Sports
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Thursday, June 16, 2011 Ellis County Chronicle 5
year to Remember Looking back at the top 10 moments from Red Oak’s athletic year
6.
Playing to the draw
It’s rare that a non-win qualifies for a list like this but in this case the Lady Hawks soccer game is an exception. Waxahachie would go on to win the district later but Red Oak proved it could stand tough against its cross-county rival with 80 minutes of defense. The tie was the Lady Indians only blemish of the district season. Photo by Alex Riley/The Chronicle
Photo by Gary Puckett/Special to the Chronicle
Red Oak’s Jeremiah Gaines races toward the end zone for what would be a game-sealing defensive touchdown agianst Waxahachie.
1.
The 0-0 draw between Red Oak and Waxahachie was as tough a battle on the soccer field as you can have.
7.
Gaines, Hawks beat Waxahachie
A resurgent Red Oak offense rallied from a 20-7 halftime deficit to take a 21-20 lead in the third period before linebacker Jeremiah Gaines stripped a Waxahachie ball carrier and rumbled 25 yards for the game-sealing touchdown. Gaines would also catch a two-point conversion to make it a two-possession game as the Hawks got their first football win over Waxahachie in school history. Ishmael Harrison rushed nine times for 78 yards while Cameron Bausley had 12 carries for 87 yards. Mandel Dixon had 82 total yards of offense to go along with a touchdown. The Hawk defense held the Indians to just 261 total yards and nine first downs.
Gaines does it... again
Jeremiah Gaines might as well be called the Waxahachie Slayer. After scoring the game-sealing points for the football team earlier in the year on a fumble return, Gaines would hit the game-tying lay-up with time expiring and then score 13 points in overtime to rally the Hawks for a big 67-61 win over Waxahachie. The victory served as a springboard to a 6-2 finish to the season for a second-straight 20-win season and another playoff berth. Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com
Photo by Gary Puckett/Special to the Chronicle
Lady Hawk volleyball players pour on to the court to mob teammate Hunter Porter after the final point against Highland Park.
2.
Volleyball reaches Regional Finals
Getting to the regional tournament is nothing new to the Red Oak volleyball program. But in a year filled with questions, a trip to the regional final was worth the jubilation. Hunter Porter’s ace ended a five-set thriller with Highland Park and propelled the Lady Hawks into the regional tournament championship game with Richardson Pearce. Red Oak had to gut out the first two sets, winning 28-26, 28-26 to take control of the match. But the Lady Scots would not be denied extra time, winning back-to-back sets 25-23 and 25-19 to even things up and force a deciding fifth set. The two teams battled to a 17-15 finish on Porter’s last serve sparking a bench emptying dog pile.
3.
Diamond finish
8.
Jeremiah Gaines puts up the game-tying lay-up as time expires against Waxahachie to force overtime. He would score 13 in OT.
Perfect ending
The Red Oak girls golf team might not have had the pictureperfect end to the season but there was still plenty to smile about. After failing to hold a 16-stroke lead in the district tournament against Waxahachie, the Lady Hawks got a chance at redemption in the 4A Region II Tournament. Several players improved their scores from day one to day two but it was senior Paige Newcomer who provided the signature moment finishing her career with a birdie on 18. That single stroke was the difference between a tie and a one-stroke win for the Red Oak over Waxahachie in the standings of the regional tournament and gave the team plenty to smile about. Photo by Alex Riley/The Chronicle
Paige Newcomer’s birdie on her final hole proved to be a winner in more ways than one.
After years of building, the Red Oak baseball team finally found a way to get past the bidistrict round of the playoffs with a 2-1 series win over Bryan Rudder. The series opened with a Thursday road game as Rudder earned a 9-5 win putting the Hawks in a must-win situation on Saturday. Red Oak responded by earning a 6-4 win behind the pitching of Brandan McMillion. That was followed by a sterling effort from Drew Tyra in the rubber game and capped by Robert Elles as the trio of arms propelled the program to its first area-round game in nearly a decade. Photo by Alex Riley/The Chronicle
4.
Gabe Guzman (12) hugs teammate Brandan McMillion after the deciding game three of the bi-district series with Bryan Rudder.
9.
Backing it up
Theft and drama
How good was the baseball season series between Red Oak and Waxahachie? So good it took three games to decide. The Hawks and Indians were slated to face off twice in the regular season with each team picking up a win. Red Oak opened the series by pulling a 2-0 win out of thin air. The Hawks scored both runs on steals of home plate starting with Dylan Morales steal during the fourthinning. Jacob Lindsey stole the next base later in the inning to give Red Oak all the runs it would need. The Indians were thrown out at home trying to steal earlier in the game. Waxahachie won the second game of the 4-1 and went on to a strong finish to the season to force a three-way tie between the Hawks, Indians and Jackrabbits of Forney. In that playoff seeding matchup, Red Oak got an amazing effort from Robert Elles as the senior pitched a complete game shutout and hit a solo home run that provided the only run of the game for either team for a 1-0.
Winning has never been a problem for the Red Oak boys soccer team. Winning consistently however has been a bit tricky. This season, that problem was solved. Behind the senior leadership of guys like Daniel Almaguer, Ramen Lopez and Joel Ramirez, the Hawks claimed a second-straight District 28-4A crown, marking the first back-to-back district titles for the program in more than a decade. The team followed that impressive regular season with another deep run in the playoffs, reaching the regional quarterfinals before falling to Kilgore. Photo by Alex Riley/The Chronicle
After winning a second-straight district title, Red Oak soccer coach Trent Kutch was given the ice bath in celebration.
5.
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com
Dillon Cartwright tags out Waxahachie’s David Martinelli at the plate as he tries to steal home during the first game of the series.
Marley Marathon
Marley Dickert pitched through intense pain, going all 12 innings to earn a 2-1 road win over Corsicana. Coming off cheerleading tryouts and a game against Forney just hours before, she was visibly in pain during the game in her lower back but battled to allow just three hits while striking out seven. Jaimi Munoz got the go-ahead RBI single bringing home Lauren Tamez for a victory that would propel the team to a 9-2 finish in the back end of district play. Photo by Alex Riley/The Chronicle
Marley Dickert’s 12-inning effort helped turn Red Oak’s season around.
10.
Return to the Playoffs
The Red Oak girls basketball program continued to build off its success with another strong regular season and a second-straight playoff appearance. The Lady Hawks finished as the consolation champions of the Allen Hoopfest Tournament, the program’s first tournament trophy in nearly a decade. The team was competitive in district play and were 8-1 at home in district play. But making the playoffs for the second-consecutive year after missing out for five years was byfar the biggest accomplishment. Photo by Alex Riley/The Chronicle
Diamond Lockhart pulls up over four defenders during a game this season. Red Oak made the playoffs yet again.