High school confidential

Anyone know why...

South Oak Cliff boys basketball coach James Mays still has a job? Clearly, SOC has be one of the most soiled -- if not THE soiled -- high school athletic programs in the past 25 or so years in Texas. Mays can claim ignorance all he wants, but the bottom line is lots of failing grades were changed on his watch and grotesquely ineligible players helped SOC win at least two state titles, and probably more.

Someone, anyone, get the guy out of there. Get some accountability at ground zero of the problem, DISD.

--Troy Phillips

Carroll boys win TISCA, girls finish second

Southlake Carroll's boys swim team placed first and its girls team finished second at the Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association North Zone meet over the weekend.

Carroll's boys scored 308 points outdistancing second-place Plano (282.5). Ian Rea led the boys team winning the 50 and 100 freestyles.

Carroll's girls team (289) finished second to Plano (376).

Keller's Callan Buck was the only other area swimmer to win a TISCA title placing first in the one-meter diving competition.

--Milenko Martinovich

Summit player bound for TCU

Mansfield Summit senior forward Starr Crawford has committed to play basketball for TCU, her head coach, Tammy Lusinger, said Thursday.
Crawford was named all-state and the District 4-5A MVP last season after she averaged 14.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. She is Summit’s all-time leading scorer (1,229) and rebounder (860).
“I’ve been coaching 15 years and I’ve never seen a kid as strong as her,” Lusinger said. “As for as competitivness, she rises to the occasion against the best.”
Crawford’s other two finalists were SMU and UTA.
“She is more of a leader by example. She is very vocal. If you ask her to do something she is going to do it and is able to make adjustments right away,” said Lusinger.
Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day a class of 2009 basketball recruit can sign a national letter of intent is Nov. 12.

-- William Wilkerson

Carroll tennis ranked No. 5 in state

The Southlake Carroll tennis team has gotten off to an 8-2 start this season, despite playing some of the toughest teams in the state. The Dragons, No. 5 in the Class 5A Wilson/Texas Tennis Coaches Association state rankings, takes on Coppell, ranked 22nd, at 4 p.m. today at Coppell.
The Dragons only two losses are to No. 1 Plano West, which nipped Carroll 10-8, and to Highland Park, No. 1 in the 4A rankings.
The loss to Highland Park was in the semifinals at the Plano Tournament, where the Dragons placed third.
Coach Norm Smith hopes for a deep playoff run for the Dragons but pointed out that four of the top five teams in state are in Region I.
Grapevine, which played Carroll close in an 11-8 loss, is ranked 10th.
For the complete poll go to: www.texastenniscoaches.com

Arlington's Farrar back on sidelines

Arlington outside hitter Tobi Farrar is back on the sidelines after experiencing pain at the Allen Tournament last weekend. Farrar, who has committed to Virginia, has been out for most of the preseason after injuring her shoulder in club play this summer. Farrar said she experiences a pinching sensation when swinging her arm in a hitting motion. Colts coach Sue Cauley said she hopes to have Farrar back by district play on Sept. 12. -- Stefan Stevenson

Richland's Dennis to play in Elite 24 game

Richland guard Nolan Dennis will be playing in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game in New York City's Rucker Park on Friday, Aug. 22. The game will be televised on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Friday and repeated Monday, Aug. 25 at 11 p.m. Dennis, a two-time Star-Telegram All Area player, is the only representative from Texas. Go to http://www.risemag.com/elite24/ for the complete roster and additonal information. -- Laura Cullen

Trinity poised to go further in 2008

Euless Trinity breezed through District 7-5A undefeated in 2007 only to see its hopes for a lengthy postseason derailed with a bi-district loss to Duncanville. For now, coach Susan Kaufman and her players aren’t using that loss as fuel for motivation. But that could change.
“I think it is pretty much behind us,” Kaufman said. “I think it will become motivation because three years ago we were just trying to make the playoffs and now we are trying to get past the first round. The team has grown and it’s no longer just to make the playoffs. Let’s see how far we can go. Right now we’re just trying to find out our strengths and weaknesses.”
Seniors Lauren Martin and Zoe Adom are the clear strengths of this team. Martin, the reigning 7-5A MVP, led the Trojans with 364 kills and 60 aces last year. She’s committed to Pennsylvania. Adom, a Baylor commitment, led the Trojans with 490 assists and 131 blocks.
- William Wilkerson

