Denton RC High School Blog

Last week the DR-C recognized some of the area’s best basketball talent when it highlighted standouts that made their respective all-district teams and unfortunately Lake Dallas and District 9-4A got no love. So here it is:

No matter what super-blogger Jeff Andrews says, Rachelle Franklin is the best girl’s basketball player in the area (obviously not counting Whitney Hand because it’s just unfair to have to compare others to her). Franklin averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and put her team in the playoffs with last second jump shot to beat McKinney in the district’s third place tiebreaker game.

Joining Franklin on the first team is Lake Dallas’ leading scorer, Brea Terrell, who dominated inside and out with 16 points per game.

Both seniors had awesome careers at Lake Dallas that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Kelsee Barr would have no doubt been recognized as well had she been healthy all year.

On the boys side, junior Xavier Rogers was the lone all-district selection for a Lake Dallas team in transition.

Also deserving of some credit is Lake Dallas junior Brittni Bauman, who sold me MLB The Show 08 at Best Buy last week … Maybe the best purchase I’ve ever made.

-- Tyler Floyd

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ryan's win over Wichita Falls Rider on Friday set up a showdown with Denton for first place in District 5-4A when the two meet on Tuesday. A Denton win would give the Broncos a two-game lead on 5-4A halfway through district play. A Ryan win would put the two teams in a tie for first.

I haven't seen Denton this year. I know they're strong and Miles Mulkey is a straight-up stud, but I'm going to give the edge to Ryan. The Raiders have a little more pop in their lineup and they're at home. The Broncos will have the advantage on the mound as Ryan will pitch No. 2 Cord Jezek.

But the main reason I have Ryan winning is because I think they'll be a little sharper in the early innings. Denton hasn't played since beating Rider on Tuesday. Ryan beat Rider on Friday and beat Lewisville in nine innings on Saturday.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, thanks to a late start and having like 10 minutes to write 15 inches last night before I was shoved out of Northwest ISD Stadium, I'm just now getting around to my wrap-up blog for the Wildcats' 1-0 win over Keller Fossil Ridge to advance to the Class 4A Region I semifinal.

I have to say, after about 10 minutes of action, I thought Guyer was on its way to another 5-0 or 6-0 win that they kind of grew accustomed to in district play. They had beaten the Panthers 3-1 and 1-0 and were playing for the third time, which can always be tough, but they dominated the action early on.

Drew Chenault, who may be my favorite player on this team to watch because of his intensity and his nonstop motor, scored the goal just six minutes into the game off a sweet bicycle from Daniel Martin that was deflected right to his foot about five feet out of the goal. It was a right-place-right-time goal for Chenault, and he was the first to admit it.

After about 25 minutes, the complexion of the game completely changed. Fossil Ridge played toe-to-toe with the Wildcats, maybe even outplaying them at times. But once again, the Wildcats' defense stood pat and pitched its 17th shutout of the season despite some golden scoring opportunities for the Panthers, including a borderline offsides call that overturned a goal.

Chenault and Guyer coach Cody Schroeder both said they felt the team saw it had a lead and might have went into a "prevent defense" mode to steal a term from the other football.

Anyhow, regardless of how it happened, Guyer is now four rounds deep into the playoffs in its first year of qualifying for the postseason. The run matches Schroeder's best run at Justin Northwest and judging by records alone, I see Guyer bettering that mark on Tuesday when it faces the winner of today's Cunitillo-Amarillo Caprock game. Both teams have very pedestrian records, much like Fossil Ridge's.

Schroeder said if it's Cunitillo, the game will be played at beautiful Grande Communications Stadium in Midland, and if it's Caprock, it will be at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene. Either way, the Wildcats will leave Monday afternoon and spend the night to be well-rested for their big game.

Two more wins, and Guyer will have its first team in the state tournament in any sport and one will best the volleyball team's postseason run from the Fall. It's funny how in the school's third year, Guyer sports are really starting to become major players in the postseason. Usually the third year of any program is seen as a "make or break" year, and for the most part, Guyer sports has delivered.

