didn’t get any college interest, so he came up with an idea to get colleges interested in senior football players, and vice versa.

He worked with Coby Rhoden, a former Milby High college counselor who now works in the same role at Reagan High, to start the Greater Houston Senior Football Showcase, which has the mission of “using football to further the educational oppor-tunities of high school seniors.”

Rhoden is the Showcase’s Vice President of Organization.

The event is free of charge. It began as a Houston ISD event, but has since expanded to include football prospects from all over the state.

Athletes from Reagan, Waltrip and St. Pius X attended the event last Saturday.

Camp handles the football aspect of the

event, which was held for the fi fth time on Feb. 9, and Rhoden takes care of the logis-tics. Thanks to the success of the Showcase, similar ones will be held in El Paso and Los Angeles, Camp said.

The event is held just three days after

National Signing Day. NCAA Division I coaches aren’t allowed to attend football combines, but they can receive results.

NCAA Division II coaches can attend combines, as long as it isn’t during their recruiting “dead period” while NCAA Divi-

sion III and NAIA coaches can attend com-bines at any time.

The inaugural event in 2009 was held at Milby and featured 172 athletes and 17 col-leges.

With the help of Chris Vaughan and

Touchdown Club of Houston, the Showcase moved to the Houston Texans’ practice fi eld in 2010, across the street from Reliant Stadium. It’s been there ever since.

Last Saturday’s event included 480 ath-letes from 154 high schools and 88 coaches from 32 colleges, ranging from relatively nearby programs such as East Texas Bap-tist (in Marshall) and Texas Lutheran (in Seguin) to Minot (North Dakota) State and Northwood University in Michigan.

Thanks to the efforts of 150 volunteers, athletes competed in the 40-yard dash, the 3-cone drill, the bench press and position drills.

The Showcase started as a Houston ISD event, but has since expanded. Athletes traveled from as far away from Dallas and the Rio Grande Valley to participate in the event.

After the players fi nished competing on the fi eld, Camp addressed them, saying, “we want to give everybody the chance to go to college.”

Then, the athletes got an opportunity to speak one-on-one with the coaches present at the Showcase.

Rhoden said 96 athletes were cross-ref-erenced on college rosters, showing that the Showcase is effective. He estimated that players recruited at the event received be-

Nathan Robbins has been named the new athletic director and head football coach at Lutheran High North and will start this spring. He was previ-ously head football coach at Concordia University-Ann Arbor in Michigan, where he spent three years building a program from scratch.

He was also defensive coordina-tor at Lutheran West High School in Cleveland, then launched the football program at Dallas Lutheran School, where his team made the quarterfi nals of state playoff s for two years.

Robbins played college football at Concordia University-Seward in Nebraska, where he was fi rst-team all-conference three seasons as a defensive player, and was chosen NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week.

He and his wife Laura have been married for 12 years and have three daughters and a son. Laura, a former collegiate volleyball player, now coaches the sport.

Scarborough football players offi cially good sportsThe Scarborough High football team earned the Houston ISD Sportsmanship

Award for the second straight season.“For me, as far as being a football coach, it’s huge,” Spartans second-year

head coach Jayson Merren said. “It’s what I base my program on – doing things right.”

The award is determined by feedback from a variety of stadium personnel, such as referees, bus drivers, police offi cers and stadium offi cials.

Everything from how well the athletes respect the game, to whether they show respect during the National Anthem, factor into the decision, Merren said.

The Spartans (0-10), who had a young team and were outnumbered by all of their Class 3A-District 23 op-ponents, had the program’s fi rst college signee in a decade, when senior linebacker Onyx Anderson signed with Mayville (North Dakota) State last week.

Scarborough became the fi rst HISD school to be nominated for the Touch-down Club of Houston’s Sportsmanship Award two years in a row.

They were one of 10 fi nalists in the TD Club’s Class 3A/Private School cat-egory. The Kinkaid School was the 3A/Private School winner.

