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irror
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Hilltoppers Panthers upend Cedar Hill, thrust name into playoff hunt By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Victor Gonzales was headed to the tunnel, trying to get to the locker room. Kind of. Every time someone called his name, Gonzales stopped and offered a celebratory hug. If there was one hug, there were 50. Midlothian classmates, teammates, coaches and fans alike clamored for a moment to bask in the win. Gonzales’ grin said what words couldn’t – beating Cedar Hill 27-20 was more than a victory. So much more. “Right now, I still can’t believe it. I’m soaking it in right now and I don’t know if I can sleep tonight. I really don’t know if I can sleep tonight,” Gonzales said as he slowly made his exit. Relying heavily on a bend but don’t break defense, the Panthers defied the odds in one of the biggest upsets in Texas high school football this season. The Longhorns entered the game ranked No. 18 in the state by the Harris rankings and were 30-point favorites to win the game. By comparison, Midlothian was No. 155 of 245. Cedar Hill was a team who came into the contest averaging more than 40 points per game. The Longhorns were loaded down See GONZALES, Page 2C
Time to start believing
N
ever doubt Ken Wiginton. That’s what I learned from this week’s outcome between Midlothian and Cedar Hill. Wiginton is the father of Panther head coach Lee Wiginton and makes the pilgrimage from Lampassas to Midlothian or wherever the team is playing every Friday night. Throughout the week, we corespond via e-mail, talk about the game, the expectations for the week, the Harris Poll rankings, anything relating to the game. Every week, Wiginton tells me no Alex Riley one in the state will Mirror have a team better Sports prepared to play, even against a phys- writer ically superior team. He’s a realist and though he won’t outright say Midlothian will probably not have quite enough to come through he always acknowledges a good game is about to happen. When Wiginton said on Friday he had an instinct the team would win, I shook him off. This was Cedar Hill, a gold standard of outstanding football for the past decade. They were faster, more explosive and just plain bigger than Midlothian at
See RILEY, Page 6C
Inside
• Defense limits normally high powered Longhorn offense • Turnovers key defensive effort in win • Quarterback Dillon Fairbanks propels • offensive output • Mitchell gets chance to shine against old team • Diedrich pushes through nerves, hits major kick • Players of the week
Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
Midlothian defenders Gage Windsor (22), Bryce Murphy and Nathan Fisher (11) wrap up Cedar Hill quarterback Driphus Jackson during Friday’s upset win.
2C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sports
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
Friday night’s scoreboard marks the end of regulation sending Midlothian players, coaches and fans into celebration for the milestone victory over Cedar Hill.
Gonzales: ‘Texas is shocked right now.’ Continued from Page 1C
with Division I prospects at nearly every position. By the time the night was over, none of that mattered. “It feels amazing right now. Right now we’ve shocked our town,” Gonzales said. “But most of all we shocked Texas. Texas is shocked right now.” Shocked might be an understatement. The Panthers’ win was a historic moment for the program on numerous levels. The two district wins mark the most since the 2008 season when the team finished with two (Waco University and Cleburne). The back-to-back district wins are the first two-game streak since the team won three in a row back in 2004 against Alvarado, Mansfield Timberview and Crowley. It’s also the latest into the season Midlothian has been above .500 since being 4-3 after a loss to Corsicana on Oct. 12, 2007. For first-year coach Lee Wiginton, the significance of the win was
evident as he accepted congratulations from members of the community after the game. But the good vibes of an upset were aided by the team’s win over Mansfield Legacy last week. He points to that game as the turning point in the season. Friday’s outcome was a result of things snowballing in the right direction after that game. “I think probably for this community this was an unbelievable win. I think for our football team, last week was everything. It was the win, to me, because of all those things,” Wiginton said. “From the minute the game ended last week, you could see a change in the guys. They certainly have all the respect in the world for a phenomenal Cedar Hill team but there is no fear. There is no doubt in themselves anymore. They’re practicing with a quiet confidence and they’re playing physical football.” The victory puts the Panthers in foreign territory with three games left in the regular season. Games against Grand Prairie and Mansfield Timberview appear winnable
on paper and should give the team four district wins heading into the season finale with Mansfield. While there is still a lot to shake out in the District 5-5A race, Midlothian could be in prime position to earn a playoff berth with a 5-2 or 4-3 district record. Winning out would all but assure the team of a berth. That remains the goal but Wiginton points to the past two weeks as lessons for his team that they can beat quality opponents in a way that isn’t simply a fluke. The players have already caught on to that attitude and have eyes turned on one thing – the playoffs. “All I know is we’re going to come tomorrow and we’re going to work our butts off and work hard. This game, it means something to us, but we’ve got to play every game,” Gonzales said. “We’re ready to play every game. We’re going to playoffs. Trust us, we’re going to playoffs.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
Midlothian defenders Vincent Panza (45) and Will Marks (46) bring John Albercrombie to a stop during Friday’s game.
Defense limits production Panther unit holds normally potent offense to season low totals in total yards, points in upset By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Jarmon Jackson talked about the plan the Midlothian defense had going into the Cedar Hill game. In theory, it was extremely simplistic and designed to limit the damage the normally explosive Longhorn offense can have. In reality, it allowed Jackson to have one of the biggest games in his varsity career. A junior linebacker, Jackson posted a career-high three sacks to help set the tone in a 27-20 win over the Longhorns. “The plan was to keep everything in front of us because they’re explosive,” Jackson said. “We haven’t seen them on film march it down the field yet, they get big plays at big times. We kept them in front of us and we executed.” Jackson’s three sacks were three of five plays the Panthers executed that put Cedar Hill in negative yardage. Two of those negative yardage plays came on fourth down in the second half when a reception went for a 2-yard loss on a Vincent Panza tackle and Jackson sacked quarterback Driphus Jackson for a loss of three. Both plays halted potential point scoring drives to keep the Panthers in front. Two weeks ago, Midlothian’s defense was embarrassed by a Duncanville offense that threw and ran for 482 combined yards while scoring 51 points. Players and coaches pointed to that game as a learning experience for the unit on how to compete against big-play offenses. If Friday was the test, the Panthers passed. Cedar Hill fell well short of its 518 yards per game season average with just 402. It was the lowest total the Longhorns have posted since gaining 365 against Abilene in last year’s regional semifinal. The previous low total this season was 444 against Mansfield Legacy. The Panthers started that performance early by forcing Cedar Hill to a three-andout on the first series of the game. It’s the first time since stopping Justin Northwest on its first possession of the game.
Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
Midlothian linebacker Jarmon Jackson (10) sacks Cedar Hill quarterback Driphus Jackson. Jarmon Jackson picked up three sacks on the night as the Panther defense sacked Driphus Jackson four times. The only hiccup of the first half came after Midlothian took a 3-0 lead on its first drive. The Longhorns responded with an eight-play drive that covered 71 yards and resulted in a touchdown for a 7-3 lead. Luckily the offense responded with a score to take a 10-7 lead on the next drive. The
Panthers would not trail again. “There were times they had big plays and we didn’t lose our composure. We continued to play,” defensive coordinator Chris King said. “I just can’t say enough about their effort and about their enthusiasm. I don’t really know how many people be-
lieved we could do it but I knew everyone in that locker room did. We got hot early and made some stops and that was really, really big.” The defense stopped Cedar Hill on fourth down, forced a punt and had the clock expire at the half after the Panther offense posted another touchdown to go up 24-7. Despite the three-possession lead, Midlothian got a scare to start the second half when Cedar Hill successfully executed an onside kick. Again the defense appeared to have held by forcing a fourth down and 10 but the Longhorns hit a pass in the end zone. Instead of a score, they were flagged for an ineligible man downfield but should have been penalized for trying to throw a pass beyond the of scrimmage. That kept the drive alive with a fourth down and 15, which they converted. But on third and six, the Panthers finally caught a break as a pass was tipped by Gage Windsor and landed in the hands of Eric Agbaroji. Midlothian stopped Cedar Hill on fourth down the next two drives before giving up back-to-back touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter. The two drives were seven and nine plays long respectively covering 65 and 70 yards. While the scores narrowed the gap and made the ending interesting, they were of no consequence. The end result was an impressive showing against an impressive team. The Longhorns were held to season lows in points, total yards and passing yards. The only other team to keep Cedar Hill under 200 total yards rushing was the state’s No. 5 team Allen. How’d the Panthers do it? Simple – playing sound football. “The coaches prepared us all week. We just stayed with our technique,” Panza said. “We just did what we had to do. We all swarmed, be physical, wrap them up because they’re quick and they can get away.” 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, October 20, 2010 Midlothian Mirror 3C
Volleyball remains in prime position Team remains firmly in the hunt for school’s first 5A district championship By ALEX RILEY
Box scores
Mirror sports writer
MANSFIELD – Beating one of the top teams in the district. Check. Having the other top team as your season finale. Check. Playing some of your best volleyball at the right time. Check. Welcome, Midlothian, to controlling your own destiny. With Tuesday’s victory over District 5-5A leading Mansfield, the Lady Panther program has put itself in a position few thought would be possible this season – the driver’s seat. “It feels awesome, really good. We worked really hard and we knew we needed to win this game,” junior Tadam Mergener said. During the first half of district play, Mansfield rolled through the competition with wins over every District 5-5A opponent for a perfect record. Duncanville was just ahead of Midlothian thanks to beating the Lady Panthers the first time around. But when Duncanville beat Mansfield in the second matchup of the season, the door was cracked open for Midlothian to get back into title contention. The Lady Panthers did just that with a five-set win over Mansfield last Tuesday. That creates a potential seasonending situation with a lot on the line. If the trio of Midlothian, Duncanville and Mansfield can all win out up to the last week, that would make the game between Midlothian and Duncanville for a share of the
Oct. 12 @ Mansfield W, 20-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-21, 15-13. Oct. 15 vs. Cedar Hill W, 25-15, 26-24, 26-24
Upcoming schedule Oct. 22 @ Grand Prairie Oct. 26 @Duncanville
district title. All three teams could potentially have two losses in district play with the regular season series being a 1-1 split. If that happens, there would be seeding games to determine who finishes in what spot. Of course it’s all hypothetical at this point. “I feel great going into these last few games here. Of course we’re not going to overlook anybody and that’s going to be a challenge because we know ultimately where Duncanville’s sitting but we have three more games in between us and them,” coach Rhonda Currey said. “All the work would be for nothing if you let one of them sneak up on you.” Standing in between Midlothian and that shot at a district title are
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
If coach Rhonda Currey and her Lady Panther volleyball team can win out until the season finale with Duncanville, that matchup would be for the district championship. South Grand Prairie (Oct. 19) and Grand Prairie (Oct. 22). The Lady Panthers beat Cedar Hill on Friday in straight sets after being taken to five in the first meeting this season. In both previous matches this season with South Grand Prairie and Grand Prairie, the Lady Panthers swept each school although the scores were relatively close. South Grand Prairie lost by four in its first set before dropping by 10 and eight in the next two. Similarly, Grand Prairie managed to fall by just four
in set two but by eight in the other two sets. If the Lady Panthers can get past those two teams unscathed and Duncanville beats Grand Prairie and Mansfield Timberview, that would set up the regular season finale with all those implications. Currey said she is unsure how a decision would be made in playing for seeding. Potential coin flips and playoff games might be used but all that is still unclear. All the Lady Panthers know is
they are in contention and must remain there. That is all that matters. “I don’t want to take anything for granted. We’re going to take one game at a time and I hope it comes down to us and Duncanville playing and I hope we’re shooting for a three-way tie,” Currey said. “That’s what it’s about and that’s making a statement.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
In the win column Tennis team inches Hockey rides fast start, timely defense to first victory By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS – The first one is always the hardest one to come by. After failing to hold a late lead in the season opener and being unable to rally in game two, the Midlothian hockey team opened and closed strong against Arlington Wild, picking up a 6-3 win to even its record to 1-1-1. “It feels good. It’s a sigh of relief. We’d like to have more and obviously we’re going to try for more but it feels good to finally have one,” defender Grayson Ridge said. The team raced out to a 2-0 first period lead as Trent Newman took assists by Blake Parker and Brent Jones into the net just 1:48 into the game for a powerplay goal. About four minutes later, Jones got the favor returned as Newman and Parker hit him with passes for another powerplay goal and a 2-0 lead. Arlington Wild responded with a Forrest Whiddon score to cut the gap in half. But Midlothian didn’t let up in the first as Newman punched in a shorthanded goal off a Joseph Dancy assist for a 3-1 lead. McClain Williamson added to the margin with the only goal of the second period off a Jones assist to make it a 4-1 lead for the Panthers. The team appeared to be cruising to the victory. But it wasn’t quite that easy. Whidden scored twice in the first three and a half minutes of the third period, once on a shorthanded goal and again off a Payton Baldillez assist to whittle the margin down to one at 4-3. Aside from that four-minute stretch, the defense played well on the night but still showed how far they have to go. “Our anticipation’s null and void right now. We have to start looking ahead. You don’t need to be a mind reader or fortune teller to anticipate a sport and we’re not doing it,” coach Ryan Pfeiffer said. “We have to try to start looking ahead more and anticipate as opposed to being happy with the status quo. It can always get better until the puck’s in the net and we have to start to sniff those situations out more.”