P.S. I'm throwing football out of the equation here simply because of the large numbers involved with fielding a competitive football team. That will continue to improve as Guyer finally has a full senior class next year.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I know I'm not breaking any news here, but Ryan softball is good -- really good.

I've seen them more than any softball/baseball team this spring. They looked good early in the year, but they've really found a groove lately.

We knew Ryan wouldn't have any problems in the circle with Brysten Luster and Tara Tague. At the plate, the only thing that seems to trip them up is when they face a pitcher that throws slower than the 5A powers they're used to facing.

I've seen them take a little while to get warmed up at the plate because of slow pitchers. Tonight's 16-0 beat down of Wichita Falls in five innings was one of those situations. It wasn't until the third inning that Ryan really got going. Ryan scored 10 in the frame.

I don't know what I'm going to write about this team for the rest of district play. It's obvious no one in this district can compete with them. Through seven games, Ryan has allowed two runs. Sorry DR-C readers, I'm afraid you're going to have to see this headline a few more times until the playoffs start: "Ryan bludgeons [INSERT TEAM]."

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Chenault just left the game with six minutes left with what appeared to be a leg cramp.

On another note, this game continues to get more and more testy as Chenault got fired up a minute ago after Roberto Miguel was scissor-tackled and no card was given. I could foresee some cards coming before this one ends.

Guyer still holds a 1-0 advantage with three minutes left.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, we're still here with a 1-0 Guyer lead with about 18 minutes remaining but Fossil Ridge has had its chances here in the second half. The Panthers have already had four corner kicks to Guyer's one and have gotten a lot more going than they did in the first half.

Overall, Guyer just seems to be a much quicker team, especially Nick Leavitt, the Wildcats' leading goal scorer (21), and Drew Chenault, who are both full of energy.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We're at half here at Northwest and the Wildcats still have a 1-0 lead after scoring in the opening minutes. Guyer seemingly dominated much of the game until the final four minutes of the half when Fossil Ridge got two of its three first half shots -- and they were both great scoring chances.

With two minutes left in the half, Guyer keeper Zack Brewer punted the ball into the back of a FR forward and it deflected off to the sideline where a FR player was waiting. He shot the ball from about 25 yards out at an open net with Brewer retreating but the ball sailed over the goal.

A minute later, the Panthers scored a goal that was called back because of offsides after the ball was deflected by a Panther and another player was between him and the goal.

Then FR sent a corner kick on goal with two seconds left that Brewer snatched out of the air to secure the Wildcats' lead.

With two teams that are playing for the third time this year, you know it's going to be a hotly-contested game especially when you throw in the winner-take-all stakes. The players are getting testy too as there's been numerous jawing sessions between players to go with a couple of dust-ups.

I still like Guyer's chances. I'm going with 3-1 to duplicate the first meeting between the teams this year.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My Guyer player of the week, Drew Chenault, just got things started for Guyer with a dazzling goal less than six minutes into the game.

An unidentified Guyer player attempted a bicycle just in front of the goal that was deflected by the FR goalkeeper and right back Chenault who beat a helpless keeper from feet away.

Score, 1-0, Guyer.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We're set for kickoff here at Justin Northwest -- Guyer vs. Keller Fossil Ridge. The Wildcats have beaten Fossil Ridge twice this season -- 3-1, 1-0 -- and it's 8:52. Not bad, just two minutes late.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, Aledo just beat Fossil Ridge in a shootout. From what I saw, Fossil Ridge dominated Aledo from about the 10-minutes left mark until the end of the second overtime. The Panthers just lost the shootout 5-3.

There's no doubt shootouts are exciting, but it sure is a crappy way to lose a game.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 8:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite my best efforts, it looks like we might be going to a shootout here in the Aledo-Keller Fossil Ridge girls game that's preceeding the Guyer-Fossil Ridge boys game that I've come to watch.

The Wildcats were supposed to kick off at 8 p.m. but it will be at least another 30-45 minutes before that happens. My deadline is ever-so-quickly approaching so I came up with a plan.

