Looking deeper at Rice baseball local recruiting

My colleague Jonathan Yardley at the Observer Group sent me some more information regarding the previous post about Rice baseball’s tendency to get the majority of its players from the Houston area. A recent Rice alum, he’s able to add a little bit more background on the subject:

“One thing to remember is the current high school kids were in middle school in 2003, when Rice won it all. And on that team, almost every contributor was from the Houston area.

Catcher – Justin Ruchti, Klein Forest and San Jac; first base – Vincent Sinisi, the Woodlands and Texas; second base – Enrique Cruz, Bellaire; shortstop – Paul Janish, Cy Creek; (third base – Craig Stansberry – from the DFW area); left field – Chris Kolkhorst, Cy Falls and Blinn; center field – Austin Davis, Spring Branch Memorial; right field – Dane Bubela, Cy Falls and Blinn; designated hitter – Matt Ueckert, Bellaire. The DH rotated, so I’m not going to worry about it. Jeff Blackinton was from Washington and Jeff Jorgensen was from Spring Branch Memorial. Pitchers Jeff Niemann – Lamar; Wade Townsend – Dripping Springs; Philip Humber – Carthage; Josh Baker – Spring Branch Memorial; Steven Herce – St. Thomas and David Aardsma – Colorado.

So out of 17 major contributors, 12 were from the Houston area, including eight out of the nine starting hitters.

Since then, Wayne Graham has gone out of state a lot more, probably without extending a lot of effort. Eddie Degerman, Daniel Cooper, Scott Lonergan and Cole St.Clair are from California, the new catcher from Florida, the new outfielder from New Jersey, the shortstop from Louisiana who went pro, etc.”

Owls’ Graham on building a kingdom from his backyard

Referring to an article in this week’s Examiners, Rice baseball coach Wayne Graham has been able to build a a perennial national contender every year with local ballplayers. Nearly 60 percent of the players on the current roster played at high schools in the area, and almost half of this year’s signees call the Bayou City home.

I asked Graham why Houston has probably become the best spot for talent in the nation for baseball. He had a few interesting thoughts that go beyond the scope of a recent trend.

First off, he noted baseball has continued to grow in popularity in this part of the country since the sport first arrived in Texas with the Colt .45s in Houston in 1962 and the Rangers in Arlington ten years later. Since then, interest has trickled down to Texas colleges, high school and youth leagues. “It’s really so much different than it was 50 years ago,” he said.

Over time, people became feverishly passionate about the diamond. Pressure from parents and their respective communities have forced a strong commitment from local little leagues and schools. Graham said an old joke was the high school baseball skipper was the coach who lost the coin flip to coach the football team. Now, it’s not uncommon for a head coach to solely be responsible for the baseball program with coordinating offseason programs and getting players involved with fall leagues.

One of the more compelling reasons Graham had was the amount of people settling here that have such a vast knowledge of and experience with the sport. Because of cheap housing and a serious bang for the buck in quality of life, retired professional athletes find Houston quite appealing.

Some athletes get into coaching at various levels, and some even open their own training facilities. Even opening a restaurant with their name attached to it has to get kids thinking about playing some catch. Regardless of their visibility, the presence of these people permeates through all levels of the sport in the area.

That goes for athletes of any of the major sports. Shaquille O’Neal has a house down here for one. Former NBA player and coach John Lucas has had both his sons’ successes on the basketball court at Bellaire well-chronicled. The list is pretty endless.

It’s probably not a coincidence that it’s also widely considered that Houston has some of the best prospect talent in the nation these days for football and basketball.

Examiner top sports stories of the year

Editor’s note: Here are the top ten sports stories of the year, in no particular order. Some are of triumph, some are of tragedy, some fall in between. All had an impact on the community.

• When Kinkaid Athletics Director Cindy Gough came to the school from Hockaday in the summer of 2006, she walked with Falcons girls basketball coach Stacey Marshall into the gym and pointed toward the banners hanging from the ceiling.

“I told her, ‘It’s been a while since we’ve won,’” said Gough, who was actually the coach when the Falcons won their last Southwest Preparatory Conference girls basketball title in 1988. In the three previous years coaching Kinkaid, Marshall’s teams had never made it past the first round.

Gough’s arrival was eerily symbolic, since the Falcons won the SPC Division I title with a 48-27 win over Fort Worth Country Day in front of their home crowd in February.

• St. Thomas baseball coach Ken Schulte must’ve felt as though he was snake bit.
After the Eagles won their 18th state title in 2004, Schulte came on board as the new skipper. The Eagles got close in his first two years, but fell in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 6A title game each time.

Finally, the Eagles came through in the championship game with a 5-4 win over rival St. Pius on the last play of the game in May, resulting in a pile up of red and white at first base.

• Five years was beginning to feel like an eternity for Second Baptist volleyball enthusiasts.

Champions three times in the last nine years prior to this season, the Eagles had not raised a TAPPS state title banner since 2003.

The Eagles ended that “drought” by defeating defending champion Liberty Christian 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21 in mid-November in Fort Worth at TCU in the TAPPS 5A state final.

• It was a long journey, one that began during the dog days of June.

Strake Jesuit cross country runners were doing more base work than ever. That is, they were running longer distances at workouts than they were accustomed to that early in the season.

But coach Michael Kerley could see the forest despite the trees and knew the extra conditioning would help in the fall.

He was right, as the Crusaders won the Region III-5A meet for a surprising second year in a row in early November.

“This one is maybe more satisfying than last year,” said Kerley, who wasn’t sure his team would even be among the top three state qualifiers. “Last year, I thought we’d be a shoe-in for the top three, but the amount of turnover we had I wasn’t sure about this time.”

• Since the Rice baseball team won the national championship in 2003, the bar has been raised quite high on South Main.