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Grayson Ridge helped pace the defense limited Arlington Wild to one goal through two periods. Box scores Oct. 14 vs. Arlington Wild W, 6-3 Goals: Trent Newman (3), Brent Jones, Chris Green, McClain Williamson Assists: Blake Parker (2), Brent Jones (2), Trent Newman, McClain Williamson, Joseph Dancy Goalie: Conner Graham 14 saves
Upcoming schedule Oct. 21 vs. Keller Oct. 28 vs. Grapevine Nov. 4 Mansfield (All three at Brahamas Arena at 7:50 p.m.)
But the Panthers would close out the win thanks to veteran play from its seasoned players. Newman notched the hat trick with a goal at the 12:44 mark of the third period off assists by Williamson and Joseph Dancy while Chris Green got into the scoring act on an unassisted goal about a 1:15 later.
Those scores iced the game and got Midlothian back in the win column. The Panthers were hit with 11 penalties on the night for 22 minutes and spent much of the night with at least one man in the penalty box. Twice they were down two men, resulting in a 5-on-3 advantage and both times they were able to kill the penalty thanks to solid defense. “It definitely feels good to have the foundation of our game getting strong. Hopefully we can keep building on that, keep working on our goalies or forwards and also our defense,” Ridge said. While the win was a good feeling, Pfeiffer knows his team is a long way from being a playoff team as they were last season. Over the course of the night, the veteran coach liked what he saw as his team began to mature. Still, one game is a long way from a whole season. “You forget about that once the puck drops, you just go out there and play. It felt like an extension of last year, a lot of the same faces,” Pfeiffer said. “We got off the schneid. It wasn’t clean yet, we’ve still got a long way to go.” Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews.com or at 469517-1456.
closer to regionals
The march toward a regional appearance for the Midlothian tennis team got off to a good start on Friday as the Panthers swept through Mansfield Timberview with a 10-0 victory. Midlothian traveled to Duncanville on Tuesday afternoon for a matchup to determine who would go to regionals as the second place team. The team entered district tournament play as the No. 2 seed while Timberview was the No. 3 seed. Results from the final district match were not available as of press time. The Panthers finished the regular season with a 5-2 district record on losses to Duncanville and Mansfield. The two teams finished tied for the district’s top spot with 6-1 records. Two teams from District 5-5A will advance to the regional tournament and the Panthers are hoping to claim that spot. The tennis team would become the first Midlothian program to make regionals as a 5A Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror team since the school’s switch. Kaylee Hullett (left), Julia Deloach (right) and the –Alex Riley tennis team are a win away from regionals.
Please note: Results from Tuesday’s with Duncanville were not available as of press time. Updates on the team’s quest for a regional berth will be in next week’s paper.
4C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Frank Seale seventh-grade volleyball update
Sports
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
MISD Sports Roundup
their record 5-2 and 2-2 in district. The blue freshman team swept the series against Cedar Hill with a 28-22 victory. Brenden Cornell could be seen all over the field catching balls out of the back field, tackling and defending passes. The offensive line of Brandon North, Troy Sweeney, Tristian Griffin, Aaron Jobe and Jon Subers played its best game of the season. The defense played great all night. Tariq Mustaffa, Austin Adams, and Ryan Sisco covered the field well while Dylan Clary and Michael Scott played sound defense that led to some big plays.
The Frank Seale seventh-grade B volleyball team defeated Coble last week 25-7, 2522. Taylor Huffstutler served for 17 points in a row and Sara Smitherman served for six points. The Lady Cubs battled on defense to take the second game and the victory. The win brings the Lady Cubs’ district record to 5-1. The Frank Seale seventh-grade A team picked up a big win over the Coble Lady Coyotes. The girls fell short in game one losing 24-26 but rallied to win the final two sets 25-13, 25-19 to claim the victory. The victory puts the team at 4-2 in district play.
Sophomore football update
Walnut Grove seventh-grade volleyball update
The Walnut Grove seventh-grade Lady Cats hosted the Danny Jones Bulldogs and ended the night with two solid victories both each. The white team played a good game passing, setting and hitting all around and finished the match in two sets with a 25-18, 25-23 win. Outstanding performances include serving by Ayaunee Williams, CeCe Madison and Paige Stimmel. The win puts the White team at 4-2 in district play. The blue team completed the sweep of Danny Jones by winning in two sets as well, 25-19, 25-22. Solid passing, communication and great serving were the keys to victory. Stand-out passing performances by Tarin Mergener, Joely Henderson and Brittany Leake helped set the pace. Solid serving performances include Kinlea Reddick and Mergener. Just like the white team, the blue squad is at 4-2 in district.
