Weekly Sports Updates

Sara Men-gistu

Page 3 - Middle School Pictures

Pages 4- Middle School Basketball Tournament Pic-tures

Page 5 and 6 - Soc-cer Pictures

Page 6 - Basketball Standings/Sched-ules/HP’s All Star XC

Page 7 and 8 - More pictures

Up They Rise- The happy looks are those of winners who know they have arrived. For the first time in years the Atascocita Middle School seventh grade basketballers have an Humble ISD title- Head Coach Shellie

Ray is top right.

Their Presence Felt-(below) It’s the strong inside defense of Atascocita MS in blue that forces a change of ap-proach for the Timberwood MS offense. This is title winning D.

Vol. 01 Num. 07January 20, 2011 ThursdayHighPoints Magazine

The High School Sports Magazine for North Houston Metro Area

Ross Sterling Middle School’s gym might need a new wooden court after the up and coming

and hard charging Atascocita Middle School Seventh Grade basketballers steamrolled right over the Bearkats home floor with a 39-28 Humble ISD Tournament Championship win over second place Timberwood Middle School last Saturday. For the first time in her four years coaching the seventh graders the tiara finally fit for Shelley Ray. The seventh grade bracket did present some challenges for the blue clad Lady Tigers. A winner’s bracket semifinal presented a tougher challenge when the Riverwood MS girls were nipped 29-27. However, when it was over, the only thing on the mind of the determined Ray was how fast her program is rising.

“This is the first one (7th grade Girls title) in my time here as head coach and when you look at how these kids are seeing the success of Atascocita High pump up the interest here and how my players are really aiming for even more success in the eighth grade, then we know we are on the right track,” Ray said.

The former Midland High roundballer and graduate of Texas-Permian Basin is finding happiness behind the bench in

See Lady Tigers Page 2

ROB’S ROLL - Weekly Sports Updates www.highpointsmagazine.com

Lady Tigers Take Seventh Grade District Tourney

Timberwood Takes a Second- The fine effort on display for the Lady Panthers of Timberwood MS came up a bit short, yet delivered an outstanding runnerup finish at the Humble ISD seventh grade middle school basketball tourney at Sterling MS Saturday January 15.

Another Winner - Whether it’s this kind of effort in the woods, the track or in the locker room, Sara Mengistu consistently showed this past season that she had the winning attitude . ( Photo by Bob Young)

- www.highpointsmagazine.com - January 20, 2011

her first hoops head coaching job and it’s because of a strong emphasis on practice discipline and basketball fundamentals. “From day one our coaches have drilled home the importance of doing things right and having structure in everything the kids do in their preparation. Our coaches bring a real passion for the sport to the kids and combined with the interest level that we are seeking, the program should do nothing but improve,” the coach said.

The participation level for Basketball at AMS is going to be a key for any future success. Ray says the coaches are distributing fliers containing information about the area’s local club leagues. The kids are able to begin registering for club play and subsequently with more experience at playing the sport, they should become even better basketballers. The phys-ed. classes are the places where the

Lady Tigers Continued from Page 1

varsity members to give it their best, we say ‘Come on you can do it, get going, you can do it’, “she said.

It wasn’t too long ago that Mengistu was in that same freshman situation. Her hard work and fine performances at the beginning high school level though, brought some much deserved good news at the end of the ’09 XC season. LaCour came up to her and told her that as a sophomore she would be given a chance on the varsity team. From starting her running career in middle school, to graduating from the frosh and skipping the Junior Varsity level altogether, it was time for Mengistu to continue that work ethic and dedication, as she reached for much bigger goals, but first things first.“I think an athlete has to have a true love for the sport and a real dedication to do well in it, before they can get to where they want to be,” Mengistu said.

She also carries a dedication to assisting others, including her teammates, as much as she can. “I want to be a physician when I get older-planning at this time on attending Texas A&M- and I want to go back to Africa in Ethiopia where my parents are originally from and help heal some of the sick people there,” she said.

“We went there to visit a couple of years ago and I found out first hand that Africa is not like a lot of people think. There are people there that are not poor, but there are also those that are and they are the people that need our help. When you look at the fact that I love science and chemistry, a medical career is what makes the most sense to me,” Mengistu said.

It’s also that desire for chemistry that makes Sara Mengistu the best kind of teammate, one that believes in giving back something to her fellow athletes.