The Owls were deemed to have the best chance in June to win the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. with its consensus No. 1 ranking heading in.

But it was much the same story as 2006. The Owls came out blazing in their first two games of the event, but their bats were silent. The team bowed out to runner-up North Carolina in two straight in the semifinals.

• Fighting until the clock hit zero, the Stratford football team’s season came to an end with a 31-27 loss to undefeated Clements in the regional round of the Region III-5A Division II playoffs in late November.

Immediately afterward, some players on the Stratford sideline seemed almost jovial, perhaps for the moment, content with what they had accomplished despite the loss.

After the band played the school song and the large contingent of Stratford faithful began to make its exit, the reality that the Spartans season was over seemed to hit them though.

“It’s just realizing that I won’t get to play football with any of these guys anymore,” said senior defensive lineman Jimmy Burge, caught up with emotion. “Stratford’s a community. A lot of us have been playing together since we were waist-high. It’s hard to grasp that I won’t be playing with my best friends anymore.”

• Mike Netzel didn’t want to leave Episcopal. In a perfect world, the baseball coach would’ve been at the school to start the year.

He isn’t sure why he is no longer there. Since the school is not required to provide a reason for not renewing an employee’s contract, Netzel at the time said he will probably never know why he was let go last May.

Netzel came on board the school’s flagship sport to continue the tradition that coach and good friend Chris Russ — now back at the helm — had set.

Not only did Netzel’s teams finish first, third and second in SPC during his short tenure, but some players and parents both revered him as a great person on and off the field.

• The Bellaire baseball program is a storied one, filled with on the field success.

This past year, however, hasn’t been its finest despite winning District 20-5A and being undefeated for much of the year. ABC-13, the Examiner’s television partner, reported in late May that alleged a standard where parents had to give money to the team’s Booster Club for their child to play.

Shortstop Matt West was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the second round of the Major League Baseball Amateur draft in June after hitting for an average of .575 with eight home runs, 43 RBI and 31 stolen bases last season.

Less than three months later while playing in the minor leagues, West tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was suspended immediately. He will sit the first 49 games of next season to serve the remainder of his suspension.

• Former West University Place resident and state Sen. Kyle Janek sponsored Senate Bill 8, which called for a random steroid testing of three percent of the state’s high school athletes.

Though it has been written into law, the parts and procedures of the program are still being worked out, and testing to this point is still not in place.

Still, with professional baseball’s Mitchell Report fresh on the mind, it proves that the idea indeed was a constructive one.

• St. Thomas football player Ward Cox passed away at age 16 during a swimming accident with friends in October.

Though Cox was new to the school, he made an indelible impression on the entire St. Thomas community.

Stephen Sample called his Eagles teammate “one of the funniest kids I’ve ever met.”

The team dedicated its season to him, and a scoreboard with his name and number is on display behind Hotze Field’s north end zone.

“It will take a while, but time will heal all of this,” Eagles coach and Athletics Director Kurt Page said.

Steroids scandal bigger than first believed

Before last week, I knew performance-enhancing drugs were a problem in professional sports.The Mitchell Report that came out Thursday may be a little redundant, but it made me feel like nearly everyone in baseball was using them.

Steroids turned Roger Clemens from all-star pitcher to pitcher who could walk on water. But, what about Exavier “Nook” Logan, who was also on the list of players outed in the report? The last I checked, he was no more than a marginal Major Leaguer.

The big names such as Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire are concentrated on so much I never gave much thought about players who were on the bubble, or worse yet, had used but were still unable to live their dream of playing professionally.

To add insult to injury, their health probably took a big hit, too.

I’ve covered this before, but the trickle down effect is in play here, which is quite frightening. Some people lambasted state Sen. Kyle Janek for pushing through legislation in the summer for steroid testing at the high school level (still not in place). Some coaches have told me that it seems like a nonissue, but I’m in the ring with Janek on this one.

During George Mitchell’s press conference, he said the most troubling aspect of this issue is its effect on young people, who face greater dangers than do fully-developed adults.

Though steroid use for high-school-aged people is believed to be in decline, there is still between 3 percent and 6 percent of that group using nationwide, according to Mitchell. Even on the lower end of that figure, hundreds of thousands are taking steroids illegally.

Oddly, detractors decried Janek further for saying that testing 3 percent of student-athletes in Texas wouldn’t provide a large enough sample. Going by the nationwide figures, Janek was pretty much dead on.

Those kinds of numbers tell me that kids in sports have tougher decisions these days than I could ever imagine. They’re damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.

“They, the players who follow the law and the rules, are faced with the painful choice of either being placed at a competitive disadvantage or becoming illegal users themselves,” Mitchell said. “No one should have to make that choice.”

Indeed, but that appears to be the reality these days. What is one to do when not only their sports idols, but officials of America’s pastime seemed to at least passively support cheating?

On pages 79-81 of the report, it describes a presentation given at baseball’s annual winter meetings in 1998 by the medical directors for Major League Baseball and the Players Association.

One of the assertions was there was no evidence that “anabolic steroids were bad for you.” It conveyed a “message of leniency.”

When big brother does something, little brother tends to follow.

Hopefully, this report will open some eyes and scare people who were on the fence about using performance-enhancing drugs.

But for as long as people figure cheating will continue in the pros, it’s likely this will be a continuing issue for high-schoolers as well.

hhamilton@hcnonline.com

Going all in

It has been about a week since I spoke with Houston Christian football coach Mike Johnston following his team’s playoff loss to Dallas Christian to end their season. We got to talking about why it seems like schools from the north (primarily the Dallas area) seem to rule state competitions these days, and not just in football.

He said it’s a matter of commitment from the top. Not that people in Houston aren’t committed, but, if you can imagine, there’s actually more passion for youth sports elsewhere. When he built Katy into the household name it is now, he said the primary reason was the cooperation of the school’s administration. They allowed Johnston to be flexible with he and his staff’s classroom hours, and basically listened to any request that he had. They saw the potential of what Johnston could do and wanted it just as badly.

