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LocaL SportSWWW.MESSENGER-NEWS.COM THE MESSENGER SPORTSTHURSDAY, April 3, 2014

Sandies/Sandietttes Qualify To Compete At Texas Relays

By Barrett SteedMessenger SportsAUSTIN, Texas—the Grapeland Sandies’

track standouts earned a spot to compete at

the Texas Relays held at the Mike A. Myers Track Stadium at the University of Texas

Photo by Will Johnson / Messenger

Sandiette Junior Cymone Davis throws on her final attempt at the Texas Relays in Austin. The prestigious tournament is help yearly, by invitation only, pitting the best against the

best in the state of Texas

See Relays, Page B4

Former Bulldog Stands Out In Texas Relays

By Barrett SteedMessenger SportsAUSTIN, Texas—as the high school teams packed up to leave

the 2014 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers field, the college level squads would take their mark. Kabroderan “KB” Handsborough, the former standout Crockett Bulldog, would take his turn on the big stage, competing in the 100 meter dash.

Hansborough, now wearing red and white representing the South Plains College Texans, would perform phenomenally in the prelimi-

nary round of the 100, earning second place in his heat with a time of 10.43 seconds. Hansbourough’s preliminary time, solidified his place to compete in the finals where he would finish in sixth place with a time of 10.45. The first and second place finishes both represented South Plains as well.

KB Handsborough represents the 2012 graduating class of Crockett High School and is currently in his sophomore year at South Plains.

Barrett Steed can be reached via email at bsteed@messenger-news.com

By Chris BootheMessenger SportsIn an ESPN article released

today, University of Texas Athletic Director Steve Patterson said that the Texas A&M Aggies aren’t on their mind to play right now. Patterson said that he is interested in growing the Longhorn brand into an inter-national image, and the Aggies don’t fit into that play.

While I understand the part about A&M not helping grow the international image of Texas, I have to disagree with is means of growing their brand.

For starters, the Longhorn AD has talked about a non-con-ference game against USC to be played in Mexico City. Patterson has also expressed interest in another big-time non-confer-ence game in somewhere like Dubai or United Arab Emirates.

I think that is the wrong way to go for the Longhorns. Football is not a big sport in either of those places, and while Mexico City would be more suitable, it still isn’t very suit-able for American football. The only football celebrated there is spelled futbol and has past stars like Pele and Ronaldo, not Vince Young or Colt McCoy.

Again, I understand Patterson wanting to grown their image and become an international brand, but football overseas isn’t the way to do that. Taking away valuable home games from alumni and the student body isn’t the way to grow a brand. People like to tune into games and see packed stadiums with rabid fans and school spirit. Turning on a game that is at an awkward time because of different time zones, with very little fan support or home field advantage can be a turn off for fans.

Where Do You Think You’re Going

See Going, Page B3

Lady Dogs Trip Up ElkhartBy Chris BootheMessenger SportsELKHART – With the undefeated district

leader rolling into town, the Elkhart Lady Elks were looking to end the Garrison Lady Bulldogs seven-game district winning streak. Despite a five-run inning, it wouldn’t be enough as Garrison would surge ahead and pick up a narrow 7-6 win.

The early innings would prove to be highly contested, as the Lady Bulldogs would carry a 1-0 lead into the third inning before erupting for four runs in the third inning.

Garrison was the team to strike first, scoring five runs early to stake a 5-0 lead on the Lady

See Elkhart, Page B3

Grapeland Sandiettes Softball Highlight

By Barrett SteedMessenger SportsGRAPELAND, Texas—after a hard fought first

half of district play, the Sandiettes start the sec-

ond half of district with a tough to beat record of 5-1 after Friday night’s win over Kennard, and an overall record for the season of 18-4.

It’s important to recognize the girls’ hard work on and off the field to exemplify their school and community, and there is no better way to start than by highlighting the Sandiettes repre-senting the Grapeland High School senior class: Clara Shaw, Atlana Watson, Karleigh Stanaland, and Maddelynne Mathis. Clara Shaw has been solid as catcher all season, keeping the base runners honest with her strong arm behind the plate. Offensively, Shaw has provided power for the Sandiettes batting in the cleanup position for her team. Atlana Watson has come up with clutch hits for her team all season and proven to be dangerous on the base paths. Her speed also lends itself to her terrific outfield play.

