wildstangs
12-28-2002, 08:05 PM
Local athletes, teams have had great success this year
By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor
Nolan County has a slew of successful high school teams and outstanding athletes almost every year, and 2002 has certainly been no exception.
Here is a chronological look back at some of the most notable events which made local sports headlines:
JANUARY-MARCH
Sweetwater's Willie Amos was a starting member of the Nebraska football team which played Miami for the national championship Jan. 3 in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif. Amos had a team-high six tackles, but Miami won the game 37-14.
Kenny Rogers and Rick Helling were among those who attended the 10th annual Justin Boots Celebrity Quail Hunt just outside Sweetwater, which benefits the Abilene Christian University baseball program.
Roscoe's Adam Galvan, Jacoby Johnson and Steve Eldred earned all-state football honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association in January. In early February, Johnson and another Roscoe athlete, Cheyenne Smith, signed letters of intent to play football for West Texas A&M University in Canyon.
Sweetwater was placed in a new district (3-3A) when the University Interscholastic League annnounced its biennial realignment Feb. 4. The district included just one other member (Merkel) of the Mustangs' old 5-3A district, along with newcomers Snyder, Lamesa, Seminole and Denver City. Roscoe's football district changed from 9-A to 15-A, but still included longtime rivals Roby, Robert Lee and Sterling City. Highland and Blackwell remained in separate six-man football districts, with Blackwell's new district adding former 11-man schools Santa Anna and Water Valley.
Six of Nolan County's eight basketball teams qualified for the playoffs, one of the area's best overall showings ever. The Roscoe boys and Blackwell girls won district titles and the Sweetwater girls were co-champions, while the Highland girls and Blackwell boys qualified as district runnerups. The Sweetwater boys also made it as the No. 3 team after winning a "play-in" game against Clyde.
But the Mustangs were the only local team to enjoy postseason success. They made a thrilling run to the regional tournament at Texas Tech University with narrow victories over Bowie, Glen Rose and Merkel before losing to Shallowater, 58-55, in overtime in the 1-3A semifinals. The Sweetwater girls qualified for the playoffs for the sixth straight year but fell to Vernon, 53-51, in bi-district. The Roscoe boys, Highland girls and both Blackwell teams also lost in bi-district.
Receiving all-district honors were Nikki Mays, Dannie Owens and Kelly Rainbolt for the Sweetwater girls; Mychal Carrillo for the Sweetwater boys; Jennifer Dove (district MVP), Lindy Wilson, Sharla Holland, Missy Pate and Melenda Solis for the Blackwell girls; A.J. Monroe, Chris Morgan, Daniel Sanchez and Ryan Ragland for the Blackwell boys; Reta Bryant, Mandy Mitchell and Ashlee Huckabee for the Highland girls; Steve Eldred, Tucker Tomlin and Cale Smith (newcomer of the year) for the Roscoe boys; and Brooke Tomlin for the Roscoe girls. Dove, Bryant and Mays also earned all-region honors. while Dove was second team all-state and Mays earned all-state honorable mention.
In her freshman year, ex-Sweetwater girls basketball player Sharon Ballenger helped Angelo State University's team enjoy an outstanding season. The Rambelles won the Lone Star Conference's South Division title and then won the LSC's postseason tournament held at ASU, which qualified them to play in the NCAA Division II tournament for only the second time in school history.
MARCH-MAY
Sweetwater's Monica Gomez and Ashley Brewer earned medals for their top-six finishes at the girls regional powerlifting meet held in Plainview. Gomez also qualified for the state meet held in Killeen.
Sweetwater's Brian Johnson qualified for the boys state powerlifting meet in Fort Worth, where he broke two of his own school records. Gregg Webb, Jacob Carrillo, Josh Guzman and Chris Aguilar were also regional qualifiers. Roscoe's Chris Limones also qualified for the boys state powerlifting meet.
Sweetwater just missed advancing to state competition in team tennis, placing fourth out of 11 teams at the regional tournament held in Brownfield.
In an almost-unprecedented feat, the Sweetwater boys and girls golf teams both won their district tournaments. The boys, who won district for the second year in a row, defeated Wylie by 31 strokes and Kevin Guelker and Robert Henson were both among the top three individual medalists. The girls defeated Wylie by 17 strokes as they won district for the first time since 1981, which was the first year Sweetwater had a girls team, and freshman Brittany Mercer was the district's top individual medalist.
The Sweetwater baseball team also had one of its best seasons ever. The Mustangs ended an eight-year playoff drought by finishing third in rugged District 5-3A, then defeated Bridgeport in an exciting best-of-3 bi-district playoff series before losing to state-ranked Lake Worth in the area round. Garrett Ferguson, Reid Bishop, Mychal Carrillo, Bubba Moncada, Allen McGee and Michael Straley (co-newcomer of the year) earned all-district honors.