His contention is that up north you that kind of thing more often. The facilities and participation numbers are generally better because of it. In the private school scene, only St. Pius represented Houston as a state champion among the three major TAPPS divisions. In SPC, Dallas St. Mark’s is the king of the mountain. As for public schools, juggernaut Southlake Carroll seemed nearly unbeatable in recent seasons until this one.

It’s been the opinion for some time that Houston has some of the top prospect talent in the nation, but winning takes a lot more than just having the best players.

What do you think about the disparity between the two regions? I wouldn’t say it’s a wide gap by any stretch, but what is it that seems to give the northern schools a slight edge? Is the commitment level by everyone involved where it needs to be?

Game Notes: St. Thomas and Houston Christian

Shea Serrano attended the St. Thomas basketball team’s 65-52 road win over Houston Christian on Friday. What you get to read here are the unedited, off-the-cuff observations, straight out of the notebook.

Pregame:

7:21 p.m.: There’s a father and son standing directly in front of me in the concession stand line. The boy, maybe six, tells his dad he knows what he wants for Christmas. When the dad asks what, the boy responds, “A Barbie”. The dad, without missing a step, politely but firmly, says, “No” and faces forward again. Nice save there, dad. I asked, and received, a Barbie for Christmas one year. Sure, it came wrapped in a pretty holiday paper, but it might as well have been wrapped with my father’s disappointment.

First quarter:

7:27 p.m.: Antuan Bootle, the dominating man-child center for St. Thomas, is very unselfish. On three straight plays he is triple teamed in the post and each time he pitchs it out to a wide open team mate for a three. I’ll tell you what, bad sport or not, if I was Bootle’s size I would never pass the ball to anyone except the ref, after I had just finished slamming it in some poor schmoe’s face.

7:30 p.m.: St. Thomas has opened the game shooting the lights out. Three minutes in and the Mustangs have called a timeout. (The score is 13-6 in favor of the Eagles.) The Mustangs are trying to devise a plan to stop Bootle from killing them inside. Not sure what they can really be saying though, considering Bootle’s head-and-shoulders taller than everyone on the Mustangs squad. Maybe it’s something like, “OK, good job overall, boys. Baker, keep your hands up on defense. Mason, follow through on your shot. Slavens, you keep holding your ground against Bootle down there. Oh, and grow about six inches real quick. OK, great! Now gimme a Mustangs on three. 1-2-3 Mustangs!”

7:33 p.m.: Eagle Matt Luna is a fantastic defender. Whoever he ends up guarding, he’s on their hip like a sweet fanny pack. He’s nothing but 5-foot-7, maybe. But the whole time he’s guarding someone he’s poking him, prodding him, elbowing him, making fish faces at him, singing out of key at him, pinching him, pulling his jersey, and just generally annoying him. It’s really fun for me. (Probably not so much for the guy he’s defending, though.)

7:35 p.m.: This guy sitting behind me has really been giving it to the refs. On an apparently missed traveling call he yells out, “It’s a whistle, ref, not a pacifier!” I love it when people yell at strangers.

7:37 p.m.: Three minutes left in the first and Bootle scores only his fourth point. He’s at least 6-7 inches taller than anyone on Houston Christian so he can get his shot whenever he wants it, but he’s surprisingly docile right now.

7:38: Uh-oh. Trailing 26-13 Houston Christian has called in the big guns. #32, Scott Lyon, has subbed in. He might be great, he might be terrible. I don’t know. The only thing I do know about him is that he’s wearing a red and blue headband, and that means trouble. Guys who wear headbands are straight nuts. They’re not afaid of anything. It shouldn’t be too much longer before he’s covered in bruises, blood (more than likely, someone else’s) and anger. It’s like it’s part of their DNA or something. The gene that makes a guy wear a headband is the same gene that will make him punch a horse in the face just because. It’s science, trust me. Just stay away. 26-13, Eagles.

Second quarter:

7:41 p.m.: Ladies and gentlemen, let me welcome you to the Matt Luna Show. The ultra-pesky defender has officially taken over this game. He’s diving after loose balls, frustrating opponents, and just generally wreaking havoc. On one set of plays he steals a ball, delivers a no-look assist, steals it again, and delivers another assist. He’s kinda like a shadow, except instead of just staying by your side, this shadow bumps and bangs on you until you want to punch it in the nose.

7:44 p.m.: Fearless Headband Guy shoots, misses, snatches down his own rebound, then recklessly drives into the lane at no less than three defenders and lofts a pretty little floater. I heard the only way to kill a guy in a headband is to stab him in the heart with a wooden stake. Or is that vampires? I don’t know, but just to be safe, stay away from both.

7:45 p.m.: Some girl is wearing sport shorts and cowboy boots, because, you know, that’s not at all weird.

7:46 p.m.: Mustangs guard Anthony Whitaker has subbed in and immediately makes his presence felt on the defensive end of the court. His hands are exceptionally fast and he quickly irritates two Eagle players into two turnovers.

7:48: There’s this kid who’s sitting two rows in front of me who is incessantly talking about his car. He caught my ear when I heard him say something to the effect of, “Well, my 3000 GT actually gets 19 miles per gallon, but whenever I’m drag racing it, it gets a lot less. But I don’t really care.I love to drag.” You know, because drag racing is so rad. Didn’t 3000 GTs stop being cool about six years ago?

7:51 p.m.: Leading 39-22, coach Neil Laminack of the Eagles calls a timeout when the offense momentarily sputters. He hollers out, “What are we doing, guys!?” One of the players has a look on his face that says, “Uh… winning by 17, coach.”

