your source for sports in parker county texas! - clover...

C1 | October 2011 SportsPlanet

aledo brock millsap peaster poolville

premiere issue

Your source for sportsin parker county texas!

www.yourhometownsports.com

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

springtown trinitY victorY weatherford

Featuring: Aledo, Brock, Millsap, Peaster,

Poolville, Springtown, Trinity Christian

Academy, Victory Baptist Academy,

Weatherford Christian & Weatherford

3 | October 2011 SportsPlanet

6 ALEDO BEARCATS big d - defense 8 ALEDO LADY BEARCATS playoff chances

10 BROCK EAGLES MOVIN ON UP bigger things

14 BROCK LADY EAGLES champion pedigree

16 BROCK YOUTH FOOTBALL spreading their wings

18 MILLSAP BULLDOGS brand spanking new

20 MILLSAP LADY BULLDOGS positive reinforcement 22 PEASTER LADY Greyhounds a new season for autumn

23 POOLVILLE LADY MONARCHS spike win repeat

26 SPRINGTOWN PORCUPINES high stakes

28 SPRINGTOWN LADY PORCUPINES playoffs or bust

30 TRINITY CHRISTIAN EAGLES great expectations

32 TRINITY CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES movin on up

33 OUTDOORS hunting season, archery, bow hunting

34 VICTORY BAPTIST ADADEMY LADY PATRIOTS we’re baaaaaaack

35 Weatherford christian lady lions shifting gears

38 Weatherford’s Coach Reid Weiler gotta believe

42 WEATHERFORD ROOS home sweet home

44 WEATHERFORD LADY ROOS digging it!

46 VIEW FROM THE PRESS BOX i have got to be the luckiest guy in the world!

this magaZine is published

bY Your hometown sports, inc.

President: kimberly Young [email protected] Vice President: Joe adams [email protected] Corporate Secretary: phil [email protected]

issn: 1584-3831

visit us on the web at: www.yourhometownsports.com

817-964-3159 Your hometown sports, inc. is your new source in print

and digital media.

highlighting parker county sports! our magazine is packed with tips, winning articles, and local athletic

content. visit us on the web!

CONTENTS Your hometown sports magazine , inc. 1145 santa fe drive #2641 weatherford texas 76086 817-964-3159

publication information

Publisher: Joe adams [email protected] Editor: phil [email protected] Sales Manager: kimberly Young [email protected] Advertising Consultant: Joe adams [email protected] Creative Director: denise Zitzevancih [email protected]

publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited or contributed, articles, photographs, artwork or advertis-ments. all information regarding editorial content is deemed reliable.

4 | October 2011 SportsPlanet4 | September/October 2012 | Your Hometown Sports Magazine

i don’t know who originally said it, but

football season puts it into absolute

perspective.

“the older i get, the better i was.”

amen.

i always mumble when i discuss the

actual dates of my exceedingly limited

sports career, but suffice it to say it was

about the same number of years on the

calendar as it is now pounds on the

scale since i was a participant.

too many to discuss in polite company.

as a teen in west texas i played high

school football. a sport at which i had

what my position coach called “delu-

sions of adequacy.”

i was too small at about 140 pounds in

my gear.

and i was too slow. one coach said

he could time me in the 40-yard-dash

with a sundial.

in a world ruled by maseratis and

lamborghinis, i was a moped.

i made rudy look like an nfl draft

choice. face it. i probably made heidi

look like a division i prospect.

but in spite of my shortcomings, i

loved the game. still do.

especially at the high school level.

nothing can replace the explosions

of the senses on a friday night when

a group of teenagers represents their

peers, their parents and their town in

competition.

the smell of popcorn and hotdogs at

the concession stand.

the sound of the drum line playing as

late-arriving fans look for seats.

and the sight of the hometown team

racing onto the gridiron as the band

belts out the fight song and the crowd

invariably goes crazy.

and that’s just the fans.

think about the excitement building in

the hearts of the participants, not just

in football, but in every sport in which

our kids participate.

all the practice, scrapes, bruises, study-

ing and more practice has led them to

this point.

it’ll be years before they realize the true

value of what they’ve accomplished.

over the years (okay, decades) us for-

mer (old) athletes come to realize their

time in sports taught some invaluable

lessons. lessons they’ve turned to in

their professional, personal and spiri-

tual lives.

like, the bigger they are the more it

hurts when they hit you.

seriously, being part of a team is one of

the most critical aspects sports partici-

pation has to offer our youth.

it teaches the value of hard work, disci-

pline, the excitement of reaching a goal

and perhaps biggest, the importance of

team work.

that selfsame teamwork is part of

every job.

take for instance launching a new

sports magazine in parker county.

without the work of every team mem-

ber from photographers and writers, to

sales professionals and graphic artists,

it could not come together.

but that’s not the whole team.

You, our readers, are now part of the

team. a very important part.

we’re counting on you to read each

bi-monthly issue of the magazine.

we’re counting on you to visit our

daily coverage of parker county

sports at our web site,

www.yourhometownsports.com.

and as a part of the Yhs team, we

want to be accessible to you. contact

us with story ideas or things you’d like

to see in our pages and on our web

site. write us to let us know what we’ve

done well and where we’ve fallen short.

visit our facebook page.

like all teams, we want to be great and

that necessitates teamwork.

and you are part of our team.

Phil Riddlephil riddle editor

editor’s corner:

6 | September/October 2012 | Your Hometown Sports Magazine

AledO BeArCATS

The Aledo Bearcats had little trouble scoring points in their 2011 drive to a third consecutive state Class 4A title.Riding the legs of all-everything running back Johnathan Gray and the arm of highly efficient QB Matthew Bishop, the Bearcats racked up 885 points, second most in Texas schoolboy history and steamrolling to the crown.That was then.Now with Gray gone to the university of Texas and Bishop taking snaps at Tarleton State in Stephenville, the Orange and Black offense will look, shall we say, dif-ferent.This is now.Coach Tim Buchanan’s squad, ranked No. 8 among Class 4A teams in preseason polling, is expected to lean on its defense early in the sea-son while new offensive starters

get their legs under them.“The Bearcats should make a good run in the state play-offs,” said Buchanan in an interview with lonestargrid-iron.com. “We will be much improved on defense, but with the loss of Johnathan Gray, Matt Bishop, Michael Wilson, Hayden Lambert, Latham Johnson and Michael Mann, we will struggle to produce points early.”High school football pundits are seeing much the same picture.“The post-Johnathan Gray era begins at Aledo, where the Bear- cats must find other weapons to continue their offensive dominance,” wrote Greg Tepper in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. “The good news, though, is that while the offense sorts things out, the defense is good enough to keep things afloat.”They can’t wait too long to crank up offensively, though, as Aledo’s first game is slated for zero week –

against the fourth-ranked Highland Park Scots in the Tom Landry Classic at SMU. Other non-district matchups include a trip to former district opponent Stephenville and a hosting of Mexico’s Monterrey Tech.But with the return of six starters from a crew that allowed just 237 points in its final 14 games of 2011, the highly touted Aledo defense could wind up being the team’s strength all year long.Pacing the core of the ‘Cats D is Texas Football preseason District 7-4A defensive MVP Gunner Johnson, a 6-0, 200-pound line-backer with 4.7 speed who regis-tered a whopping 143 tackles in 2011, and 5-10, 165-pound free safety Shea Wood, who was credited with 127 tackles a year ago.Add to those standouts strong safety Clayton Lowe, who crashed opposing ball carriers for 79 tackles, and cornerback Johnny Carter, who snagged four interceptions, and Aledo will continue to be a tough out.There’s no arguing losing their leading ground gainer, three line-men, their top receiving threat and their QB to college programs will be tough to overcome.But that doesn’t mean the Bearcats will be without firepower.Expected to take over as the feature running back is Caleb Frysinger, who rambled for 294 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries in relief of Gray last year. Frysinger also grabbed 13 passes, averaging nearly

Big Ddefense needs to come up big for reloaded Bearcats


4 - The number of state titles Aledo has won (1998, 2009, 2010, 2011) 65-25 – The Bearcats’ all-time playoff record 14 – Number of seasons in the last 16 years the Cats have posted 10 wins 18 – Number of consecutive winning seasons

153 – Combined number of points Aledo scored in its three consecutive state title games.

120 - 25 – Aledo’s record in the last 10 years

Source: www.lonstargridiron.com

20 yards a catch, scoring three touch-downs.The success of the Aledo offense is contingent on an efficient quarterback. Remember Bishop threw for 3,000 yards and half-dozen TDs last season, as well as rushing for nearly 600 yards and eight scores.Davis, the heir apparent, brings impressive statistics to the huddle this season -242 yards on the ground on 24 carries, 19 receptions for 258 yards, and 103 yards passing - especially consider-ing he accumulated those numbers as a backup. Buchanan voices his confidence in his quarterback, who earned All-District 5-4A honors last year as a utility player.“He will be a dual threat at quarter-back,” Buchanan told lonestargridiron.com, “and will eventually get the offense going.”Following February’s biennial University Interscholastic League realignment, the Bearcats now reside in District 7-4A, along with Granbury and Fort Worth schools, O.D. Wyatt, South Hills, Southwest, Trimble Tech and Western Hills.Despite their graduation losses, The ‘Cats are picked to claim the new dis-trict’s first crown, though Southwest, on the strength of returning the top passer and receiver in the district in Wesley Harris and Robbie Rhodes, are considered Aledo’s primary obstacle. Harris threw for nearly 300 yards

BEARCATS by the numbers

AledO BeArCATS

and 37 touchdowns in 2011 while Rhodes, his favorite target, scooted for more than 1,300 yards and 21 scores.Arlington Heights and Wyatt are expected to be in the postseason chase, as well.With a preseason ranking in the Top 10, chances are good the Bearcats could play deep into the playoffs, which is something Aledo fans and Buchanan would obvi-ously enjoy.

