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Spring Sports2013

Baseball — Softball — Golf — TennisTrack — Swimming — PowerliftingCleburne High School spring sports previews, schedules

and photos of the Yellow Jackets and Lady Jackets.A supplement of the Cleburne Times-Review

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Cleburne Spring Sports 2013is a publication of the

Cleburne Times-Review

Publisher........................................................... Kay.HelmsManaging.Editor..............................................Dale.GosserDesign/Layout..................................................... A.J..CrispSports.Editor....................................................... A.J..CrispContributing.Photographers............................David.Beans. Zack.CunninghamAdvertising...............................................Kay.Helms,.Mgr.. Tammie.Kay.. Sheri.Jouett. Carry.Keller. Eric.Faught. Lisa.DyerAdvertising.Graphics.................................... Ashley.Garey

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TABLE.OF.CONTENTSGolf....................................................................................... Page.2,.10Track..................................................................................... Page.3,.11Powerlifting................................................................................ Page.8Softball................................................................................. Page.5,.10Baseball................................................................................ Page.7,.12Swimming........................................................................... Page.8,.12Tennis........................................................................................... Page.9

By A.J. Crispsports@trcle.com

If. the. Cleburne. golf. program.was. available. for. purchase. on. the.stock.market,. one.would. be. smart.to.heavily.invest.in.a.program.that.is.trending.upwards.

The. Yellow. Jacket. golf. teams.had.one.of.its.most.successful.sea-sons.in.recent.years.during.the.fall.season.

“I. was. very. pleased. with. the.progress. of. the. teams. this. fall,”.Coach. Pat. McHargue. said.. “We.placed. second. twice. for. the. boys.and. third. once. for. the. girls. teams..These.are.my.first.varsity.placings.since.I.have.been.here.”

While. Cleburne. experienced.success. during. the. fall. season,.McHargue. said.he. expects. the.go-ing. to. be. a. little. tougher. in. the.spring. season,. mostly. due. to. the.competition.

“The.spring.golf.season.is.going.

to. see. some. stiffer. competition. as.the. strongest. teams. in. north.Texas.are.going.to.be.at.most.of.the.tour-naments. that.we.play. in,”.he. said..“It’s. going. to. be. an. eye-opening.experience. as. we. get. to. see. first.hand.what. it’s.going.to. take.to.get.to.regionals.and.to.state..We.are.still.very.young..We.have.eight. sopho-mores.on.the.two-deep.boys.roster,.so.we.will.have.great.days.as.their.potential. comes. through,. and. we.will. have. terrible. days. when. their.youth. and. inexperience. creeps. to.the. surface..On. the. girl’s. side,.we.are.still.fairly.young.with.only.one.senior,. Alex. Ibarra,. but. there. is.some.potential.there.to.build.on.”

Despite. the. stout. competition.Cleburne. is. expected. to. compete.against,.McHargue.said.he.expects.a. high. finish. in. the. district. on. the.boys. side.. But. due. to. the. inexpe-rience.and.youth.on. the.girls. side,.

Cleburne golf program on the riseAfter.successful.fall.season,.spring.season.brings.tougher.competition

David Beans/Special to the CTRAlex Ibarra had a strong fall season and is the clear-cut leader for the Lady Jacket golf team.See GOLF, Page 10

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By A.J. Crispsports@trcle.com

The. 2012. track. season. for.Cleburne. High. School. was. one.that. saw. small. numbers. in. par-ticipation..This. year,. the.Yellow.Jacket. coaching. staff. is. striving.the. importance. of. track. and. try-ing. to. build. the. track. and. field.program. in. numbers. as. well. as.more.success.

Coach.Jeff.Merket.is.the.head.boys. track. coach. and.Coach.Ky.Kelm.leads.the.girls.

“Hopefully. we. can. get. some.more. numbers. out. on. the. girls.track.team.this.year,”.Kelm.said..“The. more. we. have,. the. bet-ter.chance.we.have. to.attain.our.main. goal. and. that. is. to. be. dis-trict.champs..Right.now.a. lot.of.

girls.are.in.basketball.and.soccer,.so.we.are.pretty.thin.at.workouts..We.are.just.trying.to.get.the.eight.to.10.girls.that.are.out.there.now.a.little.base.to.get.their.legs.ready.to.go..Once.the.[girls.basketball].playoff.run,.which.I.hope.is.deep,.is.over,.we.will.be.in.full.swing.”

“We’re. trying. to. build. some-thing.from.the.ground.up,”.Mer-ket.said..“We.didn’t.have.a.lot.of.participation. last. year.. So. that’s.what. we’re. looking. at.. We’re.looking.to.fill.teams.at.the.JV.and.varsity. levels. and. be. competi-tive.”

Despite. the. lack. of. partici-pation. last. season,. Merket. and.Kelm. both. said. that. winning. a.district.championship.is.the.goal.for.Cleburne.track.this.year.