“I guess when you help others and

Just minding her own business, providing leadership, support and outstanding times for a sophomore

with the big job of battling generally older varsity athletes, Atascocita High’s young Cross-Country runner Sara Mengistu suddenly looked up one day and found herself the HighPoints Rob’s Roll XC 5A Girl’s Athlete/runner of the Year for 2010. The youngster, whose family once migrated to the U.S. from the African country of Ethiopia, won the award after our readership nominated her and then casted their ballots to confirm that honor.

The most surprised of all was Mengistu and it showed when we interviewed her.“I know there are some faster runners on my team and when I saw my name up there it took me by surprise,” she said.

(The voting was conducted just like the Boys polling. Limiting the nomination process to just featuring one athlete per school in 14-5A, with the exclusion of Lufkin, a team we only cover when they play other local squads that we always cover; we took the first name submitted from each institution’s fans, and eschewed the others from the same school. The ironic thing is that she beat out other runners who performed at a higher level. However, the definition of an athlete/runner is a little bit different than that of a performer. High finishing places and faster times sometimes take a backseat to solid performances backed by a willingness to show fellow runners what teamwork-Cross Country is a team sport-is all about.)Mengistu is aiming to improve her times for both Track and Cross-Country, but she doesn’t plan on changing the way she approaches being part of a team.

“Coach(Vanita) LaCour and our coaches encourage us to help each other, to support each other and to push each other when things seem tougher. We especially like to tell the freshman runners and the sub-

support them, then they will do the same for you, and I just want to thank my team for this honor. I love my team and wouldn’t be here without them,” she said.

After having trouble with the sport of Cross-country at first in middle school, the former soccer playing athlete, is now pointing to bigger and better things with both XC and Track and field. “I just have to adapt and stay positive about track. It’s tougher to go around in a circle over and over than it is from a mental standpoint with the inside the woods running we do for Cross-Country, but I just need to keep concentrating on getting my times down,” Mengistu says.Although, she was born in the U.S.-her dad came here for collegiate education in Oklahoma, and then later at Prairie View A&M-she definitely knows her Ethiopian running history. Who knows, one day they may speak of her with the same affection that her ancestors hold the great men’s marathoner Abebe Bikila who ran barefooted through the streets of the

1960 Rome Olympic games. Cheered on by his countrymen back home, he won the Gold finishing in the dark, running through thoroughfares that contained very few streetlights. The accomplishment helped to soothe the African nation as it struggled through civil wars. The shoeless feat spurred present day Ethiopian star Siraj Gena to pay homage to the Roman grandeur of ’60, by winning the March 2010 Rome Marathon, sans foot support, 50 years later.

The reason that Mengistu got into racing was to take advantage of that great Ethiopian long-distance running tradition. That’s the one where support comes not just from what you give yourself but what you give to others. And that’s the kind that forced others to see past the first layer of accomplishment, place and time finishes, to bestow their reciprocating support. That would be the kind of assistance that allowed Sara Mengistu of Atascocita to be named as our 5A Girls Cross-Country Athlete/Runner of the 2010 season.

interest should be the highest among non-scholastic players. The strategy should pay off with an improved Lady Tiger program and eventually should serve the AHS girls’ teams well, as well. As for the present, the AMS big blue machine should continue to roll with the kind of play that was on display last weekend. Of course, Shelley Ray just might have to start reimbursing HISD for new gym floor paneling. While the sky is the limit for the program, you should know that they’ll be more known for what havoc they are wreaking on the ground.

Editors Note: For more tourney results turn inside Rob’s Roll Weekly Sports Updates. The eighth grade Girls title went to Riverwood Middle School, 35-30 over hosting Woodcreek MS.-ed.

Mengistu Takes Cross-Country Athlete Title


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Humble ISD Middle

School Tourney

Montage


Standings and schedules for high school basketball (14-5A and 18-4A Boys and Girls with entire season win-loss to-tals shown for HighPoints coverage schools) note: *- de-notes no tiebreaker now, comes at end of season if still tied.