Article by: Phil Riddle


Kathy Goings had a pretty good year in 2011. Her Aledo Lady Bearcats posted a 41-7 season mark and broke into the Top 10 rankings among 4A teams in Texas.She posted her 400th career vol-leyball win in an October district victory over Azle.And she led her team to within one set of a trip to the regional tourna-ment.But for the fourth time in the last five years, her team’s season ended at the hands of Canyon Randall.And the two could meet again this year.Randall is ranked No. 5 in the state coaches’ preseason poll and Aledo is one of the favorites to challenge for the District 7-4A crown.And the Lady ‘Cats could be return-ing enough talent and big-game experience to turn the balance of power in what has become a

regional rivalry.Goings, named the coach of the Year in District 5-4A in 2011, brings back three tested upperclassmen including the loop’s MVP.Senior setter Mallory Powell, 5-10, earned Most Valuable Player status a season past posting 60 kills, 58 aces and a better-than 90 percent service percentage, 16 solo blocks and 23 assists, 302 digs and a whop-ping 1,100 assists.Teammate Briana Sharratt, a 6-foot middle blocker, also a senior, was chosen Most Valuable Hitter and 5-7 junior outside hitter Raygan McClellan was tabbed Newcomer of the Year.In addition, 5-10 senior middle hitter Sara Smith was a first team all-district selection and 5-11 sophomore outside hitter Mykah Wilson was a second team pick.With February’s University Interscholastic League

biennial shakeup, Aledo, joins District 7-4A and will face all-new league opponents. Granbury joins Aledo in 7-4A, with Fort Worth’s Arlington Heights, South Hills, Southwest, Trimble Tech, Western Hills and Wyatt.After a jam-packed non-district schedule featuring a pair of dual matches and tournaments in Grapevine, Trophy Club and Leander, the Lady ‘Cats open dis-trict play Sept. 7 hosting Southwest.

If the rematch against Randall materializes, the two teams will square off the first week of November.

The Seniors’ Moment

STAFF rePOrT

AledO lAdYCATS

Returnees key to Aledo making regionals.


players wanting to suit up for the Eagles.Worrell said about 50 middle-schoolers signed up for the team’s first season last year. And by expanding the eligible grades this season, even more are expected to don the Blue and Gold on the gridiron.Besides the junior high team, Brock, this season, allows up to 11th grade students to participate.“The only kids who won’t be eligible to play this year will be seniors,” Coach Worrell said. “We hate that. But, you have to draw that line somewhere. There’s always someone who doesn’t get to play.”Still, almost 50 showed up for the team’s late night debut. So, a school just one season into a football program may wind up fielding two JV teams.“I don’t think anyone expected the first year of high school football to have enough kids to field two teams,” Worrell chuckled.This year’s schedule will actually feature a pair of varsity opponents – a trip to Lake Hill Prep in Dallas, and hosting A+ Academy, also from Dallas.“To kind of get a taste of Friday

That difficulty grows exponen-tially when that product is a high school sports program in one of the most successful athletic venues in Texas.But that’s exactly what Brock foot-ball coach Chad Worrel did – and in just one year.Beginning with a group of seventh and eighth graders in 2011, Worrell guided his two teams to an impres-sive 14-2 record and has garnered a wealth of community support along the way.“I think people are getting on board,” he said in an August inter-view while waiting for his charges to begin workouts at Midnight Madness at the BHS field. “Brock likes winners. That’s what we’re trying to build on. Everything Brock’s had in its history – the bas-ketball, volleyball, baseball, tennis, track and everything else.”The second year head coach, who came to Brock after seven highly productive seasons in Celina, has not only attracted a huge fan fol-lowing (The Midnight Madness workouts were viewed by grand-stands full of fans, some of whom had been at the field since before 9 p.m.), but by a huge number of

Night Lights,” Worrell explained.Following this season’s JV games, Brock plans to work off a 10-game varsity schedule, called an outlaw schedule, consisting mostly of private schools and small 1A’s that had games cancelled. “Obviously, we wouldn’t be eligible for playoffs,” Worrell said. “But the following year, 2014, we’ll be realigned into a district.”And that plan is coming to fruition on the coattails of the excitement generated from last season.“Absolutely,” the coach bellowed. “We’ve had some kids come out that didn’t think they were “football players,” who decided to give it a shot. The numbers we had last year were great for a 2A middle school program. Any time you carry 25 on each team, you’re almost pushing the envelope for having a “B” team.”

It’s a tough thing to bring in a new product to a clientele that is accustomed only to excellence.

Bigger ThingsBrock takes its football fortunes to a 2012 JV schedule


Consequae sinust, offictae. Nam dest, quame


our base set where we learn to block for each other,” The Eagles’ head man reported. “Then we branch out into the “I”, to a wing-T look, then to a one-back and a no-back look.”“It’s a stair step to get there and how fast we get there is depending on how fast the kids pick it up,” he continued. “We try to teach fundamentals, what we want these guys to achieve. As they progress, we branch out. Our goal is to be a multiple offense. Maybe in the wishbone one play, then the next play be in a no-back Shotgun formation.”Worrell’s Celina roots are evident in his defensive scheme. His Eagles run the same pressure defense the Bobcats have long been known for.“We base from a 10-1 Celina defense,” Worrell said proudly. “It’s really a gap con-trol defense that brings a lot of pressure to the offense. The kids enjoyed playing it and I think they really picked it up fast last year. That’s one reason we had such success was we played pretty good defense at the junior high level.”Depending on a cast of young players, Worrell is hesitant to name starters or even list those he expects to be top-flight con-tributors for 2012.“They always say the cream rises to the top and hopefully that happens,” he said slyly.With a demanding fan base and growing

acceptance of football among prospective players, what will constitute a successful season in Brock?“I’ve never answered that question in terms of wins and losses,” the coach said. “Obviously, every time we step on the field, we want to win. But I don’t know that we judge success strictly by that. We’re look-ing for improvement and we’re looking for them to grasp the game. To become better blockers and better tacklers. If one year is a viable survey size – mission accomplished.”

“The success they had last year and the positive experience – that news travels and I think it helps build our numbers,” Worrell said.While starting a program from scratch is a difficult proposition, Brock coaches made a negative into a positive for their fledgling squad.Since there was no high school team a year ago, all the teaching and coach-ing went into making the seventh and eighth graders fundamentally sound in preparation for having them on the BHS team.“We spent a lot more time with our junior high team than most schools get to,” Worrell said. “It was a great advan-tage for us being able to just concentrate on junior high kids and not have to worry about preparing for varsity. I’ve been there and done that before. At most schools your focus is on the var-sity and getting them ready to play.”The offensive fundamentals will begin with teaching blocking assignments from an old-school T-formation, accord-ing to the Brock coach.Positions are taught using a full-house backfield and more formations and sets are added as players become more pro-ficient.“We branch out from that, that’s just


BrOCk eAgleS

13 | OSeptember 2012 | Your Hometown Sports Magazine


Champion Pedigree!

lady eagles look to claim first state volleyball title

The Lady Eagles of Brock High School have made it their goal to get to the state volleyball tournament this season.And coach Keith Guyon is feeling pretty good about their chances to get there.“I’m excited about the possibilities” said Guyon, coach at peren-nial power Quitmen for 13 years before coming to Brock in 2010. “The girls have bought into what I’ve been selling to them.”Brock has made it to the regional tournament the last three years and the players are working toward surpassing that mark this year.

“In the Brock gym there are a lot of state championships on the wall,” Guyon said, “but there are no volleyball championships. So we’re wanting to change that this year.”Returning from last year’s 39-5 team are four seniors including Amy Henard, a setter and outside hitter who has earned All-State acco-lades the last two years and has verbally com-mitted to the University of North Texas.“She is one of the best 2A players in the state of Texas,” her coach said. “She is smart and she’s a team leader on the floor.”Joining Henard are seniors Haley Rutledge, an All-District 10-2A selection in ’11, as well

Guyon, the district’s reigning Coach of the Year, his four seniors carry a dozen years’ varsity experience.“Actually we have a mix-ture of both (experience and youth),” he said. “We’ve got four seniors and four sophomores. Three of my four seniors have been on the varsity since they were sophomores. There is defi-nitely a good combination of experience.” Upon his relocation to Brock, Guyon unpacked his “defense-first” philosophy, which he regularly drills into his team.“My philosophy has always been defense,” he said. “Out in East Texas where I coached in Quitman, we were not very big at all. If I had a 5-9 kid we were big. But we played great defense and we ball controlled. We were pretty successful doing that. Right now with my team in Brock, we’re getting bet-ter defensively, but I’ve got better athletes out here and we’re bigger.”

as the loop’s Server of the Year; Kyndall Magyar, Molly Atkins and Abbey Drillette. According to

BrOCk lAdY eAgleS

“We don’t have a weak rotation. They all can terminate balls. We just have to get better defensive-ly to stay in those long points and rallies.” But first, he’s got to get past his team’s biggest rival.District playoff contender Peaster.“We’re long-time rivals with them and they’re going to be good again,” Guyon admitted. “They’ve got most of their team back, so they’ll be tough.”With all the championship tradition at Brock, is there any added pressure for Guyon and the Lady Eagles?“I don’t think it’s any pressure,” he said. “The thing about the kids here at Brock, the same as my kids in Quitman, is they want to work hard and be suc-cessful. I preach to the kids there are a lot of things you can’t control. But the two things you can control are your effort Article by: Phil Riddle

and your attitude. If you give great effort and you have a great attitude, great things are going to happen.” And, at least in the minds of the coach and the players, those great things could include a trip to the state volleyball tournament. He’s got the horses and barring injuries, and with a little luck, some luck that has already begun to trickle his way…“We got beat in the regional tour-nament the last two years,” Guyon repeated, “and the team that beat us, Leon, dropped down to 1A this year.”“The girls’ goal is to get to the state tournament and be one of those teams that have the opportunity to win a state championship,” he said. “That’s the mindset of the girls. They know they have the opportunity to compete to get to the state tournament and win it.”