STH alum contributes to Stanford winStanford University freshman guard Christian Sanders, who graduated from

St. Thomas High last spring, made a 3-pointer for his only points of the game in the Cardinal’s 62-59 win over Arizona State on Feb. 9 in Tempe, Ariz.

Sanders, who is averaging 2.6 points per game, played nine minutes in the game for Stanford, which is an NCAA bubble team at 15-9, 6-5 in the Pacifi c 12 Conference.

SPX swimmers at state championshipsThe St. Pius X swim team is competing in the TAPPS State Championships

today at the Davis Natatorium in San Antonio.Junior Lauren Hand (100 butterfl y) and the 200 IM Medley Relay will repre-

sent the girls side.Senior Garrett Bergoon (100 butterfl y), junior Ricky Castillo (200 freestyle),

freshman Phillip Salinas (200 IM, 500 freestyle), the 200 IM Relay and the 200 Freestyle Relay will represent the boys side.

Class 4A-District 21 boys basketball playoff sThe Reagan High boys basketball team clinched a spot in the UIL Class 4A

playoff s, which begin next week.Waltrip was competing for Class 4A-District 21’s fourth and fi nal playoff spot;

results were not available at press time.

National Signing Day is one of the most exciting days of the year for athletes, coaches, parents and fans.

Nine athletes from Leader area schools signed their National Letter of Intent at two different locations last week.

Five St. Pius X athletes signed at the school’s Herzstein Gym, while two Waltrip athletes and one from Reagan and Scarborough, respec-tively, signed at a Houston ISD-wide signing at Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse.

SPX senior Kohl Stewart, an All-American in baseball and football, signed a football scholarship to Texas A&M University. Stewart, who plays quarterback in football and pitches in baseball, could likely play baseball for the Aggies as well.

There is a good chance Stewart will have to make a decision on his college career in June. Though he signed to play for the Aggies, many speculate he could be a fi rst-round Major League Baseball draft choice. The draft is June 6-8.

Joining Stewart in the SPX sign-ing were four-year varsity soccer teammates Briana Hester (Mary Hardin-Baylor) and Kaitlin Hintz (Benedictine, in Kansas). Carah Nunez signed with San Jacinto College’s softball team, while Solo-mon Brown signed with the East-ern Nazarene University (Quincy, Mass.) men’s basketball team.

At the HISD signing, Waltrip football teammates Chris Maloney (wide receiver) and Reuben Wash-ington (defensive lineman) signed with Northeastern (Okla.) State, an NCAA Division II program.

“This is the fi rst real signing we’ve had in six years,” WHS head football coach Milton Dailey said. “It’s a pretty big deal.”

Scarborough High senior line-backer Onyx Anderson signed with Mayville State, an NAIA program in North Dakota.

“It’s huge,” Scarborough head football coach Jayson Merren said. “He’s probably the fi rst kids who’s signed for sports coming out of Scarborough in 10 years.”

Anderson transferred to Scarbor-ough from Spring Dekaney, where he played on the Wildcats’ 2011 state championship team.

“He’s just a great kid – I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Merren said.

Reagan softball player Victoria Herrera signed with Austin College, an NCAA Division III program lo-cated in Sherman, Texas.

Some local athletes signed a “cer-tifi cate” of accomplishment at the HISD event, but they’re still consid-ering their college choice.

Notebook: Lutheran tapsnew AD/football coach

Nathan Robbins

Scarborough’s football team is HISD’s sportsmanship award winner for the second consecutive season.

(Photo by Kevin B. Long/GulfCoastShots.com)

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.

Five student athletes from St. Pius signed their letters of intent at a ceremony at the school last week. From left, Kaitlin Hintz (Benedictine soccer), Briana Hester (Mary Hardin Baylor soccer), Carah Nunez (San Jacinto Col-lege softball), Solomon Brown (Eastern Nazarene basketball), and Kohl Stewart (Texas A&M football).

(Submitted photo)

Nine prep stars ink college letters of intentby Michael Sudhalter

sports@theleadernews.com

Waltrip High football teammates Reuben Washington, second from left, and Chris Maloney, fourth from left, and WHS coaches celebrate the teammates earning full scholarships to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. It’s the fi rst time a Waltrip football player earned a full football scholarship in six years.