7:54 p.m.: Attempting a steal, Bootle slams into a Mustang player, sending him to the floor. The ref whistles him for a foul. Crazy Yells At Ref Guy does not agree with the call, claiming it was a clean steal. I guess it was a clean steal. I mean, except for that whole knocking that other guy on the floor part. But other than that, yeah, it was clean.

7:55 p.m.: Halftime. St. Thomas has summarily dominated the first half, 42-27, Eagles

Third quarter:

8:04 p.m.: The Mustangs certainly have a spirited fan base. The gym is covered in posters supporting various Mustang athletes. One sign reads, “Eat our bubbles” Ummm… what?

8:06 p.m.: Fearless Headband Guy steals a pass, blazes down court, throws up a prayer as he crashes into the wall, immediately pops back up, steals the ball again, has it poked away from behind, and then dives face first after the ball. Man. To reiterate: Guy wearing headband = do not mess with him.

8:08 p.m.: Eagles swingman Blake Jolivette has delivered three straight assists, including one look-away pass that was beautiful.

8:11 p.m.: Continuing their stingy ways, Eagles superstar Stephen White, who has played a silently brillaint game, comes swooping in and swats a shot attempt out of bounds. Getting blocked has to be bad for your confidence. I mean, my feelings get hurt when I get an e-mail returned as undeliverable. I’d probably be depressed for a week if someone blocked my shot like that.

8:12 p.m.: Eagle Cody Hill may look like he should be in a lab working on his chemistry project, but he is straight ballin’ out here. Knocking down 3’s, playing hard-nosed defense, facilitating the offense, he’s doing it all. I move to nominate we change Cody Hill’s name to “The Chemist.”

8:16 p.m.: Luna, who I am officially dubbing “The Bill Collector” because he just doesn’t stop, is dang near inside his opponent’s jersey. He’s relentless. He’s like a cross between a crazy-stalker ex-girlfriend and Manu Ginobili.

8:17: 55-40, Eagles. Unless one of the Mustang players turns into a werewolf and starts dominating the game, it’s pretty much over.

Fourth quarter:

8:20 p.m.: Remember those grey Bike shorts that coaches used to wear in middle school? Well, there is a lovely gentleman here who felt they would be proper attire to watch this basketball game in. Where do you even buy shorts like that? Is there a store where you go and try them on, and when you come out of the dressing room some salesman is there saying, “Oh yeah. Those look great. That grey really accentuates your flattop. And not only are the comfortable, they’re functional too. See, you can tuck your clipboard right here into the backside.” I never want to go to that store.

8:22 p.m.: There’s a guy in the front row wearing a soccer jersey. I’m a soccer fan so I try to look to see what team it is and, just as I start to look him up and down, he turns and faces me. He looks exactly like the bad guy from Karate Kid, Part III! I mean, exactly like him. God, I hated bad boy Mike Barnes. Remember when Daniel and that chick went to get that bonsai tree and then Barnes ended up taking the tree and snapping it in half after he made Daniel sign the contract to fight him? Oh, man. I’m getting mad just thinking about it.

8:25 p.m.: The Bill Collector and Anthony Whitaker are locked in a defensive battle. They’re both going all out. At times, it looks like they forget that one of them is supposed to be on offense, opting to just defend the other, regardless of which team has possession of the ball. Easily the most enjoyable matchup of the evening.

8:26 p.m.: Bootle has been quiet tonight on offense, but has cleaned up any and all defensive lapses. Let’s give him the nickname, “The Eraser”.

8:26 p.m.: One of the Mustangs snags a rebound and dribbles the entire length of the floor staring at the ball the entire time. Middle school coaches everywhere are irate.

8:27 p.m.: I don’t think I’ve said much about him tonight, but Mustang Mason Everist has been solid tonight. At one point, with the outcome long since decided, he came flying from the other side of the court to save a ball from going out of bounds. I always enjoy kids that play hard, and Mr. Everist plays very hard. Kudos, sir.

8:29 p.m.: Crazy Yells At Ref guy just dropped this gem on the referee: “Hey! Hey! That thing in your mouth, if you blow into it, it’ll make noise! It sounds crazy, but just give it a shot!” Nice.

8:31 p.m.: Fearless Headband Guy lines up a three from the corner and drills it. I couldn’t be more happy. To celebrate, he whips out a guitar and starts wailing “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns ‘n Roses. Not really, but would you really have been that surprised if he did?

8:35 p.m.: Game time. Eagles roll, 65-52. Outstading play from The Cheap Suit, The Eraser, Anthony Whitaker, and The Chemist.

Another well played Friday night game. The Eagles came out on top, but there was no quit in the Mustangs. The kids played the game with the passion and the respect it deserves, and for that, they are both winners. (Except the Eagles are double winners, on account of them scoring more points than the Mustangs and all.) I enjoyed it, boys.

Got something to say to Shea? He’d like to hear it: introducingliston@gmail.com.

Nearly untouchable

 

 - Submitted photo

The Bellaire Bandits improved their tournament record to 18-1 after winning the 12-year-old division of the Westbury Fall Classic and finishing second in the First Colony Classic recently. Pictured are coaches Matt Zernial, Jeff Sorenson and Darryl Noon, along with players Walker Noon, James Stavinoha, Zach Sorenson, Creed Coram, Josh Hamat, Cameron Rubenstein, Drew Levy, Paul Zepeda, Cameron Van Dusen, Zach Oretsky and Matt Edwards. The Bandits will be traveling to Cooperstown, N.Y. next June to play in the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational Tournament.

Game Notes: Chavez and Stratford

Shea Serrano attended the Stratford Spartans 38-7 home playoff win over the Chavez Lobos on Nov. 16. What you get to read here are the unedited, off-the-cuff observations, straight out of the notebook.