BrOCk lAdY eAgleS

Fractures,

Sports Injuries,

Rotator Cuff,

Total Joint Replacements,

Arthroscopic Surgery,

Carpal Tunnel,

Pediatric Injuries


They are far-and-away the smallest town involved in the Northwest Texas Youth Football Association.Still, the Brock Eagles, the fifth-grade version, played last season for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.The team’s coach, who asked not to be referred to by name, said the squad’s success has come as a direct result of the work done by the players themselves.“We’ve had a grade-specific team since last year,” the coach said. “Before that we had mixed teams. Brock is about the only town in the league that has mixed teams just because we’re the smallest town in the league.”“After the 2010 season, I just put it on the boys and told them you need to go out and recruit some of your buddies,” he said. “They all play football at recess, so I really put it on them. Then last year was first time we had an age specific team.”Playing in a league with teams from Weatherford, Aledo, Burleson, Granbury, Crowley and Azle, the young Eagles captured fourth place in the regular season, then made a playoff run and played in the semi-final game, eventually falling to an Aledo team.“We play eight to 10 regular season games, depending on the number of teams in the league,” the coach explained. “Then we have playoffs and ultimately a Super Bowl for each age group. Last year we fin-ished fourth out of eight teams and

we made it to the game before the Super Bowl. We played to play in the Super Bowl.”The coach and his staff of assistants have 16 players this year, 15 of which were on the squad last year.Starting Aug. 6 they practiced three times a week until school started, then dialed the schedule back to twice weekly.The head coach said the scaled back practice rou-tine keeps the kids fresh throughout the season, a lesson he learned from former coaches of the team when his son was a player.“The first couple of years we played, the coaches practiced three nights a week after school started and we kind of had some kid burnout toward the end,” he said. “I found if you organize practice and stay on task, we can get done in two nights what most people get done in three and keep the mamas happy and the boys fresh.”The Eagles play their Saturday home games at

Brock Junior High football field, where, if they continue to participate, they’ll play their junior high games now that Brock has a school-sanc-tioned team.Did a high school team coming this year help get the youngsters interested in football?“Actually we had the youth football association first and that led to Brock Junior High and now the high school getting a team,” Coach reported. “The community buying into football, and this will be the fifth year, that was the catapult for junior high football last year and now high school football.”The new BISD grid program has resulted in a few changes in the youth teams at Brock. Since the arrival of school coach Chad Worrell, the youth coaches have been teaching his T-formation-based multiple offense and a sti-fling 10-1 defensive set.“Coach Worrell, beginning last year, met with

Spreading their WingsBrOCk YOuTH FOOTBAll

the youth coaches and told us about his system and that any part of the system they implement would help him, terminology, plays, calls,” the coach, also the fifth grade offen-sive coordinator, reported. “So last year we revamped the offense and defense to mirror what they’ll be doing in junior high so they’ll be getting a building block they’ll be able to use when they go into junior high and then on into high school.”Like coaches at all levels, those in charge of the Brock fifth graders hope to teach lessons that last past players’ football careers.“We want to make football fun, of course,” said the head coach, “but also to teach life lessons through youth football. We want them to realize if they will dedicate them-selves to something, put hard work into it, it will pay off in the end.” “We try to keep things positive,” he continued. “We say a prayer before each game, as a group. We let the kids lead the prayer sometimes. We are trying to prepare them to be young men.”Remembering his players are still just little boys is one of the tough-est parts of coaching his team, according to the coach. “Sometimes its tough to find the right way to motivate them to block or play defense. It’s developing the kids, too.”So, what’s the best part of his vol-unteer position?“I really enjoy seeing the boys grow from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, gaining confidence, “ he smiled. “I like to see the kids who were scared to hit anybody at the first of the year, by the end of the year, making tackles and are proud of themselves.” “When you preach to them ‘you can do this,’” he said, “and they finally trust themselves enough to do it really makes it all worth-while.” Sponsored Story

Spreading their Wings

MillSAP BulldOgS


Millsap rolling out new offense, defense to meet new opponents

Brand spanking new

You can’t blame Millsap football coach Kyle Coker for being optimistic head-ing into the 2012 season.The Bulldogs finished with a 3-7 mark last year, but the level of competi-tion in the old District 4-2A was incredible. There were annual battles against state semifinalist Cisco, which wound up with a 14-1 record in 2011, Crawford, which finished at 8-3 and a playoff appear-ance, and Hamilton, which made a postseason appear-ance with a 6-6 slate.But those teams are no longer on the Millsap schedule.“We were in a tough dis-trict last year,” Coker said. “We played some teams that have a lot of tradition and a lot of power football teams.”Bringing back just three starters from each side of the ball, Coker is excited at the prospect of seeing some new opponents dur-ing district play.“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “There are a lot of schools we don’t know

anything about. We’ll be seeing a lot of new faces.” Joining the Bulldogs in District 6-2A Division II are old loop rivals Tolar and Rio Vista, along with Corsicana Mildred, Blooming Grove, Dallas Life Oak Cliff, Scurry-Rosser and Rice.But make no mistake the new guys won’t be pushovers. Mildred is ranked No.5 in the state in preseason polls and Dallas Life Oak Cliff was a playoff team last year.“We know we don’t really know much about (the new district)”, the seventh-year head coach of the ‘Dogs said. “Other than just see-ing records, we don’t really know a lot about

them.”Still, the change has Millsap anticipating great things, according to Coker.“We’re optimistic,” he said. “We only have four seniors and we’re young, but most of that youth is juniors. Out of 20 play-ers on the varsity, 13 of them are juniors, so you still have kids with some playing experience. We have a lot of guys who were JV starters last year. We have a good attitude and we’re work-ing hard. Our kids are hungry to play.” Coker’s spread offense will fea-ture a new quarterback for ’12 in move-in Brad Bottoms, a sopho-more who came to west Parker County from Mansfield.“He’s been looking real good,” the coach said a week into workouts. “He’s picking up the offense real well and he’s mak-ing good decisions. He’s taking control of the offense.”Other key offensive players for Millsap are center Payton Vanderveer, who anchors the line at 5-10 and 310 pounds; lone returning receiver Daulton Thomas, and guard Andrew Norman.A new wrinkle to the MHS offense this season will be the addition of some elements of the wishbone formation. The Bulldogs have used the spread offense to throw for yardage,

extremes


as well as to loosen up the defense for the running game in the recent past. But Coker sees some chances for success in the power-type offense.“We feel like it’ll help us in some different situations of the game,” he said. “Help us control the clock a little bet-ter. Especially helps in short yardage situations.”On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Millsap is employing a brand new 3-3-stack formation, lining up with three linemen, three linebackers near the line of scrimmage, two outside back-ers and a three-deep zone backfield.Coker said the new scheme is to apply more pressure and to offset his team’s youth.“There’s not as much tech-nique involved,” he explained. “It’s more just pin your ears back and go.”Making the new defense click are linebackers Dylan Burton, Clayton Watson and Dalton Norris.“This year we know we may not be as big but we feel we’re a lot quicker,” Coach Coker said. “Our linebackers really fit that role well.”The Bulldogs, however, are not short on size on the defensive front.Vanderveer, holding down

the nose guard spot, is flanked by 235-pound Mitch Coker and 6-3, 180-pound Timothy Newberry. All three can be spelled by 230-pound Trey Newby making it tough to find daylight in the middle for opposing runners.Undoubtedly Millsap will bring a lot of new play-ers into a new district to face mostly new opposi-tion with pieces of a new offense and a new defense.But the goal remains the same.“You have to start with your goal being to make the playoffs,” Coker said bluntly. “We’ll take it one game at a time. We are a younger team and we need to get the momen-tum ball rolling from the git-go. We’ll start with Alvord, (Aug. 31 season opener) hopefully get things rolling and we’ll see where we are at the end of the season.”


MillSAP BulldOgS

MillSAP lAdY BulldOgS

Positive Reinforcement

Venecamp has lady Bulldogs believing in themselvesKaycee Venecamp believes in the power of positive thinking and she’s count-ing on that positivity to help make an improvement in the record of Millsap’s volleyball team.Venecamp, in her second season in charge of the Lady Bulldogs, is aware they missed the playoffs last year, but still prefers to note the credit side of the ledger.“We did a lot of good things,” she said. “We had a couple of good players for us who did a lot of good.”Even with the changes in the district: the loss of Godley and Jacksboro and the addition of Ponder to the District 9-2A landscape; Venecamp chooses the “sil-ver lining” approach.And apparently, her play-ers have joined her.Players who are going through what the coach

categorizes as structure and drill work.“I’m a firm believer in trying to build mental toughness,” Venecamp explained. “We have to push these kids to prove to themselves they can do things we ask of them and they can be suc-cessful. We do that through repetition, support and positivity. Positivity is extremely conta-gious.” And an epidemic of positivity has hit in Millsap.“In early August they came out there and they knew what I was expecting was more than what they thought they could give,” Coach Venecamp said. “They have bought in to what we’re doing. I can’t ask for any more than what they’re doing. They’re coming together well, they’re working hard every day.” The coach went on to say the team is focusing on becoming more proficient in fundamentals of the game.“Overall I think we’re moving in the right direc-tion,” she said.Pacing the attack for the Lady Bulldogs are a quartet of upperclassmen Vencamp is counting on heavily for 2012.All-District picks Lauren Power, a 6-2 middle blocker, Sarah Mahan, a power hitter, and Mikelyn Kruger, a high-energy, versatile addi-tion to the squad are expected to be team linch-pins.Venecamp, who, prior to coming to Millsap coached basketball and softball in Winters, sees herself as a hybrid when discussing her priori-ties on the court.“I feel like I’m a mix,” she said when deciding whether she is an offensive or defensive coach.

“Both aspects are very critical to what we do. I feel like you have to have a great attack and I feel like you have to play well at the net, both on offense and defense. I feel like you have to dig the ball well, and you should serve well and be consistent.” That consistency she seeks could go a long way in making Millsap com-petitive in their district, which, as in the past few seasons, is expected to be dominated by Parker County rivals Brock and Peaster.“It’s always a competitive district, and we’ve also added Ponder, and they’re going to be a driving force,” Venecamp said. “It’s going to be a battle. A lot of people may look and count Millsap out, but I wouldn’t count us out just yet. We’re going to fight. I can tell you that.”

Is she sure?

