irror Nifty footwork
Sports Search for reserves in full swing With so much youth, filling depth chart no easy task
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Murphy runs wild, leads blue squad to 34-7 win
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epth isn’t an issue. For the Midlothian football program, it very well could be the only issue. With the culmination of spring practice happening during Friday’s spring game, there were some topics that were extremely evident for the Panther program heading into the offseason. How the depth chart will shake out was obviously the top one. We saw that some of the younger and less experienced players would step up and make plays when needed. Several underclassmen shined where Alex Riley multi-year varsity starters once Mirror stood. Though Sports they may not be writer quite as talented now, they have a chance to develop and become quality players at those positions. Bryce Murphy dazzled us at quarterback with his ability to improvise when a play broke down. Several receivers showed good hands, especially in the second half. The run game was adequate without its star player. Both defenses had moments of greatness. There was pressure on the quarterback, turnovers and stops for a loss aplenty. But all those things are just makeup on the surface of the real question facing the program. They’re masks over the surface. Individual players will help make Midlothian a good team. Having multiple players able to play those positions is what will make the Panthers great. Last fall, depth was an issue but in a different way. What then first-year coach Lee Wiginton inherited was a team full of senior players. His policy was to only keep underclassmen on the varsity roster if they could contribute to the team immediately. That resulted in some talented young players starting the season out in the sub-varsity ranks. It became apparent very quickly that some of the junior varsity athletes would be needed, especially when the injury bug began to hit. Before the season ended, a little less than a dozen players had been called up to the varsity level and each made pretty significant impacts. This season, the Panthers don’t have that luxury. The senior class won’t be terribly big meaning the majority of slots on the depth chart will be fielded by underclassmen. All throughout the spring, Wiginton and his coaches have worked tirelessly to figure out who belongs where both on the depth chart in the program. A few offseason injuries and surgeries have given even more players the chance to step up and show what they can do. That was the easy part. Now comes the hard part. See RILEY, Page 6C
By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com/Special to the Mirror
Quarterback Bryce Murphy spent much of his time in the backfield improvising when plays broke down. He rushed for 181 yards to lead the blue team to a 34-7 win.
Bryce Murphy has shown in the past he can lead the Midlothian offense with his arm. Apparently his legs are pretty viable options too. The incumbent starting quarterback grabbed the spotlight during the team’s spring game on Friday night but not with passing. Murphy carried the ball 11 times for 181 yards and a score during the contest dominating the running stats. No other Panther player, on either team, was with 110 yards of Murphy’s final total as Murphy’s blue team picked up a 34-7 win. “I think I showed my legs more than I have in a while. Since I got hurt last year, I couldn’t really do anything but now I can go full speed the whole time,” Murphy said. Saying Murphy showed he is a quarterback in the mold of Randall Cunningham or Donovan McNabb is a bit misleading. He simply made the most of the opportunities presented to him. Time and time again during the scrimmage, plays and coverage broke down for the blue squad forcing Murphy to simply make plays happen. His first run of the game went for 59 yards on a broken play. His biggest run of the night came just before the half when Murphy tried to make something happen with his arm but couldn’t get a player to break open. Instead of passing, he raced down the sideline beating all the white team’s defenders easily for an 85-yard score. Last fall, Murphy was a backup to quarterback Dillon Fairbanks and spent the majority of the season as a safety. He earned all-district honors for his play on defense, at a position that requires speed. The performance didn’t really take coach Lee Wiginton by surprise. “He runs the ball well. He has good vision, he’s a tough kid with good speed. None of those things were surprises,” Wiginton said. While his legs found running room, See MURPHY, Page 6C
Young guns get final shot to impress
Front line defenders shine in spring game By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
On paper, they are inexperienced and undersized for the 5A level. That doesn’t mean the Midlothian defense can’t find a way to play well. During Friday’s spring game, scores of first-year varsity athletes got their chance to shine on the defensive side of the ball. By the end of the night, plenty of players had made statements with their play on where they belonged. “I think that we did great. We read our keys and just did our job. We’ve got great coaches and they’ve taught us well,” blue team defensive lineman Wesley Smith said. “I think we caused a lot of havoc.”
More than 30 seniors from last year’s team are gone leaving a lengthy list of starting and reserve roles for the defense to fill in the spring. All during the three-plus weeks of practice, defensive coordinator Chris King and his coach staff have been evaluating talent. Friday they got the chance to see what players could do in live game action. A good number of those players didn’t disappoint. The 34-7 score in favor of the blue team did not indicate just how well both defenses played. The two sides combined for 18 tackles for loss in the game while See DEFENSE, Page 2C
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com/Special to the Mirror
Blue team linebacker Alan Jordan (28) reaches out to try and tackle white team running back Jake Avery (36) during Friday’s spring game.
