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Sports
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Looking for balance Lady Panthers seeking to put all pieces together for second half push By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
In theory, the equation is simple. In practice, it is a totally different issue. On any given night, the Midlothian softball team can beat anyone with ease. It can also lose to anyone with the same effortless approach. And there-in lies the problem. With the back half of the district slate under way, the Lady Panthers sit at 7-3 in district games, tying them with Ennis for the third place spot. If the season had ended Tuesday, the squad would be in the playoffs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. At press time, results from Tuesday’s game with district-leading
Hewitt Midway were not available. While Waco University and Waco High should be wins, a game against Ennis might be the key to playoffs. The schedule is a mix of potentially tough and potentially easy, the key word being potentially. “We said tonight that as senior leaders and captains (after a loss to Waxahachie), that we’re going to do a better job of leading,” senior Jade Laurence said. “Coach (Jennifer McFalls) was saying there was an option that we could keep going downhill or go uphill and we told them tonight that it’s definitely not an option anymore. We’re going to make sure that things get done and that we do keep going uphill.
That’s the direction we want to go.” Wanting to go and actually achieving are two separate issues but the Lady Panthers look to have the desire and determination to do just that. After that loss to county-rival Waxahachie on April 2, the Lady Panthers picked up a pair of wins with a 3-0 game against Cleburne and a 6-4 win over Corsicana. Those two victories secured the season series sweep over the fifth and sixth place teams in the district race which will give the Lady Panthers a leg-up in the hunt for a playoff spot. The team also owns a win See SOFTBALL, Page 3C
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Senior captain Jade Laurence gets the base running sign during a game earlier this season. The Lady Panthers are hoping to find consistency in the second half of the district schedule.
Robertson brings home MVP award Midlothian senior caps career with top indivdual accolade By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Don’t think Chase Robertson doesn’t appreciate the distinction of being named District 16-4A MVP. He does, even if his emotions don’t let on. After a senior campaign that led the Midlothian boys soccer team to a district title and a deep run in the playoffs, Robertson is nonchalant about the honor. Doesn’t mean he didn’t appreciate it. “I didn’t really react to it as much as I should have. It wasn’t really that big of a deal to me. It’s just another thing, another award,” Robertson said. One of the numerous senior players on the roster, Robertson stepped up to lead the Panthers in goals and assists with 14 and 11 respectively. He was a consistent threat to score each time he
got the ball and his energy often times fueled the squad forward. In the bi-district playoff opener, Robertson scored four goals in a 5-0 win, his first hat-trick of the season. The next week, he fired off a pair of shots against Crowley to cap the win and help propel the team forward. In four playoff games, he had seven goals and doled out three assists to lead the post-season run to the regional semifinals. For coach Austin Guest, the success Robertson has seen this season is a direct correlation to the effort he has put in on and off the field. Coupled with the other 12 Midlothian boys to make the all-district team, the squad featured a variety of
District picks showcase program’s elite status
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Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Midlothian senior Chase Robertson earned the title of District 16-4A MVP this season as he led the team with six assists to go along with some timely goals. Robertson becomes the second Midlothian athlete to earn District MVP honors for the school this season.
he beauty and ugliness of high school soccer is two fold – there are good teams and there are bad teams. Once the later rounds of the playoffs happen, you know who the best teams are. The cream rises to the top. So it came as no shock that the Midlothian boys and girls teams advanced deep in the playoffs. Equally, it should come as no surprise that the all-district teams are laden with blue and white athletes. A total of 26 players made the all-district teams, led by Chase Robertson’s selection as the district MVP. Eric Haston earned the offensive MVP honors for the boys while Alex Furr and Lindsey Sisco won offensive and defensive MVP
Scholar-athlete honor bestowed on Johnson
By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
The honors continue to roll in for Midlothian senior Eddie Johnson, this time from the football side of his talents. The wide receiver was honored as one of 53 players in North Texas as a scholar-athlete by the National Football Foundation Gridiron Club of Dallas. Criteria for the honor consisted of athletic accomplishments, performance in the classroom and commitment to the community. A banquet will be held on April 20 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington to honor all the athletes while one player will receive the organization’s top honor which includes a $2,500 scholarship to continue his education. SMU coach June Jones will be the keynote speaker while award-winning sportscaster Scott Murray will serve as em-
cee for the event. Johnson, an all-district receiver and Baylor signee, was the only player from Ellis County selected to the list. The standout player led the Panthers in receiving yards with 814 on 48 catches. After completing his career on the gridiron, Johnson earned District 16-4A MVP honors in basketball as he helped lead the Panthers to a district title and an appearance in the regional quarterfinals. Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
Midlothian senior Eddie Johnson is one of 53 finalists for a scholar-athlete award by the National Football Foundation Gridiron Club of Dallas. The award will be given out at a banquet at Cowboys Stadium on April 20.
Alex Riley
Mirror Sports writer honors respectively on the girls side. Those four, coupled with coach Austin Guest winning at least a share of the coach of the year for both sides, brings See RILEY, Page 4C
See MVP, Page 4C
All-district selections A total of 26 players were selected to the all-district teams this season. Complete listings of all the Panther and Lady Panther players who were selected to the District 16-4A teams are available inside. For the girls team, see page 2C and see page 4C for the boys.