Bayou Bowl releases Texas roster

I believe this was finalized a few days ago, but here it is. Once again, it's mostly Houston kids with a smattering from other areas. The most prominent out-of-area name I see is Southlake Carroll QB Kyle Padron, an SMU commit who is named after my favorite cigar. OK, that was bad.
Peruse the roster at your leisure. Louisiana's is not yet available.
The game is June 13 at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown; we'll be out there all week with complete coverage.

2009 Texas Roster

Name Position Wt Ht High School
AJ Dugot WR 195 5'11" Dayton Dayton
Austin Pugliese QB 180 5'11" Cypress Creek
Austin Riley OL 280 6'2" Baytown Lee
Ben Hughes OL 260 6'4" Fort Bend Austin
Bo Snelson RB 180 5'8" Pasadena Memorial
Kasey Carrier RB 180 5'9" Pearland
Christine Michael RB 208 5'11" Beaumont West Brook
Da Marcus Baymon OL 330 6'2" Cypress Creek
Darius Johnson WR 170 5'10" Hightower
Garrett Langthorpe OL 300 6'3" Oak Ridge
Ja'Mes Logan WR 185 6'3" Westfield
Jerrell Watkins OL 260 6'3" Channelview
Richard "Keagan" Kogut QB/WR 195 6'3" Baytown Sterling
Kevin Forsch OL 290 6'4" Klein Oak
Kyle Padron QB 200 6'4" Southlake Carroll
LaMarquis King WR 190 6'3" Nimitz
Nick Harwell WR 175 6' Elkins
Ryan Walker WR 180 6' Southlake Carroll
Keenan Flax OL 285 6'5" Cypress Ridge
Matt Eureste OL 280 6'3" Cypress Falls
Andrae May CB 170 6' North Shore
Chase Maires Rover 200 5'10" The Woodlands
Colton Valencia Free Safety 190 6' Hightower
Devin Williams Tackle 222 6'2" Cinco Ranch
Emerson Evans End 235 6'1" Alief Taylor
Eric Dago End 220 6'3" Westside
Jarrod Stewart Strong Safety 183 5'10" Pearland
Jesse Beauchamp LB 215 6' Klein Collins
Jordan Wilson Tackle 245 6' Conroe
Justin Williams Tackle 250 6'3" Galveston Ball
Kendrick Washington CB 160 5'10" Brenham
Kirby Ennis End 240 6'4" Huntsville
Nathan Snow Rover 185 5'11" Clear Lake
Phillip Stewart LB 220 6'1" Hightower
Princeton Jackson LB 210 6'1" Cypress Ridge
Quaylon Ewing CB 180 6'1" Kempner
Radermon Scypion End 235 6'4" Pasadena Memorial
Steven Campbell Strong Safety 190 6' Jersey Village
Tahare Ray LB 225 6'2" Spring
Tommy Henshaw Kicker/Punter 185 5'11" Clear Creek

Signings at Cy Springs

From Cypress Springs assistant football coach Jerry Prieto comes this heads-up:
On Wednesday, the Panthers' Klent Hardin will be signing with Austin College to play football.
On Friday, Darius Wilson will be signing to play football with Mary Hardin Baylor and Anthony Washington will be signing to play football at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Bi-district soccer pairings

Here's the complete list of 5A bi-district soccer for Monday and Tuesday. We'll be at a few games Monday and several more Tuesday. Check back with the main site to see where we'll be!
These are teams from the AC coverage area only.
Special thanks to Steven Thomson for sending the list.
***
BOYS
Region II
Cypress Falls vs. Georgetown
6 p.m. Tuesday, Cy Falls

Langham Creek vs. Round Rock McNeil
6 p.m. Tuesday, Berry Center

Cypress Woods vs. Cedar Park
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Cy Woods

Region III
Morton Ranch vs. Alief Taylor
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Alief Taylor

Aldine vs. Westside
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Delmar

MacArthur vs. Lamar
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Delmar

Katy Taylor vs. Hastings
6 p.m. Tuesday, Katy Taylor

Elkins vs. Clear Lake
5 p.m. Tuesday, Alvin

Fort Bend Austin vs. Brazoswood
7 p.m. Tuesday, Alvin

Katy vs. Strake Jesuit
7 p.m. Tuesday, Strake Jesuit

Kingwood vs. Bellaire
5 p.m. Tuesday, Thorne

Nimitz vs. Sam Houston
7 p.m. Tuesday, Thorne

Cinco Ranch vs. Elsik
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Alief Auxiliary