(Photo by Kevin B. Long/GulfCoastShots.com)

Reagan High softball player Victoria Herrera and her parents celebrate her signing with Austin College in Sher-man, Texas on Wednesday. (Photo by Kevin B. Long/GulfCoastShots.com)

Football showcase gives prep players chance with small collegesby Michael Sudhalter

sports@theleadernews.com

Four hundred and eighty athletes, including those from Reagan, St. Pius X and Waltrip, attended the Greater Houston Senior Football Showcase last Saturday. The event, which is free of charge, attracted 88 coaches from 32 colleges. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

see Showcase • Page 5B

Page 5B • The Leader • February 16, 2013 • @heightsleader

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tween $12-$14 million in scholarships.“You’ll look at four or fi ve kids, maybe 10. It

depends on your team’s needs” ETBU secondary coach Brandon Smith said. “It’s a great opportu-nity for us and also for (the players).”

The coaches receive an extensive program with the athletes’ contact information, football and academic statistics and links to their high-light videos on YouTube.

Reagan wide receiver Joseph Dehn and line-backer Dreylon Malbrough committed to South-western University in Georgetown, Texas, and Reagan linebacker Jalen Wells signed with Texas College in Tyler; signing with an NCAA Division III or NAIA program is non-binding.

Dehn and Malbrough attended the Showcase last Saturday, as did Waltrip teammates Cristian Rodriguez (quarterback) and Jimmy Mouton (wide receiver).

“I liked it a lot. I got to show my talent to all of the scouts that were there,” said Rodriguez, who received interest from Northwood University.

There were established programs at the Show-case, along with schools that are starting foot-ball, such as Southwestern, Hendrix College in Arkansas and Oklahoma Baptist.

“I think it’s awesome,” Hendrix offensive coor-dinator Jordan Neal said. “It’s become a lot more organized since the fi rst year.”

Neal attended the Showcase when he was an assistant coach at Howard Payne University and Texas Lutheran, which both signed players they

saw there.“It provides a unique opportunity for the kids

to get an opportunity,” Neal said. “These guys might have just as much talent as the next guy. When they come to this, they see there’s a place to play.”

St. Pius X wide receiver Damitri Morris, a fi -nalist for the Touchdown Club of Houston Pri-vate School Offensive Player of the Year, enjoyed

the event as did SPX linebacker Joel Segura, a fi nalist for the TD Club’s Private School Defen-sive POY.

“It was nice,” Morris said. “I got in touch with a lot of schools we couldn’t (see) during the sea-son.”

Said Segura, “They all gave us a chance to show what we’ve got.”

Showcase • from Page 4B

Scarborough High sophomore Alyssa Jones won’t soon forget the fi rst time she scored a goal in a soccer game.

“It felt really, really good – I thought to myself, ‘did I just do that’?” Jones said.

The fi rst-year soccer player scored an unassisted goal in the Lady Spartans’ 1-1 tie vs. Kashmere on Feb. 6 at Delmar-Tusa Stadium. The game was moved to Delmar from adjacent Dyer Stadium because the SHS boys -- which was scheduled to take place at Delmar – won a forfeit over Kashmere.

Jones, a midfi elder, has been a welcome addition to a Scar-borough team that’s working to unseat perennial district power, Furr.

“If we all try hard enough, we can (win district),” Jones said.

The Lady Spartans played Furr on Wednesday at Barnett Stadium; results were not available at press time. The teams will meet again on March 8 at Dyer Stadium.

SHS fourth-year head coach Christine Mandilag has been pleased with Jones’ performance on the fi eld. The sophomore stepped in and volunteered to play goalkeeper when junior Alejandra Alfaro was out with an injury.

“Jones is doing very well – she wants to jump in (to the sport) and go for it,” Mandilag said.

Scarborough won its fi rst two district games before the tie against Kashmere. They lost six non-district games, but that could help them in the long run, said Mandilag.