“Our.goal. is. to.win.a.district.championship,.whether.it.be.this.year. or. next. year,. that’s. what.we’re.always.striving. for,”.Mer-ket. said.. “We. don’t. want. to. be.

Yellow Jacket track looking for rise in numbersCoaches.Merket,.Kelm.aiming.for.district.titles

David Beans/Special to the CTRKendall Nettik looks to take the next step after he was a regional qualifier in the pole vault last season.

See TRACK, Page 11

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COLONIAL MANORNURSING CENTER

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By A.J. Crispsports@trcle.com

In.two.powerlifting.meets.to.start.the.sea-son,.the.Cleburne.powerlifting.team.had.suc-cessful. outings. in. both.meets,.most. notably.from. Lady. Jacket. lifters. Bree. Gossett. and.Kristen.Mosoba..

At. each.meet,.Gossett. and.Mosoba. have.taken.home.first.place.and.the.most.outstand-ing.lifter.award.

“I’m.very.pleased.with.the.results.so.far,”.Coach.Chris. Lackey. said.. “All. the. girls. are.working. hard. and. getting. stronger.. Both. of.these.girls.work.extremely.hard.and.are.very.competitive..They.take.the.sport.very.serious-ly.and.strive.to.get.better.every.day..I.expect.to. see. both. of. these. girls’. totals. go. up. each.meet..My.expectations.are.for.both.of.the.girls.to.make.it.to.state..They.both.have.a.good.op-portunity.to.earn.a.state.medal.”

On. the.boys’. side,. the. Jackets. are. led.by.Zach. Haler,. Tevin. Boone,. Jeremy. Fuentes,.Kyle.Parkinson.and.Osbaldo.Ruiz.

“Our.goal. is. to. advance. to. regionals. and.our.ultimate.goal.is.to.get.some.kids.to.state,.but. the. first. goal. is. regionals,”. Coach. Sam.

Skidmore.said..“We.want.to.get.some.younger.kids.participating..We.all.want.to.get.stronger..I.think.we.have.four.or.five.kids.who.have.a.chance.to.get.to.regionals..Some.of.those.kids.don’t.play.other.sports.so.powerlifting.gives.

them.a.chance.to.compete.and.get.after.it.”Lackey. said. the. team’s. goals. are. to. im-

prove.themselves.each.day,.perfect.their.tech-nique,.get.stronger.with.every.lift.and.simply.compete.

Selena.Degado,.Reyna.Garcia. and.Nikki.Gravitt.are. three.seniors. lifting.for. the.Lady.Jackets.and.Lackey.said.he.expects.all. three.to. advance. to. regionals. at. least.. Sophomore.Brittany. Bryant. has. shown. a. lot. of. good.things.so.far.and.she.has.the.potential.to.make.it.to.state,.Lackey.said.

Both.Lackey.and.Skidmore.said.powerlift-ing.helps.athletes.in.every.other.field.of.play.

“First.off,.it.gives.them.an.opportunity.to.get.more.work.in.the.weight.room.and.get.a.little.stronger,”.Skidmore.said..“Strength.will.help.in.any.sport.you.play..The.stronger.you.are.the.more.explosive.you’ll.be..As.long.as.you.get.kids.competing,.it’ll.make.them.better.in.other.areas,.too.”

“It.just.helps.kids.to.continue.to.be.com-petitive,”.Lackey.said..“As.a.coach,.I.always.want.our.athletes.competing..It.also.helps.im-prove.strength.and.explosiveness.”

Cleburne’s. next. scheduled. powerlifting.meet.is.Feb..22.at.Lehman.High.School.

Cleburne powerlifting off to solid start

David Beans/Special to the CTRBree Gossett has taken home first place in the first two powerlifting meets for Cleburne.

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By A.J. Crispsports@trcle.com

Coming. off. a. disappointing.season. that. ended.without. a.play-off.berth. for. the. third.consecutive.year,. the. Cleburne. Lady. Jacket.softball.team,.comprised.of.young,.but. experienced. players. look. to.end.that.playoff.drought.

“We. are. working. hard. to. im-prove.our. record.with.hopefully.a.playoff. run. as. well,”. Coach. Sara.Bell. said.. “I. feel. like.my. team. is.one.of.the.hardest.working.groups.that.I.have.had.as.a.head.coach.and.I.know.they.want.success.as.well..With.a.common.goal,.I.believe.we.can. achieve. anything. we. set. out.to.do..Our. focus. this.year.will.be.playing.as.a.team.and.working.to-gether.”

Cleburne. went. 13-16. overall.with. a. 4-10.mark. in. district. play..This.season,.the.Lady.Jackets’.dis-trict. competition. is. stout,. but. fol-lowing.the.Cleburne.volleyball.and.girls. basketball. team’s. seasons,.Bell. said. she. hopes. the. softball.team.can.continue.that.success.