Carroll, Mansfield cruise at Grapevine Tournament

Southlake Carroll and Mansfield each won three matches Friday at the Grapevine volleyball tournament, putting both teams in the gold brackets for Saturday.
The Dragons (5-0), led by outside hitter Sloane Sunstrum, won handily, sweeping Frisco Liberty (25-13, 25-18), South Grand Prairie (25-9, 25-9) and North Crowley (25-8, 25-10).
The Tigers (4-0) defeated Tomball Concordia Lutheran (25-9, 25-11), The Colony (25-27, 25-21, 25-18) and Fort Worth Paschal (25-12, 21-25, 25-10).
Mansfield was led by three seniors: outside hitter Haley Williams led in kills, libero Bridget Joines led in digs and setter Kimi Lachowicz led in assists.
Carroll plays The Colony at 9:45 a.m. Saturday on Court 3 at Grapevine and Mansfield takes on Frisco Liberty at 11 a.m. on Court 1.
Grapevine (3-2) also advanced to the winners bracket with Friday wins against Weatherford and Arlington Sam Houston. The Mustangs play Dallas Ursuline at 9:45 a.m. Saturday on Court 2.
Richland defeated White Settlement Brewer 25-18, 25-17 behind Jennifer Bartley's 11 kills, Stephanie Schenk's 15 digs and Brittney Costello's nine assists. The Rebels will play in the silver bracket Saturday against Sam Houston at 8:30 a.m. on Court 1.
-- Stefan Stevenson

With Farrar out, Colts slow at start

Sue Cauley is not worried. She’s irritated, but not worried.
Arlington, the Star-Telegram’s No. 1 ranked 5A team, has opened the season 1-3 after two losses today at the Duncanville Tournament of Champions.
But coach Sue Cauley said she’s “not in panic mode yet.”
And she shouldn’t be. The Colts have started the season without Tobi Farrar, their all-state hitter, to a shoulder injury. Cauley said she’s not sure when Farrar will be back on the floor but hopes to have her back by the Pearland Tournament, Aug. 28-30.

The Colts opened the season Tuesday with a loss to area-ranked Flower Mound Marcus and two more losses Friday to Lake Highlands and 2007 5A champ Amarillo.
“I’ve been 0-7 before and made it to the state finals,” Cauley said. “We need to work on some things but we’re not in district (play) yet. I’m not in panic mode, but I’m not thrilled about it either because I hate losing.”
-- Stefan Stevenson

Farrar, three others named to All-Texas team

Four area athletes have been named to the LoneStarvolleyball.com All-Texas Team.
Arlington middle blocker Tobi Farrar and Euless Trinity outside hitter Lauren Martin were named to the first team. Farrar (6-foot-3) has committed to Virginia; Martin (6-0) has committed to Pennsylvania.
Southlake Carroll outside hitter Sloane Sunstrum was named to the second team. She is headed to TCU.
Arlington Martin libero Maddie Hanlan was named honorable mention.

Senior tears two ligaments in season's first match

Reagan Selby, a senior outside hitter for Birdville, tore both her ACL and MCL in her right leg during a match against L.D. Bell Tuesday. An MRI Wednesday morning detected the tears, coach Courtney Grimes said. Selby, who had come off the bench in the Hawks first match of the year, was going for a block at the net when she came down wrong on her leg. Selby will undergo surgery Tuesday morning, Grimes said. "She was one of our leaders," Grimes said. "So it was tough for the girls to see her go through that."
The injury hasn't stopped Selby from attending practices. She has even tried shagging balls on crutches, Grimes said. As for the timetable on her return, Grimes said doctors will evaluate her Monday.
"We won't know for sure until Monday," Grimes said. "But I think she'll probably be out for the season."

Arlington Bowie takes measured approach

First year Arlington Bowie volleyball head coach Amy Draper knows the history of volleyball in the city of Arlington a little too well. Draper graduated from perennial power Arlington Martin and will lead the Lady Volunteers against her old team and four other 2007 playoff teams when District 4-5A play begins later in the year. District opponent Arlington has made the playoffs 21 of the past 22 years and reached the regional finals in 2007. Martin reached the regional semifinals and Arlington Lamar lost in the second round. “It is so tough,” Draper said of District 4-5A. “Our goal this year, to be honest with you, is to be competitive and to make them have to play their best volleyball to beat us.” Bowie has 10 seniors and six juniors on the roster, so experience is there. Still, expect a big learning curve to come into play with Draper. “I think it is important that they learn the game,” Draper said. “As they learn the game I think we will be able to compete with those tougher opponents.” Bowie swept Fort Worth Paschal in a scrimmage on Tuesday. - William Wilkerson

L.D. Bell shakes off cobwebs for sweep

Hurst L.D. Bell shook off a slow start to sweep North Richland Hills Birdville 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 at Birdville High School. Junior middle blockers Chante Thompson (10 kills, two solo blocks) and Janel Forte (eight kills, two solo blocks) led the Blue Raiders. "It was first-match jitters," L.D. Bell coach Vickie Griffin said. "We just need to get our passing game going to get (Thompson and Forte) the ball." Senior defensive specialist Rachel White led the Blue Raiders with 18 digs while Amber Smith led with 13 assists.