Pregame:

7:15 p.m.: I’m mingling with a few of the Stratfordians to get some intel on the players. Some fans are telling me, in very glowing terms, about Stratford quarterback Andrew Luck. They inform me that, and I’m paraphrasing here, he’s a cross between Tom Brady, a lightning bolt, and some sort of super robot sent back in time to play football. Seems like an objective observation to me.

First quarter:

7:35 p.m.: Stratford’s mascot is a Spartan. Easily one of my favorite mascot names out there, if for no other reason than for the chance to call their defense “Spartan defenders”. I’m so excited to use that term.

7:41 p.m.: Spartan defenders (Tell me that doesn’t sound cool.) Terrance Lloyd and Jimmy Burge team up on a punt forcing quarterback sack .

7:43 p.m.: There’s a group of people in the press box with me. One guy, because of his drawl, refers to Chavez as “chuh-VEZ” and another, a statistician, condescendingly corrects the announcer at every opportunity, (Announcer: “And that’s a 13-yard gain on the carry.” Angry Stats Guy: “13 yards? Pfft. That’s 14 yards, buddy.”) which is not at all annoying.

7:46 p.m.: Two times a Spartan receiver was open in the secondary but the Chavez frontline applied quick enough pressure to mask the defensive lapse. Stratford is forced to punt.

7:49 p.m.: Jackie Simmons, a Spartan defensive back, recovers a forced fumble and gives his team prime field position. Two plays later Andrew Luck, on a sprained ankle, speeds his way into the endzone from 25 yards out to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead. I wish my ankle was sprained.

7:54 p.m.: Stratford’s Burge crashes through the line and wrangles a Chavez running back for a loss of one. The Lobos are punting it away again.

7:59 p.m.: Burge is in the Eagle backfield more than their own running back. He’s relentless in his pursuit…like the Terminator. If he asks you what size your jacket is, you’d better just go ahead and give it to him.

8:00 p.m.: Spartan Lloyd notches his second sack of the night to force another Eagle punt. He’s kinda good, maybe Chavez should think about, oh, I don’t know, blocking him. I’m sure its quarterback would appreciate it. Just a thought.

8:02 p.m.: Roland Veal, a Lobos defender, somehow manages to reel in a tipped ball for an impressive interception giving Chavez the ball near midfield. Brian Eurysthee, Chavez’s beast running back, gets met at the line of scrimmage by several defenders on a run play, decides he’d rather not go down, and incredibly busts loose for a 53-yard, you-gotta-be-kidding-me touchdown. Tie game, 7-7.

Second quarter:

8:11 p.m.: Eagle Brenton Jones slips through the Stratford line and devours the quarterback for a 12-yard loss. Angry Stats Guy eagerly awaits the announcer’s call so he can correct it. The announcer also calls it a 12-yard loss. Angry Stats Guy actually looks disappointed.

8:15 p.m.: Stratford’s Rodney Anderson goes for a 7-yard reception and decides to drag 4 of his closest Lobos defender friends with him. That is a strong 150-pounder.

8:16 p.m.: The Chavez defense seems unimpressed with the immortal Andrew Luck (Oh, the people in the press box are Stratford employees and have informed me that, and I’m paraphrasing again, Andrew Luck is literally immortal.) and continue to harrass him.

8:20 p.m.: OHHH! Eagle super defender Roland Veal absolutely annihilates a Spartan reciever attempting to catch a pass. I’m not 100 percent sure but I think he just stood up and hollered, “Welcome to Thunderdome!”

8:21 p.m.: Spartans receiver Ben Bredthauer, undaunted by the heavy hitting Roland Veal, brings in a nice 11-yard catch.

8:22 p.m.: There’s a lady in the stands who’s sitting by herself. At first I didn’t know why she was sitting alone because she looks like a nice enough person, but then she celebrates a play by bouncing around and dancing her heart out like she was a 40 year old member of the pep-squad.

8:33 p.m.: Spartans running back Todd Ten Have, following some path-clearing blocking from Miles Flanagan, glides his way to a nice little gain. You know what I’d do if I were rich? I’d hire Miles Flanagan to go to crowded places with me. That way, whenever I needed to make my way across the room, he could just start laying people out all over the place and I could walk behind him all cool and unfettered just like Todd Ten Have did. He’d even have business cards that said: Miles Flanagan: Path clearer. Yep. If I win the lottery, Miles Flanagan is the first person I am calling.

8:36 p.m.: Ten Have is subtly imposing his will on the game and continues to march his Spartans down the field a few yards at a time. He’s not flashy or overpowering or remarkable at all. He just runs, falls, gets up, repeats. Over and over. All day long. He’s like football’s version of weathering. (Shout out to science teachers around the world.)

8:38 p.m.: Bredthauer pulls down a smooth 25-yard touchdown reception for Stratford. He’s been solid all night. Crazy Old Pep Squad Lady has incorporated an umbrella into her routine. She’s whipping that thing around like The Penguin from Batman 2. Maybe that’ll jumpstart the offenses again. 14-7, Stratford.

8:43 p.m.: After forcing another three-and-out, the Spartans have once again traversed down the field on the strength of Luck’s arm and are inside the Lobos 5-yard line looking to carry a two touchdown lead into halftime. The defense holds and only allows three points on a chip shot field goal. Just like that, the Spartans have gotten some breathing room from the feisty Chavez Lobos. 17-7, Stratford.

Third quarter:

9:18 p.m.: I’m in the stands now. This kid in front of me sees me writing stuff down, and further proving this is Andrew Luck country, turns around and astutely asks, “Gee, mister. Are you here to write a story about Andrew?” He literally said Gee, mister. I can’t remember the last time I heard a kid say “Gee mister.” I knew it took me a long time to drive out here, but apparently I’ve driven back in time. I think after the game I’m gonna go grab a pop and then head over to the drive-in and catch a picture show.