I just phoned Guyer football coach John Walsh, who's down by the Aledo goal and asked him really nicely if he would tackle and Aledo defender the next time FR makes a run toward the goal so this game could end. We're down to 1:45 left in the second overtime and he said he'd have none of my idea, politely I might add.

Dang it. FR just made a run. We could've really used Walsh's help there. I guess that's why I'm not a public administrator.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 8:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There's no doubt Denton guard/forward Fred Hunter is one of District 5-4A's best talents. Brad Hambrick and T.J. Taylor may be the only two with more natural ability. He showed that during his first two years at Ryan and his senior season with Denton when he led the area in Class 4A scoring.

So when the All-District team for 5-4A came out, it was a bit of a shock to see Hunter not only didn't receive a superlative, but he didn't even make the first team. He was selected to the second team behind a handful of players he was simply better than.

The district's coaches vote for the awards, so Hunter's omission says one thing and one thing only -- we're not impressed. But it's not Hunter's ability they're not impressed with, it's his character.

Hunter's problems at Ryan are well-documented and eventually led to him transferring to Denton after not fitting in with head coach Bryce Overstreet and the Raiders. The move cost him his junior year.

He also had a few small run-ins with area coaches. He cussed at one coach during a game and didn't shake the hand of another. Hunter's second-team selection clearly shows area coaches weren't amused.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Looking at Ryan's roster, you have to think the Lady Raiders will make some noise in 2009 despite their 1-0 loss to Aledo in the area round on Tuesday. Jordan McCarty is the primary loss, and her production will be tough to replace.

But Ryan has a lot coming back, including defender Mary Strange. The junior was the best player on the field against Aledo, and Ryan's best chance of scoring was started by a rush up the sideline by Strange. She simply doesn't lose one-on-one battles. Her impact is on Ryan's defense is epic.

Ryan has some key offensive pieces returning, too. Second-leading scorer Emily Ashby emerged midseason and should be even better next year. Sarah Baggett had a great playoffs, and Taylor Maxson, just a freshman, emerged as an offensive threat.

Lady Raider fans have a lot to look forward to in the next couple years.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The regional quarterfinal game between district foes Guyer and Keller Fossil Ridge will take place on Friday night at 8 p.m. at Justin Northwest's Texan Stadium. I had a feeling this game might happen at Northwest, considering that's Guyer coach Cody Schroeder's former stomping grounds and it's geographic center for the two schools.

The Wildcats beat the Panthers in both regular season meetings, so it should be interesting to see if the old adage comes true of it beating so hard to beat a team three times in one year. I kind of doubt it, although Guyer will have to be crisper than it was in last night's area round win.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, it wasn't pretty, as you'll see Guyer coach Cody Schroeder say in tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle, but the Wildcats earned a win in their first-ever playoff game on Tuesday night at Saginaw's Rough Rider Stadium.

Guyer (23-2-2) won a 1-0 battle over Fort Worth Arlington Heights after scoring the decisive goal on a pretty Daniel Martin-to Drew Chenault-back to Daniel Martin play that left a wide-open goal for Martin from point-blank range with just over seven minutes remaining.

I'd have to say my three stars of the game (to use a hockey reference) were Martin (for obvious reason), Chenault and Roberto Gallegos.

Chenault was a spark plug for the Wildcats all night long and would've likely played the whole night if not for a nasty collision in front of the Yellow Jackets' goal when he was going for a header. But the junior, who's the elder statesman of Guyer's trio of deadly forwards, came back in to assist on Martin's game-winner.

As for Gallegos, with all the attention the Guyer forwards have garnered this season, much has been left unsaid about the back line but it's evident they are good when a team has 10 shutouts in its last 13 games.

Gallegos is the catalyst of the back line defense from his sweeper position and had an outstanding game, stopping numerous Arlington Heights runs when he was the last line of defense between the Yellow Jackets and Guyer keeper Zack Brewer.