Ready to turn a page
Once sidelined with knee, Turner makes return to court By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
It would have been easy for Meghan Turner to quietly make her return to the basketball court. She could have played a few minutes and worked to Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
After seeing her first year on the high school basketball team end early due to injury, Meghan Turner took the court in summer league action and showed she can make a comeback.
slowly build her strength back up. Instead, Turner threw herself one heck of a welcome back party. Not more than 24 hours after being released from doctor’s care, the Midlothian freshman took the court in the Waxahachie girls summer basketball league and made a statement – injury will not slow me down. “It was tough but I was really excited to come back so it was really good,” Turner said. “Right now (my knee’s) a little sore. It’s always going to be a
little sore but what can I say.” During her first year in high school, Turner wowed the Midlothian coaches with her work ethic and abilities on the court. Her scrappy play on defense and tenacity against bigger players on offense made her a vital member of the player rotation for the Lady Panthers last season. Unfortunately for Turner and her teammates, her season ended just before the start of See TURNER, Page 5C
2C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Catching on
Sports
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Young receivers find a way to contribute
By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
There is nothing slow about the way Lucas Anderson or Jaylan Peoples play the game of football. So why did it take so long for them to make their presence known during the Midlothian spring game? “Just nerves,” Anderson said. “(The offense) wanted to establish the run game then get to the
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com/
While he didn’t catch a pass in the first half, Lucas Anderson rebounded in the half to catch four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown in the blue team’s 34-7 win.
pass game. We were all a little nervous, little shaky but we all pulled through it.” With the departure of nearly every player who caught a pass for the Panthers last season, the door has been left wide open for new faces to step in and take over the receiving roles. All throughout spring practice, Anderson, Peoples and nearly a dozen other players have been working to develop chemistry and assume those spots. In the final activity of spring practice, the blue team duo stole the show during a 34-7 win. Albeit a bit late. Neither team was particularly sharp in the passing early on as the two squads combined for just 47 passing yards through the first 29 minutes of the first half. Peoples broke that trend as the final seconds of the first half ticked off the clock when he hauled in a 36-yard pass and eluded white team defensive players en route to a touchdown that broke the game wide open. That score put the blue squad well in control at 21-0 heading into the halftime break. “It felt pretty good. I haven’t done that in months. It’s been a while since I’ve been in that end zone so it was great to grab that ball and run it out,” Peoples said of his score. That catch was a sign of things to come for the blue team as the passing game began to open up once the second half got under way. After completing just two passes for 16 yards in the first half, rising senior quarterback Bryce Murphy found a rhythm with seven comple-
Defense Continued from Page 1C
post a combined 50 percent rate on first down conversions (14-for-28). Blue team quarterback Bryce Murphy’s 181-yard rushing performance was the only player on either team to top 100 yards in either rushing or receiving. His 112 yards passing were also the only total by five different quarterbacks to clear the century mark. “I think it was just prove our hearts and prove that maybe not right now but later we’ll be able to eventually replace the older guys and continue the tradition of just playing hard, playing physical and getting after it,” blue team defender Tanner Freeman said. While consistency was what the Midlothian coaches were looking for, the defensive players were not apprehensive to showing some flair on the night as well. Four players recorded sacks as Colin Garcia, Cain Miller, Michael Glenn and Alan Jordan all stopped a white team’s quarterback at some point in the night. Jordan’s hit on quarterback Quindell Daniels jarred the ball loose for a fumble. He would recover with under a minute left in the first half, setting up a touchdown strike to teammate Jaylan Peoples as the final seconds ticked off the clock. While Jordan was apologetic for hitting Daniels when quarterbacks
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com/Special to the Mirror
Midlothian receiver Jaylan Peoples (9) is mobbed by teammates in celebration of his 36-yard touchdown catch to end the first half of Friday’s spring game.
tions in the second half for 99 yards. His primary target quickly became Anderson, who responded to a slow first half in a big way. After being held without a catch in the first half, Anderson hauled in four passes, all from Murphy, for a gamehigh 64 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown reception came on the blue team’s first possession of the second half, opening up a 28-0 lead. The Grapevine Christian transfer later hauled in a 35-yard reception that set up a field goal try for the blue team’s final points of the night. It was the second-longest pass play of the game, finishing just behind Peoples’ 36-yard scoring grab.
weren’t supposed to be touched, he was not ready to apologize for the effort. “I’m just passionate about what I do and every play I’m going to go hard. That’s what I did that play. I went hard and I’m going to continue doing it in the season,” Jordan said. Along with pressuring the quarterback, several defensive linemen were able to make tackles at critical points in the game. Smith’s stop of running back Jake Avery kept the white squad from crossing the goal line on a third down and goal situation. Garcia and Miller combined for back-to-back sacks on the blue team’s first defensive appearance to force a third down and 25 that would not be converted. While the blue team defensive line made strides in rushing the passer, the white team’s defense had the responsibility of facing Murphy, the assumed incumbent starter for the fall, much of the night. He was able to gain ground in the running game but found things less easy in the air. The secondary held Murphy in-check to start the game, allowing just 13 passing yards in the first half. Defensive back Tariq Mustafaa made Murphy pay for a bad decision on his third possession of the game when he snared an interception to halt a drive. “I’m trying to do whatever I can to help my team,” Mustafaa said. “Through this whole spring we’ve been trusting our coaches. We’ve got some great coaches, great secondary coaches. We’re just trusting them, getting
“I haven’t really been playing in a while. Since last December I haven’t touched the football field in a game-like scenario. It just felt amazing to be on the field,” Anderson said. “The line was doing amazing, Bryce was doing amazing, good arm, good throws. It just felt good.” Peoples finished with two catches for 47 yards, the third highest yardage total of the game. White team running back Jake Avery caught four passes for 48 yards. In all, 11 different players combined for a reception during the game totaling 254 passing yards. While it might have been a slow
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com
Defensive lineman Colin Garcia was one of four players on the blue team defense to pick up a sack during Friday’s spring game.