“As. a. program. we. are. hoping.to.keep.the.success.going.for.CHS.girls. programs,”. Bell. said.. “We.are.so.proud.of.our.volleyball.and.basketball.teams.for.their.success-ful. seasons,. and.we’re. hoping.we.can.do.the.same..It.is.not.going.to.be.easy..This.is.a.tough.district.for.softball.with.Burleson,.Centennial,.Joshua. and. Crowley. being. domi-nant.softball.programs.the.past.few.years.. However,. we. are. working.towards.our.goal.this.season.and.I.feel.we.are.up.for.the.challenge.”

Bell,.a.Cleburne.alum,.has.been.an. assistant. coach. with. the. Lady.Jackets. since. 2006. and. took. over.head.coaching.duties.in.2009.

“I.am.anxious.to.get.the.softball.team. back. in. the. playoffs,”. Bell.said..“I.was.a.2003.graduate.from.

Cleburne. High. School. and. was.actually.a.part.of. the.first. softball.team.in.CHS.history.to.make.it.to.playoffs.my.senior.year..My.assis-tant.Kala.Winn,.was. also. a.mem-ber.of.the.team.that.year..Also,.as-sisting.this.year.is.head.volleyball.coach. Jim.Wood,.who. had. a. suc-cessful.season.with.volleyball.and.went.to.playoffs.this.year..We.each.have. experienced. the. excitement.and.sense.of.achievement.of.going.to.the.playoffs.and.we.are.working.hard.to.get.the.playoff.expectation.back. for. this.program.so. the.girls.can.experience.that.as.well.”

The. Lady. Jackets. bring. back.several.returning.starters.this.year,.which.Bell.said.she.hopes.will.lead.to.more.wins.this.season.after.gar-nering.experience.from.last.year.

Senior.Haley.Byers,.juniors.Alli.Suitt,.Rachel.Brooks,.Kendall.Bell,.Natalie.Campbell,.Savannah.Milne.and. sophomores.Mackenzie.Kirk-patrick,.Shelbi.Ritchey.and.Jacky.

Lady Jackets look for turnaround season

David Beans/Special to the CTRMackenzie Kirkpatrick played a big role as a freshman for the Lady Jackets last season, and Coach Sara Bell said she will be relied upon more this season.

Cleburne.softball.hopes.to.follow.volleyball,.girls.basketball.teams

See SOFTBALL, Page 10

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Cleburne softball scheduleDate Opponent TimeFeb. 12 at Waxahachie 6 p.m.Feb. 14-16 College Station Inv’t TBAFeb. 19 at Keller Fossil Ridge 5:30Feb. 21-23 Rotational Tourn TBAFeb. 26 Everman* 5:30Feb. 28-Mar. 2 North Crowley Tourn TBAMar. 5 at University* 5:30Mar. 8 Waco* 5:30Mar. 11 at Joshua* noonMar. 12 at Burleson* noonMar. 19 Centennial* 5:30Mar. 22 at Crowley* 5:30Mar. 26 at Everman* 5:30Mar. 28 University* 5:30Apr. 5 at Waco* 5:30Apr. 9 Joshua* 5:30Apr. 12 Burleson* 5:30Apr. 16 at Centennial* 5:30Apr. 19 Crowley* 5:30* Denotes District 8-4A game

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A Great Place To Work.www.jameshardie.com

By A.J. Crispsports@trcle.com

The.Cleburne.baseball.team.is.coming.off.a.historic.season.last.year.as.the.Yellow.Jackets.had.a.magical.run.through.the.postsea-son.that.ended.with.a.berth.in.the.Class. 4A. state. final.. The. chal-lenge. facing. the.Jackets. in.2013.revolves. around. replacing. key.contributors.from.last.year’s.team.while.getting.the.opponents’.best.shot.on.a.nightly.basis.

“I. think. that. the.big.message.has.been.that.anytime.you.go.as.far. as. a. team. did. last. year,. that.you.always.have.a.big. target.on.your. back,”. Coach. Ross. Taylor.said.. “And. you. can. expect. that.everybody. you. play. is. going. to.throw.their.No..1.[pitcher].at.you.and.it’s.huge.for.their.program.if.they.beat.a.team.that.was.a.final.four.team.a.year.ago..That’s.been.the.message.is.you.can’t.go.back-wards,.you.have.to.keep.working.hard.”

Cleburne. returns. five. major.contributors. from. last. season.—.Nick. Woodall,. Quade. Coward,.Tucker. Nolen,. Stevan. Martinez.and. Tyler. Fowler.. The. Jackets,.however,. will. need. new. players.to. step. in. and. fill. the. voids. left.by. German. Hernandez,. Brach.Farmer,. Max. Reynolds,. Cooper.Walls. and. Conner.Martyniuk. as.the.seniors.from.last.year’s.state.runner-up. squad,. all. of. whom.played. integral. roles. in. last. sea-son’s.playoff.run.

“I.think.we’ve.got.some.good.guys,”.Taylor.said..“I.feel.pretty.good.about.our.infield.right.now..I’m. not. saying. we. won’t. make.some.mistakes. because.we.will..