Clements vs. Clear Creek
7 p.m. Tuesday, Alvin Auxilary

Hightower vs. Clear Brook
5 p.m. Tuesday, Pasadena

North Shore vs. Pearland
7 p.m. Tuesday, Galena Park

GIRLS
Region II
Langham Creek vs. Round Rock Westwood
4 p.m. Tuesday, Westwood

Cy Woods vs. Round Rock
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Cy Woods

Cy Creek vs. Cedar Park
7 p.m. Tuesday, Cy Creek

Cy-Fair vs. Round Rock McNeil
6 p.m. Tuesday, Georgetown

Region III
Cinco Ranch vs. Spring Woods
6 p.m. Tuesday, Tully

MacArthur vs. Bellaire
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Butler

Atascocita vs. Lamar
7:30 p.m. Monday, Thorne

Mayde Creek vs. Memorial
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mayde Creek

Kempner vs. Clear Lake
TBA

Clements vs. Clear Brook
5 p.m. Tuesday, Alvin auxiliary

Seven Lakes vs. Stratford
7 p.m. Tuesday, Rhodes

Kingwood vs. Milby
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Barnett

Aldine vs. Westside
5:30 p.m. Monday, Butler

Cinco Ranch vs. Elsik
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Alief Auxiliary

Fort Bend Austin vs. Brazoswood
7:30 p.m. Monday, Friendswood

Elkins vs. Clear Springs
7 p.m. Tuesday, Manvel

Live from Durley Stadium ...

Good afternoon everyone from Durley Stadium, site of the 58th Annual Texas Southern University Relays. It's one of the largest track and field meets in the country - some say it is the largest; others say it's the third or fourth.
We'll be here both today and tomorrow. I'll be talking to a few area coaches getting caught up on how their seasons are going, and tomorrow Chad Washington and I will split coverage. I'll be here and at the University of Houston for the field events in the morning and early afternoon; Chad will be around in the evening for the running finals.
As usual, the top teams in our area will include Hightower, Elsik and Cinco Ranch. We've already seen a few of those teams and will be seeing them and a lot more this weekend.
If you're coming out, remember your sunscreen no matter your skin tone! It's not too hot but the sun will be bright.
And if you don't come here, remember the other big event in the area is the Space City Classic at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Berry Center. Lots of credit goes to Tonya Greene and her co-workers with the classic for publicizing the heck out of what was a fun but not crowded event a year ago. I certainly expect to hear about a great game - and great crowd - tomorrow night.
Have a great weekend!

PS You may enjoy the music. The P.A. announcer just cued up "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe" by Barry White. Awesome. Thankfully no one saw me groovin' to that and typing this! :)]

Now that basketball is done ...

The spring is upon us, and that means a lot of baseball, softball, soccer and track coverage the next few weeks. Here are the big events coming up the next few months:


March 20-21 (Fri. and Sat.) - TSU Relays at Texas Southern
March 21 (Saturday) - Space City Classic, 2 p.m. at Berry Center
April 3-4 - Region III soccer tournament at Turner Stadium (yes, not Deer Park as the UIL site says). The Region II tournament will be at the Georgetown Athletic Complex.
April 10-11 - State soccer tournament, also at Georgetown. Construction forced a move from Round Rock, which has hosted the tournament since 2005.
Week of April 13-17 - District track championships. 15-5A is at Cypress Falls, 17-5A at Morton Ranch, 18-5A at Crump Stadium, 19-5A at Plummer Stadium, Houston ISD is at Barnett Stadium and 23-5A is at Hall Stadium.
April 20-23 - Girls (20-21) and boys (22-23) golf regional tournaments. Both Region III events are at Eagle Pointe in Mont Belvieu. Region II girls is at Cottonwood Creek in Waco; Region II boys are at Twin Rivers in Waco.
May 1 - Softball playoffs begin. There will be games Friday and Saturday of that week because of TAKS testing.
May 1-2 - Regional track. Region III is at Turner Stadium; Region II is at Baylor.
May 7 - Baseball playoffs begin.
May 11-12 - State tennis in Austin.
May 14-15 - State golf at Jimmy Clay Golf Course in Austin.
May 16 - 5A state track at UT.
May 16 - 7-on-7 state qualifying tournaments begin. A full schedule is available at 7on7.rivals.com.
June 5-6 - State softball tournament in Austin.
June 12-13 - State baseball tournament in Round Rock.
June 13 - The Bayou Bowl, 8 p.m. at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown.
July 10-11 - 7-on-7 state tournament at Texas A&M.
July 20-21 - The Texas High School Coaches Association school in Austin. The boys basketball all-star game is the 20th; the football game is the next night.

I'm searching now for spring football game dates and 2009 football schedules. If anyone can help, shoot me an e-mail at dpurpura@athletesconnection.com or ac_editor@comcast.net.