Frank Seale eighth-grade volleyball update
The Frank Seale eighth-grade B team beat the Coble Lady Coyotes in two games 25-19, 25-14. In the second game Storri Williams served for eight points. The Frank Seale eighth-grade A team in their win over the Coble Coyotes 25-6, 25-11. The Lady Cubs are on their way to a undefeated district record, currently standing at 6-0.
Walnut Grove eighth-grade volleyball update
The Walnut Grove eighth-grade volleyball teams defeated Danny Jones last night. The Lady Cats B team won in two sets 25-14, 2522. Top servers were Callen Gentry, Reilly Bengston and Carley Haizlip. The A team also won in two sets, 25-9, 25-14. Top servers were Keaton Shirk, Hannah Hester and Aubrey Starnes. Both teams played strong defense throughout the matches. With the wins, both teams have improved to 6-0 in district.
Freshman volleyball update
Last Tuesday, the freshman volleyball team lost to Mansfield High 23-25, 16-25. The freshman got back on the winning track with a pair of wins over Cedar Hill on Friday. The A team won 25-12, 25-18 to improve to 18-8 overall and 8-3 in district. The B team also won, going three sets with the Lady Longhorns for a 25-22, 21-25, 25-18 win. The B team improves to 4-10 overall and 4-5 in district.
Junior varsity volleyball update
The junior varsity volleyball team defeated Cedar Hill in two sets on Friday, 25-15, 2512. The team’s overall record is now 25-3 with a district record of 9-2.
Frank Seale seventh-grade football update
The Frank Seale seventh-grade white started the school’s games last week with an aggressive plan against Coble but came up short 18-0. The offense was led by Karsten Green, Blake Colburn and Kylar Costillo. The defense was led by Santos Borunda, Thomas Hickman and Hunter Harkrider. The seventh-grade blue team played hard and scored often but fell short against Coble 32-19. The offense was led by Ryan Breaud who ran and received the ball for more 200 yards of total offense with two touchdowns. Jacob Web threw a 60-yard touchdown to Keion Sutton. The offensive line was led by Caleb Bly, Ian Atchinson, Grant Bolgiano, Brian Webster and Sonny Kemp. The defense was led by Connor Malone, Jake Ammerman and Matthew Cherry. The seventh-grade black team played the Howard Knights in a tough 22-7 loss. The Knights struck quickly with two early touchdowns in the first half but a blocked point after attempt by Trevor Mathis kept the score within reach. Offensively, Frank Seale scored on a 35yard pass from Dalton Teater to Colton Ivey for the only points of the game and last points scored by either team. Brock McLemore also had a 30-yard run. Defensively, the team held Howard to one touchdown in the second half after settling down and swarming to the ball. The unit forced several fumbles but was un-
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
The freshman program completed a two-game sweep of Cedar Hill this week as the white team won 14-12 thanks to a second half shutout and the blue team used solid running to get a 28-22 win. able to recover them, keeping the pressure on in the second half. Trevor Mathis also had a late interception to stop a drive.
Walnut Grove seventh-grade football update
If you left early you missed the best game of the year. With a scoreless game at the half, the Walnut Grove seventh-grade blue team rallied to pull out a 12-6 win over Danny Jones. Cedric Whitaker came up with a big interception in the first half as great defensive plays were also put in by Hunter Pustejovsky, Garrett Hopgood, Jalen Crawford, Gabriel Andrade and Karson Conrad. The Bulldogs started the scoring in the third quarter with a 60-yard run around the left end for the first score of the game. The Wildcats defense stiffened up as they kept pressure on the Bulldogs. With four minutes remaining in the game, the Cats’ Zach Humphreys threw a ball to Tyrik Ramirez for a 14-yard touchdown. The point after touchdown was no good and the score was tied at 6-6. Jones got the ball back after a good kickoff return and had the ball at the Wildcat 40-yard line. On first down the Bulldogs ran eight yards up the middle of the field. That’s when the defense rose up, as the Bulldogs failed to gain the first down and the Wildcat offense took over possession with 1:17 left on the clock. The Wildcats made a first down and passed the ball down to the 40-yard line of the Bulldogs. Walnut Grove called a time-out to set up an exciting finish. Facing fourth down with three seconds remaining, Humphreys dropped back for a pass and hit a wide open Jalen Crawford for the touchdown with no time remaining to post the winning points in a thrilling comeback. The offensive line led by Colton Robinson, Pustejovsky, Conrad, Hopgood and Andrade gave Humphreys the time to deliver the ball. Others that played well and contributed to the victory were Grant Upchurch, Cody Wilkerson, Ryan Robbins, Landon Chamberlin, Ryan Bannister (fumble recovery), Brady Womack, Tristin Verhagen, Blake Bauer, Tyler Rhodes, Antonio Fiallos, Dylan Byers and Mason Starnes. The win moves the Wildcats’ record to 3-2. The Danny Jones Bulldogs returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for their lone score of the game as the Walnut Grove seventhgrade white team rallied for a 26-6 win. The Wildcats scored twice in the first quarter on runs from Jabrelan Esparza and Charles Howard. Ezekiel Brown added another score in the second quarter to boost the lead. The last score by the Wildcats came on an Esparza run off tackle. The offensive line of Kaleb Flores, Cruz Houston, Weston Grant, Lynden Carter, James Monreal and Marcos Coronado did a great job of opening holes for the backs. The defense was led by Alex Serna, Austin Ridgley, Jabrelan Esparza, T.J. Rushing and Bryson Shull. The defense had fumble recoveries from Ezekiel Brown and Charles Hoard. The win moves the team record to 3-1. The Wildcat seventh-grade black team led a fearsome assault against Danny Jones with a 6-0 victory. Michael Mckenrick led the Wildcat stampede with more than 80 yards rushing and scored the winning touchdown for his team. Matt DeWolfe and Chandler Doud did a great job of blocking for the Wildcats. The defensive rush was led by Chris Calvery, Garreth Rogers and Thomas Halcomb, whose efforts limited Danny Jones to just two first downs all game. The defensive and offensive linemen set the tone to help the black team succeed and maintain a 4-0 record.