Birdville player injured in first match

Birdville senior Reagan Selby had to leave the Hawks' volleyball match against Hurst L.D. Bell on Tuesday after injuring her knee. Selby, an outside hitter, came down wrong in Game 2 at Birdville High School. She was helped off the court by trainers. It was the first match of the season for both teams. Birdville coach Courtney Grimes said Selby will have an MRI done at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to determine the nature of the injury. "Our trainer said it looked like she may have torn her ACL, MCL or maybe both," Grimes said.

Lake Worth reaches into depth

The DeAndre Davis years at Lake Worth are over. But all is not lost in the Bullfrogs backfield. Quarterback Donovan Vess made four starts last season and threw for 516 yards and five touchdowns. Jay Kirshbaum will slide over from the wide receiver slot to take over for Davis at tailback, where he rushed for nearly 1,900 yards in 2007.
“He ran for 500 yards,” Lake Worth head coach Percy Whitmire said. “We knew he was going to be a tailback is senior year.”
Defensively, the Bullfrogs return six starters from last season’s team that went 4-7. The main question for Whitmire at the moment appears to be the defensive front.
“We are looking to shore up some areas on our defensive line,” he said. “Skill-wise we feel like we have some kids that are better than what we had last year. But they are inexperienced. Inside linebackers are inexperienced too.”
Lake Worth does return linebacker Josh Migura, who made 64 tackles in 2007.
“Right now we look pretty good in certain areas,” Whitmire said. “But we are inexperienced in a lot of areas. We have a lot of work to do.”
-- WIlliam Wilkerson

FW Southwest plans no slowdown

Fort Worth Southwest averaged 40.5 points last season with an offense led by quarterback Jason Dillon. Don’t look for many changes, new coach Lanny Trammel said -- except maybe in Dillon, a senior who threw for 1,620 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 960 and 14 touchdowns.
"The difference you’re going to see in Jason this year is he is throwing the ball much better than I’ve seen him throw it," said Trammel, who was defensive coordinator the previous three seasons.
The Raiders graduated their top receiver, but Jonathan Boone is a returning part-time starter. Additionally, the Raiders moved cornerbacks James Hall and Clifton Rhodes to receiver, where they are expected to take advantage of their speed.
"They’re both really good athletes," Trammel said. "That’s picked up our offense a little bit. They’re both doing a really good job."
-- Carlos Mendez

By the numbers: Joshua Owls

Here's a look at how many kids are working out in Joshua's indoor practice facility during two-a-days:

Varsity: 40-45 players

JV: 55 players

Freshman: 75

Head football coach Phil Shaffer said one of his goals through two-a-days is to keep up the number of players on his respective squads.

-- Ricky Treon

First-practice numbers encouraging at Polytechnic

Fort Worth Polytechnic coach Marvin Sedberry remembers his first practice a year ago. "Thirty-three kids showed up." So he had a goal in mind for his first practice this year. "If we can get 40 to show up, that would be good."
The Parrots did better than good. Almost 70 players showed up Monday night for the first workout of the season.
"That was huge for us," Sedberry said. "We’re trying to improve the numbers. We’re trying to turn the corner. But what I told the kids is, it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality."
The Parrots showed some of that, too. Sedberry was particularly impressed by the younger players who retained much of what they learned in spring training.
"The kids looked real sharp. They had a pretty good time," he said.

-- Carlos Mendez

Dunbar eager for test against Carter DE

A pleasant surprise for Fort Worth Dunbar is how quickly its offensive line has developed, coach Todd Lawson said. Now he wants to see it fares Saturday morning in a scrimmage against Dallas Carter.
"Those linemen have really started coming through," Lawson said. "There’s more depth than I was expecting."
The Wildcats will go against Carter’s star defensive end, Chris Henderson, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior who has commited to Texas A&M. But the Dunbar tackles will be close in size. Left tackle Dominic Taylor is 6-4, 250, and right tackle Eric Jackson is 6-3, 230.
"Hopefully we’ll bring a lot to the table," Lawson said. "I’ll be looking to see how we react to the physical side of it."