Four individuals and two relay teams from Nolan County qualified for the state track meet in Austin. The individual qualifiers were Sweetwater's Sparkle Brewster in the girls 3A discus; Blackwell's Kaitlyn Saunders in the girls 1A high jump; Sweetwater's Josh Jackson in the boys 3A 400-meter dash; and Roscoe's Jacoby Johnson in the boys 1A 100- and 200-meter dashes. Sweetwater also qualified its boys mile relay of Ryan Baker, Jackson, Jon-Eric McDonald and Randyn Tenery, and Roscoe qualified its boys mile relay of Brandon Bromley, K.C. Hope, Larry Morales and Cheyenne Smith.
All of Roscoe's state qualifiers came home with a medal, as the Plowboys' mile relay became the first in school history to win gold and Johnson picked up a silver in the 100 dash. Sweetwater's mile relay just missed getting a medal with a fourth-place finish. In addition, there were numerous other Nolan County athletes who qualified for regionals in track, golf or tennis.
After guiding Sweetwater to back-to-back playoff appearances, head boys basketball coach Jim Pruitt resigned his position in late May. Paul Hise was hired as his replacement a few weeks later.
JUNE-AUGUST
There was again a strong Nolan County presence at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Football Classic held in early June. The 42 players on the North roster, which was coached by Roscoe's Wes Williams, included five from Sweetwater and four from Roscoe. The North won the game, 28-21, and Roscoe's Jacoby Johnson was voted the game's offensive MVP.
Sweetwater's Mustang Bowl received a new artificial turf surface which was installed just before the first regular-season game on Aug. 30. Helping to fund the project was a $625,000 contribution from Larry Durham, a 1961 Sweetwater High School graduate.
Roscoe was ranked No. 9 in Class A and Sweetwater was ranked No. 25 in Class A by Texas Football magazine. Roscoe earned an even higher state ranking -- No. 8 -- from the Associated Press when its first poll came out in August.
Over $9,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society at the 22nd annual Frank Morgan and Bennye Morgan-Webster Golf Tournament, held at Sweetwater Country Club.
Several Little League teams excelled during the summer. Sweetwater qualified a Junior League (ages 13-14) team for the state tournament in Waco after winning district and sectional titles, and a Senior League (ages 15-16) team also advanced to the sectional tournament.
AUGUST-DECEMBER
It was another banner year in football for all four Nolan County football teams, who each qualified for the playoffs and had a combined record of 37-12. Roscoe and Highland claimed outright district championships, while Sweetwater shared the District 3-3A title with Snyder and Blackwell was District 11 runner-up.
After a so-so 3-3 start in which its three losses were by a total of 18 points, Sweetwater (10-4) won seven straight games and advanced to the Class 3A quarterfinals before losing a 34-28 thriller to Midland Greenwood, which was a state finalist. The Mustangs defeated Kermit, Perryton and Decatur during their playoff run, which was their deepest since 1997.
Quarterback Mychal Carrillo was chosen as District 3-3A's offensive MVP for the second straight year, and Kent Jackson was the district's coach of the year. Jack Squires, Jonathan Glover, Josh Jackson and Michael Straley also received first team all-district honors.
Roscoe was also dominant again. The Plowboys had an 11-2 record, routing Christoval and Tolar in the playoffs before losing to eventual state champion Petrolia in the regional semifinals. The Plowboys were ranked No. 2 in Class A entering the playoffs for the second straight year, and are 36-4 over the past three seasons.
Quarterback Bo Young was named District 15-A's overall MVP, while lineman Alex Armenta was chosen as the district's co-defensive MVP and Wes Williams was named coach of the year. Also named to the all-district first team from Roscoe were K.C. Hope, Cale Smith, Travis Williams, Daniel Bromley, Joseph Garcia, Eloy Herrera, Jerad Alford, Larry Morales and Conrad Alvarez. Williams, Bromley and Smith received second team all-state recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors, and Morales, Armenta, Garcia, Young and Chad Arpe earned all-state honorable mention.
Highland (7-4) rebounded from an off-year in 2001 to win the District 8 championship. The Hornets did it by winning a first-place showdown against Ira, 58-38, on the final day of the regular season. Marcos Calderon and David Padilla were second team all-region selections.
Blackwell was 9-2, one of its best seasons ever under longtime head coach Duane Hyde. The Hornets' only regular-season loss came against perennial state power Panther Creek in district play. A.J. Monroe was a first team all-region pick, while Chris Morgan and Auston Parr made second team all-region and Paul Rodriguez received honorable mention.