She’s positiveArticle by: Phil Riddle

extremes


Positive Reinforcement



Autumn Threet’s first season at the helm of Peaster volleyball was a suc-cess by anyone’s standards.The 2011 squad earned a spot in the Class 2A postseason. “We went to the playoffs last year, all the way to the regional quarterfinals,” Threet said, explaining the importance of her postseason run. “I followed a coach that had been here 28 years and had had some success. I had to revamp some things, but by the middle of the season the kids were on board with what we were doing. By the playoffs we were playing our best.”But that was last year.Threet has even higher aspirations for her young charges this season.“I want to make it to the state tourna-ment,” she said candidly. “And with the talent we have, I think that’s a feasible goal.”Among seven returning seniors are Kelsie Coplen, 6- foot All-Parker County Blocker of the Year awardee in 2011, and Callie Tuckness, also an All-APC pick.“Workouts are going very well,” Threet said. “We’re coming along. If we can keep our mental game working as well as our physical talen, we’ll be good.”

Accoridng to the second-year head coach, The Lady Greyhounds’ strength should be their size. With a 6-footer, one player listed at 5-11 and two more at 5-10, opponents could have trouble get-ting the ball over the front line.But that’s not the only thing Peaster has going for it.“We have some really good defensive players, too,” Threet said. “They may not be big but they are scrappy.”The Lady Hounds will need every edge they can muster in what is expected to be a three-team battle for the District 9-2A title.“I expect us to be among the top teams,” Threet said, “but you can never count Brock out. They are always good and the rivalry there is really big. Don’t forget Paradise, either. They’ve got

Peaster coach hopes to build on successful first year

A new season for Autumn

PeASTer lAdY grAYHOundS

some good players so they’re going to be good, too.”Coach Threet is counting on her team to be well-rounded and able to take advantage of breaks on either side of the net.“We want to outsmart the other team,” she said. “I don’t care if the point is a big kill or a smart defensive play on a mistake by the other team, a point it a point.”And enough points make for a good season.



Spike. Win. Repeat!

POOlVille lAdY MOnArCHS

She may be new on the job, but Poolville volleyball coach Terri Simpson is clear as to what she expects for 2012.“We should win the district,” she said plainly. “We won it last year and we’re coming back with the MVP of the district. Plus we had a 6-foot move-in that makes us look pretty good.”Leading a group of five seniors is Heather Hanson, a middle block-er who earned 11-A Most Valuable Player kudos last season, as well as an All-Parker County nod. Add to that Santana Lanier, a 6-foot transfer from Boswell who makes the net a difficult place for oppo-nents to play. Simpson brings 21 years of coach-ing experience to Poolville, but most as a basketball coach.“I remarried in 2007 and have been out of coaching for the last five years,” the Lady Monarchs new leader reported. “I quit coaching and just stayed home.“Last year, however, she spent about 90 days as a substitute teacher at Poolville and got the urge to go back full time.“I was really expecting to finish up my career at the junior high level,” she said. “But I knew the kids were good coming back from last year. It worked out. It’s a good situation and it was time to go back to work.”With her background in basket-ball, Simpson says the founda-

tion for volleyball is similarly on defense.“I’m a fundamentals person,” the new coach said. “We’ve got such big hitters, but I know you have to play defense before you can play offense. Basketball and vol-leyball are very different, as far as having so many parts of the game, In volleyball its basically defense, pass, set, hit. “I tell the kids you have to play defense first,” she continued. “I’m more defensively minded. We want to be big at the net and block, but you have to pass on the back row before you can hit.”Just because Simpson is new to the job, doesn’t mean she is unaware of her district competi-tion.“Graford is going to be tough and Perrin’s going to be tough,” she said with authority. “Newcastle graduated two of their really good players. But Perrin always plays Poolville tough. There’s just that rivalry. They beat Poolville last year. That should not have hap-pened but they always play us a good game.”Still, knowing the competition and beating them are different achievements.“We’ve got to play. ,” Simpson said. “It’s not like we can walk through district. But we’ve got the experi-ence coming back and we’ve got the big hitters. On paper, that’s the way it looks.”

As the interview wound down, Simpson was as adamant as when it began as to her expectations and her criteria for a successful 2012 campaign.“It’s going to be a district cham-pionship,” she echoed. “I’d hate to say we expect it, but that’s what we should do. Other coaches give me a little pressure, but we should push through the playoffs. We should do well. It should be a good year.”All right, then.


AlEDo BEARCAT fooTBAll

Varsity Aug. 31 Highland Park (Tom Landry Classic @ SMU)Sept. 7 @ Stephenville Sept. 14 Monterrey Tech Sept. 21 BYE Sept. 28 *Arlington Heights Oct. 4 *@ FW South Hills Oct. 12 *O.D. Wyatt (Homecoming) Oct. 18 *@ FW Western Hills Oct. 26 *FW Southwest Nov. 2 *@ Granbury Nov. 9 *Trimble Tech * District 7-4A games

Varsity Aug 30 – Sept. 1 @ Leander TournamentSept. 4 @ BurlesonSept. 7 *@ SouthwestSept. 11 * South HillsSept. 14 *@ GranburySept. 18 *@ WyattSept. 21 *Trimble Sept. 25 *Western HillsSept. 28 *Arlington HeightsOct. 2 *@ SouthwestOct. 5 *@ South HillsOct. 9 *GranburyOct. 12 *Wyatt (Parents Night)Oct. 16 *@ Trimble TechOct. 19 *Western HillsOct. 23 *@ Arlington Heights

* District 7-4A matches

BRoCk EAglE fooTBAll

Sept. 14 @ Dallas Lakehill Prep Oct. 12 Dallas A+ Academy Junior VarsitySept. 6 Eastland Sept. 13 Wichita Falls Sept. 20 @ Perrin Sept. 27 HillsboroOct. 4 @ Chico Oct. 11 ClydeOct. 18 @ FW ChristianOct. 25 StephenvilleNov. 1 @ BreckenridgeNov. 8 Azle

Aug. 31 MaypearlSept. 4 @ FW South Hills Sept. 7 & 8 White Oak Tournament Sept. 11 Jacksboro/Graham Sept. 15 Decatur/Wylie Sept. 18 @ KrumSept. 21 * @ Boyd Sept. 25 *ParadiseSept. 28 * PeasterOct. 2 *PonderOct. 5 * @ MillsapOct. 9 * Boyd Oct. 12 * @ ParadiseOct. 16 * @ PeasterOct. 19 * @ PonderOct. 23 * Peaster (Senior Night)

- District 9-2A games

MIllSAP BullDog fooTBAll

Varsity Aug. 31 @ Alvord Sept. 7 DublinSept. 14 BYESept. 21 @ WindthorstSept. 28 @ Rio VistaOct. 5 *Tolar (Homecoming) Oct. 12 *MildredOct. 19 *@ RiceOct. 26 *Dallas Life Oak Cliff Nov. 2 *@ Scurry-RosserNov. 9 *Blooming Grove (Senior Night) * District 6-2A Games

MIllSAP lADy BullDog VollEyBAll

VarsityAug. 30 – Sept. 1Dublin TournamentSept. 4 @ Bridgepor t Sept. 7 Godley Sept. 8 Peaster Tournament Sept. 14 @ GrafordSept. 18 @ EastlandSept. 21 * Ponder Sept. 25 * @ BoydSept. 28 * ParadiseOct. 2 * PeasterOct. 5 *Brock Oct. 9 *@ PonderOct. 12 *Boyd (Senior Night)Oct. 16 * @ ParadiseOct. 19 * @ PeasterOct. 23 * @ Brock

* District 9-2A games

PEASTER lADy gRAyhouNDS VollEyBAll

Varsity Aug. 30-Sept. 1 Volleypalooza Sept. 1 Bowie TournamentSept. 4 @ Krum Sept. 7 @ Argyle Sept. 8 Peaster Tournament Sept. 11 Springtown Sept. 14 @ Bridgepor t Sept. 18 * Paradise Sept. 21 @ Dublin Sept. 25 * Ponder Sept. 28 * @ Brock Oct. 2 * @ Millsap Oct. 5 * @ Boyd Oct. 9 * @ Paradise Oct. 12 * @ Ponder Oct. 16 * Brock Oct. 19 *Millsap Oct. 23 * Boyd (Senior Night) * District 9-2A games

PoolVIllE lADy MoNARChS VollEyBAll

VarsitySept. 4 @ BowieSept. 7 @ BreckenridgeSept. 14 BoydSept. 18 @ PonderSept. 21 *@ BrysonSept. 28 *@ GrafordOct. 2 *@ NewscastleOct. 6 *WoodsonOct. 9 *BrysonOct. 13 *@ PerrinOct. 16 *GrafordOct. 19 *NewcastleOct. 23 *@ Woodson

*District games

AlEDo lADyCATS VollEBAll

BRoCk lADy EAglE VollEyBAll

Your Hometown SportS magazine - football & volleYball ScHeduleS

SPRINgToWN PoRCuPINE fooTBAll

Varsity Aug. 31 Liber ty ChristianSept. 7 DecaturSept. 15 @ Trimble TechSept. 21 Gainesville (Homecoming)Sept. 28 @ GrahamOct. 5 BYEOct. 12 *@ KennedaleOct. 19 *Castleberry (Hall of Fame)Oct. 26 *@ Lake WorthNov. 2 *Mineral Wells (Senior Night)Nov. 9 *@ Diamond Hil


SPRINgToWN lADy PoRCuPINES VollEyBAll

Varsity Sept. 4 Fossil RidgeSept. 7 @ Denton HighSept. 11 @ PeasterSept. 18 @Chisolm TrailSept. 21 *Diamond HillSept. 28 *@ Mineral WellsOct. 2 *@ CastleberryOct. 5 *@ Lake WorthOct. 9 *@ Diamond HillOct. 12 *@ KennedaleOct. 16 *Mineral WellsOct. 19 Castleberry (Senior Nighht)Oct. 23 *@ Lake Worth