Frank Seale eighth-grade football update
The Frank Seale eighth-grade white team played tough but lost 38-13 to Coleman last week. Key players on offense included Connor Chapman who ran for a touchdown, and Ethan Brewer, who caught a 6-yard touchdown from Garrett Hofstad. Andrew Thompson and Nic Vela ran the ball well behind solid offensive line play. The defense was led by Chris Griffth, Grant Adams, Emilo Ramirez, Cody Tucker and Wyatt Miller. The eighth-grade blue team played hard but also lost to Coleman, 40-6. The offense was led by Jimmy Fouse, Nic Quintero, Chris Martinez, Jonathon Rekoph and Tyler Mannichi. The defense was led by Tyler Gibson, Brandon Dikes and Tyler Oxford.
Walnut Grove eighth-grade football update
Walnut Grove’s eighth-grade blue team fought hard against a massive Danny Jones defense but fell 44-6. Henri Seastrunk attempted to motivate his Wildcat offense after a 20-yard TD run in the third quarter. The defensive line, though battered and torn, put up a tremendous effort to contain the Bulldog passing game to no yards. The Wildcats eighth-grade white offense was explosive in the first half against the Bulldogs en route to a 30-8 win. Joseph Lopez stopped the first Bulldog drive with a safety in the opening minutes. The offense was led by quarterback Austin Wells with the first quarter touchdown and followed by another touchdown from Nick Hoover in the second. Christian Espinoza put icing on the cake with two successful extra point kicks and added an interception return for a 55-yard touchdown. Several Bulldog drives were stopped by interceptions from Wells and Hoover in the second quarter. A kickoff fumble recovery by Konner Sanghera led to the final Wildcat touchdown by Clade Clanton. The Wildcat black team had a great game defensively in a 13-0 shutout against Waxahachie. Defensively for Walnut Grove, Colby Landrum had several big tackles for a loss. Londyn Slaughter also had several big stops. It was a great team defensive effort with the players swarming to the football. Also contributing on the defensive side were Basilio Rocha, Robert Alber, Sabrien Wheeler, Dakota Sanders, Dustin Hlavinka, Gus Deraleau, Byron Bolden, Connor Davidson, J.R. Worrells, Alec Greeson, Justin Robbins and Dylan Steinke. Worrells also recovered a fumble. Offensively for the Wildcats, Slaughter led the way with touchdown runs of 70 and 46 yards. Slaughter finished the game with 150 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Billy Kirkpatrick ran in the point after attempt. Tyler Henderson also had several nice runs and a 60-yard kickoff return. The offensive line of Vicent Shackelford, Robert Alber, Hlavinka, Anthony Rodriguez and Wheeler had some really good blocks.
The Midlothian sophomore football team fell to Cedar Hill, 20-18, in a close hard fought battle, that ended in a turnover in the end zone with 30 seconds remaining. Long plays hurt the Panthers defensively, and proved to be the difference in the game. Outstanding defenders included Nathan HillWise, Clay Barrientos, Jesse Bailey, Collin Garcia and Jacoby Womack. Offensively, the Panthers fought hard and put themselves into a position to win. A late interception in the end zone sealed the deal for the Longhorns. Standouts on offense included Dustin Martin (85 yards rushing and a touchdown), Jaylan Peoples (100 yards receiving, two touchdowns) and the offensive line of Brandon Roath, Jaylan Merrick and Aaron Jones.
Junior varsity football update
The junior varsity Midlothian football team lost to Cedar Hill 48-0. Special teams standouts were J.W. Grigsby and Will Marr. Offensive standouts for the Panthers were Cameron Jackson, Nathan Lykins, Gage Thompson and Josh Beaty. The defense struggled on the night against a very fast Cedar Hill offense. Jake Avery continued to standout for the Panthers despite a tough night overall.
Junior varsity tennis update
The Midlothian junior varsity tennis team played a dominating district match against the Cedar Hill Longhorns getting a 19-0 win. Zandy Huff and Jodi Jackson won in girls doubles. Huff, Elyse Schrader and Katie Bass each won their girls singles matches. Boys double teams Joe Hernandez and Brantlin Wilkes, and Jake Go and Zach Wagnon picked up wins. All four boys also won their singles matches. The JV tennis team competed in a district tennis match on Oct. 14 against the Timberview Timberwolves. The Panthers earned a hard-fought 12-7 victory to extend their district record to 5-1 and overall record to 5-2. Wins against Timberview included the girls doubles teams of Jackson and Schrader, and Bass and Lauren Mayer. Boys doubles winners were Brantlin Wilkes and Riley Chastain. Huff and Go won in mixed doubles. Girls singles match winners were Huff, Schrader and Bass. Boys singles winners were Riley Chastain, Wilkes, Go, McIlheney and Andre Castillo.
Cross country update
The Midlothian cross country teams ran well on Friday at the Mansfield Invitational. The girls team placed second overall with Carly Kitts placing first. The boys placed sixth as a team with Davis Cearley coming in first for Midlothian. Also, Jordan Hook ran well at the Cedar Hill Invitational on Thursday –Alex Riley and staff reports
Freshman football update
The freshman white team played a huge game against Cedar Hill this week, coming away with a 14-12 win. It was another huge game for Wesley Smith as he was all over the field on defense and made a couple huge plays. Another standout on defense was Brandon Vineyard. The defense, which gave up 12 points in the first half, did not let them score another point in the second half. Standouts on offense were Taylor Rawlinson, Tristan Oliphant and Roman Brown. All three, with an enormous help from the offensive line, brought the Panthers to victory in the second half. This was a huge game for the Panthers and they came out on top, making
Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror
Midlothian cross country runner Davis Cearley took home top individual honors at the Mansfield Invitational.