Tyler.Fowler.is.a.returning.short-stop..Last.year.as.a.freshman.he.had. a. pretty. good. year. and. we.expect.him.to.be.better.this.year..We’re. moving. Stevan. Martinez.in.from.right.field.to.play.second,.which.is.his.natural.position..He.may.be.one.of.the.smoothest.in-fielders. that’s. been. through.here.in.a.long.time..

“Then.you.have.Dylan.Snyder.and. Daniel. Richardson. kind. of.doing.the.rotation.because.one.of.them.will.have.to.play.shortstop.when. Tyler’s. pitching.. Tucker,.instead. of. [being. the. designated.hitter]. is. going. to. have. to. play.that. center. field. spot. and. he’s.been.looking.good.in.practice.”

Another. primary. concern. for.Cleburne.heading.into.the.season.is. replacing. pitcher. Cash. Cala-han,.who.transferred.to.Whitney..Calahan.went.9-2.last.season.and.also.played.a.crucial. role. in. last.season’s.success.

“He. would’ve. been. the. No..1.starter,”.Taylor.said..“He’s. the.guy. that. beat. Midway. in. game.3..We.were.expecting.big. things.

from.him.and.he.was.really.work-ing. hard. and. the. next. thing. we.know,. he. was. withdrawing. and.moving.to.Whitney,.so.it.is.what.it.is.”

With. the. absence. of. Cala-han,. Taylor. said. everyone. else.will. have. to. step. up. and. fill. the.void.left.by.Calahan,.Hernandez.and. Farmer.. Taylor. said. Fowler.

would. see. more. action. on. the.mound. as.well. as.Dylan.Snyder.and.Casey.Kirkland.

“Now,.some.guys.we.thought.were. going. to. be. 35-40. inning.guys. this.year.are.going. to.have.to. step. up. and. be. 60-65. inning.guys. this. year,”. Taylor. said..

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After last year’s run, Cleburne baseball looks for repeat performanceReplacing.key.contributors.from.2012’s.state.finalist.squad.key.for.Jackets

David Beans/Special to the CTRTyler Fowler played a big role as a freshman for the Jackets in 2012 and he is expected to be an even bigger contributor as a sophomore, at shortstop and as a pitcher.

See BASEBALL, Page 12

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By A.J. Crispsports@trcle.com

The.Cleburne.High.School.swim.team.wrapped.up.competition. at. regionals. on.Saturday. and. the.Yellow.Jackets.were.represented.by.15.individuals.

“This.number.is.large,.but.in.the.past.we’ve.taken.up.to.25,”.Coach.Joni.Hundley.said..“But.our.team.is.a.bit. smaller. than. in. the.past..We.would’ve. loved. to.take.more,.but.the.competition.in.our.district.this.year.is. crazy. fast.. For. instance,. in. the. 500.yard. freestyle,.the.time.to.beat.is.almost.30.seconds.faster.than.it.was.last.year.

“We.are.proud.of.the.program.and.that.so.many.ad-vance.to.regionals..I.wish.the.public.knew.what.it.took.to.advance.to.this.level..It’s.hard.work,.dedication.and.the.drive.to.succeed..We.don’t.have.an.offseason,.and.we.swim.all.summer,.so.this.is.a.milestone.that.they’ve.geared.for.all.year.”

Before. the. regional. meet. in. Mansfield,. Hundley.said.the.team.is.hoping.to.advance.to.state.

See SWIM, Page 12

David Beans/Special to the CTRMembers of the Cleburne Yellow Jacket swim team that qualified for the regional meet in Mansfield on Feb. 8-9.

CHS Swim team continues building on program’s legacyCleburne.paced.by.15.individuals.at.regional.meet

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Give it your best shot! We’re rooting for all Johnson

County spring sports athletes.

HAVE A GREAT

GREAT SEASON!

By A.J. Crispsports@trcle.com

Coming.off.a.second-place.fin-ish.in.the.fall.season,.the.Cleburne.Yellow.Jacket.varsity.tennis.team.has.hopes.of.being.strongly.repre-sented.at.regionals.

“I.was.pleased.with.our.district.results,”. Cleburne. Coach. Stacey.Foster. said.. “The. kids. improved.throughout. the. fall. season. and.that.is.what.I.look.for..Obviously.I.wanted.a.district.championship,.but. second.was. a. very. good. ac-complishment. for. us.. The. kids.gained. confidence. from. the. fall.season.and.we.are.going.to.build.on.that.”

The.majority.of.the.team.from.the. fall. season. return. and. will.surely. play. a. large. factor. in. the.team’s. success. in. the. spring,. led.by.No..1’s.Daniel.Sisk,.Joey.Wal-ters,.Brooke.Mathis.and.Cordelia.Keller.

Before. regionals,. Sisk. and.Walters. lost. only. one. doubles.match. during. the. fall. season. as.they. consistently. dominated. op-ponents. despite. it. being. the. first.time.playing. together. as. doubles.partners..Walters. played. doubles.with.his.older.brother,.Jimmy,.last.year.