-- Carlos Mendez

Aledo starts workouts in good shape

Not only was Aledo coach Tim Buchanan pleased to have close to 230 players report for practice this week – about 20 more than he thought – but he made sure to point out the condition they came in at for the first practice Monday. It’s a change of the times, as just 10 and 15 years ago, coaches spent most of the early days of practice getting their players back into football shape after the long summer. Now with summer 7-on-7 competition and workout programs, Buchanan said the players come in already in shape and the team can get to work sooner on learning and preparing for the season.

“Two-a-days is a completely different animal compared to what it was when I first started coaching,” Buchanan said. “Now they show up probably in better shape than when they left.”

Like most area schools, Aledo has a summer program that draws participation not only from football players, but other athletes (male and female) from the high school and middle schools. Buchanan said nearly 300 students went through the strength and conditioning program. It isn’t required, but when most of the team is participating, no one wants to be the one left behind.

“What they know is, if I don’t go through the Performance Course,” Buchanan said. “When I show up, I’m going to be way behind these other guys.”

-- Angel Verdejo

Numbers are up at Paschal

Two years ago Paschal football suited up fewer than 30 players for varsity football games. Coach Matt Cook took over in 2007 and started the rebuilding process with a big sophomore class. More than 13 sophomores suited up for the Panther's varsity team last year but Cook anticipates just one sophomore on the roster this season. At Monday's first practice the Panthers had a 50-man varsity roster and 125 athletes out for football.
"I know we've made progress," Cook said. "We still don't have 5A numbers but we're getting closer."
Part of the rebuilding process includes getting freshmen involved. Paschal had 81 athletes register for freshman football, Cook said.
-- Stefan Stevenson

Richland coach Gene Wier's football philosophy

Football offenses evolve. One of the newest and most exciting offenses is the spread, which can turn a team into virtually a pass-only squad (see: Texas Tech). But Richland coach Gene Wier still believes a team's offensive success begins and ends with its offensive line.

"Being in shape is important, but that doesn't make you win," Wier said. "Being able to throw and catch doesn't do you any good if you can't protect it."

Wier has the same attitude on defense, saying "Being able to defend a pass doesn't do you any good if we don't have a pass rush."
-- Ricky Treon

Arlington, Arlington Martin ranked in state poll

Arlington and Arlington Martin are ranked No. 9 and No. 15 respectively in the Lonestarvolleyball.com preseason poll. Arlington, the Star-Telegram's No. 1-ranked area team, finished fourth in the lonestarvolleyball.com poll's final 2007 rankings.

Martin, ranked No. 3 in the Star-Telegram poll, finished fifth in the final 2007 state poll. Coppell, which will battle Southlake Carroll in District 6-5A, is ranked 19th.

Here's the complete poll, released Monday:

Rank. Team (2007 final ranking)

1. Austin Westlake (2)

2. Plano West (6)

3. San Antonio Reagan (7)

4. Lake Highlands (9)

5. SA Churchill (15)

6. Hou. Clear Creek (Bubble)

7. Amarillo (1)

8. SA O’Connor (10)

9. Arlington (4)

10. Round Rock (17)

11. RR Westwood (13)

12. New Braunfels (Bubble)

13. Highland Park (NR)

14. Hou. Memorial (14)

15. Arlington Martin (5)

16. Kingwood (Bubble)

17. Pearland (NR)

18. The Woodlands (NR)

19. Coppell (8)

20. Katy (NR)

Richland moves on from 7-on-7

For Richland coach Gene Wier, winning last month’s state 7-on-7 tournament was great. But as of Mondays first workout at 6:30 p.m., it didn’t matter. “I think [the 7-on-7 title] brings a lot of things, but the last thing it brings is guaranteed wins,” he said. “It brought them together a little bit, got them in shape, and lets them practice skills. We did that very well, but that’s over and we got to start this portion of the year.” Wier added that his offensive and defensive lines probably had a below average summer, and that’s going to be a key part of Richland's preparation for this season.