9:22 p.m.: Following big plays from Griffin and Anderson, Luck runs for another touchdown from 8 yards out to really open the game up. Amongst the celebration I overhear a fan remark that, and I’m paraphrasing again, Andrew Luck once bowled a 300 game. Blindfolded. Through six frames. 24-7, Stratford.

9:34 p.m.: After forcing yet another punt, Stratford’s stud receiver Bredthauer manages to gather a ball tipped by the defense while being pass interfered against and runs it in for a 40 yard touchdown reception. What a great catch. 31-7, Stratford.

9:38 p.m.: The game has become increasingly testy. Numerous personal fouls have been called and now we’ve got some shoving going on. I’m going back to the press box. Not because it’s getting dangerous out here, but because…because…whatever, I don’t have to explain myself to you.

9:42 p.m.: Chavez’s Eurysthee, Andre Kelly, Jamaal Johnson, and Tim Gay are doing their best to keep the Lobos in the game, but the Stratford defense somehow looks fresher than they did in the beginning of the game. The Lobos, following Eurysthee, Kelly, Johnson, and Gay’s lead, pound their way down to the Stratford 3 only to see a field goal partially blocked by Stratford’s Robby McKenzie. They were thisclose to scoring.

9:51 p.m.: Stratford’s Anderson powers his way to run after run. It’ll probably be a heavy dose of Anderson and Ten Have to finish out the game.

9:52 p.m.: Some teenager is strolling through the stands like he’s James Dean. He’s got his collar flipped up, some tattered jeans on, and some sunglasses propped on the top of his head. Yes, I said sunglasses and yes, it is 9:52 p.m. I’ll just venture a guess and say he’s got like, 600 myspace friends, is really good at text messaging, and is wearing a heavy amount of Hollister cologne.

Fourth quarter:

10:07 p.m.: As expected, Rodney Anderson, Todd Ten Have and Luck are running down the clock one second at a time. Remember that guy in high school that would always ask you for a quarter or fifty cents during lunch? He’d do it every day but nobody really noticed because it was such a small amount, then by the end of the school year he had ended up borrowing something like, $1,200 dollars. That’s what Stratford is like. It seems like they’re not doing much, and then you look up and the score is 31-8. Sneaky buggers.

10:14 p.m.: Charlie Anderson just pounded in another score for the Spartans. The Chavez cheerleaders are actually sitting on the ground talking on their cell phones. Never a good sign. 38-7, Stratford.

Got something to say to Shea? He’d like to hear it. He can be reached at introducingliston@gmail.com.

Hail to the champs: Second Baptist volleyball

Congratulations to the Second Baptist Eagles, who won their fourth TAPPS state title since 1998 by beating Liberty Christian in four close games 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21 on Saturday.

Watching the Eagles this season, they had the look of a state championship team. From the college unis to the their fundamentals, coach Sue Berg knows what she’s doing.

Speaking of Berg, she’s built a dynasty at Second Baptist. The Eagles have advanced to at least the final four of the playoffs nine out of the last 11 years, with two second-place finishes.

Though standouts like Texas State commit Amber Calhoun and Stephanie Biediger will be gone once they walk the stage at graduation, it really won’t matter. History has shown the Eagles can basically throw anyone out there and still be in the conversation to win it all.

Game Notes: Second Baptist and Houston Christian

Shea Serrano attended the Houston Christian Mustangs 37-34 home win over the Second Baptist Eagles this past Friday. What you get to read here are the unedited, off-the-cuff observations, straight out of the notebook.

Pregame:

7:20 p.m.: On the way to the game my buddy Cory and I stop at Taco Bell to get some food. As we leave, a homeless gentleman approaches us and asks for “a couple of bucks to get some food.” Thinking I’m doing the right thing I give him three bucks. He thanks me, takes the money, and starts walking towards the restaurant. He gets to within about 15 feet of the front door, does a 180, and then takes off in a dead sprint in the opposite direction across the parking lot. Cory jests, “Maybe he wanted Chinese?” I hate my life.

First quarter:

7:39 p.m.: Eschewing the pleasantries, wide receiver Austin Taylor immediately sheds some tacklers and scampers into the end zone to give the Mustangs an early 7-0 lead. Some guy, maybe 45 years old, is doing the cabbage patch dance in celebration. Well, sort of. It’s kinda like a cross between the cabbage patch and the way a horse walks when it’s first born. It’s amazing.

7:44 p.m.: Ryan Campeirlioli (RB) and Conner Wood (QB), both with runs over 12 yards, are orchestrating the Eagles down the field nicely.

7:45 p.m.: Oh my! Conner Wood, avoiding would-be sackers like girls avoided me in high school, throws a strike to John Doughtie in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown pass. Just like that, it’s 7-7. Much to my disappointment, Crazy Dance Guy does not celebrate opposing team’s touchdowns.

7:47 p.m.: Mustang Daniel Harvey picks up a pooch punt and returns it out to the 35 yard line. Kick returners are a brave guild. I mean, I get scared when I’m opening those breakfast biscuit tubes that pop open when you unravel them. There’s no way I could return kicks.

7:50 p.m.: Eagle middle linebacker Christopher Duncan blasts up to the line of scrimmage and stops the Mustangs running back for no gain.

7:51 p.m.: Mustangs quarterback Ryan Davis gets plowed by Eagle defender Trevor Hansen forcing a fourth-and-three. The Mustangs, undaunted, are going for it. Hand off to #22 Cody Lewis who motors forward for a 14-yard gain. First down. The Mustang faithful are going bonkers.

7:53 p.m.: There is a group of Eagles fans with their bodies painted green to show their Eagle pride. Makes perfect sense to me. I know whenever I’m proud of something I paint my body to show it. But seriously, who paints their entire body green, looks in the mirror and says, “Yeah, yeah this a good idea”?

