Texas sports blog
Apologies for the lack of posts/podcasts over the last few weeks. It got very busy and stressful for my family and I; Thankfully, everything has calmed down and I can go back to blogging!
In this podcast: Talking about a scheduling snafu that has split Hays CISD, as well as going over the new UIL realignment and how it affects Hays County.
Enjoy!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:24 — 13.0MB)
Can you believe that the football season is almost over!? We only have 3 and 1/2 more weeks before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis! It seemed like it was only yesterday that Opening Weekend festivities were taking place.
However, as the days go by in January, so goes the hourglass on the 2011-12 season. In this podcast, I’ll talk about the Houston Texans and their postseason run, as well as Texas teams in the FBS and FCS during the collegiate postseason.
Finally, it’s time to start talking about College Basketball; Texas teams are beginning conference play, I’ll let you know who to watch down the stretch.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:19 — 21.0MB)
With the increase of injuries suffered by high school students in recent years, as well as the increasing heat that seems to oppress the state during summer months, the University Interscholastic League has mandated that changes be made to “two-a-day” practices, according to Kxan.com.
For those who are not familiar with the term: “Two-a-days” are where sports teams conduct two separate practice sessions in one day. Normally, most tw0-a-days consist of having a morning practice and then an evening practice, with Football being the sport that is synonymous with the ideology of having two practices in one day.
The changes, which will go in effect August, 2012, include:
This change in practice methods is due in part to High School leagues following the example of the NFL and NCAA, which are taking a much more defined stance to prevent serious head injuries. According to a 11 year study, compiled in 2011 by the American Journal of Sports Medicine:
“In sum, 2651 concussions were observed in 10 926 892 athlete-exposures, with an incidence rate of 0.24 per 1000. Boys’ sports accounted for 53% of athlete-exposures and 75% of all concussions. Football accounted for more than half of all concussions, and it had the highest incidence rate (0.60)… Concussion rate increased 4.2-fold…over the 11 years (15.5% annual increase). In similar boys’ and girls’ sports (baseball/softball, basketball, and soccer), girls had roughly twice the concussion risk of boys. Concussion rate increased over time in all 12 sports.”-Andrew E. Lincoln, ScD; Shane V. Caswell, PhD ATC; John L. Almquist, VATL ATC, et al. American Journal of Sports Medicine, May 2011, Vol. 39, No.5
While this may not be popular with coaches around the state, this kind of change is necessary for high school sports in Texas. Safety should be in the minds of all who govern and are in charge of these young athletes. Hopefully, with the limitations in place, high school sports can be just a little bit safer for all.
Earlier this week, the Texas Senate passed a vote (22-7 in favor) that would allow schools in the University Interscholastic League and Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools to participate on the same field as soon as next season. The plan would be a “5-year phase-in”, which will start with Class 1A and will expand towards the larger classifications later on. Senators felt that the UIL and TAPPS should be allowed to compete against one another in soccer, baseball/softball, lacrosse, volleyball and track as well as in academics, such as One-Act play and debate. This would go beyond single game meetings (which currently exist), rather TAPPS schools would be figured into district realignments.
However, there is a huge catch: UIL and TAPPS schools will not be able to be in the same district when it comes to football or basketball.
Senators and the Texas High School Coaches Association worry that TAPPS would recruit students out of UIL districts to play for private schools, a ‘selection’ process if you will, that would take away talent that could be going to a public school.
But is that really a good enough excuse for the UIL and the State Senate to use?
Especially after the UIL finished doling out a huge punishment to a big-name football program before the start of the 2010 football season.
According to WFAA.com, Southlake Carroll was under fire after QB Daxx Garman transferred from Oklahoma and was able to practice with the team during the summer workout season. Rumors swirled that Garman only moved into Carroll ISD in order to avoid his ineligibility in Oklahoma so he could play sports in Texas. That violates UIL rules, which disallows players to move solely for athletic purposes. After the UIL’s investigation, they found that the family was not fully moved into the Southlake area (which was also a rules violation) and that the family had a clause in their rental agreement that would allow the tenants to terminate the lease if the student was not able to play football. Afterwards, the UIL’s Executive Committee for District 7-5A ruled 4-3 that Garman would not be allowed to play for Southlake.
To the UIL’s credit, they upheld Garman’s ineligibility and he was banned from participating in any high school sport in Texas.
But think about it: Southlake Carroll was this close to recruting a player to illegally play on their team. Not only that, but the player had an option to move out of the district and potentially be recruited by another public school had the UIL not stepped in beforehand. It will never be known if Garman would have made a difference had he done so, but it certainly puts cracks into the armor of the UIL’s argument: That private schools would use their wealth and success to sway players to play for their programs. Remember, Southlake is not only in one of the more wealthier school districts, but also the most successful, winning 7 state titles in the last 20 years.
It’s quite hypocritical for the UIL to raise a gripe about recruiting issues, when one of their most successful programs nearly got away with violating their own rules about the subject.
When it comes down to it, the UIL and TAPPS are going to have to find a way to trust one another before sharing championships. Especially in such competitive and passionate sports such as football and basketball. The best way for this to occur will be the “5-year phase-in” plan that will test the waters in other sports first.
Until then, the State of Texas will have separate titles for football and basketball for the foreseeable future.
SAN MARCOS,TX
The Tomball Rosehill Eagles and San Marcos Academy Bears faced off in the TAPPS Area playoff round Saturday afternoon at Chick-Fil-A court on the San Marcos Academy campus. The matchup did not disappoint with a back and forth game ending up with a Bears loss at 57-45 ending the Bears season.