-- Ricky Treon

Northwest works new starters into lineup

Justin Northwest head coach Leonard McAngus isn’t turning a blind eye toward the task that faces his Texans football team. He realizes realignment left him in quite possibly the toughest district in the state in his opinion, District 5-5A. But that’s not a cause for concern at the moment. Finding a way to mesh nine new starters on offense is at the top of his to-do list. “We have one offensive lineman (left tackle Ben Collins) returning and our quarterback (Brysen Curb) back,” McAngus said. “If you are going to have two guys back those are two pretty good ones to have back. Having that kind of experience back will be a big asset."Curb threw for 1,943 yards and 12 touchdowns during a 2007 campaign that saw Northwest go 3-7 (2-5). As for that glaring potential road block in district play that features Euless Trinity, Colleyville Heritage, Keller Fossil Ridge, Grapevine, Hurst L.D. Bell, Keller and Keller Central? "It has got to be the toughest district in the state,” McAngus said. “I thought we were in a real tough one, but I think this one is a little tougher. We pick up two teams that were playoff teams last year on top of picking up Trinity, who won state. "We talked to our kids about (our schedule). We aren’t going to focus on it, we are going to focus on making Northwest better." --William Wilkerson

Mansfield Legacy eyes playoffs

About 30 Mansfield Legacy players took to the field at 7 a.m. Monday morning for a run test, as about 20 of their teammates looked on.

Head coach Chris Melson said he has preached togetherness since Day 1 and it was apparent in the drills, which were enhanced by the enthusiasm of the first Broncos varsity team in school history.

Just because they’re new to the scene hasn’t kept Melson from setting some lofty goals for a first-year program.

“We are trying to get to the playoffs. That’s our expectation, which I think is real high for a first-year program,” he said. “That’s what we think. We feel like we can compete for a playoff spot, that’s our goal.”

Legacy has 14 seniors on the team, including Terry Franklin, a defensive end committed to Oklahoma after playing a junior varsity schedule last season.

“He can be a dominating force on the football field on both sides,” Melson said. “We are going to play him a little bit at receiver and outside linebacker. He is really good at attacking the quarterback.”

Quarterback Darius Smith will start, running a spread offense, and Legacy will base its defense around a 3-4 with two deep safeties.

– William Wilkerson

Joshua takes advantage indoors

Though every program brings its own drills and philosophies to preseason workouts, the one common denominator almost always seems to be the Texas heat.

Unless, of course, a team has an indoor practice facility like the Joshua Owls.

Though the temperature hovered in the mid- to high-80s at the beginning of Joshua’s workout at 4 p.m., the fans that circulated cool air throughout the 40-yard complex give the Owls an upper hand.

“Either way you look at it, it’s an advantage,” Joshua head coach Phil Shaffer said. “Now, on a day like today, it’s not that big of a deal. Any time you can bring them inside and take that direct sunlight off them … it’s still hotter than you-know-what. But at least they don’t have the direct sunlight on them and still give them plenty of breaks. It’s just nice.”

Joshua still runs deep-ball passing drills out in the sunlight because of the limited space inside and because the roof and lights make it hard to judge the depth of a pass or punt.

-- Ricky Treon

Trinity, Colleyville Heritage part of showdown

Euless Trinity and Colleyville Heritage will both play in “The Showdown” on Labor Day at Texas Stadium, which features three games Sept. 1 and caps off a season-opening weekend of high school football. Tickets are available at each school along with Ticketmaster.com and Ticketweb.com, and are listed at $14 for adults in advance ($16 at the gate) and $10 for students and children ($12 at the gate). Tickets are good for the three games: Euless Trinity vs. River Ridge (La.) John Curtis, 11 a.m.; Klein Oak vs. Mandeville (La.), 2:30 p.m.; Colleyville Heritage vs. Clovis East (Calif.), 6 p.m.

Conditioning leaves Bowie coach out of sorts

Arlington Bowie football coach Kenny Perry was not happy Monday morning.
“I think I’ve been spoiled the last couple of years,” said Perry, whose Volunteers went 12-2 and reached the regional final last season. “(In the past) the kids have been dying to show what they could do.”
But Monday Perry said there was too many players bending over, out of shape.
“I have a saying,” Perry said. “’If you’re bending over, you’re beat.’ Some of these kids are going on their third year with me so they know what to expect.”
Perry took the blame for the team being out of shape.
“I told them I was proud of them for being out here, but I was disappointed in what they did when they were here. They came with the right frame of mind.”
Bowie lost 18 players and returns only four starters.
“We weren’t as crisp as we need to be,” Perry said. “We’re going to have to pick up the tempo. I’ll get them there.”
Perry said his team’s overall stamina and strength has been a point of pride for him as a coach.
“I always feel like we are in better shape than our opponent but we're not there right now.”