*District 6-3A games

TRINITy ChRISTIAN EAglE fooTBAll

Varsity Aug. 31 Stephenville FaithSept. 8 @ Universal AcademySept. 14 @ Azle ChristianSept. 21 Harvest Christian AcademySept. 28 Wylie Prep Oct. 6 @ Lucas ChristianOct. 12 Dallas AcademyOct. 19 @ Westlake AcademyOct. 26 @ Nazarene ChristianNov. 2 FW Hill School (Homecoming)

TRINITy ChRISTIAN lADy EAglES VollEyBAll

Varsity Sept. 4 Stephenville Faith Sept. 4 @ Christian Life PrepSept. 6 Westlake Sept. 11 Wylie PrepSept. 13 Granbury CornerstoneSept. 13 FW Hill SchoolSept. 18 Chisolm Trail Sept. 20 Nazarene Academy Sept. 25 Community ChristianSept. 25 Dallas Academy Sept. 27 Wylie Prep Oct. 2 @ FW Hill School Oct. 4 Chisolm Trail Oct. 9 @ Nazarene Christian

VICToRy BAPTIST lADy PARTIoTS VollEyBAll

Sept. 7 Joshua Christian Sept. 13 @ Christian Life PrepSept. 18 Faith Lutheran School Sept. 24 @ Joshua Christian Sept. 25 @ Azle Christian Sept. 27 Weatherford ChristianOct. 2 Christian Life Prep Oct. 5 @ Faith Lutheran SchoolOct. 11 Azle Christian

WEAThERfoRD ChRISTIAN lADy lIoNS VollEyBAll

Varsity Sept. 4 Covenant ClassicalSept. 6 Hill School Sept. 18 * @ Azle ChristianSept. 20 * @ Christian LifeSept. 25 * Aledo ChristianSept. 27 *Victory BaptistOct. 4 * Azle ChristianOct. 9 * Christian LifeOct. 11 * @ Aledo Christian

All home games played at Weatherford Ninth Grade Center

*TCAF Division II District 1 games

WEAThERfoRD Roo fooTBAll

Varsity Aug. 31 RichlandSept. 7 @ CleburneSept. 14 BurlesonSept. 21 BYESept. 28 *Arlington BowieOct. 5 *@ Arlington MartinOct. 12 *Arlington HighOct. 19 *Paschal (Homecoming)Oct. 26 *@ North CrowleyNov. 2 *Arlington LamarNov. 9 *@ Arlington Sam Houston


WEAThERfoRD lADy RooS VollEyBAll

Varsity Sept. 4 JoshuaSept. 7 @ Sam HpustonSept. 11 *MartinSept..14 *@ LamarSept. 18 *@ ArlingtonSept. 21 *North CrowleySept. 25 *@ PaschalSept. 28 *BowieOct. 2 *Sam HpustonOct. 5 *@ MartinOct. 9 *LamarOct. 12 *ArlingtonOct. 16 *@ North CrowleyOct. 19 *Paschal (Senior Night)Oct. 23 *@ Bowie


Your Hometown SportS magazine - football & volleYball ScHeduleS

SPringTOWn POrCuPineS


Their motto is “All in.”As in, ‘all the chips are on the table.’It’s on wristbands worn at practice and in the air at every opportunity.The Springtown Porcupines are “all in.”But, if you take a look at the hand they’re holding, it’s hard to bet against them.Eight returnees on each side of the ball. A drop in classification to Class 3A. A proven offense run by a Division I quarterback prospect, and a defense anchored by two top-notch college hopefuls.“All the chips are on the table, “ said Brad Turner, in his seventh season as Springtown’s head coach. “With the change in classification, we’ve got new faces on the coaching staff and we’re basically putting it all out there and saying we’re going to get it done this year. “The biennial University Interscholastic League realign-ment may have helped Springtown more than any other team in Texas in that SHS no longer has Parker County powerhouse Aledo on its district schedule each season. “I’m happy because our realign-ment means no more Aledo,” Turner said, only half joking. ”No more Johnathan Gray. We tried to tackle that sucker four years and

he’s pretty darn good.”The real reason Turner is pleased about the change is it levels the playing field for SHS. “I’m not sure our stick was as big as everybody else’s (in their old 5-4A district),” the Porcupine coach said. “Other than Aledo, I felt like we were competitive with everybody else we played. The rest of them we beat at least once.”“Now dropping in classification, instead of our numbers being adequate, they’re as good as or bet-ter than most. Our facilities instead of being comparable, they’re as good as or better than most. The size of the stick we’re fighting with certainly got bigger. As the head coach and as the athletic director, I’m excited because I feel like it gives our kids a better chance to be successful.”The Porcupines’ offensive strategy is one fan’s love. The high-flying, fast-paced offense has perennially piled up yardage. In fact, in Turner’s first season, his quarterback threw for more than 3,300 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Last year sophomore Colby Moore started just eight games and still collected 1,700 yards and 17 touch-downs.“We are a spread, no-huddle team very similar to the up-tempo, play-fast style of Oregon and Texas Tech,” Turner explained. “We’ve been a spread, chunk-it-around team since I got here. “Turner and his staff have tweaked the offense this year to make the tempo even quicker. The goal for the offense is to take 80 snaps a game.“That will put some added pressure on defenses especially at the 3A level where you have guys play-ing both ways,” Turner theorized. “We’ve done pretty well with it. We’re going to try to put pressure on people by stretching the field and playing really fast.”Moore, who Turner describes as a legitimate big-time college QB, will pull the trigger on the Pojo offense.“He’s a Division I quarterback,” the coach said bluntly. “He has a very good chance. He’s 6-1, about 195 pounds, runs a 4.6 40, he’s smart, a student of the game and he has a rocket connected to his right shoul-der. He throws the ball really well. You have to have a trigger guy and we’ve got that.”But, as any coach will say, a team, even a good passing team, must be able to run the ball. You gotta have some balance.That’s where Tyler Robertson comes in. Robertson rushed for 1,300 yards and 12 TDs for Springtown in 2011, as well as snag-ging 35 passes for 356 receiving yards, drawing raves from Turner.“He was the second leading run-ning back in our 4A district last year behind Johnathan Gray,” the coach said. “He is as good a football player as I’ve ever coached.”Robertson starts his senior season as the leading returning rusher and pass receiver in the district.

Porcupines bet on holding a winning hand

high stakes

SPringTOWn POrCuPineS

“That gives us some balance,” Turner said. “Tyler and then Colby being able to run, if we get people to squeeze in on us and worry about the run, it’ll open up what welike to do, and that’s pass the ball.”On the other side of the scrim-mage line, Springtown sports a 4-3 defense with a 2-safety look when in its base set.Rotating in and out of the four defensive line spots are six players who will make life difficult for opposing quarter-backs.“The strength of our defense is our defensive line,” Turner reported. “In my opinion, we have three really good defen-sive ends and three really good defensive tackles. We play with two of each so our rotation should be strong.”Projected starters at the end spots are Thomas Loving, who is expected to be the target of college football recruiters, and Bryson Burtnett, who has already committed to TCU. Both are 6-5 and weigh between 235 and 245 pounds. Then add Kolyn Waldrop to the mix and defensive end becomes a team strength. The rest of the D-line is filled out with high-quality tackles in Kaleb Keys, Chris Patton and Tyler Chappell.“If you were to ask me going into the season what we have to do better this year, it would be to play better on defense,” Turner said. “These guys give us the opportunity to do that up front.”In all, Springtown brings 27 seniors back for 2012, another reason for Turner to be opti-mistic. “Yeah. I would be kidding, and if we were still 4A I’d say the same thing,” Coach Turner said. “Our expectations are to make the playoffs. I will be very dis-appointed if we’re not a playoff team. It all comes down to how

you play on the grass. We feel like we have that abil-ity.”Obviously disappointed with last season’s 1-9 mark, the Porcupine players and coaches are making their higher expectations a prior-ity for this season.“We want to put ourselves in a position to play for a dis-trict championship and prac-tice on Thanksgiving morn-ing,” said a grinning Coach Turner. “That’s two things we’d like to do. We want to get in the playoffs and win a gold football.”It’s always a gamble.But Pojo is all in.



“Be district champs,” she answered without hesitation. “I want to make the regional tournament, for sure. Anything farther and we’ll be really blessed.”Strickland’s optimism is grounded in a group of six seniors and a total of 11 returnees from last season.“They look really good right now,” she said of her squad’s early August workouts. “Everybody has some experience from last year and we’ve got some good senior leadership.”Her upperclassmen are led by Rebecca Dauenhauer, an All Parker County selection in 2011, who, according to Strickland, led the area in blocks for most of last season.Teammates Allison Mobley, Courtney Humphries, Ciandra Seabourn, Makenzi Bartee, and Makala Lackey add extensive senior experience to the roster.That experience in Strickland’s system leads many to think the Springtown spikers will be a tough defensive crew.

“We want to take the wind out of their sails when they go up to swing and dig, dig, dig.” She reported. “And block. We’ve got some good middle hitters, 6-foot and above.”Having that much returning moxie would probably make the Lady Porcupines among the favorites in their new District 6-3A home, right? “I would hope so,” said Strickland, who played volleyball at SHS prior to her 1998 graduation. “But I don’t know. Kennedale is right up there with us. They’ve been in 3A for a lit-tle bit and have a better understand-ing of the competition there.”The much ballyhooed February realignment presented a welcome shift downward from 4A to 3A for Strickland, who has been coach-ing here since 2003, and the Lady Porcupines.“It’s kind of a relief, I guess, going back to 3A,” she said. “We went to the state tournament in 1995. That, I think was the last time we’ve seen the state tournament. It’s nice to have the feeling it’s possible this year. The only thing that can hold

us back is us. We have to keep our heads on straight and going for-ward.”It’s one thing, though, for a coach to have high expectations. It’s another for the team to buy in to the degree necessary to make them reality.Coach Strickland said her team enjoys the thought of all the hard work paying off with a postseason appearance.“They get fired up,” she said, smil-ing. “They like that thought. A lot of them are on the basketball team and they have been successful the last three years going to bi-district and then area. They’ve got a taste of the playoffs.”They may get another taste this fall.