See Sandiettes, Page B3

Grapeland Baseball Player Spotlight

By Barrett SteedMessenger SportsGRAPELAND, Texas—The

Grapeland Sandie being high-lighted this week is Sophomore Hayden Vickers. Hayden brings his work ethic from the class-room to the ball field, earning him starting spot in the infield. Hayden is the backbone of the infield, playing solid second base. Vickers is also the leader in walks on the team. His plate discipline has kick started the past two rallies for the Sandies in district play, on the road against the Kennard Tigers and at home against the Lovelady Lions, performing solid on the base paths and scoring runs. Hayden says he is “excited” about the teams’ performance, and enjoys being a part of a team. Join Hayden and the rest of the squad Friday, April 4th to cheer on your Sandies as they hit the road to take on the Apple Springs Eagles.

Grapeland FFA Competes At Navarro

The Grapeland FFA participated in the Navarro County judging contest on Friday March 28th in Corsicana. The land judging team of Hunter Collins, Matt Barnett, Zach Downs, and Atlana Watson placed 2nd. and the freshman team of

Stevie Reynolds, Nathan Little, Elizabeth Thorpe, and Rebekah Turner placed 4th. Matt Barnett was 4th high individual, Atlana Watson 6th, and Elizabeth Thorpe 8th. The Homesite team of Victoria Martin, Monic Davila, Kadie Richburg, and

Hayden Vickers also participated in the land judging contest to practice on soil textures, permeabilities, and slopes. They placed 6th in the land contest.

Photo by Will Johnson/

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65F surface water temperature, darkly stained water, and at normal level.

Slow black bass to 9 pounds 7 oz.  using white crank bait, red Rat-L-Trap, Shakey head and motor oil worms in an average of 4 feet of water.

Slow to fair crappie in coves near the dam using arti-ficial grubs and live minnows.

Good catfish 2 ½ pounds to 5 pounds average using shrimp in 14-20 feet of water.

Crockett Family ResortHouston County Lake Lodging, Marina, RV Park75 Dogwood Lane WestCrockett, Tx 75835 936/544-8466 www.crockettresort.com

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GoingNow, I will say that Patterson may have hit a home run with

his idea of playing Washington in China during the 2015 season. That is a country that loves basketball, and bringing the always exciting college brand over there could be huge for the Texas brand.

Why am I not talking about A&M doing the same thing? They are not at that point in their program growth right now. I think they could get there, but they need to continue to grow here in Texas and the USA with a few more good seasons on the gridiron, and even then I think it would be foolish to play a football game outside of the United States.

Thinking outside of the box is something needed for sports teams. Marketing ideas have become stale and boring, and Patterson has always been known as a man to take risks, but I have

to wonder if this is too much to bite off. Maybe his eyes are bigger than his stomach here.

I find it hard to believe they can gain the turnout needed to pay for a trip to the Middle East or a football game in Mexico City. I don’t think the benefits will outweigh the risks here. Maybe I am wrong, but it feels like Patterson isn’t being calculated enough in his ideas to grow the Texas brand, a brand that is already a national name.

Maybe he needs to focus on winning the state back from those guys in College Station and Waco. Right now he is losing on the home front, and needs to take care of business there first.

That is all I have for this week, but check back in the Messenger for more rants and rambings, as well as the latest sporting news from around the area. Remember to follow the Messenger on Facebook and check out our web-site at www.messenger-news.com. Chris Boothe can be reached at cboothe@messenger-news.com.

Continued From Page B1

Houston Co. Lake RepoRt Courtesy Of Crockett Family Resort

ElkhartElks, but it didn’t stop the Lady Elks from grinding on. This wouldn’t faze the Lady Elks veteran lineup, as the pushed five runs across the plate in the third inning, including a two-run blast from Robin Grant and a two run single from Camryn Rucker to knot the game at five apiece.

The score would hold there until the seventh inning when the Lady Bulldogs pushed two more runs across the plate. That would prove to be the difference in the contest.

Elkhart tried to respond with a run in the bottom of the inning, but couldn’t get the tying run home, as the Lady Elks would fall by a final score of 7-6.

Rucker finished with a strong night for the Lady Elks all around. The freshman hurler pitched the entire game, giving up seven runs on seven hits with one strikeout. Rucker also went 1-3 at the plate with two RBI.

Grant finished the night with a team-best 2-4 performance

including a two-run home run as part of a five-run inning for the Lady Elks. Catie Bridges added a 1-3 performance, while Courtney Lindsey went 1-2 and Megan Davis went 1-4 to round out the Lady Elks offensive performance.

The Lady Elks will look to rebound on Friday night when they travel to face the Westwood Lady Panthers. Elkhart will follow that up with a home contest against the Woden Lady Eagles on Tuesday, April 8.

Elkhart defeated Westwood 13-3 in their first meeting and will look to complete the season sweep of their Anderson County rivals. The Lady Elks also dismissed Woden 14-4 and will be look-ing to win both of their regular season meetings against the Lady Eagles this season.