-- Stefan Stevenson

Veteran Lamar coach keen on young team

Arlington Lamar coach Eddy Peach knows he has a young football team. With only a few returning starters, including one on defense, the Vikings began 2008 football practice with one thing in mind: repetitions.

"The whole key for us is we need to play," said Peach, who goes for his 300th career win against Keller Fossil Ridge on Aug. 29 at Cravens Field. "We need more reps. The kids know our program and it's their turn to step up. We have everything we need to have a good football team other than reps."

More than half of the starters on defense will be underclassmen, Peach said. "Not a lot of them have started. But we have good kids. Practice went well, as a whole."

--Stefan Stevenson

Padron ready for the reins at Carroll

Kyle Padron, who gave a nonbinding committment to SMU earlier this summer, says he's ready to lead the Southlake Carroll offense. Padron saw limited action in 2007 as Riley Dodge's backup, although he did play in the Week 2 game against Miami Northwestern and in the playoffs against Abilene. "It went real well today," Padron said. "We're going to come back this evening and hopefully do even better." Padron said the quarterbacks and receivers practiced together three days a week this summer and the work has paid off.
"We worked hard this summer," Padron said. "We really did." Since moving up to Class 5A six years ago, three Carroll QBs have signed college scholarships."It’s an honor to play quarterback here but I’m not really thinking about all the guys before me," Padron said. "I got to watch them all since sixth grade. It’s been good for me to see them all and hopefully I can live up to the standard.” --Stefan Stevenson

Carroll offense sharp at first practice

Southlake Carroll held its first practice of the summer at noon Monday and coach Hal Wasson wasn't surprised how sharp his team looked. Especially, the quarterbacks and wide receivers, two important cogs in the Dragons' pass-oriented offense.
"I was really impressed with their retention (from spring) and how they picked up right where they left off," Wasson said. "There's something about this group. They know it's their time."
During drills where the first- and second-team offenses took turns driving down the field, both quarterbacks and receivers looked sharp. Passes were on the mark and only a few balls were dropped.
"It's what they do," Wasson said. "They had a good spring, a better summer. They really caught my eye today."

100 years of North Side football

Fort Worth North Side is starting its 100th year of competitive football, the second oldest program behind Fort Worth Paschal, and will celebrate their centennial year when they face Diamond Hill-Jarvis at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 at Farrington Field.

-- Drew Davison

North Side increasing interest

Fort Worth North Side coach Chris Killian said that participation this year has increased “by 100 to 150 percent.” And that’s exactly what the third-year coach hoped for when he took over the program.

“They’re getting excited about this season and are ready to hit the ground running,” said Killian before the team’s first practice of the season. “We’re going to hit the ground running. They know what to expect. They know the system, they know the offense, they know the defense. We’re ready to go.”

-- Drew Davison

Summit counting on young talent

As usual, Mansfield Summit littered the collegiate ranks with its own this season. Gone are Terran Benton (Iowa State), David Cato (Iowa), Quinn Sharp (Oklahoma State), Josh Thomas (Stephen F Austin) and UTEP’s Adam Visosky and Ramonte Harris.

How do you replace a laundry list of talent gone to graduation?

“We are just going to coach up the ones that we have,” Summit coach Kyle Geller said. “We’ve got some young ones that are inexperienced but they have enough talent to succeed. It’s about getting better every week.”

The Jaguars have three returning starters on offense and four on defense.

– William Wilkerson

Summit coach an early riser

Mansfield Summit coach Kyle Geller set his alarm for 4:45 a.m. Monday morning. But the anticipation of the Jaguars’ first practice for the 2008 football season was too much for him to handle.

“I got up three times just checking the clock,” Geeler said.

He’s got good reason to be antsy about all things gridiron, in particularly with the experience returning along the defensive front. Tackle Nosa Eguae headlines a talented core, which also features end Sean Tillotson and Carlos Castaneda. Rivals.com ranks Eguae as the 14th-best strong side defensive end in the nation. At 6-3, 240 pounds, Eguae is getting looks from several colleges, including Colorado, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Purdue and Texas A&M.

“A lot of the college guys that have watched him on film (like his motor) and the way he gets to the ball,” Geller said. “He’s definitely got the size (6-3, 240).”

Safety Loyd Bradley is an Air Force commitment.  Summit was 9-2 (7-0 District 4-5A) in 2007.