Midlothian punt, pass and kick winners
start to the game, Peoples believes the receiving unit was able to showcase enough to impress the coaching staff and give them confidence in their abilities. It just took a little longer than they thought it would. “I feel like we’ve got a great receiving group. We’ve got great overall athleticism, we’ve got great heart and we work great as a team,” Peoples said. “Like you said, it took us a minute to get going in the beginning but once we started smoothing all the pieces out we started just dominating.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
out there and playing ball.” Now it’s up to King and his staff to figure out just how the depth chart will shake out. After spending the first few weeks of practice trying to get players into their proper position, King plans to take a good amount of time reviewing the tapes to see just who performed well enough to earn what roles. The first-string spots are in good shape but King’s biggest quandary is who will fill the second and third string holes for depth purposes. During the game, King did not coach a team instead choosing to sit back and watch as players played. His first impressions of what he saw were positive. “I’m real comfortable with the first 11 we’ve found. We’re going to have to look pretty hard over the summer to get some depth. That’ll be the key to it all,” King said. “We’re not going to go out and out-talent anybody but you don’t play the game on paper and that’s why we play the game.” While things are a long way from being finalized, the young players who got a chance to showcase what they can do were satisfied with the efforts they put forth. Where they’ll land is out of their control but they’ve definitely made statements about where they deserve to be. “We performed pretty well,” Garcia said. “We’re very confident.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com
Up-and-coming young athletes from the Midlothian area were invited to take part in a punt, pass and kick competition prior to the Midlothian varsity spring game on Friday. The top three finishers in each classification received medals for their efforts.
Sports
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Midlothian Mirror 3C
Frawley duo take top spots at NJCAA meet Pole vault standouts help lead Paradise Valley to first, second finishes, eyeing move to Division I ranks By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Eric Frawley is proud of his brother, Vince, but not for the obvious reason. In terms of sibling rivalry, there might not be a better example than the Frawley last name. For the better part of a decade, Eric, Vince and older brother Nick have all been hot names in the pole vaulting community. Eric and Vince made the most recent headlines when the duo competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association outdoor national track and field championships. Vince won the men’s pole vaulting title with a vault of 15 feet, 11 inches. Eric tied for second with a jump of 15 feet, 7 inches. That would normally call for some good natured rubbing from the victor. Not this time. “Usually he does but this meet was the first meet of the year that I could say I jumped better than him but he beat me. He kind of shut his mouth and said, ‘Yeah, you probably should have won that one.’ Oh well,” Eric says with a laugh. The Midlothian products both started their collegiate careers at South Alabama before moving over to Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Ariz. (Nick competed at the Air Force Academy.) During the indoor season, Vince won the national title with a vault of 16 feet, 4 ¾ inches, beating his Paradise Valley teammate Matt Vipond by a full 4 ¾ inches.
Courtesy photos
Vince Frawley, left, won the NJCAA national pole vaulting title while brother Eric took home second place. The duo are currently at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix. That set the stage for the outdoor was the national championship. and 5 on our squad.” season when the brothers would be That was like the motto going in,” “It’s definitely really tough but competing against each other. And Eric said. “We had to practice well at the same time it just makes you a very talented group of vaulters at every single day because somebody that much better. You’re jumping their own school. out of that group was going to na- against one of the best vault groups “We had five people who were tionals. Although we had eight peo- anywhere really, in JUCO espegoing over 16-feet which has nev- ple qualify for nationals we could cially but nationwide too,” Vince er happened at one school before. only take three even though in the added. Basically every day, every practice national rankings we had 1, 2, 3, 4 While the brothers have been
pushing each other in athletic competition since they were children, they were now surrounded by scores of other athletes who were doing the same. The increased level of competition ended up make both Frawleys better. After winning the indoor title, Vince was charged with being a team leader, a task that was not easy especially when every athlete on the vaulting squad could contend for a top spot at a meet. Instead of being an outspoken guy trying to corral everyone, Vince kept his style of leading simple – he would push them to do better and they would push him to do the same. Vince and Eric took the top spots while Vipond placed sixth in the outdoor event. Only Cowley Junior College also had multiple vaulters finish inside the top 10 with seventh and tenth place finishes. The duo will once again be competing against each other in college as both vaulters, along with Vipond, plan to transfer to Arizona State next season to continue their careers. Just like before, the sibling rivalry will be back. Nick says it doesn’t just happen on the track but in everything, even a simple game of catch with the family in the backyard. And that’s not a bad thing. “It’s been good really,” Vince said of the battle. “Especially when it comes to vaulting.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Offense stays red hot Panthers fire away at Denton County, earn shutout victory By ALEX RILEY
Upcoming schedule
Mirror sports writer
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Midlothian’s Daniel Deweerd scored a goal in the team’s 4-0 win over Denton County last week. The Panthers have now won two games in a row.
Junior golf camps
Waxahachie Country Club is offering weekly golf camps in June, July and August. The camps are open to children from 6-16 years of age. This year’s camps include new golf and swim camps as well as advanced camps for experienced juniors. Call Devin Thomas at 972-937-3521 to sign up or get more information. Local school campuses also have brochures.