By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor
Nolan County has a slew of successful high school teams and outstanding athletes almost every year, and 2002 has certainly been no exception.
Here is a chronological look back at some of the most notable events which made local sports headlines:
JANUARY-MARCH
Sweetwater's Willie Amos was a starting member of the Nebraska football team which played Miami for the national championship Jan. 3 in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif. Amos had a team-high six tackles, but Miami won the game 37-14.
Kenny Rogers and Rick Helling were among those who attended the 10th annual Justin Boots Celebrity Quail Hunt just outside Sweetwater, which benefits the Abilene Christian University baseball program.
Roscoe's Adam Galvan, Jacoby Johnson and Steve Eldred earned all-state football honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association in January. In early February, Johnson and another Roscoe athlete, Cheyenne Smith, signed letters of intent to play football for West Texas A&M University in Canyon.
Sweetwater was placed in a new district (3-3A) when the University Interscholastic League annnounced its biennial realignment Feb. 4. The district included just one other member (Merkel) of the Mustangs' old 5-3A district, along with newcomers Snyder, Lamesa, Seminole and Denver City. Roscoe's football district changed from 9-A to 15-A, but still included longtime rivals Roby, Robert Lee and Sterling City. Highland and Blackwell remained in separate six-man football districts, with Blackwell's new district adding former 11-man schools Santa Anna and Water Valley.
Six of Nolan County's eight basketball teams qualified for the playoffs, one of the area's best overall showings ever. The Roscoe boys and Blackwell girls won district titles and the Sweetwater girls were co-champions, while the Highland girls and Blackwell boys qualified as district runnerups. The Sweetwater boys also made it as the No. 3 team after winning a "play-in" game against Clyde.
But the Mustangs were the only local team to enjoy postseason success. They made a thrilling run to the regional tournament at Texas Tech University with narrow victories over Bowie, Glen Rose and Merkel before losing to Shallowater, 58-55, in overtime in the 1-3A semifinals. The Sweetwater girls qualified for the playoffs for the sixth straight year but fell to Vernon, 53-51, in bi-district. The Roscoe boys, Highland girls and both Blackwell teams also lost in bi-district.
Receiving all-district honors were Nikki Mays, Dannie Owens and Kelly Rainbolt for the Sweetwater girls; Mychal Carrillo for the Sweetwater boys; Jennifer Dove (district MVP), Lindy Wilson, Sharla Holland, Missy Pate and Melenda Solis for the Blackwell girls; A.J. Monroe, Chris Morgan, Daniel Sanchez and Ryan Ragland for the Blackwell boys; Reta Bryant, Mandy Mitchell and Ashlee Huckabee for the Highland girls; Steve Eldred, Tucker Tomlin and Cale Smith (newcomer of the year) for the Roscoe boys; and Brooke Tomlin for the Roscoe girls. Dove, Bryant and Mays also earned all-region honors. while Dove was second team all-state and Mays earned all-state honorable mention.
In her freshman year, ex-Sweetwater girls basketball player Sharon Ballenger helped Angelo State University's team enjoy an outstanding season. The Rambelles won the Lone Star Conference's South Division title and then won the LSC's postseason tournament held at ASU, which qualified them to play in the NCAA Division II tournament for only the second time in school history.
MARCH-MAY
Sweetwater's Monica Gomez and Ashley Brewer earned medals for their top-six finishes at the girls regional powerlifting meet held in Plainview. Gomez also qualified for the state meet held in Killeen.
Sweetwater's Brian Johnson qualified for the boys state powerlifting meet in Fort Worth, where he broke two of his own school records. Gregg Webb, Jacob Carrillo, Josh Guzman and Chris Aguilar were also regional qualifiers. Roscoe's Chris Limones also qualified for the boys state powerlifting meet.
Sweetwater just missed advancing to state competition in team tennis, placing fourth out of 11 teams at the regional tournament held in Brownfield.
In an almost-unprecedented feat, the Sweetwater boys and girls golf teams both won their district tournaments. The boys, who won district for the second year in a row, defeated Wylie by 31 strokes and Kevin Guelker and Robert Henson were both among the top three individual medalists. The girls defeated Wylie by 17 strokes as they won district for the first time since 1981, which was the first year Sweetwater had a girls team, and freshman Brittany Mercer was the district's top individual medalist.
The Sweetwater baseball team also had one of its best seasons ever. The Mustangs ended an eight-year playoff drought by finishing third in rugged District 5-3A, then defeated Bridgeport in an exciting best-of-3 bi-district playoff series before losing to state-ranked Lake Worth in the area round. Garrett Ferguson, Reid Bishop, Mychal Carrillo, Bubba Moncada, Allen McGee and Michael Straley (co-newcomer of the year) earned all-district honors.