– William Wilkerson

Mansfield coach ready for workouts

New Mansfield coach Jeff Hulme, who comes to the Tigers after leading Fort Bend Clements to a 13-1 record in 2007, said he was pleased with his team’s physical conditioning during the team’s first workout Monday. He seemed even more pleased with the opportunity spring ball presented, which allowed him to install his system then.
“Being able to have spring ball let the kids have an idea of what we want to do,” Hulme said. “Kids seem to be in good shape. I don’t think anyone is in the perfect shape, ever, but that’s why we have two to three weeks of practice. I am real pleased.”

Early wake-up call for Boswell

During the summer, high school students are known to sleep in and start their days at noon – at the earliest. But Saginaw Boswell coach John Abendschan isn’t letting his football team have the same luxury, scheduling practice for 6 a.m.

“What’s funny about these kids, is that they’ll show up,” Abendschan said. “The kids will be at the doorstep at 5:15 a.m. ready to go. They’ve always been that way and it’s a credit to them and their families.”

As for the first 6 a.m. practice of the season, Abendschan said, “It went well. Our early practice focuses mostly on agility and getting back in shape.”

Boswell focuses on more football related drills at the nightcap during two-a-days, which starts at 6 p.m.

-- Drew Davison

Football begins at Heritage

There’s not much “football” on Day 1. As Colleyville Heritage coach Mike Fuller said, “You can’t really tell much about the team until you get against somebody else in pads. It’s a lot of review.”

Still, with a core group of seniors leading the way, Fuller liked what he saw the first-day of practice. The Panthers will rely on seniors at several key positions including QB Steven Hill, RB Bryan Head, LB Bobby Schneider and DL Matt Hornbuckle.

-- Drew Davison

Mansfield runner on center stage

Eyes couldn’t help but dial in on Mansfield running back Stepfan Taylor during Monday’s rain-dampened workout. And with good reason. The senior, committed to Stanford, is expected to carry the load for the Tigers for two logical reasons: He rushed for 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2007 and new coach Jeff Hulme has gone away from the spread Mansfield has used in the past and will run out of the I-formation.

“He’s pretty dang special,” said Hulme, who left Fort Bend Clements last season after a 13-1 campaign. “He’s the complete package when it comes to academics and athletics. I don’t think Stanford would have recruited him if he hadn’t have been. I am excited he’s committed there. He’s going to be a great success with or without football. I am lucky to have him on my team. I know that.”

Hulme said he will run a 4-3 defense. On that side of the ball, expect to hear a lot about middle linebacker Winston Dossman and end Femi Awe, who might leave the opposition in exactly that.

Mansfield was 8-3 and lost in the bi-district round of the playoffs last season.

– William Wilkerson

Wager betting on stiff competition

Arlington Martin coach Bob Wager says he hasn't seen tougher competition as so many positions in his three years as the Warriors coach. In fact, Wager says "the vast majority of positions on the field are wide open and up for grabs." Martin began practicing Monday morning. "I'm extremely excited about the quality depth that we have," Wager said. "We have more competition at each positions than we've had since I've been at Martin. More guys challenging  for jobs."That's important, Wager said, because the competition level "raises the level of performance." Wager says he felt good about his team coming out of the spring and "our kids cane back in great shape, which I really appreciate." As for who will make the starting teams: "Your reputation is your work ethic  and you've got prove yourself every day," Wager said.

--Stefan Stevenson

Mansfield Timberview strong at skill spots

There’s no denying the skill set of Mansfield Timberview running back Eric Stephens. He’s got that ``it’’ factor made evident by his 23 touchdowns and 1,906 rushing yards in 2007. But the cupboard isn’t bare once you take the Minnesota commitment out of the mix.

“Eric is obviously key, he’s the one everyone knows about,” coach Terry Cron said. ``(Returning quarterback) Donte Parker really played as much as Antoine Hicks (now at TCU) did last year.”

Parker will have the luxury of throwing to two solid receivers in Sharman Brown and Raymond Scott. Darrell Holmes and Blake Dickson were solid contributors in the backfield in 2007 and should both hold steady as backups to Stephens.

The biggest question mark right now for Timberview appears to be who will emerge to give Parker time to spread the ball around.

“Our story will be how well we compete up front,” Cron said. “There are some big question marks with some junior varsity players that have to come on. Michael Nolan is our returning center. He was second-team all district in 2007 but I think he will be first team this year. We have some big shoes to feel.”

The Wolves were 9-4 and got all the way to the Division II regional finals in 2007.