MHS summer basketball training and workouts
Offseason basketball programs for both the girls and boys teams at Midlothian are in the process of getting ready for the summer. This program is open to all current players and any incoming freshman planning to play basketball next season. Cost of the training will be tournament registration fees and jerseys with nearly all practices to be conducted during open gyms at the high school. Spring league tournaments won’t be identified until later in March when all state playoffs are finished. Tournaments will start before school lets out and run throughout the summer. Along with players, organizers are looking
A strong offensive surge early in the contest helped the Midlothian hockey team roll past Denton County in summer league action, 4-0. Last week, the Panther (2-1) got on track with a 5-3 victory over Southlake Carroll. A week later, the offense showed no signs of slowing down as the team rattled off 45 shots. Midlothian attempted 37 shots on goal last week. The first points of the night came when Trent Williams took a Brent Jones assist into the net at the 9:41 mark for a powerplay goal to put the team up 1-0. Jones, one of last season’s scoring leaders, kept the scoring coming as he put in a Brooks Blackburn assist just 30 seconds into the second period for a 2-0 lead even though the team was shorthanded. Blackburn earned his second assist of the night about seven and a half minutes later as Joseph Dancy scored the team’s second powerplay goal of the night for a 3-0 lead. Daniel Deweerd closed the scoring with a goal off assists by Jones and Tyler Colburn. While the offense surged, the Panthers did run into control issues as the team was issued seven penalties including two unsportsmanlike misconduct calls for 10 minutes each. Denton County was also issued an unsportsmanlike misconduct call in the third. The seven infractions totaled 30 minutes for Midlothian. Denton County had 20 minutes worth of penalty time on six penalties. Conner Graham worked all 45 minutes in goal, picking up 26 saves for the shutout win.
June 2 vs. Plano South 6:45 p.m. @StarCenter in Farmers Branch June 9 vs. Marcus 8:30 p.m. @StarCenter in Euless June 16 vs. Coppell 6:45 p.m. @StarCenter in Farmers Branch June 23 vs. Mansfield 6:45 p.m. @StarCenter in Euless June 30 vs. Arlington 8:30 p.m. @StarCenter in Euless
Sports Happenings
for team coordinators and coaches to help out. The hope is to have three boy and three girl teams for work this summer. For more information, contact Karl Drusch at kdrusch@psgjets.com.
Midlothian ISD sports summer camp dates
The Midlothian ISD athletic department has released its list of summer camps for this summer. Six different sports will host campers of all ages. June 6 -9 Baseball - Contact: Ray Hydes Ages 7-10 will be from 9 a.m.-noon and ages 11-14 will be from 2-5 p.m. Soccer - Contact: Austin Guest Grades kindergarten to fifth-grade (girls and boys) will be from 8:30-11 a.m and boys in grades sixth to ninth-grade will be from 1-3:30 p.m. Football - Contact: Jimmy Spradley First to sixth-grades will be from 5:30-8:00 pm June 13-16 Boys basketball - Contact: Glenn Hartson
Coming next week...
Grades third through fifth will be from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and grades sixth through ninth will be from 1-4 p.m. Soccer - Contact: Austin Guest Grades kindergarten to fifth-grade (girls and boys) will be from 8:30-11 a.m and girls in grades sixth to ninth-grade will be from 1-3:30 p.m. Golf - Contact: Brant Bennett The camp is open to golfers from ages 6-18 and will be from 9-11 a.m. at Tangle Ridge Golf Camp. June 20-23 Girls basketball - Contact: Brooke Walthall Grades third through sixth will be from 9 a.m.-noon and seventh- to ninth-grade will be from 12:30-3:30 p.m. July 25-28 Volleyball - Contact: Rhonda Currey Grades third to eighth will be from 8:30 -11:30 a.m. with ninth-graders going from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. July 25, 27-29 (No camp on Tuesday) Football - Contact: Jimmy Spradley Grades seventh to ninth from 5:30-8 p.m.
Baseball season wrap with all-district honors
Tennis camp will run for six weeks starting June 14 for rising seventh-graders through seniors. Camp dates are June 14-16, 21-23, 2830, July 12-14, 19-20 and 26-28. All registration flyers and information can be found online at www.midlothian-isd.net/ athletics.
Midlothian Tennis Association spring events
Spring sessions are currently underway with different leagues every night for all ages. For more details, see the MTA website at www.midtennis.org
Junior Panther Club
Any youngster looking to join the Junior Panther Club can find more information by visiting Midlothian’s athletic department Website at www.midlothian-isd.net/athletics. The club is open to all students in sixth-grade or younger. Got a sports happening in the Midlothian area or for all of Ellis County? Send it to sports writer Alex at alex.riley@wninews. com.
Sports
4C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Midlothian puts 24 on academic all-state teams By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
These guys and girls are good, and not just on the field of competition. With the 2010-11 athletic season coming to close, the Midlothian ISD athletic office tallied the final total honors from the academic all-state teams in the different sports across the school. For the school year, a record 24 senior student-athletes were honored by an academic all-state for their work in the classroom as well as the field. “All student-athletes participating in Midlothian ISD athletics make a commitment to the team, their teammates and their school,” athletic director Steve Keasler said. “Each of our programs demands the dedication of time and energy of the student-athlete and part of this commitment is to be a student first and strive for academic excellence.” In order to qualify for the academic all-state honor, students must have an overall grade point average of 92 or above from the time they enroll in high school and through the first six weeks of their senior year. They must also be in good standing with the team and be seniors. Nominations for the all-state honors are made by each sport’s coach.