Other. returning. contributors.include.Tyler.Doyal,.Leon.Nguy-en,. Logan. Chapin,. Ryan. Pardo.

and.Jacob.Blair.on.the.boys.side..On.the.girls’.side,.Michelle.High-tower,. Dana. Siler,. Jeanette.Mar-quez,.Kylie.Conner,.Allie.Melson.and.Sierra.Newton.return.

“Our. goal. is. to. get. as. many.people. to.regionals,”.Foster.said..“We.are.currently.working.on.dif-ferent.singles.and.doubles.combi-nations..As.the.season.progresses,.we.will.solidify.the.spots.for.sin-gles,.doubles.and.mixed.”

While. the. varsity. tennis. pro-gram.is.achieving.success,.Foster.said. the. programs. at. the. junior.high.level.need.to.improve.

“Our. numbers. are. down. at.the.junior.high.level.from.around.100. to. 60,”. he. said.. “When. we.dropped.fall. junior. tennis,. it.hurt.the. program..When.we. lost.Me-gan. Holleman. at. Wheat. Middle.School. due. to. the. [reduction. in.force],.that.hurt..We.have.not.had.one.player.from.Wheat.make.the.varsity.since.then..

“Coach. Brannon. Kidd. [Cle-burne.ISD.Athletic.Director].and.the.administration.are.both.work-ing.to.improve.the.situation.and.I.am.very.appreciative.of. that..We.are.definitely.moving.in.the.right.direction.due.to.their.efforts.”

The. first. tennis. meet. of. the.spring. season. was. Feb.. 8.. The.Yellow.Jackets.next.compete.in.a.meet.at.3:30.p.m..on.Thursday.at.Brewer.

Cleburne tennis hopes for strong spring season

Joey Walters had a success-ful fall season playing singles and doubles with Daniel Sisk.

David Beans/Special to the CTR

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Good Luck On Your Season!!!

they.may.be.a.year.away.“If.we.live.up.to.our.potential.this.year,.then.the.

boys.will.advance.to.regionals.in.Abilene.as.either.the.district.champions.or.district.runner-ups,”.McH-argue. said.. “To. achieve. this. goal,. I. have. entered.them.in.some.tournaments.that.will.feature.the.top.teams.in.the.north.Texas.area.as.well.as.in.the.cen-tral.Texas.area.when.we.travel.to.Waco..

“I.need.them.to.learn.to.compete.against.the.best.so. they. are. not. intimidated. at. the. district. tourna-ment..Our.hope. is. to.win. the.district. title;.we.ex-pect. to. advance. to. regionals..The. girls. are. a. little.bit.more.difficult.to.read..I.expect.to.finish.fourth,.perhaps. as. high. as. third. in. district,. but. they.must.step. up. and. perform. at. the. highest. level. possible..Realistically,.we.have.a.chance.to.advance.Alex.as.an.individual.”

On.an.individual.basis,.returning.lettermen.Jor-day.Piety,.Nick.Graeve,.Trent.Armstrong.and.Kylen.Roberts. have. the. potential. to. have. solid. seasons,.McHargue.said..

“At.some.point.this.year,.each.one.of.these.has.shot.in.the.70’s.so.they.know.what.they.are.capable.of,”. he. said.. “I. need. to. keep. them. in. a. competi-tive,. yet. cooperative.mindset..They.need. to. know.that.they.are.a.team.of.individuals.each.playing.to.the.best. of. their. abilities..Always. compete. among.yourselves.to.push.each.other.to.higher.levels,.but.ultimately,.who’s. leading.and.who’s.behind. is. im-material,.as.long.as.the.team.steadily.improves.

“Also,.keep.an.eye.on.newcomers.Dakota.Jus-tice.and.Ryan.Phipps..Each.are.showing.flashes.of.brilliance,. but. they. have. to. learn. how. to. hang. on.

when.their.inexperience.causes.the.wheels.to.tem-porarily.come.off.”

On. the. girls’. side. individually,. Ibarra. looks. to.continue. her. strong. play. from. the. fall. season. and.last.year..She.will.lead.a.relatively.young.group.of.Lady.Jackets.

“Obviously,. Ibarra. is. our. leader. on. the. girls.team,”.McHargue.said..“She.is.in.her.third.year.with.me,.and.we.have.high.hopes. that.she.will.make.it.out. this.year..Also.returning.are.junior.CK.Down-ing,. sophomores. Elizabeth. Wren. and. Madison.George.and. rounding.out.our. top.five. is. freshman.Hannah.Lingo..If.I.can.keep.this.team.together.and.develop.a.replacement.for.Alex,.then.we.should.be.competitive.in.the.years.to.come.”

McHargue.said.this.is.the.deepest.group.of.golf-ers.he.has.had.in.his.tenure.at.Cleburne.High.School.