– William Wilkerson

Welcome back to Class 5A

Keller Fossil Ridge made the most of its brief two-year stint in Class 4A, including a perfect district record last year in football, but now it’s back to Class 5A. And the UIL didn’t do the Panthers football team any favors with realignment, putting them in a district with defending state champion Euless Trinity and power Colleyville Heritage. “It’s going to be tough,” Fossil Ridge coach Tony Baccarini said. “Our first five games are really tough. The Pantehrs meet Arlington Lamar, Flower Mound, Flower Mound Marcus, Colleyville Heritage and Trinity. -- Drew Davison

New Saginaw boss greeted by impressive numbers

First-year Saginaw coach Chris Wilde is the first to admit that moving from Class 2A Hamilton to a 4A school isn’t an easy transition. Hamilton had roughly 350 student total. At the first practice on Monday morning, Saginaw had 133 players, not including the freshmen team. Instead of six coaches, Wilde now has 25. Still, on a scale of one-to-10, Wilde said the first day was a six. “That’s a pretty good rating for the first-day,” Wilde said. “I thought it was an above-average day.” --Drew Davison

Fossil Ridge’s Fisher ready

As Keller Fossil Ridge wide receiver Aaron Fisher ran standard post and out routes in shorts and a t-shirt during the Panthers first practice on Monday Morning, all the future Texas Tech Red Raider thought about was putting on some pads. "On the first day, we’re just making sure we know what to do,” said Fisher, who had 63 catches for 1,059 yards and 17 TDs last season. “I can’t wait to get some pads on, though. That’s when the real fun starts.” --Drew Davison

Western Hills wants to run its quarterbacks

Western Hills began practice Monday looking for a new quarterback. Senior Kyle McDaniel is a prime candidate for the job, but he has to catch up after missing spring training because of a baseball injury. Aaron Huitt is a good runner, so that could give him an advantage in the Cougars zone read offense, which asks the quarterback to carry the ball.

Double duty for L.D. Bell's Mauro?

Hurst L.D. Bell opened its football season Monday in gray shirts, which turned darker gray as the practice went on and the players began to sweat. By the time that first practice was done, one player – Josh Mauro – had turned his practice shirt into solid dark gray.
“He’s a great self starter,” L.D. Bell coach Gary Olivo said.
Mauro (6-6, 220) will line up on the Blue Raiders’ defensive line, but could also see time on offense as a wideout. He should be a threat inside the 20-yard line, where his size and basketball experience – Mauro averaged 7.2 rebounds for the Blue Raiders last season – could come in handy.

-- Angel Verdejo

L.D. Bell picks up the pace

Day one at Hurst L.D. Bell brought comfortable temperatures (mid-80s) for the Blue Raiders football team and a solid, productive practice said head coach Gary Olivo.

“Things were snappy, quick and the kids pretty much knew where to go,” said Olivo, starting his fourth season at L.D. Bell. “Everybody was here and most everybody was here on time. And we had a nice cool day.”

As far as his objectives for the first practice, Olivo said it was all about learning and working on execution. He also made mention of getting the sophomores, who weren’t at the high school last year, up to speed on the pace of high school football. Most were at one of three junior high schools that feed into L.D. Bell, but did come up to the high school at the end of last school year for spring practice.

“We worked on that,” Olivo said. “It’s a faster speed, the practices are faster and the tempo is a little better. We’ve already headed them in that direction a little bit and now, they learn to keep up.”

The Blue Raiders, who come into the year with back-to-back playoff appearances, will have a split practice schedule through Thursday, which includes a practice, an hour break and a second workout.

-- Angel Verdejo

Joshua not going with traditional two-a-days

Joshua head football coach Phil Shaffer is going with a slightly different approach to two-a-days. Rather than having morning and evening practices, Shaffer has set up what amounts to one long practice with a break in between. Joshua begins preseason workouts Monday at 4 p.m. and Shaffer said last week he expects to have his kids there until 8 p.m., with a break. This strategy is not supposed to be extra tough on his players, though, as Shaffer said the kids will be working mostly on "basic things," such as fundamentals and play installation.

-- Ricky Treon

Arlington Seguin preparing for individual drills

One week from today marks the first practice that football teams can work out in full pads, if they had spring drills. When that time comes, Arlington Seguin will focus mostly on "individual work," head football coach Carlos Lynn said. Lynn said his players will likely go offense vs. defense with one-on-one position drills, such as O and D lineman going at it and receivers squaring off against defensive backs. There will likely be some seven-on-seven work, too. -- Ricky Treon