For a complete recap of the Lady Elks showdown against Westwood, as well as all other area softball action, remember to check back in the Messenger. Remember to follow the Messenger on Facebook and check out our website at www.messenger-news.com. Chris Boothe can be reached at cboothe@messenger-news.com.

Continued From Page B1

SandiettesKarleigh Stanaland has provided excellent team leadership and support all season, standing out in her work ethic. On the field, Stanaland provides excellent utility for her squad, offensively and defensively. The last senior on the roster is Maddie Mathis. Mathis has played stand out softball for her squad and provided several clutch hits and scoring opportunities. Mathis is a terror on the base paths and has proven to be a tough out. The senior class shows no signs of their season ending anywhere but Austin.

The players representing the junior class of Grapeland High School are Baylee Lumbreraz, Allison Gilbert, and Holly Musick. Lumbreraz has been hard to beat all season, performing game after game, inning after inning, and is feared by batters. Allison Gilbert has helped her team defensively by playing solid first base and offensively by proving to have one of the hottest bats on the team. The final junior on the roster and stand out third baseman is Holly Musick. Musick is a great asset for her team; her throwing arm and ability to get on base have caused other teams trouble all season long.

The two players representing the sophomore class of Grapeland High School are Cheyenne Mixon and Whitney Musick. Mixon is starting to stand out in her sophomore year and is going to prove to be a great asset to the Sandiettes for the next two years. Mixon

has the ability to hit, run, throw, catch and routinely shows them off every game, helping her team to victory. Whitney Musick, like her sister, plays solid defense in the infield. The Sandiettes’ sec-ond baseman has the ability to get on base and then the aggres-siveness to get home, making her an integral part in the season’s success.

The final group on the roster is the freshman class, represented by Taylar Mullen, Hailee Sheridan, Madison Holbrook, and Elizabeth Thorpe. Taylar Mullen has provided the team with speed and agility, on the base paths and at short stop. Hailee Sheridan has produced clutch hits all sea-son long, and become a solid starter for the squad. Madison Holbrook has also proved to be a great player for the team by producing runs with her bat. The final freshman on the roster is Elizabeth Thorpe. Thorpe brings her determination from the classroom to the softball field, proving to be a tough out and strong utility player for her team. The freshmen on the squad are made up of players whose hard work and com-mitment to the team will pay off this year and years to come for the Sandiettes.

The Sandiettes are coached by Jim Dillard, Erin Tuck, and Jim Ed Hughes. The next game will be Friday, April 4th in Apple Springs against the Lady Eagles.

Barrett Steed can be reached vis email at bsteed@messenger-news.com

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Sandiettes Win Big Against Kennard

By Barrett SteedMessenger SportsGRAPELAND, Texas—before the storm rolled in late Friday

afternoon, the Sandiettes unleashed some thunder and light-ning of their own in a win against the Kennard Lady Tigers.

Junior Baylee Lumbreraz would pitch three shutout innings against the Lady Tigers in the victory, but it was the offense that really came alive. They say in softball that hits are contagious and in the bottom of the second the Sandiettes were up eight runs on the Lady Tigers. By the end of the third and the game, the Sandiettes bats rallied to drive in 14 more runs to bring the point total to 22. The Kennard Lady Tigers would fight hard until the end, but the Sandiette storm had come, giving the Sandiettes another win heading into the second half of district play.

The Grapeland Sandiettes will take on the Apple Springs Lady Eagles on the road on Friday, April 4th at 6pm.

Barrett Steed can be reached vis email at bsteed@messenger-news.com

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Relayscampus.

After a stellar beginning to what will surely be an all star year for Grapeland Track, several track standouts were invited to compete against the best of the best at

the annual Texas Relays meet. The Sandies and Sandiettes would compete in the 4x100 relay. The boys’ team consisted of, Seniors Patrick Walker, KJ Campbell, Ricktavius Lomax, and Jacolby Simpson. The girls’ team was represented by Senior Rosalind McCoy, Junior Jocelyn McCoy, and fresh-

men, Jakara Jackson and Tie’ara Paris. Rosalind McCoy would also compete in the 100 meter dash and would advance to the finals. Another standout athlete qualifying to attend was the Sandies’ Cymone Davis. Davis represented the Sandiettes’ tough to beat field team, competing in shot-put

event. Texas Relays marked the second time in

the month of March that the Sandies have represented the community of Grapeland in our state’s capitol.

Barrett Steed can be reached vis email at bsteed@messenger-news.com

Continued From Page B4

Photo by lBarrett Steed / Messenger Sports

Ricktavius Lomax takes the baton and shows his speed during the Texas Relays

Photo by lBarrett Steed / Messenger Sports

The Sandiettes quickly catch up after a shaky hand-off.

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