“(Facing good competition) made them realize what they had to work on,” Mandilag said. “We need more communication, more trust, more ball control and passing. Communication is the most impor-tant.”

Jones had always been interested in sports, but fi nally decided to play competitively. In addition to soccer, she ran cross country for Scarborough.

She’s currently balancing soccer and softball, which began practic-ing last month.

Being part of two sports was tough at fi rst, but it’s manageable now, Jones said. She practices with the soccer team during athletic period at school and then goes to softball practice after school.

“We’re always in shape, always moving and working as a team,” Jones said of playing soccer.

Robert Weber knows that it’s been a tough season for the St. Pius X boys soccer team, but he’s tried to stay positive this winter.

The Panthers senior attacking midfi elder is a three-year varsity letterman who’s led the team in scoring the past two years.

“It’s tough on morale, but we surprisingly get over it quickly,” Weber said. “It’s hard. (However), during practice, we have some good team building. (I enjoy) the beauty of the game. Any one day, a team can beat another team.”

That happened in 2011 when Weber, then a sopho-more, and the Panthers defeated archrival, St. Thom-as, to qualify for the playoffs.

On Feb. 8, the Eagles defeated SPX, 10-0, to con-tinue a season that’s been fi lled with injury, illness

and inexperience.SPX graduated 13 seniors from last season and has

won just two games this season.Panthers 10th-year head coach Jason Novak said

he appreciates the effort and leadership of Weber, a team captain from the Spring area.

“He’s a kid who we can rely on completely,” Novak said. “He’s going to pick his head up and talk about the next game. He’ll never stop. He won’t quit.”

Weber has been playing soccer since he was 4 years old and joined the Texans Soccer Club at age 10. He’s a Houston Dynamo fan who considers Brad Davis to be his favorite player.

Weber is making the most of his senior season, since he won’t continue his career at the college level. He’ll attend Texas or Texas A&M and study Business.

He’s been a positive infl uence on the younger play-ers on the Panthers’ roster. Eight freshman or sopho-mores start for SPX.

Feb. 16BOYS SOCCER

Waltrip at Davis, 10 a.m. (Delmar-Tusa)GIRLS SOCCER

Waltrip at Davis, 10 a.m. (Dyer)

Feb. 18BASEBALL

St. Pius X at Galveston Ball, 5 p.m.Lutheran North at Emery-Weiner, 5

p.m.St. Thomas at Texas City, 6 p.m.

BOYS BASKETBALLReagan in UIL Class 4A playoff s, TBA

Feb. 19BOYS SOCCER

Scarborough at Sterling, 4:30 p.m. (Barnett)

St. Pius X at St. Thomas, 7 p.m.GIRLS SOCCER

Scarborough at Sterling, 4:30 p.m. (Barnett)

St. Pius X at Duchesne, 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 20BOYS SOCCER

Austin at Waltrip, 4:30 p.m. (Delmar-Tusa)GIRLS SOCCER

Austin at Waltrip, 4:30 p.m. (Dyer)

Feb. 21BASEBALL

St. Pius X vs. Tomball Memorial, 3 p.m. (Kingwood-Atascocita Tourna-ment)GIRLS SOCCER

St. Pius X at Beaumont Kelly, 6 p.m.

Feb. 22BOYS SOCCER

Reagan at Waltrip, 4:30 p.m. (Dyer)Cypress Christian at St. Thomas, 7

p.m.GIRLS SOCCER

Reagan at Waltrip, 4:30 p.m. (Del-mar-Tusa)

Milby High head football coach Phil Camp addresses players at the Greater Houston Senior Football Showcase last Saturday. Camp and Reagan High college counselor Coby Rhoden started the event in 2009. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

THE SCHEDULES.Three-sport star gets kicks out of soccer

by Michael Sudhaltersports@theleadernews.com

Alyssa JonesSt. Pius X senior captain Robert Weber, left, is a three-year letterman for the Panthers’ soccer team. (Photo by Kevin B. Long/GulfCoastShots.com)

Keeping positive outlook biggest need for SPXby Michael Sudhalter

sports@theleadernews.com

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