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Cedar Hill Game Notebook
Sports
Facing a familiar opponent By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
When Nick Mitchell made his first appearance of the night, the senior had a mix of nerves and calmness. He was coming in off the bench in one of the biggest games of the season for Midlothian to replace an injured starter. Strangely, the opponent was the calming part. Mitchell, a transfer from Cedar Hill, came on to replace Jesse Rios at the start of the second half and on his first play tackled running back Ronnie Green for no gain. How’s that for making your presence known? “I knew every one of these kids. I started playing my first year of football with (quarterback) Driphus (Jackson. It wasn’t like it was anything new. All these plays they’re running, I’ve seen them. I knew all their calls,” Mitchell said with a smile. Over the course of the season, Mitchell has made sporadic appearances on the defensive line, amassing one solo and four assisted tackles for the year. But when Rios dislocated his kneecap in the first half and came up limping on the team’s run out of the tunnel to start the second half, Mitchell was called up and put in for the remainder of the game on defense. He made his impact known with three solo tackles on the night, all in the second half. The insertion into the lineup was a special moment for Mitchell who soaked in the moment, especially as the two teams shook hands at midfield. “It meant a lot to me. I couldn’t stop crying after the game. It meant so much to me to win this game because everyone on that sideline didn’t give us a chance in hell to win this game. It just turned out the way we wanted it and we played our butts off,” Mitchell said.
Need to know info Grand Prairie High School Enrollment: 2,840 2009 record: 2-7, 2-4 district Coach: Gary Bartel (fifth year)
Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
After transferring from Cedar Hill, Nick Mitchell got the chance to play against his old team thanks to an injury. He posted three tackles, a season high, all in the second half.
For a preview of Friday’s Grand Prairie game, see 1A in his legs left Wilson nearly immobile by game’s end. That allowed Diedrich to go into the game and hit the attempt. That field goal ensured that Midlothian would only be tied if Cedar Hill were to score three touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game. Not bad for a guy who had no expectations of even playing. “I didn’t even think I was going to go in that game. I was kind of sitting there enjoying it,” Diedrich said.
Block party
Along with his three sacks on the night, junior linebacker Jarmon Jackson came up with another huge play for Midlothian when he blocked a point after attempt on Cedar Hill’s third touchdown of the night. The block came on the Longhorns’
final possession when they scored with just under two minutes left in the game to cut the margin to 27-20. Jackson leapt over the line to block the kick, which proved to be vital. Had Cedar Hill been able to recover an onside kick and score, a touchdown and point after kick would have only meant a tie game instead of a one-point advantage. It was the fourth time this season Midlothian has come up with a kick block as Eric Agbaroji has a field goal and point after block and Nathan Fisher has a partial punt block.
Injury update
As previously stated, Jesse Rios sat out the entire second half with a dislocated kneecap sustained in the first half. He will be reevaluated later this week. Dillon Wilson’s tightness is an issue that has stretched back a few games but team trainers have been unable to figure out the source. Wilson is expected to go to a doctor this week for testing. His status remains up in the air. Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews. com or at 469-517-1456.
Box Score Midlothian 27, Cedar Hill 20
Passing Dillon Fairbanks 11-of-16 for 91 yards with three touchdowns
Man. Legacy 7 0 0 13 Midlothian 10 14 0 3 Total yards First downs Penalty-yard Rushes/yds Passing yds
Cedar Midlo 402 311 22 14 4-45 6-53 429/174 24/220 228 91
Rushing Dillon Fairbanks 27 carries for 127 yards, Justin Seeton eight carries for 87 yards Receiving Justin Seeton three catches for 31 yards and two touchdowns, Colton Thigpen three catches for 21 yards and a touchdown,
Brian Dupont two catches for 23 yards, Phillip Smith two catches for 10 yards, Derrek Agbaroji one catch for six yards Defensive plays Interceptions: Eric Agbaroji Sacks: Jarmon Jackson (3), Ryan Jaisale Tackle for loss: Vincent Panza Fumble forced: Bryce Murphy Fumble recovery: Vincent Panza Top tackler: Nathan Fisher (12)
Panther players of the week Scout player of the week Kyle McComas
Offensive player of the week Dillon Fairbanks, SR.
Week 8 details Who: Midlothian (4-3) vs. Grand Prairie (2-5) Where: Gopher-Warrior Bowl When: Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
A warm welcome to the field, part 2
Mitchell wasn’t the only player getting his time in the spotlight during Friday’s game as junior Jordan Diedrich made his first varsity appearance and in the most unlikely of places. Diedrich, who made a splash this spring by catching six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the spring game, was relegated to the junior varsity team due to a muddled receiver picture. But it wasn’t his hands that got him on the field against Cedar Hill as Diedrich came on in relief of normal place kicker Dillon Wilson to hit a 30-yard field goal in the fourth period that capped the scoring for Midlothian. With the game still in the balance and the Panthers needing insurance points, Diedrich was asked to hit the kick. When asked about the amount of pressure he felt, the junior simply said, “Tons.” “I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll give it my best,’” Diedrich said with a laugh. “It was good blocking up front, good hold and snap so that kind of made me relax.” On the junior varsity team, Diedrich had been a standout receiver and kicker, helping to lead the team all season. But injuries forced the coaching staff to call up the junior along with teammate Bryce Fausett. Fausett was the junior varsity starting quarterback and earned plenty of playing time at receiver against Cedar Hill but did not have a catch. Normally, Wilson handles the kicking duties and did hit a touchback kickoff, 32-yard field goal and three extra point attempts on the night. But a tightening
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Midlothian Mirror 5C
Defensive player of the week Eric Agbaroji, SR
Special teams player of the week
Nathan Fisher, SR.