Photo courtesy of Kathryne Buckley/MISD athletics
Midlothian placed a record 24 athletes on academic all-state teams for their respective sports. The players represented six different sports at the high school. Athletes had to have a 92 or better average and be a senior. The Panther football program led the way with eight athletes selected while the baseball team was second with seven. The boys soccer team had five make the list while girls soccer had four and boys basketball added three. Kyler Brown (baseball
and football), Blaine Blackburn baseball and basketball) and Zach Carlberg (football and soccer) earned academic all-state in two sports. The athletes making academic all-state are pictured in the photo. They are, front row from right, Jenna Ed-
mister (soccer), Liz Williams (soccer), Ashley Seeton (soccer), Brie Munoz (soccer); middle from right, Justin Lamar (football), Chase Huff (football), Blaine Blackburn (basketball and baseball), Kyler Brown (football and baseball), Gage Windsor
(football), Cody Cain (baseball), Phillip Berthelson (basketball), Dillon Wilson (football); back row from right, Jackson Sandefer (basketball), Todd Valderas (football), Justin Shealy (baseball), Connor Roberts (baseball), Bradley Younts
(baseball), Zach Carlberg (football and soccer), Zach Burson (soccer), and Ben Larson (football). Not pictured are Scott Hayden (soccer), Kyle Markwardt (soccer), Kyle Rinehart (baseball) and John Schoonover (soccer).
A change in direction Rennovations to Venus facilities aim to change status quo of the school, community
By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
VENUS – Bobby Matthews looks out over the field and just smiles. A backhoe digs down into the earth pulling up four feet of soil at a time and loading it into trucks that haul it away. More than half the field is already gone and it’s only the second day of work at Venus High School. There’s a bit of poetry in the scene Matthews is staring at and he knows it. “Our image of Venus is not the best and everyone knows it but it’s up to us to do something about it and we are,” Matthews said. “It’s a lot more than just a football field to us.” Matthews, the Venus ISD superintendent, can’t help but get excited when he talks about the changes coming to the small community on the border of Ellis and Johnson counties. Growth is happening. Progress is in the works. Things will be different. To many, it’s just a football field. Not to Venus.
Speeding up the process
Blame soccer. Or rather blame the kids who wanted a soccer program as the reason last Tuesday was necessary. For years, the Venus athletic department had avoided the sport. But as the community grew, specifically the Hispanic population, it became clear there was a desire for the game. When he arrived two-plus years ago, Matthews came up with what he called a “Dave Letterman spinoff” of a top 10 list of things the students, faculty and staff wanted to seen at Venus. The number one thing was a soccer program from the students’ perspectives. Venus was already one of the
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Members of the Venus ISD school board and staff members break ground at the high school stadium to replace the grass field with artificial turf. The refurbished football field is one many changes the district hopes to make to improve the facilities. smallest 3A schools in the state and soccer is far from easy in the UIL league. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs would be lumped into the 3A-4A soccer classification and forced to play schools like Kennedale and Alvarado whose population size was well higher. Still it had to happen. “Soccer of course came to be but of course we have to play 3A and 4A,” Matthews said. “We’re excited about what soccer is going to do for us.” But just like any action, there was a consequence and the victim was the school’s playing field. With the rigors of football and soccer seasons, the natural grass surface took a beating. The dirt turned to almost concrete. The grass stopped growing as thick as before. The new sport expedited the process of installing turf. But it wasn’t the only factor. Venus’ track also runs around the outside of the football field. For
years, using the track was almost a non-factor. Then came an interest surge. Then came success. With both came the need for vast improvements. If the track program was going to get any better, the pothole covered surface needed to be redone and fast. It was another task Matthews was happy to add to the process. “We had nine kids out for varsity track two years ago. This year we had 50. We hope to double that in two more years,” Matthews said of the track program. “Our JV boys won the district track meet and being in a district with Kennedale and Alvarado and some of these people it’s very good.”
Elevating the status quo
Every district in the state of Texas seems to be feeling the effects of the recent budget cuts. Venus is no exception to that rule.
Still, Matthews didn’t find selling the idea of improvements all that hard. “People here want this town and this community to improve and the support is here,” Matthews said. The district cut $1.2 million last year. Matthews and his staff are already looking into possible cuts for next year. That process began some six months ago. Slashing budgets and rising student populations are in contradiction of each other on paper but Matthews is committing to making it work. When the district was evaluated two years ago, enrollment for the whole district had gone up two percent. That number only figures to grow as things move along. It’s the biggest reason Matthews is working so hard to make things better. Matthews cites a “healthy fund balance” as the biggest reason the district has been able to do this work. The cuts are going to happen but the improvements are also a must, especially if the district wants to become an attractive place for people to send their kids. “We’re going to have enough money to survive the cuts in Austin, pay for all this. We’re just playing catch-up in Venus and we’re just trying to do some really good things,” Matthews said.
Turning the corner
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Construction crews work to dig up the top layers of soil on the Venus field. The work is expected to be completed in time for football’s season opener.