7:54 p.m.: Cody Lewis, Mustangs running back and part-time super hero, has put his team on his back and follows up a 14-yard run with a 10-yard run. Finishing things off with a short yardage burst through the tackles he dives into the end zone. 14-7, Mustangs. I heard a rumor that every time Cody Lewis runs for a first down, an angel gets its wings.

7:54 p.m.: Crazy Dance Guy is at it again. I wish I was smart enough to describe how incredible his dance looks. It’s like…like…you know how sometimes when you’re holding a baby that is super cute you get that urge to squeeze it real hard? His dance makes me feel just like that.

7:58 p.m.: And we have our first mullet sighting. Fantastic. Bad Haircuts: 1, Common Sense: 0.

Second quarter:

8:04 p.m.: I spot four Mustang fans with their bodies painted too. One guy has “Boo Yah” painted on his back, but I’m not sure why. Another guy has “Stang Tuff” painted on his body. It’s a tad bit ironic though, considering he only weighs 125 pounds. So far, the ‘Stangs appear slightly “tuff”er than the sinewy body painter.

8:05 p.m.: Mustang DB Zach Rowland, somehow activating the power of Grayskull, springs about 19 feet straight up into the air to improbably pick off a pass. A play all of Eternia can be proud of. (If you’re a guy and don’t know what Grayskull or Eternia are then do this for me real quick: 1. Google it and 2. Punch yourself in the face.)

8:06 p.m.: Cody Lewis, determined to make sure every single angel has their wings by the end of the night, leaps clear over a tackler on his way to a 12-yard gain.

8:07 p.m.: During a relatively harmless run play, Mustangs receiver #27 blocks like a mad man 15 yards away from the action. I absolutely love kids that don’t take plays off. Kudos to you, numero veinte siete. (I’d say his name but the underappreciated young man is not in the program they handed out.)

8:10 p.m.: There’s this cool old cowgirl lady sitting two rows in front of me. She’s complete with Wrangler jeans, flannel button up shirt, lasso, and six-shooter. Okay, she doesn’t really have a lasso and six-shooter but she still looks oddly out of place in a crowd that looks like it’s comprised of librarians and guys that take clients out to lunch at Benihana’s.

8:14 p.m.: Out of a shotgun formation, Ryan Campeirioli powers his way to a 14-yard gain for the Eagles.

8:17 p.m.: I gotta be honest. Looking at the notes I made at the 8:17 mark in my notebook make no sense to me now. It says, “E. 40 yd touchdown. Cool Ranch Doritos? Photographers/weird hats. Candy thrown. Mustang jail.” If that makes sense to anyone, please let me know. Thanks. -Shea

8:19 p.m.: The Mustangs have a player named Caleb Teasdale. It’s the most versatile name I have ever heard. I’ve spent the last six minutes trying to drum up a situation where his name doesn’t fit. It’s impossible. He could be a politician- “Your four o’clock appointment is here, Governor Teasdale” or the troublemaking army guy that always gets under the Sarge’s skin- “TEEEAAASSSSDAAALLLLLE!” or a slick car salesman, “Bad credit? No credit? No problem! Come on down to Mustang Motors and we’ll get you in a car today or my name isn’t Caleb Teasdale.” See, none of it sounds out of place.

8:20 p.m.: Mustangs return man Zach Rowland bobbles the kick-off, gains control, breaks a few tackles, then gallops into the end zone for a devastating response to the Eagles’s last score. Just like coach Mike Johnston drew up, I’m sure. 21-14, Mustangs.

8:24 p.m.: Eagle QB Conner Wood is exceptionally difficult to tackle. On several occasions the Mustang faithful prematurely cheered a would-be sack only to see Conner wiggle free for a big gain. You know how in the scary movies there’s always the part where the good guy thinks he’s finally killed the monster, and just as he settles down to enjoy his moment of victory the monster springs back to life and begins terrorizing people again? That’s what Conner Wood is like. His official Game Notes nickname is now “The Monster”.

8:27 p.m.: Matt Vaughan, Blake Vaughan and Matt Hesterberg gang tackle the Eagles running back, forcing a fourth-and-three. The announcer, who is one of the best I have heard all season, sarcastically replies in his country drawl, “And that stop brings up a fourth down for the Eagles. Aw shux.” Lots of fun. The Eagles are punting away.

8:33 p.m.: Defensive superstar Trevor Hansen lays out to bat a ball away from a Mustang receiver at the last possible second. Trevor has been a beast on defense all night.

8:34 p.m.: Cody Lewis breaks free for another big gain. He’s friggin’ fast. If he turns the corner, forget about it; he’s gone. I heard a rumor that Cody Lewis runs so fast that one time he ran all the way around the world and punched himself in the back of his own head. I believe it.

8:35 p.m.: David Berry, an Eagle defender, explodes into the backfield and swallows up the running back for a loss of 6 yards on the play. Berry has been another defensive gem tonight.

8:36 p.m.: The Mustangs Davis, with no less than two defenders hanging onto his legs, makes a man-style throw to Daniel Harvey inside the Eagles 5 yard line. With less than a minute left in the half the Mustangs are looking to get a two touchdown lead.

8:42 p.m.: The Eagles D-line holds strong and only concedes three points against a late threat. The Mustangs still head into halftime with a 24-14 lead.

Halftime note: Normally, I don’t remark on the halftime shows but a special hat tip needs to go out to the Second Baptist Eagles drumline. They were extremely entertaining, wildly creative, and very, very enthusiastic. Great job, kids.

Third quarter:

9:13 p.m.: Ryan Campeirlioli starts the second half with a bang and shoots out to a 47 yard run. Daniel Greco follows suit with a 32 yard reception and just like that it’s 24-21, Mustangs.