“This.is.my.fifth.year.coaching.and.from.a.team.perspective,.by.far.my.best,”.he.said..“I.have.always.had.two.or.three.really.good.golfers,.but.I’ve.never.had.that.fourth.and.fifth.golfer.necessary.to.advance.as.a. team..But.we.have. the.makings.of.a.good,. if.not.dominant.team,.for.the.next.few.years..Cleburne.golf.is.definitely.looking.up..

“Thanks. to. the. staff. at. our. home. course,. Cle-burne.Golf.Links,.and.the.great.conditions.we.find.there,.we.genuinely.are.a.program.on.the.rise..Every.year,.Johnny.Pilcher.and.his.assistants.Kyle.Kerbel.and.Blake.Curtis. bend.over. backwards. to. help. us.at.the.course..They.give.private.lessons.to.many.of.my.players.and.they.have.developed.a.summer.ju-nior.program.to.help.ensure.that.the.pipeline.doesn’t.run.dry..All.in.all,.CHS.golf.will.soon.take.its.place.among.the.area.elite.”

The.varsity.girls.are.scheduled.to.compete.in.the.Mansfield.National. on.Thursday.while. the. varsity.boys.will.compete.at.Cottonwood.Creek.in.Waco.on.Saturday.and.Sunday..

Golfcont. from pg. 2

10

Torres. are. expected. to. lead.the.way.for.the.Lady.Jackets.

Suitt,. who. plays. volley-ball. and. basketball,. is. ex-pected.to.be.the.No..1.start-ing.pitcher.

“She. is. a. strong. athlete.and. leader. on. our. team,”.Bell. said.. “When. she. is. on.the. mound,. our. team. has.her. back. and. supports. her..Mackenzie. Kirkpatrick. will.also. see. the. mound.. As. a.stand.out.on.varsity.last.year.as. our. starting. shortstop. as.a. freshmen,. she. will. be. at.shortstop.for.the.majority.of.our.games.this.season..

“I. expect. a. lot. from. my.juniors. this. season. as. well..Bell,.Brooks,.Campbell. and.Milne.all. lettered.on.varsity.their.freshmen.year.and.will.be. entering. into. their. third.season. as. starters. for. the.Lady.Jackets..I.believe.their.experience. will. guide. them.to. a. successful. year. with.confidence. and. leadership..Sophomore.Jacky.Torres.has.been.swinging.the.bat.well.in.our. preseason.. I. expect. she.will.be.a.solid.hitter.for.us..

“Shelbi. Ritchey. is. solid.on.defense.and.she.is.also.a.great. utility. player.who. can.play. multiple. positions,. all.of. them. equally. well..Also,.expected. to. be. in. a. starting.position.for.us. in. the.infield.will.be.Amber.McKeighan.”

The. Lady. Jackets. first.game.is.scheduled.for.6.p.m..Tuesday.in.Waxahachie.

“We.are.entering.this.sea-son.with.confidence,.believ-ing.that.any.goal.is.possible.if. we. work. together,”. Bell.said.. “These. Lady. Jackets.are. hard. workers. and. ready.to. play.. We. want. to. leave.every. game. feeling. like. we.played.to.the.best.of.our.abil-ity.and.we.are.doing.so.with.preparation,.motivation,.and.drive.”

softballcont. from pg. 5

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a. middle. of. the. pack. team..We.want.to.be.in.at.least.the.top.two.teams. in. the. district. year. in. and.year. out.. And. you. accomplish.that. by. having. a. full. team. and.fielding. quality. athletes. in. each.event.”

On.the.boys’.side,.athletes.like.Kendall.Nettik,.Khalil.Hall,.Aus-tin.Tarver,.Raygene.Underwood,.Jordan. Ebbens. and. Zach. Haler.were.key.contributors.in.the.field.and. on. the. track. last. season. for.the.Yellow.Jackets.

“Right. now,. Kendall. Nettik.is.coming.back.and.he.was.a.re-gional.qualifier.in.the.pole.vault,”.Merket. said.. “Our. distance. kids.have.done.really.well..They.won.district. in. cross. country.. Our.sprinters. should. be. pretty. good..We’ll. try. to. put. together. three.quality.relays.”

On. the. girls’. side,. Bria. Mc-Cullough,. Taya. Berry,. Courtney.Jeffcoat,. Jasline. Chandler,. Bri-anna.Reband,.Meshia.Robinson,.Whitney. Morgan,. Brittany. Bry-ant. and. several. others. are. ex-pected. to. return. after. successful.seasons.last.year.

“I. expect. us. to. go. out. and.compete. for. gold. medals. each.meet,”.Kelm.said..“Track.is.more.of.an.individual.sport.so.the.girls.are.going.to.get.out.what.they.put.in..If.they.come.to.get.better.each.day,.we.will.perform.well.at. the.meets.. I’ve. always. been. taught.that. the.only.way.you.get. faster.is.to.run,.so.that.is.what.we.will.be. doing.. Sometimes. that. is. not.very.much. fun,. but. I. hope.with.the.success.they.have.had.in.other.sports,.they.will.have.that.desire.to.continue.winning.