Playoffs or bustSpringtown looks to make waves in its new 3A home

Springtown volleyball coach leighann Strickland is not shy about her expectations for 2012.

SPringTOWn lAdY POrCuPineS


TriniTY CHriSTiAn eAgleS


As head football coach of the Trinity Christian School football team, Coach Darrell LeJeune has two basic jobs. One: To teach young men the intri-cacies of the game and, Two:To teach appreciation of the six-man game to area fans.In his third season at the helm of the Eagles’ grid fortunes, he already has a good start on the former, and fans of the Eagles are helping with the latter.“The only ones that really do appreciate the game we play are from our school,” LeJeune said. “But we get a good following from them. We get a good turnout on Fridays.”For the uninitiated, six-man foot-ball is played on a smaller field, but, obviously with fewer players, so the most important criteria either for the high-scoring offensive game, or for open-spaces defensive coverage is speed.

“That’s the main thing in six-man,” LeJeune said bluntly.Formations require three players on the line of scrim-mage for offenses – a center and two wide outs – all of whom are eligible receivers. But like its 11-player cousin, offenses in the six-man incarnation of the game can still be varied.“We have to have three men on the line,” the coach reiterated, “And then three guys in the backfield. But we have tight formations and spread formations.”Defensively, the Eagles will run one version of a 4-2 scheme, either a 3-2-1 in long yardage situations, or a 3-3 when the offense needs a shorter gain.And most of his players will play on both sides of the ball.With an expected 21 players out for two squads, LeJeune plans on having just 11 hands on varsity and 10 on JV.Those numbers will have to make up for the graduation of a pair of All-Star selections from the 2011 team, defen-sive line standout Greg Lanier, and triple-threat Nick Bogdanoff, who earned all-district honors as a quarter-back, linebacker and kicker.While the team’s numbers may be short, the Eagles are long on experience with about 11 juniors on the roster, all of which have played in the TCA system since they were freshmen.Included in the returnees are Zack De La Cruz, a running

back who was injured for most of last season, from whom LeJeune expects big things in 2012, offensive standout Kyle Lanier and defensive anchor Braxton Aldridge.Joining De La Cruz, Aldridge and Lanier as stalwarts are the team’s only senior, a transfer student, Donavan Huffacker, who is learn-ing the six-man game on the fly.“He transferred from Lake Country, an 11-man school,” Coach LeJeune said, “but he’s coming in and playing for us this year. He plays quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive end or linebacker on defense.”LeJeune reports off-season condi-tioning is one of the primary dif-ferences between his players and those of bigger public school teams.“Take Aledo for instance,” he explained. “They’ve got so many kids coming out. They can let the boys know if they don’t come out and workout during the summer,

great Expectations

Trinity Christian could make a deep playoff run in ‘12

they may not get playing time during the season. But, no matter what my kids did during the sum-mer, I’ve still got to turn them into football players. In six-man it’s all about speed, but they get tired quick.”The conditioning aspect came into play early in workouts, which began Aug. 1 for the Eagles who are coming off a 4-6 2011 season. “We’ve had lots of muscle pulls and strains,” LeJeune said, add-ing his largest practice included 12 players and his smallest, only nine.Even with that, the TCA coach expects his squad to be among the elite in its Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship District 1 of the big school Division 1.“We should be one of the teams on top,” he said. “Between us and Dallas Academy and Lucas Christian.”That’s a big bite to chew off, since Lucas Christian Academy rolled to a 12-1 record a year ago and

great ExpectationsTriniTY CHriSTiAn eAgleS


is the defending state champion.“They graduated 11 or 12 seniors off that team.” LeJeune said. “And our team strength is our whole junior class. I told them starting now they have a two-year win-dow.”


Trinity Christian Academy volley-ball coach, Karen Mooney, is really upfront about what she’d like from the 2012 season.“I’d like to get past the first round of the playoffs,” she said confi-dently. The Lady Eagles have finished as runners-up in District 1 of the Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship behind Nazarene Christian Academy of Crowley for the last few seasons and Mooney would like to end that streak and have her squad ascend to the top spot.“We have finished second in dis-trict for a while and I really think we can make a push and try to get first place in our district and maybe fare a little bit better in our state tournament at the end of the year,” she said.Making that jump more difficult is the graduation of a lot of experi-ence, as well as some early-season injuries.“We lost a lot of seniors,” Coach Mooney said. “We are a very young team. I lost five seniors who were

starters last year. We have a lot of freshmen out here.”There’s a possibility some of the frosh might be playing on the TCA varsity, but with four prospective varsity players injured including three from last season, tryouts were not completed before Trinity’s first preseason game.“It’s been a strange start to this sea-son.,” said the seventh-year TCA coach. “We haven’t really decided who will play on the JV and var-sity. We’re trying to get some girls healthy to tryout for the team.” According to Mooney, 18 players headed into the team’s first scrim-mage, not counting the injured.Not surprisingly, she was not will-ing to share the names or expecta-tions for any players until the var-sity team had been filled out.“Probably shouldn’t do that,” she said. “We’re just not at a point for that yet.”Mooney, a Dallas Baptist University alum, hails from San Antonio but her 15 years in North Texas almost makes her a native. She admittedly likes to take charge

of the court by dominating both sides of the net.“When we’re serving, we want to be in control of that and when we’re receiving serve I like to be very strong, a good serve receive team so we can be in control of that when they serve the ball to us,” she said. “I like it on both sides of the ball.”Even though injuries hampered the start of the campaign, she was pleased with the first few practice sessions.“So far so good,” she said a week into workouts. “It was a little rough to start, but every day gets better and better.”

Movin’ on up

Mooney hopes for push to district title


TriniTY CHriSTiAn lAdY eAgleS

OuTdOOrS

There are numerous ways to hunt but one rapidly growing sport is archery hunting. Archery is a fun and relaxing hobby all ages can enjoy. First, decide what type of bow you want to shoot. A longbow is a traditional style you might imagine the soldiers of the past used to defend a castle. A recurve looks similar to the longbow, but is made up of a riser and two limbs and is commonly no longer made of wood. A com-pound bow, designed for hunting, is smaller than the others and has a pulley system at either limb that allows the shooter to hold less weight after drawing the string. Hunting is a privilege and there are rules in place for us to insure the sport continues. One is requir-ing a license to hunt. Another is successfully completing a Texas Hunter Education course admin-istered and regulated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.Every hunter born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, must complete a Hunter Education Training Course, or be accompanied by a person who is at least 17, who is licensed to hunt in Texas, who has passed

the course or was born before Sept. 2, 1971.In addition to the Hunter Education Course, Texas Parks and Wildlife also offers Bowhunter Education. Texas bowhunters have the opportunity for addi-tional training through a special course offered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department through the International Bowhunter Education Program and the National Bowhunter Education Foundation. The state is seeing a large increase in archery shoot-ers, keeping pace with other states in starting archery programs in public and private schools under the National Archery in the School Programs. Brock Independent School District has implemented the NASP program into extra-curricular activities. Beginning this year the pro-gram will be taught through agriculture classes in Brock High School. Classroom

instruction includes bow safety, nomenclature of the bow and arrow and safety rules and regula-tions. Following this inaugural start of Eagle Archery the pro-gram will be implemented in the other grades back to the 4th grade.Once classroom studies are com-pleted, and students show an interest in continuing the archery team will be formed. Brock has the opportunity to practice at the only outdoor NASP range North Texas located in Brock. Brazos Valley Archery furnishes the instructor for the Texas Hunter Education Certification and the Texas Bow Hunter Education Certification courses.

Contact Brazos Valley Archery at 817-313-7233, (Bill Cooper) Email: [email protected], visit http://www.brazosval-leyarchery.com or come by 387 Pritchard Lane, Brock.Try hunting and maybe archery hunting!

ViCTOrY BAPTiST lAdY PATriOTS


After a sabbatical of sorts, Victory Baptist Academy Athletic director Brooklyn Mcintosh has resurrected volleyball for 2012.

We’re baaaaack!“We haven’t played volley-ball for a couple of years,” she said, “but we decided to pick it back up this year. I’m really passionate about volleyball so I was real ada-mant we have a team this year.”McIntosh, who also coaches the team, as well as VBA girls’ basketball, said the decision was made, in part, to allow upper class players a chance to take part.“We did really well in bas-ketball last season,” the for-mer Weatherford Lady Roo said. “We won our district. We’ve got some very talent-ed girls and we wanted to go ahead and let a few of the girls play all the sports they could in their senior year.”According to McIntosh, a 2005 WHS graduate, the Lady Patriots’ roster num-bers 13, including a player picked up when former district foe Aledo Christian shut down. Interviewed in the second week of practice,

Coach McIntosh is impressed with her team.“They’re coming along a lot faster than I expect-ed,” she said. “They’ve remembered a lot more than I thought they would.”The coach is especially excited about the play of a couple of especially gifted seniors, including one-woman sports program Jessica Hamilton, and defensive specialist Angela Antoine.“Jessica Hamilton one of the most talented girls I’ve ever met,” McIntosh gushed. “She picks things up super quick. She plays volleyball, is point guard on the basketball team, did well in the district tennis meet. She played for me last time and I look for good things coming from her.”Antoine, who is being counted on to anchor the middle of the Lady Pats front, is working on learning her position.“She is going to be playing our middle front position,” the coach said. “The girl can jump. She’s got some hang time. I’m trying to help her get her basics down so we can use her to the best of her abilities.”With the extended time away from the game, McIntosh thinks it prudent to emphasize defense, at least early in the year.“We’ve been working on a lot of defensive drills,” she said “Being hit at, rather than hitting. I hope that can be our strong point. We haven’t worked nearly as much on offense, so we’ll probably be a primarily defensive team.”

The Lady Patriots, like Weatherford Christian School, are set to compete in Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship Division 2, District 1.


