SAsports.com Jaguar Classic starts Thursday!

It’s that time again!

The SAsports.com Jaguar Classic runs Thursday through Saturday at Floresville High School, and with 24 high school teams it is the best girls basketball tourney in South Texas.

Teams include Steele, East Central, Highlands, Brackenridge, Kerrville Tivy, Brandeis, Bandera, Southside, Floresville, CC Miller, Calallen, La Vernia, Burbank, Cuero, Beeville Jones, Lytle, Poth, Medina Valley, Lee, Del Rio, La Joya, Southwest, Stevens, and Poteet.

We will see you in Floresville beginning Thursday!

Chris Soza leaves Beeville Jones; heads to his alma mater, Alice

For the last five years, Chris Soza has called A.C. Jones High School in Beeville home.

The Athletic Director and Head Football Coach came from Mathis in 2004, and compiled a 37-24 record at Beeville, including an appearance in the regional finals against Lake Travis in 2007.

Now, he’s heading home. On Tuesday, the Alice ISD school board officially hired Soza as their new AD/HFC. Yesterday he said his goodbyes at Beeville; today he starts at Alice High School, the school he graduated from in 1980.

We wish Coach Soza all the best, and may God bless him and his family.

Good luck to everyone on today’s TAKS test!

Everyone here at SAsports.com wishes the best for the freshman, sophomores, and juniors who are taking the TAKS test today. Think positively, eliminate distractions, and success will follow.

God bless you guys!

- Jay Tope

Beeville Wrestling - Regional Pictures

photos by Antonio Morano
amorano@satx.rr.com

Jay Mustangs win SAsports.com Jaguar Classic Tournament

The John Jay Mustangs girls basketball team may still be young, but they are mature enough to step up to the plate in a big game.

And they delivered in a big way, winning the SAsports.com Jaguar Classic Championship over the defending champion Steele Knights Saturday afternoon at Floresville High School.

In their semifinal win over Frenship, the Mustangs prevailed despite missing a ton of shots. Against Steele, it was if they couldn’t miss. By the half, the score read Jay 40, Steele 9.

And It wasn’t just the Knight fans that were stunned.

“That might have been one of the best executed halves of girls basketball I’ve seen in a long time,” said one official at the tournament, who had admittedly come to the see the championship game to watch Steele’s Meighan Simmons play.

The key to the Mustangs’ win was the play by all five starters, which features three sophomores and two juniors.

Tournament MVP Erica Donovan was solid as a force in the paint, an outside threat, and even running the point at times. Point guard Julissa Garrett (All-Tournament) took advantage when the Mustangs spread the floor by driving into the lane for layups, tear-drops, and taking great care of the ball in general. Kiara Taylor was on fire from outside. Vanessa Orr was money inside, converting almost every pass sent her way inside off of a double team into two points. And Maretta Stubbs was everywhere needed - on the boards, grabbing every loose ball, and causing havoc defensively. She also scored the game’s first five points, starting the offensive wave that the Mustangs would ride into halftime.

And while everything was going right for the Mustangs, everything was going wrong for the Steele Knights. They became increasingly frustrated as the first half went along, opting for the outside shot - shots that weren’t falling. 

But the tournament wasn’t without its bright spots for Steele. They looked very impressive against a Poth team that is looking better every week. Olivia Patterson had an incredible tournament, and was recognized for her efforts with All-Tourney status. McKenzie Adams is a solid post for the Knights, as is Shayla Vrana. Olivia Burns is stepping things up at her position.

Oh yeah - and Meighan Simmons is still the best overall player the city has ever seen.    

In the third place game, the Frenship Tigers defeated Poth; East Central knocked off Calallen to take the Consolation Championship; Tivy upended Brackenridge as well on Saturday.

Other members of the All-Tournament team:
Krista Ford, Frenship
Kelsey Titzman, Poth
Melody Dominguez, Brackenridge
Cheyenne Berry, Lytle
Stephanie Erskine, Floresville
Kaitlyn Overby, Tivy
Monique Waiters, East Central

Most spirited: The Lytle Lady Pirates were cheering for everyone that played. They would help organize cheers for parents of other schools that were playing.  

Dance Award: We had the music going all-tournament long, and this award could go to Del Rio, Frenship, Southwest, Lytle, Carrizo Springs, Southside, and several others.

Watch in the coming weeks for: Several teams that will make some noise in their districts. Southside only lost to 3rd place Frenship by two points. And Floresville beat Southside. These two are in 29-4A, and will be favorites in the district.

Watch in the coming weeks for: Burbank and Brackenridge. These 28-4A teams impressed everyone, and will battle for district supremacy.

Watch in the coming weeks for: Kerrville Tivy. They have one senior in Kaitlyn Overby. Kelsi Wilmot plays like a senior. And everyone else on the team can get hot at any given time. Remember, they took John Jay, the Tournament Champion, to overtime Friday night. And in 27-4A, you have Tivy, Steele, NB Canyon, Boerne Champion (lost to John Jay by single digits twice), Clemens (much improved over the past two years), Alamo Heights, Seguin - yeah, its a tough district. But Tivy will make the playoffs.

Friday Results:

Steele 84, Medina Valley 22

Jay 54, Kerrville Tivy 49 - OT

Frenship 52, Brackenridge 39

Poth 63, Burbank 42

Frenship 34, Southside 32

Brackenridge 57, Lytle 46

Calallen 45, CC Miller 31

Calallen 59, Bandera 36

CC Miller 50, Carrizo Springs 17

East Central 66, Beeville Jones 50

Jay 58, Del Rio 30

Lee 44, Brandeis 37

Southwest 50, La Vernia 32

Floresville 63, Southside 57

Kerrville Tivy 56, Floresville 44

Here are the first round results, in bracket order:

(Directions from San Antonio: Take I-37 South past Loop 410 on the south side; the next exit is Floresville (181); take that exit and follow it south. When you get to Floresville, turn left at the first light; you’ll pass JC’s Super Burger, and turn right at the elementary school entrance; you’ll see the big gym on your right; that’s the HS gym; the MS gym is close by as well.)

Frenship 44, La Vernia 27
Southside 46, Beeville Jones 39
Lytle 51, East Central 41
Brackenridge 60, Southwest 40
Floresville 81, Brandeis 60
Kerrville Tivy 54, Highlands 37
Jay 80, Poteet 29
Del Rio 34, Lee 31
Burbank 49, Calallen 45
Poth 64, Bandera 28
Medina Valley 48, CC Miller 45
Steele 77, Carrizo Springs 14

Second round Thursday consolation bracket:

Beeville Jones 35, La Vernia 34
East Central 53, Southwest 41
Lee 52, Poteet 23
Brandeis 52, Highlands 47

2008 Beeville Jones Trojans Football Schedule