Four individuals and two relay teams from Nolan County qualified for the state track meet in Austin. The individual qualifiers were Sweetwater's Sparkle Brewster in the girls 3A discus; Blackwell's Kaitlyn Saunders in the girls 1A high jump; Sweetwater's Josh Jackson in the boys 3A 400-meter dash; and Roscoe's Jacoby Johnson in the boys 1A 100- and 200-meter dashes. Sweetwater also qualified its boys mile relay of Ryan Baker, Jackson, Jon-Eric McDonald and Randyn Tenery, and Roscoe qualified its boys mile relay of Brandon Bromley, K.C. Hope, Larry Morales and Cheyenne Smith.
All of Roscoe's state qualifiers came home with a medal, as the Plowboys' mile relay became the first in school history to win gold and Johnson picked up a silver in the 100 dash. Sweetwater's mile relay just missed getting a medal with a fourth-place finish. In addition, there were numerous other Nolan County athletes who qualified for regionals in track, golf or tennis.
After guiding Sweetwater to back-to-back playoff appearances, head boys basketball coach Jim Pruitt resigned his position in late May. Paul Hise was hired as his replacement a few weeks later.
JUNE-AUGUST
There was again a strong Nolan County presence at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Football Classic held in early June. The 42 players on the North roster, which was coached by Roscoe's Wes Williams, included five from Sweetwater and four from Roscoe. The North won the game, 28-21, and Roscoe's Jacoby Johnson was voted the game's offensive MVP.
Sweetwater's Mustang Bowl received a new artificial turf surface which was installed just before the first regular-season game on Aug. 30. Helping to fund the project was a $625,000 contribution from Larry Durham, a 1961 Sweetwater High School graduate.
Roscoe was ranked No. 9 in Class A and Sweetwater was ranked No. 25 in Class A by Texas Football magazine. Roscoe earned an even higher state ranking -- No. 8 -- from the Associated Press when its first poll came out in August.
Over $9,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society at the 22nd annual Frank Morgan and Bennye Morgan-Webster Golf Tournament, held at Sweetwater Country Club.
Several Little League teams excelled during the summer. Sweetwater qualified a Junior League (ages 13-14) team for the state tournament in Waco after winning district and sectional titles, and a Senior League (ages 15-16) team also advanced to the sectional tournament.
AUGUST-DECEMBER
It was another banner year in football for all four Nolan County football teams, who each qualified for the playoffs and had a combined record of 37-12. Roscoe and Highland claimed outright district championships, while Sweetwater shared the District 3-3A title with Snyder and Blackwell was District 11 runner-up.
After a so-so 3-3 start in which its three losses were by a total of 18 points, Sweetwater (10-4) won seven straight games and advanced to the Class 3A quarterfinals before losing a 34-28 thriller to Midland Greenwood, which was a state finalist. The Mustangs defeated Kermit, Perryton and Decatur during their playoff run, which was their deepest since 1997.
Quarterback Mychal Carrillo was chosen as District 3-3A's offensive MVP for the second straight year, and Kent Jackson was the district's coach of the year. Jack Squires, Jonathan Glover, Josh Jackson and Michael Straley also received first team all-district honors.
Roscoe was also dominant again. The Plowboys had an 11-2 record, routing Christoval and Tolar in the playoffs before losing to eventual state champion Petrolia in the regional semifinals. The Plowboys were ranked No. 2 in Class A entering the playoffs for the second straight year, and are 36-4 over the past three seasons.
Quarterback Bo Young was named District 15-A's overall MVP, while lineman Alex Armenta was chosen as the district's co-defensive MVP and Wes Williams was named coach of the year. Also named to the all-district first team from Roscoe were K.C. Hope, Cale Smith, Travis Williams, Daniel Bromley, Joseph Garcia, Eloy Herrera, Jerad Alford, Larry Morales and Conrad Alvarez. Williams, Bromley and Smith received second team all-state recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors, and Morales, Armenta, Garcia, Young and Chad Arpe earned all-state honorable mention.
Highland (7-4) rebounded from an off-year in 2001 to win the District 8 championship. The Hornets did it by winning a first-place showdown against Ira, 58-38, on the final day of the regular season. Marcos Calderon and David Padilla were second team all-region selections.
Blackwell was 9-2, one of its best seasons ever under longtime head coach Duane Hyde. The Hornets' only regular-season loss came against perennial state power Panther Creek in district play. A.J. Monroe was a first team all-region pick, while Chris Morgan and Auston Parr made second team all-region and Paul Rodriguez received honorable mention.