Now with their "ugly win" hopefully behind them, the Wildcats will move on to face the Keller Fossil Ridge-Aledo winner, which will be known later tonight. Guyer beat Fossil Ridge twice this year, 1-0 and 3-1, but have not played Aledo, which is a traditionally strong program. We'll see if it's out of their system come this weekend.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With seven minutes remaining in a scoreless game, Guyer's Daniel Martin made a run down the left sideline and found Drew Chenault about 15 yards out, who tapped it back to Martin as the sophomore fired a shot from about six yards out into the back of the net. Guyer now leads 1-0.

As I'm typing this, the Wildcats went right back to work as Nick Leavitt was going for a loose ball at the top of the box when AH keeper Enrique Pulidos met him and jumped up and kicked Leavitt in the chest going for the ball.

It appears the AH keeper received a red card because there's a new goalie in the game although the Saginaw coach in the press box tells me the move was perfectly legal.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

About eight minutes into the second half, Guyer's Drew Chenault, the third-leading goal scorer collided with an AH defender going for a header in front of the AH goal. The two hit heads and Chenault laid on the ground for a good three or four minutes but it appears as though he'll be OK. Still scoreless.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Gary says Guyer's in trouble in the second half because the Wildcats will be playing into a stiff wind that just shifted from a crosswind to a headwind. This could be trouble for Guyer considering the Jackets' apparent good team speed.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We're at the half and there's a scoreless tie between Guyer and Arlington Heights. The Wildcats have dominated the final 15 minutes of the half and have outshot the Jackets 10-4, getting some really nice scoring chances in the final 10 minutes of the half.

One thing that's worth noting is the fact that Heights goalkeeper Enrique Pulido and the Jackets' defense has held this potent Guyer scoring attack at bay in the first half, something that hasn't happened much this season.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Wildcats have had a shot frenzy in the last five minutes after playing somewhat evenly. With 9:48 left and the clock stopped because of injury, the Wildcats now have six shots on goal to the Jackets' two.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Ryan girls are trailing Aledo 1-0 with 20 minutes remaining in their area-round matchup at Saginaw Boswell.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Guyer sophomore Nick Leavitt, who's leading the Wildcats' deadly forward trio with 21 goals on the season looks like he's gotten in on the "playoff haircut" craze with a brand new spankin' mohawk. It's his natural brown color except for the "hawk" part which is bleached blond. We'll see if it can get him an early goal as we're about to have kickoff here in Saginaw.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm here at Rough Rider Stadium on the campus of Saginaw High School and sitting in this huge sprawling press box for an area-round 4A Region I soccer playoff game between Guyer and Fort Worth Arlington Heights. There's not many folks in the stands, although I did see a couple of tailgaters on the Guyer side on my way in.

The Wildcats (22-2-2) have now won 15 straight games and haven't lost in 24 straight games. They'll look to jump on the Yellow Jackets (16-3-1) early as they have with many of their opponents this season as they've averaged 3.9 goals per game. Zack Brewer, Guyer's keeper, meanwhile has given up 0.29 goals per game this season so it should be tough sledding for the Jackets to score.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I finally found a reputable state high school baseball poll. Found is a strong term. More accurately would be I saw it on the Associated Press wire.

Ryan is dialed in at No. 7 in the AP's first state poll of the year. Other area teams that made the list were Mesquite Poteet at No. 3, Highland Park at No. 4. and my hometown Waxahachie Indians are No. 9.

The Raiders last two games have hardly been pretty. Ryan lost to an off-the-map Sherman team on Wednesday and then ace Curtis Petersen struggled in a win over Guyer on Thursday.

I'm not terribly concerned though. The Sherman game, as far as I can tell, was an aberration. Petersen isn't going to struggle very much, and Ryan still beat a solid Guyer team despite his off night.

Ryan plays Denison on Tuesday before entering a tough stretch. Next Friday, the Raiders face Wichita Falls Rider, play a make up game against Lewisville on Saturday and then play first-place Denton on Tuesday.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't know if I've ever seen a game so uncompetitive in my life. Well, at least not a playoff game.