Teacher of the week Mrs. Seago
Notes: The Gophers got off to a promising start this season, picking up two wins in nondistrict play to open 2-1. Sadly, it’s been downhill from there. District 5-5A has not been kind to Grand Prairie thus far with each of the first four district opponents they’ve faced posting 49-plus points. Meanwhile, the offense has been lackluster with just one 20-point game in district play. Despite the offensive woes, Grand Prairie does have weapons, especially at wide receiver. Junior Devante Lacy is a rising star with 57 receptions for 798 yards and eight touchdowns already this season. On the opposite side of the field, the Gophers have Patrick Palmer with 24 grabs for 313 yards and two scores. That duo make up great targets for quarterback Tommy Alvarez who has thrown for 1,314 yards already this year. Up until last week, Alvarez had been moderately careful with the football but four interceptions against Mansfield Timberview give him 10 touchdowns against 12 interceptions for the season. The Gophers’ passing game makes up for a struggling running attack. Dequan McCoy headlines the group with 59 carries for 242 yards and two scores while Alvarez has 80 rushes for 120 yards and four scores. No other player has more than 40 yards rushing and no one else has a rushing touchdown. Defensively, the Gophers have one big standout in defensive lineman Colton Bowen. The 6-foot-4 senior is drawing interest from Arkansas, Purdue and Ole Miss among others. Joining Bowen is fellow senior Lee Soto who has also played well. Only two teams have been held to under 200 yards rushing by the Gopher defense this year and both were in non-district. The defense is averaging 46.7 points allowed per game. Other players to watch: Trevoris Bucker (DB), Josh Vasquez (OL), Alex Rostro (K)
Three things to watch 1. Grand Prairie gives up a lot of yards and a lot of points. But can they really be as bad as the stats say? The Gophers have a little bit of talent but obviously not enough. They have size but every game seems to be a mismatch for this team. Midlothian’s offense isn’t exactly a point scoring machine so this is either a good week to get on track or a good week for Grand Prairie to balance out its stats. The Panthers ran well on Cedar HIll, expect more of the same this week. 2. The Gopher offense has hit a wall since entering district play. What’s the issue? Grand Prairie scored a combined 99 points in three non-district games. Since then, just 47, including three games with less than 14 points. On a good team, Devante Lacy would be a star. Teams are obviously willing to give him yardage because no one else on the team will get it. After Lacy and Patrick Palmer, no one on the team has more than 57 yards receiving. With a two-man passing offense and no run game, Midlothian’s defense should have a field day. 3. You hate to say it but could this be a trap game? Might the Panthers be looking past the Gophers? You would certainly hope not because it wasn’t long ago this team was 1-9. Midlothian has made itself a playoff contender and can just as easily take itself out of playoff contention with a loss to either Grand Prairie or Mansfield Timberview, both teams they are better than. But, if the Panthers can win those two, the playoffs are within reach. Until then, first things first.
– Alex Riley
Sports
6C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Alex Riley, Sports Writer 469-517-1456 | alex.riley@wninews.com
Creating a legacy Fairbanks gets marquee win, still looking for more By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
Midlothian quarterback Dillon Fairbanks looks to stiff arm a Cedar Hill defender for extra yardage during Friday’s 27-20 win. Fairbanks rushed for a career high 133 yards on 27 carries against the Longhorns. He also passed for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
Before the season started, Midlothian quarterback Dillon Fairbanks talked about his record setting junior season, his emergence onto the varsity scene and what he could accomplish with a statistically sound season. He called all of it worthless unless he could get wins along the way. On Friday, Fairbanks got his wish. In one of his best career performances as a leader, the senior threw three touchdowns while rushing for 133 yards in a 27-20 upset of Cedar Hill. The normally reserved Fairbanks acknowledged the importance of the win, not only for the team but for his own legacy. And rightfully so. “It’s a pretty good feeling beating Cedar Hill. It’s a great accomplishment on my part. I just love my team, thank them and I couldn’t have gotten it done without them,” Fairbanks said. Two weeks removed from being sidelined with a high ankle sprain, Fairbanks rose above the injury and above what many thought he was capable of doing by running amuck on a fast Longhorn defense. He showed no ill effects of the injury on any of his 27 carries, grinding out a run game for the offense. He only broke two runs for 10-plus yards on the night but it was more than enough to get the win. Fairbanks’ success came in large part to the team’s running of the option read. With teamleading rusher Justin Seeton in the backfield, the duo read the defense for openings. In the past few weeks, Fairbanks had given the ball off to Seeton more than running himself. Maybe that’s what Cedar Hill was expecting. Instead, they got a quarterback bound and determined to find a running lane. It was his first 100-yard game of the season. “I knew this was a big game. I knew I had to kind of show out to them. I had a lot of people, Cedar Hill was kind of jawing, run-
ning their mouth. I just showed them up,” Fairbanks said. The Panther offensive game plan also scaled back the amount of deep passes Fairbanks was asked to attempt. The team completed just three passes for more than 10 yards and relied on screen passes heavily. Two of those screens went for touchdowns to Seeton on throwback plays where Fairbanks rolled the offense to one side of the field leaving the sophomore running back on the other side. Seeton hauled in screens for touchdowns of 15 and 10 yards. It was his first career twotouchdown receiving game. The other touchdown went to senior receiver Colton Thigpen on a comeback route at the front of the end zone. Fairbanks squeezed the 5-yard pass in a tight window just before halftime to put the team up 24-7. It was Thigpen’s first score of the season. “They have a lot of speed but we knew we could. We just had to play our game, that’s all it was. Play our game, run hard routes, that’s all it was,” Thigpen said. “It feels awesome. I’m just glad we won. That’s all I wanted to do was win.” With three games left in the season, Fairbanks has a chance to finish his career by accomplishing both goals – going out a winner and being a statistical great in program history. Though he’s well off his passing numbers from last season, he will still leave a mark with close to 4,000 yards. More importantly, the Panthers are closing in on a playoff berth, a winning season and one of the biggest feel-good stories in Texas high school football this season. Now that’s a legacy. “We’re trying to make a statement to everyone and show them. I’m pretty sure instead of just our town and around here shocking them, I’m pretty sure we just shocked the state,” Fairbanks said. Contact Alex at alex.riley@wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Panthers control Jackson, force turnovers By ALEX RILEY Mirror sports writer