Poll results from last week

Of course many voted with their hearts, but I'd have voted the same way. I wanted to see them finish the run in style.
***
Who wins the 5A boys basketball championship?

Strake Jesuit
87.2%

DeSoto
6.8%

Cedar Hill
5.5%

San Antonio Wagner
.5%

12.3 left -- DeSoto 47, Strake Jesuit 44

Dandridge hit another pair of free throws to put DeSoto up three... Strake just can't get a bucket to go down the stretch here...

32.8 left -- DeSoto 45, Strake Jesuit 44

A steal by DeSoto's Dominique Bennett and a free throw by Darius Terrell has got the Eagles ahead, and they have the ball... Frazier fouls Dandridge...

1:37 left -- Strake Jesuit 44, DeSoto 44

Dandridge has hit another 3 to tie the game, but quickly picked up his fourth personal foul... Strake has the ball...

3:35 left -- Strake Jesuit 44, DeSoto 38

A couple of Frazier steals turned into big buckets to open up a six-point Crusader lead. Frazier took his first steal coast-to-coast for a layup, then found Brooks open on his second steal and he layed it in with the foul. He did miss the free throw though, so there is time for a comeback.
Just as I typed this, Dandridge hit a 3 in the corner and Brooks got an offensive foul, his fourth personal... things are tightening up here at the Erwin Center...

End of third quarter, Strake Jesuit 38, DeSoto 32

Tim Frazier has stepped up and has scored 15 points, six coming in the third quarter. Steven Rogers hit a 3-pointer in the quarter and he has seven.
But the real reason for the Crusaders regaining the lead is their defense. They have created 14 Eagle turnovers and have made DeSoto shoot 35 percent from the field.

Halftime -- DeSoto 26, Strake Jesuit 25

Derico Dandrige hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half to give DeSoto its first lead of the game at the break.
The Eagles rallied back, going on a 12-4 run to end the quarter, with Wilson scoring on a three-point play and Dandridge's 3. Wilson has came off the bench to score 11 points at the break.
The Crusaders are led at the half by Frazier, who has nine points. Joey Brooks had five points in the first quarter, but only has seven now.
If Strake is going to win this game, either Brooks and Frazier needs to explode offensively or other role players will have to step up.

2nd Quarter -- Strake Jesuit 23, DeSoto 16

A 3-pointer by Tim Frazier and a couple of layups by Steven Rogers has the Crusaders up 23-16 with 4:25 left in the half. Strake is playing very good team ball so far...

End of first quarter, Strake Jesuit 12, DeSoto 11

Ryan Dunbar's 3-pointer with a second left in the quarter has put the Crusaders up by one at the end of the first quarter. Brooks leads Strake with five points, while the Eagles' reserve guard, Alex Wilson, has five.

Strake-DeSoto 1st Quarter

DeSoto has taken an early 6-5 lead by passing and taking advantage of some foul trouble by Jesuit. Both Joey Brook and Wes Williams have two fouls each.
Both teams are having trouble shooting the ball early on.

Greetings from Austin!

Hey everyone, I'm in the Frank Erwin Center preparing for the 5A semifinal between Strake Jesuit and DeSoto. It's a cold and rainy day here in the state capitol, just like I bet it is back in Houston. But inside the Drum, it's been hot with action all week long.
Yesterday, the Houston area went 1-for-1, with Stafford falling to Dallas Madison in the 3A semifinals and Yates blowing out Mansfield Timberview in the 4A semis. The Crusaders are looking to be the second Houston-area team to play for a state title.
The Strake Jesuit section is starting to fill up with green and white, and it looks like all of their allotted seats are going to be filled. DeSoto is still filling their section, but they may not be able to bring the noise like Strake will.
Nazareth just finished beating Leggett 63-46 in the 1A Division II semifinal game, and we're waiting for both the Crusaders and Eagles to take the floor. I'll check in with updates as I can, so stay tuned...

This weekend

... we'll be all over the place.
Tonight, Ignacio Salazar will catch some baseball out at the Langham Creek Tournament as the Lobos host Atascocita. That game is at 7:30.
I will hit up the St. Thomas rugby team as the Eagles host Kingwood. The Eagles keep rolling; they shut out Round Rock Stony Point 57-0 last weekend.
We'll also have a recap of the Stafford boys basketball team's state semifinal game. That tips off at 3:30.
Tomorrow is a huge day on a few fronts. Chad Washington will be in Austin to see the Strake Jesuit boys basketball team play DeSoto in a state semifinal. That tips at 3:30 and we'll keep you posted throughout the afternoon.
Then we'll have two championship soccer games. I will watch Memorial and Spring Woods' girls slug it out for the 18-5A title, and Heather Burr will be in Katy for Cinco Ranch-Katy girls soccer. That's always a fun game.