Shifting gears

WeATHerFOrd CHriSTiAn lAdY liOnS


Championship basketball coach takes over WCS voleyballDebby Steensma is no stranger to getting the most out of young athletes.She has a pair of Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship state titles and a runner-up trophy to her credit as head basketball coach at Weatherford Christian School.But Steensma, who is also the school’s Athletic Director, has taken on a new challenge – leading the WCS Lady Lions vol-leyball team for 2012.In spite of the lack of expe-rience, Steensma, whose squad returns just one senior from a playoff run last year was upbeat when workouts started in early August.“We’re going to be an extremely young and inex-perienced team,” she said, adding WCS lost five start-ers from the ’11 team. “But the kids we have are very dedicated and they are working hard. Practices are going very well.”But with youth the over-riding team characteristic,

the coach has had to draw upon her experience to set reasonable goals for the upcoming campaign.“We’re not putting too many expectations on the girls,” Steensma said. “Last year we were shooting for district and every game was pushing us to that goal. This year, we’re young, so my goal is going to be more to reach team goals in the sense that we get a bump, set and hit each time.” “We’re going to be build-ing and we’ll put goals out there we’re going to see us meeting,” she said. “That’s not to say we wouldn’t love to win district, and we’re going to play to that, but I’m not going to make that the emphasis because I’d rather see them progress-ing as we go.”The team’s lone returning starter is senior Chelsea Rose, who can fill a few roles for Steensma, the pri-mary being as a defensive specialist.“We can use her in a couple of different capacities,”

the coach reported. “She played libero a lot for us last year. And did an extremely good job there. She’s also a really good set-ter. There’ll be opportuni-ties for me to move her around some.”The Lady Lions district schedule will be minus one tough opponent this season as Waco-based Parkview Christian Academy, the defending state champion, has merged with another school and opted to com-pete in another organiza-tion.That does not mean, how-ever, the road to the post-season will be an easy one.With Azle Christian, Fort Worth Christian Life, Aledo Christian and Mineral Wells Christian joining WCS in the district, competition could be sur-prisingly stiff.“Azle Christian will be very strong and Christian Life from Fort Worth should be pretty good,” said Steensma. Being coach at a small pri-

vate school offers some challenges, according to the AD, whose team prac-tices at the North Side Baptist Church. “They are very supportive and they let us use their gym.” Games are played at Weatherford Ninth Grade Center.Steensma, who built the WCS athletic program, coached her daughter as a sixth grade basketball player. Six years later, in 2009, they teamed up to claim the school’s first state title.“It was just one of those things that you know you probably get to do just once in a lifetime,” she smiled. “To build some-thing like that. It was an unbelievable moment.”So, how does the coach expect the transition from basketball to volley-ball to go?“Coaching, in a lot of aspects, is coaching,” she said candidly. “There’s a certain amount of coach-ing you can do, almost if you’ve never played the sport. An encourage-ment. It’s an attention to details.”



that wasn’t the case when waller took over the roos three seasons ago.“i took the job in July, so there wasn’t much room for change then,” he explained. “we came into district that season and we started eight sophomores.” “starting those eight sophomores, it was a learning process for them,” he said, “but they hung in there and battled. last year we showed some improvement. we had a few set-backs along the way, but going into this year we’ve got those kids who have played under the lights.”among those who have “played under the lights,” are members of the kangaroos’ entire offensive line, which returns en masse.the group consists of guards Jace ford and 6-1, 250-pound hayden davis, tackles 286-pound Jordan gray, and destin dorsett, and center 253-pound sammy stephens. believing starts getting easier, since an entire offensive line coming back all together is a coach’s dream.

“You’ve got to believe,” he said in a Yhs interview just prior to the beginning of workouts. “before you can be successful, you have to believe you can be successful. You’ve got to believe in yourself, you’ve got to believe in your teammates, in your coaches, in your system. never, ever let the shadow of a doubt enter your mind. that shadow of a doubt provides hesitation. he who hesi-tates is lost.”“believe,” he said simply, “is a huge deal for us.”and while coach waller’s point in becoming mentally tougher certainly has a place in teaching young men confidence, he also has several con-crete reasons to believe.first, he has several starters return-ing on either side of the ball. admittedly, the kangaroos suf-fered through a 3-7 season in 2011, but with five returning starters on offense and a half-dozen more defensively, battle-hardened experi-ence appears to be in weatherford’s favor.

“two years ago it wasn’t when they were sophomores,” waller smiled. “but that group of kid’s work well together, they get along. believe it or not, they’re all leaders.” “that’s where it starts,” he said, referring to his stalwarts up front, “then all the other pieces come in behind that.”who’ll be pulling the trigger on waller’s spread offense was still a question rolling into workouts.either colton mallory, who played some at the varsity level last season, or Jv standout brent wirtz are expected to line up behind center.whichever it turns out to be, waller is feeling more confident about his signal caller than in seasons past.in spring workouts, both quarter-backs were in the huddle at practice, something that hadn’t happened before in the waller era at whs.“they were always in other sports,” coach said of his former Qbs absence in the spring. “last spring we had both quarterbacks out and that’s going to help us.”plus, even though waller won’t name any of the possible to run the ball for weatherford, he is excited about depth at the feature back posi-tion, claiming there is no clear-cut starter and there could be as many as four running backs toting the ball.that could also be strength of the

believe.weatherford football coach reid waller has made it this season’s motto for his team.

g o t t a believeRoos’ experience and good spring workouts are reasons!

interview by: phil riddle

37 | October 2011 SportsPlanet

COACH REID WALLER


roos 2012

“we will run a little 3-4 in some situations,” waller said. “but our identity, there’s no doubt, is the 4-2-5.”that defensive scheme allows the roos to cover the field, which is getting increasingly difficult as the popularity of spread and pass-first offenses builds.

ball,” he said. “here, our initial scheme was the spread. we started expanding that and went from the old triple option, double slot to two-by-twos, three-by-ones and even some empty backfield sets.”“we’ve evolved a little bit,” waller said. “what we try to do is what every team tries to do: spread the field and isolate. football’s about getting your best on their worst. getting the best match-ups you can.”on defense, those matchups could be harder for opponents to recog-nize as whs will generally line up in a nickel set with four linemen and two linebackers in traditional posi-tions.“we will run a little 3-4 in some situations,” waller said. “but our identity, there’s not doubt, is the 4-2-5.”that defensive scheme allows the roos to cover the field, which is getting increasingly difficult as the popularity of spread and pass-first offenses builds.“we’ll play a couple of teams that run a two-back (formation),” the roos coach said. “but for the most part we’ll see mostly one-back and

they’ll try to spread the field.” “what we have to do,” coach waller said, “is eliminate the big plays, make them drive 80-yards. that takes a lot of patience and con-sistency.”defensive standouts expected to make a difference for weatherford in the 2012 campaign include tack-les kent sanner, 6-1, 232, and 270-pound andrew cape who brings a sub 5-second 40 time to the table, along with defensive ends slade hodge and Zack harriman, and linebackers Jay hardy and three-year starter dylan powell.free safety dalton club is also expected to be an impact player in ’12. club at 6-0 and 163 pounds, boasts 4.6 speed and registered 40 tackles last year.“he’s got good hands,” waller said of club. “he’s got some speed and good jumping ability. he had a

good spring, too.”add to that a pair of accurate

kickers to anchor special teams and there are certainly reasons for opti-mism among the blue and white faithful.“we feel like we have two really good kickers and we really have

whs offense, since waller espouses traditional football values when he talks of his preference of moving the ball on the ground.“in our league, offensively, we need to eliminate mistakes, control the football,” he said. “we’re not going to make any bones about it, we want to run the ball. it’s an old adage, ‘you have to be able to run the football and stop the run’.”that ground-based offense is where he is steering the kangaroos.“our history has been option foot-

INTERVIEW By: PhIl RIDDlE

motorsportsfour,” waller said, “this year our returning kicker is trey rich. he’s grown over the summer and he’s focused on being a kicker. he’s come in here every day over the summer to workout.”as is the case with any football coach, waller said having an effec-tive kicker is a boon to both other aspects of the team.“it’s huge,” he said. “first of all, if you can put it in the end zone on the kickoff and don’t allow the big play in open space, you can make them have to drive a long way. or if you can spot the ball on sky kicks or pooch kicks, there’s always a chance for mishandling the ball there. the kicking game is huge.” ok.the team brings some speed, some skill and some experience. those are reasons to believe.still, how do coaches make players believe? waller said it’s a conditioned response to pressure.“when those lights are on on the field,” he said with a grin, “it’s a little bit different than it is in the stands.”in order to get his charges accus-tomed to performing on friday nights, waller said practices must be, in his word, intense.“we try to give them some pressure in practice so when the game comes along they are ready to go,” he said. “my days, when i get the most intense, is in practice. when i get into a ball game, i’ve got to be a little

more relaxed, because i want my kids to be relaxed. we want them to follow the tone of the coaching staff. the most important play is the next one, not the last one.”then he returns to the all-encompassing word for the season.believe.“i want our kids to believe,” he reiterated. “that word, believe, runs pretty deep. a kid has got to believe, ‘you’re not going to beat me i’m going to beat you and the reason is i’m me and you’re you.”waller said that belief is to be tested in a tough district 3-5a, which boasts the no. 10 class 5a preseason selection, arlington martin.“the people who make it out of 3-5a are going to be battle tested,” said waller, who says he likes the district. “there are as good of athletes in this district as there are any-where in the state.”but he still believes.his own personal beliefs are nowhere more vividly projected than in his goals for the 2012 kangaroos.“we have three goals,” the coach said. “make the playoffs, win our first playoff game. and be playing the week of thanksgiving.”“legitimately, after you win the first play-off game, crazy things can happen,” he explained. “then if you make it to the week of thanksgiving, you’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

i guess he believes.