Buddy Hardin told his players about the new turf they would get to play on next fall. You’d have thought he was Santa Claus. Hardin, Venus’ football coach, described the scene as “giddy” with players “jumping up and down” over the news. There was plenty for the kids to celebrate but Hardin looks at things from a different angle. The improvements are so
much a way of making things better as they are a way of recognizing the players’ efforts. “The main thing is it shows our kids that we care. We care about them,” Hardin said. The football field will be the most noticable change but it is far from the only one. Matthews points out that the school’s tennis courts were refurbished last year thanks to a generous donor who happened to be driving by and see the need. New lights were installed so matches could be played later in the day. He also discusses the district’s purchase of a 15-acre farm in the county as a positive step. The farm could get bigger sooner and for good reason – the students are requiring it. “We had two kids showing in the county show two years ago. This year we had almost 80. We’ll do that again in two more years, we know that,” Matthews said. While the current high school classes might not be all that big, the reality is the elementary and middle school classes are fairly sizable. Some of the current high school students will reap the full benefits of the district’s vision but those younger children will be the main benefactors. Matthews hopes this is just the tip of the iceberg. He sees improvements to the baseball and softball facilities, paving parking lots and school expansion all in the future. It will take a while to get to step two. For now, he’s just enjoying step one. “It’s a great start, Matthews said. “We’re just trying to make a lot of needed improvements.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Sports
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Midlothian Mirror 5C
Extending the dream Younts ready to continue career at next level with Northwood University By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
There are plenty of reasons to label Brad Younts’ senior year a “dream season.” A lot of things went right for the Midlothian pitcher. Younts is happy with what he was able to accomplish but was left with an uneasy feeling when it was all said and done. Now, he’ll get the chance to remedy that. Last week, Younts became the third baseball player from this year’s senior class to commit himself to playing baseball at the collegiate level signing on with Northwood University. “It’s awesome. I’m just really excited to get to this level. I can’t be more grateful for what I’ve done,” Younts said. “Towards the end I didn’t do so good but I’m going to pick it up. I’ve got a lot to
learn that’s for sure.” The good things for Younts were evident – he led the Panthers in innings pitched (47.67), wins (three) and strikeouts (27). His 2.35 ERA was second lowest among regular starters. For his efforts, Younts was named the Midlothian golden arm award winner at the end-of-season banquet two weeks ago. He also earned honorable mention all-district honors while being named academic all-district and honorable mention academic all-state. While all those honors were well deserved, his biggest thrill of the season came in a March 15 game against Duncanville when Younts threw a no-hitter, the second-straight season Midlothian has had a senior throw a no-hit effort. It’s performances like that which have coach Ray Hydes excited about the pos-
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
With his coaches and family looking on, Midlothian senior pitcher Brad Younts signed on to play with Northwood University next season. Younts was one of team’s leading starting pitchers this spring.
siblities for his veteran pitcher. “Bradley’s an outstanding kid. He just works extremely hard. He was probably our most consistent pitcher this year,” Hydes said. “He’s got three pitches and that night against Duncanville he just threw the ball exceptionally well, was moving it in and out, hitting his spots and that was huge for him and our program. Any time a kid can go out and do that you’re excited about it.” The uneasy feeling Younts was left with came in his final high school appearance against Mansfield in the regular season finale. Younts and the Panthers needed a win to secure a spot in the playoffs but ran into a late-surging Tiger team that played spoiler. Younts took the loss that night as the Panthers were forced to play a playoff play-in game the following day against Grand Prairie. The team fell in that game 3-1 to miss the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade. While it was a sour note to end on, Younts is optimistic about creating a new memory at the college level to replace that one. He isn’t quite sure what his role will be once the season comes around as the Northwood coaches want to see him work some innings in summer baseball to determine how they might use him. The good news is he’ll be close by as the school is just a few miles away in the Cedar Hill area. He hopes to have a cheering section behind him when he does take the hill. “That was kind of a bonus that I could commute there. It was also easy on Mom and Dad’s checkbook. It’s very convenient,” Younts said. “Hopefully the coaches there will teach me stuff and I’m ready to learn a lot there and improve my game.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews. com or at 469-517-1456.
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
With the loss of regular starters from last season, Brad Younts got the chance to step up and shine. He pitched a no-hitter against Duncanville and was a team leader in several pitching categories.
Sears ready to hit the links at Faulkner
Midlothian senior golf standout signs on with NAIA program, becomes fourth Lady Panther in college ranks By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Emma Sears has watched the news of recent weeks with an extra level of interest. When you’re moving away from home, you always want to make sure the place you’re going is a good choice. Sears is bound for Huntsville, Ala., to attend Faulkner University and play collegiate golf and yes, she’s done her research. “This (area) has a little protective bubble over it so the tornados just kind of go around,” Sears says with a smile when talking about the recent events in the state. Tornados and damage won’t deter Sears from attending the school. It’s that same attitude she had on the golf course during her career in Midlothian that made her such a formidable opponent. Over the last four years, Sears was a key cog in the Lady Panthers’ success. She helped the team earn a district championship while advancing to the regionals each of the last four years. This spring, Sears was part of the team’s inaugural 5A squad, which placed second in district and earned a trip to Lubbock for the 5A Region I regional tournament. Success has always been Sears’ calling card. And sending golfers to the next level is Midlothian’s. “She’s been great. There’s no doubt that her and Taylor (Chalmers) were going to play college golf. That’s two girls and one boy (Cody Taylor) so three out of my five (seniors) have signed this year,” golf coach Brant Bennett said. “It’s kind
Photo by Alex Riley (above)/The Mirror, Courtesy photo (right)
Like many female golfers before her, Midlothian senior Emma Sears signed on to compete at the college level. Sears will join the Faulker University golf team in Huntsville, Ala., next season making her the fourth Lady Panther currently playing golf.