“Once. you. get. that. feeling,.you. don’t. want. to. lose. it..With.Bria,. Courtney,. Taya,. Jasline,.Aastashia. and. some. of. the. dis-tance. runners,. I. expect. them. to.lead. this. team. everyday.. I. think.our.distance.runners,.coached.by.Brad.Pierpont,.will. have. a.good.chance. to. get. to. area. and. hope-fully. regionals. and,. if. things. go.right,.to.state.”

Kelm.has. helped. coach. track.the.past. three.years,. but. jumped.

at.the.opportunity.to.be.the.head.girls. track. coach. this. year..Mer-ket.said.he.has.coached.track.his.entire.career.

“When. asked. if. I.wanted. the.head.girls.track.job,.there.was.not.much. hesitation,”. Kelm. said.. “I.know. what. they. are. capable. of.achieving.and.I.expect.to.be.go-ing. back. to. Joshua. on.April. 17-18.for. the.area.meet.and.then.to.Abilene.and.hopefully.we.can.get.a.couple.to.Austin.”

Both. Merket. and. Kelm. said.success. during. track. season. car-ries. over. into. other. sports,. and.getting. stronger. and. faster. obvi-ously.helps.in.other.sports.

“We.lift.to.get.stronger.and.we.run.to.get.faster,”.Merket,.who.is.also.the.head.football.coach,.said..“You. won’t. ever. hear. a. coach.say. ‘you’re. too. strong.or.you’re.too. fast.’. That’s. what. we’re. do-ing. and. working. for.. Yeah,. it’s.going. to.have.a. correlation.with.football,.but.it.also.keeps.us.com-petitive. in. the.spring.by.running.against.our.district.foes.”

“I.don’t.know.of.any.sport.that.does. not. require. speed,”. Kelm.said..“Teams.with.speed.pose.big.problems. for. their. opponent.. If.running. different. workouts. will.make.you.just.a.little.faster,.then.why.not.help.yourself.out.and.run.

track.. I’m. not. going. to. sit. here.and.say.if.you.run.track.you.are.going.to.win.more.in.other.sports..If. it. can.help.you.out. and.make.you. a. better. athlete,. which. will.make.the.team.better,.then.get.out.there.and.compete..In.more.team-oriented.sports,.you.can.cover.up.the.weaker.athlete.every.now.and.then,.but.competing.in.track,.you.are.out.front.and.center.for.every-one.to.see..If.you.don’t.get.after.it,.you.will.be.exposed.”

The. first. event. is. the. Byron.Nelson. Bobcat. Relays. on. Feb..21..The. first. full. track. and. field.meet. will. be. March. 8. in. Gran-bury.

trackcont. from pg. 3

David Beans/Special to the CTRCoach Ky Kelm said he expects Brianna Reband to have another successful season in the high jump.

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12

12

“Our.goal.is.to.go.all.the.way.to.state,.which.means.earning.that.gold.medal,”. she. said.. “Landing.in.the.top.six.would.be.realistic,.but.that.top.spot.is.what.takes.you.to.state.”

Abby.Zachary.and.Tory.John-ston. have. represented. Cleburne.in. a. strong. fashion. in. recent.meets,. and. Hundley. said. they.both. possess. the. desire. to. push.it. to. the. finish.. Conner. Keele.and. Spencer. Saunders.were. one.of. several. Jackets.who. qualified.for. multiple. events,. and. Hund-

ley.said.they.should.have.a.good.showing.at.regionals.

“Our.relay.teams.have.steadily.gotten.faster.and.we.look.forward.to. the. talent.we. have. across. the.board,”. Hundley. said.. “Overall,.the. team. depends. on. everyone.to.do.their.part.and.pump.up.the.others,. freshmen. up. to. seniors..Honestly,. the. fact. that. Victoria.Childress.has.qualified.this.far,.as.a.freshmen,.is.amazing..What.an.accomplishment. and. such. a. tiny.spark.plug.she.is,.as.well.as.being.number.one.in.her.class!”

Perhaps.the.biggest.challenge.that. faced. the. Cleburne. swim.team.was.a.new,.and.tougher,.dis-trict.

“We. changed. districts. so. it.

was. a. lot. more. challenging. this.year,”. Zach. Tassin. said.. “But. it.was.just.as.fun.as.ever..I’m.really.looking. forward. to. being. with.the. team,. cheering. everyone. on,.and. the.bus. ride.. It’s. always. the.best.part.of.a.meet..And.as.for.the.team,.this.season.we’ve.been.suc-cessful.and.I.look.forward.to.next.season.”

“It.was.very.exciting.because.it.was.my.last.year,”.Keele.said..“And. I. was. even. more. excited.for. my. teammates. who. made. it.to. regionals.. I. am.most. looking.forward. to. the. tough. competi-tion.at.regionals..I.would.say.that.this.season.has.had.many.ups.and.down,.but.it.was.one.of.the.best.seasons.for.the.CHS.swim.team.”

