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A week of historical signifcance for Midlothian athletics Wednesday, February 3, 2010
ALEX RILEY
The view from the press box
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very team, every program, every franchise has that one moment. That moment in time that stands out. The moment people talk about as either the rise or fall of an organization. Mark it down: The week of Feb. 1-6 has that kind of potential for Midlothian High School. By Monday night, Midlothian will be moved into the 5A classification and hired a new football coach. By Saturday morning, the
MIRROR SPORTS WRITER Panther basketball team could be standing alone atop the District 16-4A race and the soccer programs will be looking to make good on high preseason rankings. And there’s still three days of stuff in between. After going over its enrollment numbers, Midlothian was moved into 5A competition at 9 a.m. Monday. Nine and a half hours later,
Lee Wiginton was introduced as the new football coach of the Panthers at a board meeting. It’s no accident those two events happened on the same day. Since Robby Clark’s resignation in late November, athletic director Steve Keasler has said he wanted to have a new coach in place before realignment. Make no mistake, the hire might not be official until after the realignment, but Keasler knew who the man for the job was. Wiginton comes from a long line of success at his previous stops, although none as big as what he is about to encounter. The job of moving a 1-9 team into the upper level of Texas high school football is a tough one. Is Wiginton the right man? His credentials cerSee RILEY, Page 4C
On Monday, Lee Wiginton was hired as Midlothian’s new football coach and the school was moved into 5A for the next two years. For details of the new coaching hire, see 1A. To see Midlothian’s new district, see 1A (story) or 4C (list).
A defensive state of mind Boys soccer team priding itself on ability to limit other offense By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Photo by Chad Wilson/The Mirror
Students rush the court following Midlothian’s buzzer-beating win over Waxahachie last week. The noise and distractions from the fans have thrown opposing teams off their game in recent weeks allowing for some key wins.
Home court advantage Vocal crowd helping push Panthers toward championship type season By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
No one will ever know what Jamison Sterns saw or heard as he lined up to take a free throw shot last Tuesday. You can bet the Blue Crew made sure it was distracting. Armed with pool floaties, flailing arms and loud voices, the Midlothian student section did everything it could to throw the Waxahachie standout off his shot with the game tied at 50 in the fourth quarter. There is no official way to measure their impact but Sterns’ miss set up a buzzer-beating shot by Blaine Blackburn for the Panthers. Moments later, the Blue Crew was part of a frenzied celebration at midcourt. Trent Morgan called it surreal. Eddie Johnson labeled it the greatest game he had ever been a part of. Blackburn titled the feeling as epic. The energy in the building rivaled that of some colleges known for their vocal student sections. “That was crazy. Intense. The best (crowd) we’ve had all year,” senior Mason York said of the crowd. Armed with a raucous crowd, the Midlothian gym has developed into a place few opponents want to play. The noise can be deafening from the group gathered in the west end zone.
And that’s exactly how the Panthers like it. “It started off one of my friends Devin Rogers has been the main guy I’ve been talking to and I was like, ‘Get people to come.’ And he said he was trying, he was working on it. And they had the Blue Crew last year but they made it an official club this year and people started joining and we just spread the word,” Morgan said. “In the end I really think it helped out because they were so crazy and it fired everybody up.” Some students wear official Blue Crew T-shirts. Others don costumes or goofy outfits. Some just wear a Midlothian shirt or jacket. All of them made a vocal impact. After playing just three home games prior to the start of district play, the Panthers have returned home to familiar surroundings. The results have shown up on the scoreboard. Since district play started, Midlothian is 4-0 at home including big wins over Waco High and Waxahachie in its last two home games to stay near the top of the district race. Having an extra player in the See CROWD, Page 4C
It’s been said that defense wins championships. If that’s true, get ready to make room in the Midlothian trophy case. Making that big of a leap might be a bit too early in the season to try and do but if the the start to the Midlothian boys soccer season is any indication of how good its defense is, the Panthers might be on to something. In just a few short weeks, the team has already established itself as one of the best defenses in the Metroplex. Still, they want more. “I honestly think with the defensive players we have and the strategy coach gives we can be the best defense in Texas,” senior goalie Craig Able said. “I think we’ve got players who just absolutely work their butt off in practice, work their butt off in games and make absolutely amazing plays.” The stats back those kind of statements up. Through 11 games this season, the Panthers have given up five goals with no team scoring on the defense more than once. All of the team’s losses or ties have been by 1-1, 1-0 or 0-0 margins. Those results have come against some upper echelon competition as Midlothian gave up one goal each to 5A state-ranked Coppell and Dallas Jesuit. Despite facing great opponents, the Panthers have shown why they started the season as the No. 2 team in the 4A rankings. In fact, coach Austin Guest would expect nothing less. “This is pretty much what we expected out of them. I’m not belittling what they’ve done, what they’ve done is tremendous but they’re tremendous kids and that’s what’s expected of them,” Guest said. “What we’ve got to learn to do now is expect the same kind of results on both ends of the field.” After notching three draws in the Cement Capital Classic over the weekend, Midlothian See BOYS, Page 4C
Photo by Chad Wilson/The Mirror
Junior Jackson Sandifer rides the crowd in celebration of Midlothian’s win over Waxahachie. The Blue Crew cheering section has been a big boost for the team.
Upcoming schedule Feb. 5 @Hewitt Midway 5 p.m./6:30 p.m./8 p.m. (JV/ninth-grade/varsity) Feb. 9 vs. Waco University 5 p.m./6:30 p.m./8 p.m. (JV/ninth-grade/varsity) Feb. 12* vs. Ennis (ninth-grade/JV/varsity) *Senior night/final home game
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Senior goalie Craig Able and the Midlothian defense have held all opponents at one goal or less this season.