of an expectation. She’s my fourth girl to be playing currently. Emma’s just got that work ethic that’s contagious to the younger girls and she’s just gotten better and better every year.” Continuing the program’s tradition of excellence in high school and beyond was a goal Sears set for herself years ago. During her signing last week, the senior couldn’t
Turner
Continued from Page 1C district play when she tore her ACL, cutting a promising rookie year well short. The injury stung but it didn’t waiver Turner’s resolve to get back on the court. Months of post-surgery rehabilitation and strength training got her knee back to the level it would need to be to retake the court. And then, just hours before the team’s summer league opener last Monday against powerhouse Hewitt Midway, Turner was released from doctor’s supervision and given the green light to retake the court. While she didn’t start the game, she was one of the first players off the bench and wasted no time in making an impact. When she took the court, Turner was put in charge of
help but smile as all those years of hard work came to a culmination. “I’m really excited to keep up the scholarships and I look forward to all the amazing golf courses I’m going to get to play on and place I’m going to get to travel. It feels really good,” Sears said. Those destinations will be fairly exotic for Sears as the Faulkner program traveled to Florida, Geor-
running the point. At the 7:50 mark of the first half, she dished out her first assist. At the 5:45 point she hit her first shot, a three-pointer. Later in the game, Turner forced a five second call against Midway’s point guard for a key turnover. Her assist to teammate Sam Drusch sparked a 12-4 run to close the game as Midlothian nearly rallied back to beat Midway. Not too bad for a player just getting back on the court. “It’s only my first day back so I’ve still got a lot to learn but I’m coming back. It’s going to be difficult but I’m going to do it,” Turner said. For now, Turner is focused on two things – getting her knee back into playing shape and imparting what knowledge she can to Midlothian’s youthful roster. The latter is a bit of a quandary as Turner does have some varsity experience but isn’t
gia, Arizona and South Carolina for spring tournaments. The Faulkner roster will feature two seniors, two juniors and two sophomores with Sears and Alabama native Georgia Shelton being two members of the program’s signing class. Bennett has expectations for her in college and rightfully so. She is just hoping to live up them.
June 1 vs. Waxahachie 1 7 p.m. June 8 vs. Red Oak 6:30 p.m.
“Coach Bennett said he thinks I’ll be able to contribute right away to the team and I think he’s right. I think I’ll do just that,” Sears said. Contact Alex at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Upcoming schedule June 13 vs. Venus 4:30 p.m.
June 22 vs. Waxahachie 2 5:30 p.m.
June 20 vs. Kennedale 5:30 p.m.
June 27 vs. Waxahachie 1 4:30 p.m.
quite as seasoned as some other players on the team. But with seven players on the summer league roster that weren’t varsity last season, Turner finds herself caught in the limbo of a player with experience and a young gun trying to get her feet back under her. It’s an odd situation for sure. But it’s one Turner is just happy to be in.
“I have the experience but it’s hard because you have to teach the other girls that weren’t on varsity some of the stuff that you know from experience,” Turner said. “I’m kind of caught in the middle.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
6C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sports
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Spring game notebook
Backup quarterback spreads the field Glenn splits time, finds the end zone
By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Quindell Daniels knows the routine. All spring, the Midlothian coaches have been grooming him for a role on the varsity football squad. Technically, they’ve been grooming him for numerous roles. Eventually, he’ll land in one of them. Like Bryce Murphy last fall, Daniels will like assume the duty of being Midlothian’s backup quarterback this coming season meaning he’ll be asked to play some other position in preparation for his time under center in the future. Murphy spent all last season as a safety on the Panthers’ defense. Where will Daniels land? If Friday’s spring game was any indication, then the answer is still up in the air. “I was kind of nervous because you never know what to do with all these plays and stuff you’ve got going. But once you get rolling, get the game feeling going, it’s just a roll,” Daniels said. Over the course of the spring game, Daniels spent time at wide receiver, safety and quarterback. He amassed statistics in the form of tackles, passing yards, rushing yards and receiving yards. In short – he did it all. Daniels caught one pass for seven yards, rushed seven times for 35 yards and finished 5-of-9 for 60 yards passing on offense. He had a pair of tackles on defense. Of course, it wasn’t all glamorous. Daniels was on the receiving end of a hard hit from blue team defender Alan Jordan late in the first half that resulted in a fumble. While that play was frustrating, Daniels responded to the adversity in stride. With the game well decided, he stepped under center and proceeded to guide the white team offense on an 11-play drive, its longest of the night, which resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by Daniels to close the game. During that drive, Daniels completed two passes for 20 yards or more, making him the only Panther quarterback in the game to do so. He also broke off an 18-yard run, the fourth-longest by a quarterback for the night. That small victory might not have put much of a dent on the scoreboard but it left Daniels and his teammates on the white squad with something to build off of. “At first (that drive) started off good and then I got it rolling and everybody got behind me. We just pulled together and drove down the field,” Daniels said.
Running back Avery rumbles for big yardage
Last season, the Midlothian offense relied heavily on its running game to carry the workload in terms of production. While the Pan-
As predicted, rising senior Michael Glenn saw time all over the field during the spring game, playing at running back and linebacker while also seeing action at slot receiver. The new position was a result of some changes on the offense over the last week. Still, Glenn didn’t see a pass float his way but did finish with solid numbers as a runner. He carried the ball six times for 34 times. “This week I had a difficult change of position on offense but I felt pretty comfortable out there with the coaches out there helping me out. I felt pretty good,” Glenn said. Along with playing a big role on the blue team offense, he also picked up a few tackles, including a sack of quarterback Bryce Faussett late in the first half. That moment was a big morale boost but it paled in comparison to Glenn’s third touch of the game. After being thrown for negative yardage on his first carries, Glenn got a chance to show why the coaching staff is having a hard time defining his role as he avoided several would-be tacklers on his way to a 13yard touchdown run. During his first varsity season in 2009, Glenn did not score a touchdown and was used primarily as a defender last fall. While it won’t officially go down in the record books, the trip to the end zone was enough to bring a big smile to Glenn’s face. “It felt good. I haven’t done that in a long time,” Glenn said.