Cleburne. has. built. a. strong.tradition. in. its. swim. program,.but. this. year.was. different. from.recent.years.in.a.number.of.ways.

“Honestly,.you.can’t.compare.this.team.to.past.teams,”.Hundley.said..“Half.the.team.is.young.and.unseasoned,.and.getting.stronger.each.day...

“Some. of. these. kids. drink,.breathe. and. live. in. the. water..Honestly. I. look. for. gills. every.day.on.some.of. them!.We.move.from. one. milestone. to. the. next.and. don’t. compare. ourselves. to.the. past. because. it’s. a. different.dynamic. of. swimmers. than. be-fore.”

Regional. results.will. be. pub-lished.later.in.the.week.

swimminGcont. from pg. 8

Those.guys.are.going.to.have.to.step.in.and.really.grow.up..Those.guys.are.going.to.be.good,.qual-ity.guys..It’s.just.that.a.lot.of.our.pitchers.are.going.to.be.young.”

What. happens. on. the.mound.this.year.for.Cleburne.will.likely.be. the. primary. factor. in. another.lengthy.playoff.run.

“I. think. the. biggest. key. is.right.there.on.that.bump,”.Taylor.said.. “You.knew.what.you.were.going. to. get. out. of. German. ev-ery. day.. I. think. Brach. grew. up.last.year.and.gave.us.some.really.good. quality. innings. and. starts,.especially. from. midseason. on..And.then.Cash.gave.us.some.re-ally.good.games..

“So. I. think. that’s. the. biggest.key.is.what.happens.on.the.bump..I. think.we’re.going. to.put. some.people.out.there.that.have.similar.physical. qualities.. They’re. able.to.throw.just.as.hard,.they’ve.got.good.pitches,.it’s.just.whether.we.can. put. it. all. together. and. them.really.buy.in.....and.pitch.to.con-tact. and. control. the. game. that.way.instead.of.being.in.the.situ-ation.where.you’re.always.trying.to.strike.someone.out.”

On. the. offensive. side. of. the.ball,. Woodall. figures. to. be. the.Jackets’. leading. offensive. threat.again,.coming.off.an.all-state.per-formance.last.year.

“He.had.a.huge.series.against.Ryder.and.he.had.hits.in.every.se-ries,.but.the.Ryder.series.was.re-ally.the.one.to.me.where.he.stood.out,”.Taylor.said..“He.had.a.good.year,.was. all-state. and.made. the.all-county. and. all-district. teams..He.was.our.best.hitter.a.year.ago.and. hopefully. he’ll. continue. to.carry. that. on. and. give. us. some.offensive.punch.”

Coming. off. the. type. of. run.the.Jackets.are.coming.off.of.in.a.previous.season,.there.are.always.high. expectations. regardless. of.other.factors,.but.Taylor.said.his.team.is.no.longer.concerned.with.last.year’s.success.

“It. doesn’t. matter. where.you’re. ranked. at. the. beginning.of. the. season,”.he. said.. “It.mat-ters. where. you’re. ranked. at. the.end.. Being. ranked. where. we’re.ranked.at.right.now.is.about.last.year’s. team. and. about. the. fact.we’ve.got.some.starters.back.and.things.like.that..

“But.we.still.have.to.have.peo-ple.step.up......Those.five.seniors.a.year.ago.did.some.good.things.for.us..So.some.people.are.going.to. have. to. grow. up. and. they’re.going. to. have. to. understand.that. the. expectations. are. high..They’re. high. from. us,. they’re.high.from.the.town,.they’re.high.from.across.the.state,.that.this.is.what. Cleburne. baseball. is. sup-posed.to.be.about.”

Cleburne. opens. the. season.at.7.p.m..on.Feb..19.against.Al-varado.

baseballcont. from pg. 7

Cleburne baseball scheduleDate Opponent TimeFeb. 19 Alvarado 7 p.m.Feb. 21-23 Waco Tournament TBAFeb. 28-Mar. 2 Boswell Tournament TBAMar. 7-9 Western Hills Tournament TBAMar. 12 Waco* 7 p.m.Mar. 15 at Joshua* 7 p.m.Mar. 16 at Stephenville 1 p.m.Mar. 19 at Burleson* 7 p.m.Mar. 22 Centennial* 7 p.m.Mar. 26 at Crowley* 7 p.m.Mar. 28 Everman* 7 p.m.Apr. 2 at University* 7 p.m.Apr. 5 at Waco* 7 p.m.Apr. 9 Joshua* 7 p.m.Apr. 12 Burleson* 7 p.m.Apr. 13 at Legacy 1 p.m.Apr. 16 at Centennial* 7 p.m.Apr. 19 Crowley* 7 p.m.Apr. 20 at Everman* 7 p.m.Apr. 26 University* 7 p.m.* Denotes District 8-4A game