14-5A Boys1.The Woodlands won 5 lost 0 in district, 22-3 on the season;

2. Kingwood 4-1, 18-9;

3.Oak Ridge 3-2, 15-9;

4. Atascocita 3-3, 13-13;

5. TW College Park 2-3, 20-9;

6. Lufkin 1-4 in dist; 7. Conroe 0-5,

7-19; schedule for 1-21-11- Conroe at The Woodlands; Lufkin at TW Coll. Pk; Kingwd. At Oak Ridge; Atascocita bye

Girls1.TWHS 7-0, 20-4;

2. Atascocita 6-1, 26-5;

3. TWCP 4-3, 14-11;

3.Lufkin 3-3 in dist;

5.ORHS 2-5, 13-13;

6. *KW 1-6, 5-16;

6. Conroe 1-6, 9-18; sched. 1-21-11- opposite of boys with boys visiting schools the girls host, Atasc. bye

18-4A Girls1. Huntsville 8-0 in dist;

2. *Kingwood Park 6-2, 12-12;

2. Humble 6-2, 16-9;

4. Willis 5-3;

5.*New Caney 3-5, 14-12;

5. Summer Creek 3-5, 6-10;

7. Caney Creek 1-7, 6-16;

8. Porter 0-8, 1-19;

sched. For 1-21-11- Porter at Humble; Summer Crk. at K-Park; Willis at NCaney; Huntsville at Caney Creek

Boys1. *Humble 5-1, 16-9;

1. K-Park 5-1, 16-10;

1. Huntsv. 5-1;

4.Willis 3-3;

5. *Summer Crk. 2-4, 2-21;

5. NC 2-4, 14-15; 7. * C-Crk. 1-5, 4-13;

7. Porter 1-5, 5-12;

sched. For 1-21 is reverse of girls with the girls visiting schools hosting the boys game

22-3A Boys( excludes all teams but Huff. Har-grave)Huffman Harg. 4-2, 14-10

Girls ( excl. all but Huff. Harg.)5. Huff. Harg. 2-5, 6-14

Private SchoolsBoys TAPPS (excl. all schools but Northeast Christian, and Covenant Chr.)1. Northeast Chr. 3-0, 24-2; 5. Conroe Covenant Chr. 1-1, 15-8

Girls( excl. all but NCA and Con. Cov. Chr.)

1. Cov. Chr. 4-0, 20-3; 3. NCA 2-1, 7-4

Latest State Poll result (1-17-11) from Tex. Assn. Bask. Coaches

5A Boys – TWHS #25 in top 25;

Small School Private schs.- 1. NCA (TAPPS 2A);

#21 Cov. Chr; #22 Woodlands Christian (3A)

5A Girls- #15 Atascocita; #19 TWHS; 18-4A schs.incl. in poll- Huntsville 4A #20; Private sml. schs.- Con. Cov. Chr. Top 20

Semis and Finals winners of 7th grade brackets for Humble ISD middle schools tourney (Sat. 1-15-11Consolation- Dayton MS over Kingwood MS. Third Place- Riverwood MS over Crosby MS

Championship – Atascocita MS 39 -Timberwood MS 28

8th grade champ.- Riverwood MS 35-Woodcreek MS 30

HISD Girls Varsity Soccer Tourney- The Invitational Cup- at Turner Stadium in Humble( Sat. 1-15-11)

A-B Pool winner K- Park, Wildcard- Pool E winner Atasc.

Congrats to Mariam Amadu of K-Park running- will sign Track scholarship with TEX. A&M on Feb 1st.

Congrats to Michelle Miller of NCA basketball will sign on Feb 1st, full ride scholarship to AIB College of Business (Iowa)

Swimming Corner- This weekend swimming district 21-4A will hold its district meet. The District level is the steppingstone for Regional qualifying . The 5A meet will be held at Conroe next weekend, Jan. 28-29 at their state of the art natatorium. While KW Park closer to home with its outstanding swimming facility will host the 4A meet. Competition will transpire Friday and Saturday, with diving and pre-lims coming on the first day, and the finals being held on the final day.

HighPoints 14-5A Cross-Country All Stars (Girls)

Kingwood – Catie DaigreAtascocita – Jamie JohnsonThe Woodlands- Maddie McGowanConroe- Nancy GuadarramaTWCP- Katie JensenOak Ridge-Kelli Faust18-4A

Kingwood Park- Zahri Jackson- Grace Fletcher, Jennifer Nwuli, and Nicole Aponte (tie)Willis- Cali RoperNew Caney- Katelyn JoslynSummer Creek- Julie Hunter

Special Commendations- Tx. Girls Coach. Assn. All State- 4A Grace Fletcher, Zahri Jackson; 4A All Academic- Nicole Aponte, Grace Fletcher, and Jennifer Nwuli - all of K-Park.

TGCA Athlete of the Year 4A, Grace Fletcher- Kingwood Park

Sports with Brevity


Humble ISD CUP Girls Soccer Tournament2011

Humble, Texas

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