9:15 p.m.: It’s a little chilly out now so Old Cowgirl Lady decides to put on her coat. True to her character (and to my uter delight) her jacket is a Wyatt Earp style ankle length brown trenchcoat. Sometimes, these articles write themselves. I’m waiting for Doc Holliday to show up and drop an “I’ll be your huckleberry” on her. (If your a guy and don’t get that then do this real quick for me 1. Google it and 2. Punch yourself in the face.)

9:24 p.m.: The Eagle defense holds tough and looks like it will end up with some pretty good field position- that is until Parker Boubel booms a 57 yard punt. I hope Chad Stanley is watching. (If you don’t know who Chad Stanley is, well, that’s okay I guess. He’s just a Texans punter. But how could you not get a He-Man or Tombstone reference?)

9:25 p.m.: The Monster, doing what any good monster does, breaks free from certain death and reels off a big gain two plays in a row.

9:30 p.m.: Mustang lineman Skip Harpold is on another planet right now. It seems like he’s involved in every single play. Eagle Christopher Duncan is matching his counterpart’s intentsity beat for beat. They’re really banging around out there. This is just like in Top Gun when Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise go at it. My guess is by the end of the game, despite the initial dislike, they will have developed a mutual respect for one another and will meet at center field to exchange “You can be my wingman anytime” lines.

9:34 p.m.: Cody Lewis turned on the afterburners and blasted past everyone for an 80-yard touchdown run! The crowd is nuts. High fives and chest bumps all the way around. In all the excitement it seems the Mustang fans have not noticed the flag on the field that is about to call this play all the way back. I’m going to sit here nice and quiet and wait for the death blow.

9:34.15 p.m. And there it is. They’ve seen the flag, the yelling has begun. One time I gave my cousin a fake lottery ticket as part of his Christmas present. It looked just like a normal lottery ticket, except when you scratch it off it says you’ve won $10,000. He nearly had a heart attack when he scratched it off. We all had a great big laugh at his expense and he was really, really mad. That’s how upset the crowd is. They’re I got a fake lottery ticket and everybody laughed at me mad.

Fourth quarter:

9:46 p.m.: The frustration is palpable as The Souleater (Camperchioli) continues a one man attack on Mustang players and fans alike. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is called against the Mustangs tacking on 20 more yards to his run.

9:47 p.m.: The Souleater clicks his turbo button and caps off an uber impressive drive with a 13-yard touchdown reception. He’s called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as he flips into the end zone from about the three yard line. The Eagles have snatched the lead from the Mustangs here in the fourth, 28-24.

9:50 p.m.: Zach Rowland injects some life back into the suicidal Mustang crowd with an impressive kick return out to the Eagles 48-yard line.

9:54 p.m.: Blake Vaughan, Matt Vaughan, and Cody Lewis combine to go the remaining 48 yards in four plays and for the first time since the opening quarter Crazy Dance Guy is back doing his crazy dance. Thanks, guys.

10:04 p.m.: Everybody in Houston Christian Stadium knows the ball is going to The Souleater, that’s why Conner Wood walks into the end zone from 17 yards out nearly untouched when he fakes the hands off. Nice play call. Here comes the extra point… OH! BLOCKED! The PAT is blocked to make the score 31-28, Eagles. That could be big.

10:07: Big respect goes out to Harris Hugenard, Carter Deutsch, Skip Harpold, Caleb Teasdale, and all the rest of the linemen. I say it each week, but you guys are some tough dudes. Fans might not notice you, but football guys do. (Special congrats go to Mr. Deutsch who, from what I’ve heard, is receiving a nice little scholarship to attend a very elite school.)

10:09 p.m.: As great as The Souleater is, Cody Lewis is just as good. He takes the hand-off, breaks a tackle, turns the corner, jumps over a guy for the second time tonight, whittles a perfect replica of Michaelangelo’s David, helps an old woman cross the street, breaks another tackle and gains a first down.

10:10 p.m.: Ryan Hendrick has seen enough. He shoots the gap and makes a big tackle in the backfield for a loss, but on the very next play Daniel Harvey corrals a pass for a 20-yard gain. The ball is at the 31, there is 1:54 seconds left, and the Mustangs are calling a timeout.

10:13 p.m.: Cody Lewis is denied a sure touchdown when an Eagle defender gets a hand on Cody’s shoe. Still a 20-yard gain on the run. 1:15 left.

10:14 p.m.: Parker Boubel on the 11 yard touchdown reception from Ryan Davis. The quarterback and his core of receivers have made every big play they needed tonight. Inexplicably, the Mustangs are going for two when one point would give them a four point lead and force the Eagles to score a touchdown. I don’t understand why they’re doing this. The play has started, the pass is up, and it’s no good. Mustangs lead 37-34. This 8-year-old kid sitting next to his father sums it up best with, “Wait. Why did we do that?” Exactly, kid.

10:20 p.m.: One minute left and the Eagles need about 75 yards to win it.

10:23 p.m.: Two incomplete passes (including one huge defensive knock down from Parker Boubel) and a devastating quarterback sack by Matt Hesterberg later, and the Eagles are looking at fourth down with nineteen seconds left in the game.

10:25 p.m.: The ball is snapped, the receivers are running, the ball is lofted up,… INTERCEPTION! Parker Boubel again with a huge defensive play to stop the Eagles and preserve the victory. The Mustangs run out the clock and the game is over. Wow.

Tonight was what high school football in Texas is all about: a lively home crowd, a fiery and dangerous road team, two ridiculously good running backs, high school bands and cheerleaders that never missed a step, road fans rallying their team even though most were forced to stand on the backside of the track, high drama, and relentless, hard nosed, well-played football. Much respect to the players and coaches.

Have something to say to Shea? He’d like to hear it. He can be reached at introducingliston@gmail.com.