Ryan's nuclear obliteration of Fort Worth Trimble Tech in bi-district wasn't really a contest. Ryan won 5-0. It out shot the Lady Bulldogs 30-0. It was worse than the score. The Lady Raiders literally just ran around them. They beat them to every loose ball. The hungrier team certainly won tonight.

Ryan gets the complete opposite of Trimble Tech in the area round. Aledo is one of the premiere 4A programs in the area, just like all their programs are. Just looking at Aledo's results is intimidating, which features tons of double-digit shutout wins.

Ryan's defense has been good in the last two games though. Mary Strange is a very imposing defender that has been impressive, and the Lady Raiders have improved defensively with four straight shutouts.

I like what I've seen from the Lady Raiders lately, but I fear for their safety in the area round.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I talked to Ryan forward Jordan McCarty today at practice, but this time, I was ready for her. The first time I talked to her, I about had a heart attack trying to keep up with her fast-talking jive. And she needs that energy. This girl is a cheerleader, student council president and a National Honor Society member -- in addition to being Ryan's leading scorer and captain.

So this time I was ready, and I caught every word.

Luckily my recorder has this neat feature where you can replay a track in slow motion, but it doesn't affect the pitch of anything. So it sounds exactly like Jordan McCarty except at the pace of the average person.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Both the Ryan softball and baseball teams were placed in high company in the first installment of the Dallas Morning News' area polls.

Both were placed third on the Class 4A poll. Highland Park and Mesquite Poteet topped the Ryan baseball team. Mesquite Poteet and Forney are ahead of the softball team, while Guyer is No. 10. There isn't an updated TGCA state softball poll, but Ryan is currently No. 11 on it.

I imagine the baseball poll won't change much through the season. Highland Park and Poteet are strong programs with a little bit more tradition than Ryan. I'm very interested to see a state poll to see where it has Ryan baseball. I haven't been able to find one. If you know where one is, let me know.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Looks like all it takes is a little rain to suspend my work schedule. Almost everything scheduled for Monday and today was rescheduled because of Sunday night's storms.

Keep an eye on our "eye on local" at the bottom of Page 2 of the sports games for complete updates. In the meantime, here's when the Ryan games have been rescheduled:

Ryan softball will play at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Wichita Falls. Ryan baseball will schedule its game with Lewisville later in the year. Ryan girls soccer is playing at Lake Dallas at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday.

Posted by Jeff Andrews at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm going to go ahead and liken this tournament to the 1980 Winter Olympics and the U.S. hockey team's 'Miracle on Ice.'

Here's why: The U.S. team had to beat the unbeatable Soviet Union and then come back and play Finland in the Gold Medal Game.

Liberty had to beat Westbury Christian then come back and play an inferior Concordia Lutheran team. OK, maybe it wasn't so much a miracle that the Lady Warriors beat Westbury, but it was the matchup of the two best teams in the tournament in the semifinal game.

Now we're seeing what the result is -- a boring state title game.

At the half, Hand has 17 points and seven rebounds.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hand has now scored all of her team's points so far in the second quarter, as Liberty now leads 24-7 after another 9-0 run to start the second quarter...and we're still going with that run.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I can now use one of my favorite words...soothsayer. As in, I am one.

Hand came out and scored eight first-quarter points to go with seven rebounds. Liberty jumped out to an 8-0 lead but now leads 15-7 after the first quarter.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The initial thing that stands out when looking at these two squads is the distinct size advantage of the Lady Warriors. Concordia has one player listed at 5-10. There's two 5-8 players and the rest are 5-6 and 5-4 and the like.

Liberty has four 6-footers. Coming into the tournament, the word on the TAPPS street was that Liberty and Westbury Christian were the two best teams in the 5A bracket and they played yesterday, a game which Liberty won 70-52.

I see this state title game as being more of a 30- or 40-point win. It really shouldn't be much of a contest.

I'm watching for Whitney Hand to come out guns a'blazin' after she was admittedly frustrated after putting up an ofer in the first quarter of yesterday's game. She went on to score 20.

Posted by Adam Boedeker at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)