SMA Sabas On A Layup
The Eagles would strike first with an early bucket to take a 2-0 lead. Junior John Nealon would answer for the Bears with a quick 3 pointer to make the game 3-2. The Eagles would go on a 9-0 run to make the game 11-3 with 6 minutes left in the first quarter. Senior Currie Pipkins would stop the run with an “And 1” basket, but could not convert on the free throw attempt making the game 11-5 Eagles. Nealon would trim the eagles lead to 13-8, on a three point attempt, and get to the line on an Eagles foul, sinking both free throws to make the game 13-10 with 3:48 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles would score, and then send Nealon to line once again, as he would again convert both free throws to make the game 15-12. Two eagle free throws would make the game 17-12 with 2:30 left in the quarter. The Eagles would sink a half court shot with 1 second remaining to take a 20-12 lead into the second quarter.
Pipkins would open the second quarter with a quick basket to trim the Eagles lead to six, which was followed by an Eagles basket and another Nealon 3 for the Bears to make the score 22-17 Eagles with 7:00 left in the second quarter. Sophomore Ty Merriweather would score for the Bears making it a three point game, and an Eagles turnover would lead to another Nealon basket.
After another Eagles turnover, Pipkins would come up with a 360 layup making the game 23-22 Bears, their second lead of the game with 5:42 left in the half. The Eagles would take a timeout looking to stop the Bears. The Bears would force another turnover, which would lead to a Diondrick McCoy basket making the score 25-22. The Eagles would strike to cut the lead down to one.
Junior Sabas Castillo would score his first point of the game off a free throw attempt to put the lead back to two points at 26-24. The Eagles would make five straight free throws to re-take the lead at 29-26 with 1:45 left in the half. Jackie Chen would drive to the lane with just under 1 minute left to make the score 29-28 Eagles. The Eagles would commit 10 fouls in the first half, with the Bears committing 8. The leading scorer for the Bears was Nealon with 15, off excellent three point shooting.
Eagles Head Coach Ed Lamar knew that this game would be a great matchup, and believes that both teams played outstanding.
“It was a great effort from both teams,” said Lamar. “We knew we could play with them, but were not sure that we could beat them. We knew that if we played the type of basketball we are capable of playing that at the end of the day we would win, which is exactly what happened.”
SMA Head Coach Kelia Price, although proud of his players, believes there was one area of their game tonight that cost them the game.
“All season our coaching staff preached how important free throw shooting is to the success of any basketball team,” said Price. “We missed fifteen free throws tonight, which ultimately cost us the game. I am very proud of the way our team played this season, and the excitement that we have brought to the San Marcos community. We appreciate our fans for all the support throughout the season including tonights standing room only crowd.”
The leading scorer for Eagles were John Ogle with 14, and Ryan Danielson and Shane Mylius with 11 each. The leading scorers for the Bears were John Nealon with 18 and Currie Pipkins with 12. The San Marcos Academy Bears end their season with a 26-3 overall record, while the Tomball Rosehill Eagles advance to the next round with a record of 23-14 overall.
Playoffs are becoming a common theme for the San Marcos Academy Bears. Fresh off a first round victory for the Varsity Soccer team, the Bears Boys and Girls’s Varsity teams also will be competing in the playoffs as well as a Junior Varsity Boys team that won a district title. All three teams came away with a victory in their last regular season game at Keystone in San Antonio Thursday night. Together all of these programs are creating an atmosphere at San Marcos Academy that has not been seen in years.
The Varsity Boys, ranked 2nd in the state by the Texas Association of Basketball coaches, finished the year with a victory over Keystone 46-22. This victory brought their overall record to 26-2 including a perfect 15-0 district record. The Bears, will open up the playoffs Tuesday February 15, at Chick-Fil-A court on the San Marcos Academy campus,at 7 PM against a yet to be determined opponent. SMA Head Coach Kelia Price is proud of the season that his boys have had so far, but does not want to season to end now.
“I am very proud of the way our Boys have played this season,” said Price. “We knew going into the season that we were a very talented squad and that we had the possibility to do great things. We are not satisfied with what we have accomplished this far, and are going to work daily to improve ourselves. We are not getting ahead of ourselves, and are focusing on each game as they come our way.”
The Varsity Girls, end the year with a victory over Keystone 35-32. The victory brings their overall record to 8-21 record including a 5-9 record in district, the Lady Bears will be entering the playoffs this Thursday at 6:00 against Ft. Worth Lake Country Christian. Head Coach Toby Wade knows that although the record may not show how good this team is, that he has a talented group of girls that have worked hard to earn a playoff birth.
“I am so proud of the way our girls played tonight, it was a total team effort,” said Wade. There were a lot of times during the game when they could have let things get them rattled, but they kept their composure and never let their intensity level drop,” said Wade. “I love the guts and toughness that these kids have displayed in all of our district games, they are a joy to coach.”
The Junior Varsity Boys, won a narrow game against Keystone 40-37. The Bears, lead by first year head coach Payden Sharkey, who is also an Assistant on the Varsity team, finished the year at 12-4 including a 9-1 district record. Although there is no playoffs for Junior Varsity, Sharkey is proud of his team for not only winning district, but learning from the Varsity Players, and knows that they will be ready for the next level next season stating “we have a talented group on Junior Varsity that teams can be ready to see at the varsity level next season.”
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