Notes
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com/Special to the Mirror
Quindell Daniels will most like spend next fall as Bryce Murphy’s understudy at quarterback but he spent the spring game roaming the entire field. Daniels played four different positions and could start at almost any slot this fall. thers were good at gaining yardage, it was a grinding type game with very little flash and plenty of hard runs. If the team were to keep that same mentality this fall, that wouldn’t bother Jake Avery at all. With Justin Seeton, last year’s leading rusher, out for the spring, Avery was one of several running backs who got the chance to
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com/Special to the Mirror
Running back Jake Avery prepares to lower his shoulder into a blue team defender during the spring game. With his big upper body, Avery proved to be a bruising runner which could help him be a varsity player this fall.
Murphy Continued from Page 1C
Murphy’s arm started slow. He finished the first half with just two completions for 13 yards with an interception. After taking some time to regroup at halftime, Murphy rebounded by going 7-of-9 in the second half for 99 yards with a nine-yard scoring strike to first-year Panther Lucas Anderson. The blue squad wasted no time in getting on the board as Michael Glenn capped the team’s first drive with a 13yard scoring run. Murphy’s long run was followed by a 36-yard scoring strike to Jaylan Peoples on the final play of the first half for a 21-0 lead. The blue defense started the first half by posting a three-and-out, allowing the offense to retake the field. Murphy and Anderson would connect on that ensuing drive for a 28-0 advantage. That advantage grew to 31-0 when Dillon McClain hit a 27-yard field goal. Ryan Chisholm
added a 19-yard field goal in the fourth for a 34-0 lead. The white team finally got on the board when quarterback Quindell Daniels capped an 11-play drive with a two-yard run for the first points of the game. While it might have been a slow start for Murphy, the rising senior has found plenty of positives to build on in the offseason. The chemistry is well on its way to helping him take hold of the leadership reins for Midlothian. “I came out just trusting my legs and later on in the game I started trusting my arm. My line gave me good blocking and I just stepped up and performed,” Murphy said. Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews. com or at 469-517-1456. Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com
Quarterback Bryce Murphy got off to a slow start in the passing game but rallied to throw for 115 yards and a touchdown to go along with 181 yards rushing.
showcase what they could do. He answered the call with a white squad best 12 carries for 55 yards. “I thought I did all right. The line opened up everything for me and just made it easier. I just lowered my head and did as much as I could,” Avery said. Despite having two of the three returning all-district offensive linemen on his team, Avery and the white squad offense found very little consistent production early on. The blue team defensive line was constantly in the backfield with tackles for a loss slowing down the offense’s progression. Eventually, the team simply put the ball in Avery’s hands and let him grind things out. Of the team’s 31 first half offensive plays, Avery touched the ball nine times and was the intended target on several incomplete swing passes out of the backfield. Along with running the ball well, Avery also caught four passes for 48 yards, the highest total on the white team. His 103 combined yards were bested only by Bryce Murphy’s 181 yards rushing. Avery showed an abundance of strength in his legs, specifically on his longest run of the day, a 15-yard gallop that saw him bounce off a would-be tackler and rumble for another five yards. While Seeton figures to be the featured back when the regular season starts, Avery was content with his performance and hopes to have left an impression on the coaching staff when it comes time to make the depth chart. He knows he isn’t the only running back jockeying for position and feels the battle will only make the unit better as time moves on. “I’m just stepping up and filling the places of those seniors that left. I’ve got to do my job,” Avery said. “Whenever we come all together it looks a lot better than that. We’re all split up but whenever we’re all together we’re a lot better than that and we’ll perform.”
With the graduation of all three players who served as placekickers last season, the search was back on for a kicking solution during the spring game. Blue team kicker Dillion McClain came on to hit four point-after attempts and a 27-yard field goal try at the end of the third quarter. The Panthers would call on white team kicker Ryan Chisholm later in the game to try a 19-yard field goal for the blue team, which he would make. … Despite so many new faces on both teams, the penalty calls were limited. The two teams combined for just eight infractions on the night with half of those being false starts. The teams were also flagged for pass interference, defensive offsides, delay of game and block in the back. … No injuries from the game were reported. Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Photo by Steve Patterson/www.movingpictures.photoreflect.com
With his size and speed, Michael Glenn was expected to see action at numerous positions. He played as a slot receiver and running back on offense scoring the game’s first touchdown. He also played linebacker.
Riley
Continued from Page 1C
Over the next few months, Midlothian will hammer out a rough draft of what the depth chart will look like. Fall two-a-days will be another chance for players to shine and battle for position. Ultimately, the difference between a varsity backup and junior varsity starter won’t be very much. When the team roster is unveiled next season, there are certain to be a few names who will end up in places you’d expect. Murphy will start at quarterback. Slater Gravens will start at linebacker. Myron Hanson and Tony Kirk will start on offensive line. Justin Seeton, Jesse Rios and Jarmon Jackson will start if they’re all healthy. Some other names you remember from last year will also be atop the depth chart. After that, it’s a big question. Who lands where is still a question that is nearly impossible to answer. But the answer will be the difference between good and great. Alex is a sports writer covering Midlothian athletics for Waxahachie Newspapers Inc. Contact him at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.