INTERVIEW By: PhIl RIDDlE


motorsports


weatherford roos

biannual university interscholastic league realignment earlier this year changed the roos’ district designa-tion from 4-5a to 3-5a even though the same opponents populate the new league.so, one plus they have coming into the grid season is knowing their competition.there is another, perhaps even more important positive in the kangaroos’ favor.if home field turns out to be a major plus, the blue and white could make some noise among their loop breth-ren.consider this: the roos, like nearly all other high school teams in texas play half of their games in their own home stadium.but also consider this: coach reid waller’s crew will not travel on consecutive weeks all season. and, counting their aug. 24 season-opening scrimmage against ennis, they have back-to-back home games three times.“four of our first five events are at home,” said waller, begin-ning his third year at the helm of weatherford football. “You like that. after that it’s basically home and away. it’s a good schedule for us.favorable scheduling, however,

doesn’t mean the roos’ mettle won’t be sorely tested.the toughest stretch of the year appears to be the three games begin-ning sept. 28 when the roos face predicted playoff teams in arlington bowie and arlington high at home sandwiched around an oct. 5 trip to top 10-rated arlington martin.the three arlington teams, all in the class 5a playoffs in 2011, com-bined for a 27-11 mark last year, led by martin’s 12-2, and all three are being counted on to return to post-season action.waller, concerned about the three games against predicted playoff combatants, is hardly ready to con-cede anything.“i’m not sure there is an easy game or a let-up in 3-5.” he said. “all of (the district teams) are good. there were some upsets last year. so we’ll just have to play hard, get through the non-district games and lock in.” still, early-season competition, at least on paper, gives whs an oppor-tunity to ramp up to the level of the new district foes, facing a below .500 richland team in the 2012 debut at kangaroo stadium, and a pair of 4-a opponents in cleburne and burleson.that three-game stretch pits the roos against teams with a combined 14-17 record last season, and just

home sweet home

weatherford is facing the same sort of situation as someone who has to have their number changed, even though they are still living in the same house.

one playoff team, former loop mate burleson, which fin-ished the year with a 6-5 slate.those numbers mean nothing to waller and his plans for 2012.“our goal in non-district is to get better,” he said candidly, recalling a former team’s early-season record. “i’ve been in a situation in plano where we went 0-3 in non-district games, but we got better and wound up winning nine games and going into the third round of the playoffs.”“everybody would like to go into district 3-0,” he admitted, “but it’s all about getting better and preparing yourselves for the games that count.”the campaign’s last four games include an oct. 19 home-


coming visit by paschal, a trip to north crowley on oct. 26, senior night at whs against arlington lamar and the regular season finale at arlington sam houston on nov. 9.those four combatants are a collec-tive 15-27 from 2011, bookended by arlington’s 6-5 and a 1-9 from houston, giving weatherford cause for optimism rolling into what is hoped will be a chance at the playoffs and a first-round game at cowboys stadium in arlington.“we have three goals this year,” said the whs coach. “get to the playoffs, win our first playoff game and be playing the week of thanksgiving. and we’ll take them one at a time.”


weatherford roos

must have coupon for offer

That’s the one word new Weatherford volleyball coach Natalie Hayman says most describes her.And she hopes to take that dedica-tion, along with the positives from last season’s .500 finish and craft a new mindset for the Lady Roos.The Fort Worth native and former Weatherford College student is bringing her own mantra of “success comes with dedication and determi-nation” in her plan to make WHS an elite North Texas spike squad.Hired in May, Hayman has not even had the opportunity to meet all her players. However, that doesn’t dampen her excitement.“I don’t know a lot about that team, “ Hayman said of the 2011 Lady Roos, “but I do know that’s something to build on. If I can get them up to speed fast, get them dedicated, want-ing to be there and wanting to win, the playoffs are attainable.”Whoa. Playoffs? “If I don’t make it to the playoffs,”

Hayman said bluntly, “I don’t feel like I did my job as a coach to get them there.”That may sound more than a little bold but Hayman’s determination has allowed her to be successful and to overcome serious personal setbacks.As a senior in high school the future coach had to undergo a pair of sur-geries to deal with fallen arches, which caused nerve damage in her feet, calves and ankles. A podiatrist performed one surgery from which she returned after just six weeks. “I finished my year,” she said, cred-iting her high school trainer who “invented tape jobs for me to help get me through my last year, because I wasn’t about to give up.”After her senior year were four more surgical procedures in quick succession, ending her volleyball career before playing as a student at Texas Wesleyan.“I was in two boots for a couple of years,” she said. But those boots, along with a former

coach, may have turned out to be a positive influence in her life.As a freshman in college, her high school freshman coach, Eric Morris, called and asked if Hayman, now retired as a player, would be inter-ested in coaching.“It was really hard,” she admitted. “It was a tough decision because I’d about decided to become a veteri-narian. I decided to give it a try and I just loved it.“It’s like having the same drive I had as a player, “ she smiled, “but I am on the sidelines. Then watching the kids get the same drive you have – that’s so cool. It’s very rewarding.”Her team, some of whom she had not even met by the time two-a-days started, may be surprised by the young, blonde who has taken over the reins at WHS.“They will find very soon I am very intense,” she said. “I don’t care if the team we’re playing is state champ, I expect to go in to win. That’s what I put into my players. When they realize we’ve just lost a match 25-2 and I’m still screaming, they’ll real-

Digging itnew WHS volleyball coach hopes to ingrain defensive mindset

dediCATed

Coach natalie Hayman

weatherford ladY roos



ize I’m into this to win.”Hayman, who comes to Weatherford after a two-year stint at Canton, believes winning vol-leyball comes from playing effective defense.“I love offense,” she said with a con-spiratorial smile, “but defense wins games. Anyone can hit the ball. Every team has at least one hard hit-ter, but you have to be the ones to defend that hit.”She reiterated.“We don’t want to hammer the ball, offensively. If you’re playing a good quality team, then they’ll have a good quality defense and they’ll be able to dig that hit. It may sound good and look good, but it’s not a point. You’ve just wasted your time.”Hayman has, by her own estima-tion, inherited a mostly youthful team, even though there could be four or five seniors lining up for WHS.“That sounds like a decent number,” she said, “but otherwise we’re going to be pretty young. We’ve got good sophomore and freshman classes coming up. We’ll be pretty young, but we’ll be scrappy.”Among her expected stars are out-side hitter Alexis Garner, senior setter Jordan Harvey, who is mend-ing from a fractured foot, and Emma Murphey, expected to anchor at middle blocker.“Alexis Garner is going to be a

monster on the outside,” Hayman predicted. “She’ll hammer the ball for us. And Jordan Harvey, she’s going to be pretty darn good.” Coach Hayman, citing what she knew prior to the beginning of the season, said the Lady Roos would likely be a solid offensive unit, but might need some work to get the defensive edge she sees as necessary to compete in District 3-5A.“We’re going to be a very good offensive team, but we need to work on our defense,” she said. “We’ve got all the big Arlington schools. Arlington Martin, for instance is a great team, but David beat Goliath so I feel like any team can be taken down any day.”Okay, an intense new coach, dedica-tion, determination and a renewed emphasis on defense are all part of the new agenda. But how will the new coach judge whether the season has been suc-cessful.“If we get the mindset we can beat anybody,” Hayman said with con-viction. “I feel like right now when kids talk about Arlington Martin or Aledo it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a loss.’ If I can get them to the mindset they can beat anyone then we’ll be really good.”


weatherford ladY roos


I have got to be the luckiest guy in the worldI’ve spent the biggest part of my professional life covering sports.

football, baseball, softball, soccer, track, golf, tennis, all on levels from pee-wee to college.the thing that makes me feel luckiest is in my job i get to meet athletes, most of whom are incredibly gracious human beings. i’ve been on the sidelines when they have exceeded their expectations and celebrated, and when they made game-changing mis-takes.one of my first post-game interviews falls into the latter category. a west texas high school quarterback, on the verge of beat-ing his school’s arch rivals for the first time in nine seasons had unwisely eschewed his coach’s call to take a knee with just seconds left on the clock, and threw an interception that turned an upset win into…well, just upsetting.i felt bad for the kid. but, he didn’t hide from his mistake. he talked for quite a while before he went out to face a critical public. he went on to coach high school football. i still wonder if his Qb… nah. surely not.that interview was tough. but my favorite all-time had to have been with sammy baugh. Yep, that sammy baugh. i’d heard of him, of course. his exploits as a punter, a defen-

sive back and, most notably as a champion-ship quarterback in the 40s and early 50s. were ingrained in the conversations of my broadcasting and sports writing heroes.baugh, who still owns nfl punting records, once threw for four touchdowns in a game, while intercepting four passes.by the time i met him, he was into his 70s, and, though it would have been a stretch to say he’d mellowed, he was a fun guy to talk to. he played golf nearly every day at a 9-hole course at western texas college in snyder, where he lent his name to a benefit tournament.i’d heard how, as an nfl star, he rode in rodeos in the off-season. i’d heard about his legendary temper and his colorful language.one story goes that after his pro football career ended, he took the head- coaching job at stately baptist institution hardin-simmons university in abilene. one after-noon, the college president was purported to have moseyed down to the field to watch baugh run his team through its paces. the president was, at least according to legend, a little upset at the coach’s language.“coach baugh,” he is reported to have said at the close of practice, “i’m not entirely comfortable with you taking the lord’s name in vain.”whereupon slingin’ sammy said, “it ain’t in vain. it’s workin’.”i don’t know if that story’s true, but it’s a great story.my meeting with the grid legend came on the occasion of the naming of the southwest conference’s all-75 year team. as it so happened, baugh, a tcu alum and a two-time all-america selection for the frogs, was elected to the team.frankly i don’t remember a lot of the con-versation. i was admittedly star struck.but i do remember baugh, a charter member of the national football league

hall of fame, discussing the 1940 nfl championship, a lop-sided clash his redskins lost 73-0 to the bears.he reminisced. he waxed nostalgic and he laughed.then he stopped. it got quiet and i had to stop being a fan and start being a sports writer again.“what is the dumbest question you were ever asked as a player?” i queried, filling the silence.without missing a beat, baugh grinned and began telling of the post-game coverage of the loss to the bears.as background d for his story, he told of an early-game drive that was halted when a pass he threw was dropped in the end zone.then it got funny when he remembered a certain sports writer’s question.“that idiot asked me, ‘sam, would it have made any difference in the outcome of the game if that ball had been caught?’“i said, ‘%$#^ yeah, it would have made a difference. it would have been 73-6.’”i still really love talking to athletes, but sam set the bar pretty high.

Phil Riddlephil riddle editor

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