Eric Agbaroji has heard it all before. Every time the Midlothian defense goes up against a good passing team, Agbaroji becomes the guy everyone wants to analyze. Can he lead the secondary? Can he be a shutdown cornerback? Agbaroji wasn’t worried about those questions this week, even though the team was going against one of the best quarterbacks in the Metroplex. Instead, he was listening to the smack talk and soaking it all in. With less than 15 miles between the two towns, the friendships and knowledge of each other led to a heated week of text messages and Internet chatter between Midlothian and Cedar Hill. The Panther defense got the last word. “I told you the other day it was going to be a challenge the secondary was going to take and I think we took it pretty well. They were talking a lot of smack. One of our players got a text message saying they were going to air us out,” Agbaroji said. “It was like bark with no bite. It’s just a great win, great game, team effort. It hasn’t set in yet. Guess it will in the morning.” Agbaroji was a big part of a secondary that minimized the damage done by Cedar Hill quarterback Driphus Jackson. Coming into the game, Jackson was a statistical phenom with just under 1,700 yards, a 70.63 completion percentage and 18 touchdowns in six games. He had been held to under 230 yards just once in the game against Mansfield Legacy, a team with three Division
Riley
Continued from Page 1C
nearly every position. This story has been written a hundred times before. Wiginton didn’t budge. Call it long time coach’s intuition (he was a head coach at several schools in the state for many years). Maybe it was a good day of golf like he jokingly said. Could a few good hours on the front nine really have caused a moment of football clarity? Whatever it was, Wiginton was sure Midlothian was on the verge of
I secondary prospects. Aside from that game, Jackson had multiple touchdown passes and at least 235 yards passing in every outing. All that changed on Friday. Jackson was held to just one passing score and 204 yards while completing 17-of-30 pass attempts. The 56.7 completion percentage is the second lowest single-game rate he’s had all season (12-of-24 for 50 percent against Timberview). More important than that, the Panther defense forced the Longhorn offense into uncharacteristic turnovers. A Jackson pass to running back Laquvionte Gonzalez was the first of those miscues as he was stripped of the ball heading into the end zone for a sure touchdown. That fumble was followed by a tipped pass on the first possession of the second half by Gage Windsor that Agbaroji snared for his second interception of the season. Seniors Nathan Fisher, Windsor and Agbaroji each had a pass defended but that tipped ball turned out to be the biggest. The ability to force turnovers was one of many things that bucked the trend for the night. “Early in the year, we really struggled on not causing turnovers and that’s something that (coach) Lee (Wiginton) and I are always really, really big on. We kind of go back to how you do that and a couple things you do is you coach it harder and the other thing is you simplify your schemes so that the kids are confident. And we were pretty simple,” defensive coordinator Chris King said. “We weren’t going to anything real fancy, we were going to keep them in front of us and make them
pulling the upset. I made my way down to the field at half to speak with my photographer and on my way back up the stair, there was Wiginton in his seat. He just smiled that “I told you so” grin. All I could do was shrug. Over the next 24 minutes, Midlothian proved me wrong. They probably proved some of you wrong as well. Instead of collapsing, losing composure or running out of energy, this team revamped. Sure, the Longhorns’ scored twice at the end but that’s what prevent defense does. The Panthers were fine with giving up short bits of yardage for a drive as
drive the ball. We didn’t give up big plays, which is what they thrive on. It just never really felt like they had momentum.” A prime example of that lack of momentum came on the last play of the first half when Cedar Hill appeared headed for points on a field goal try but opted instead to go for a touchdown with just :04 left in the half and the ball at the 12-yard line. A pass from Jackson to standout receiver Lovett Gibson went for 11 yards as Agbaroji made a touchdown saving tackle to bring Gibson down inches short of the goal line. “To me, the play of the game was the play before the half when they didn’t get in the end zone because what it did was it changed the second half,” Midlothian coach Lee Wiginton said. “If they get in there, we’re going to have to be a little more aggressive. Not that that would have been a bad thing but you never know. That lack of a score there allowed us to be a little more conservative, chew up a little more clock. It was a huge stop for us defensively there at about the six-inch line.” It’s plays like that which have put Midlothian in unfamiliar territory – a winning record and a realistic shot at a playoff berth. But Agbaroji doesn’t plan on jumping too far ahead just yet. “I haven’t felt it before. It’s awesome. We’ve still got to go to work. This isn’t the end of it. We’re not in the playoffs yet. We’ve still got to go to work, win the rest of the three,” Agbaroji said. Contact Alex at alex.riley@ wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
long as it ate up clock and left the Longhorns’ without enough time for a comeback. In the end, it did just that. When’s the last time a Midlothian defense could go into prevent mode and allow two late game scores against a quality opponent? Long before I arrived in Texas that’s for sure. What the Panthers do from here is as big a mystery as who will step up and be the hero next week. Games against Grand Prairie and Mansfield Timberview could be, should be wins. The Gophers and Wolves have combined for a 3-11 record this season and even though the games are on the road,
Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror
Cedar Hill quarterback Driphus Jackson is brought down by Midlothian linebacker Jarmon Jackson. Driphus Jackson was held to just 13 completions for 204 yards, one touchdown, one interception and 47 yards rushing.
they should be winnable. The season finale against Mansfield is a tough call. If the Panthers can beat Cedar Hill, surely they can beat the Tigers but once again that remains to be seen. Playoffs? The word itself seems like a fantasy but with a little luck, it will be a reality. One thing is for certain – win or lose – this year’s group of players has made a lot of people believers. Ken Wiginton believes. The players believe. And yes, even me. Alex is sports writer covering Midlothian athletics for Waxahachie Newspapers Inc. Contact him at alex.riley@wninews.com or at 469-517-1456.
Smash for the cause
The Midlothian Tennis Association will be conducting a progressive mixed doubles tournament from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24, at the Midlothian Sports Complex. The entry fee is $15 for any adult tennis player (18 and over only – no children) with all proceeds going to Texans Against Breast Cancer (affiliated with the Komen fund). Door prizes will be given as well as a grand prize for the winners of each tournament category. For more information on how to get involved, call 972-7754544 or visit www.midtennis.org.