Sports and Outdoors

 Lake Info

Normal Lake Level is 322.00 feet above Mean Sea Level.
Current level for Cedar Creek Lake is: 320.69
Water Temperature:
na  degrees - top
60 degrees - bottom

Little League opens April 11
Monitor Staff Reports
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–It’s official – the schedule for the first season of the Cedar Creek Area Little League is finished, with opening day ceremonies set Saturday, April 11, at the Kemp Area Sports Association fields in Kemp.
CCALL president Matt Arnold announced the official opening date in an e-mail to supporters Friday.
“When this started out at the end of last season, we said we might have 20 to 30 teams and be pushing to get a good spring season going,” Arnold wrote. “As I prayed, we received more than 500 kids and 50 teams in our first season.”
Teams in age groups 3-16 will begin playing at 10 a.m. April 11, and will continue through June 6, Arnold wrote.
“We have hit a lot of roadblocks and hurdles over the last five months, but it has all been to make a better community of all the towns involved, and to teach our kids that we are all in this for them,” Arnold wrote.
“We will have a few different age groups playing from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (April 11) to entertain, and show how special and caring a Little League Organization is with the children of an area,” he added.
A complete list of games, essential information and contact information is listed on the website www.leaguelineup.com/ccall, including a toll-free number for rainout and other basic information at (888) 498-8333.
Coaches are reminded official rosters must be turned in to the league information officer by Saturday, April 4, or your team will not be allowed to play.
The next CCALL board meeting will be 7 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at the Optimist Civic Center in Seven Points (under the water tower).
“Thank you all for everything you have done and to all of you that will be involved in the future,” Arnold wrote.
“Mainly I want to thank the folks in Scurry and Kemp for doing more than I even expected this year to make the registration in both towns double from the previous year,” he added. “That just shows how much more can be done when we work together as a community, instead of separate as a town.”
Arnold reminded supporters the CCALL is still looking for sponsors, umpires and, most of all, for more support from the communities involved.
“I can not say enough how much support this organization has,” he added. “We will continue to grow and continue to offer more to the communities that support us.”

Bulldogs chew up ’Jackets, 16-7
Monitor Staff Reports
EUSTACE–The hosting Eustace Bulldogs overcame some sloppy defensive play with timely hitting, as they defeated the Kemp Yellowjackets 16-7 Saturday.
Now 4-10 on the season and 0-4 in District 14-3A baseball play, Kemp was scheduled to visit Mineola Tuesday, weather permitting, while Eustace (10-6, 2-1) was scheduled to host Wills Point.
Friday, April 3, the Bulldogs are scheduled to visit Van for a 6:30 p.m. district game, while Kemp is scheduled to host Canton at that same time – their first home game in district play.
Next Tuesday, April 7, Kemp will host Van, while Eustace will host Mineola, weather permitting. Kemp’s scheduled April 10 contest against visiting Wills Point has been changed to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9.
Weather played a big role in the Bulldogs-Yellowjackets contest, which was originally scheduled to be played in Kemp Friday. Heavy rain both Thursday and Friday forced the game to be (a) moved to Eustace and (b) rescheduled to 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Eustace field was in remarkably good shape, but it was very cold and windy as the teams opened the contest.
Eustace took an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning and three more in the second to take a 7-0 lead off Kemp starter Dudley Chambers. The Bulldogs wound up with 16 hits on the day.
Kemp came back to score three runs in the top of the third inning behind Kevin Betz, who hit his second home run of the year, but the Bulldogs scored two in the bottom of the third to forge a 9-3 lead.
The ’Jackets scored two runs in the top of the fourth, but Eustace scored four in the bottom of the fourth to take a commanding 13-5 lead.
Kemp scored once in the fifth and scored again in the top of the sixth to pull closer at 13-7, but the Bulldogs put the game away in the bottom of the sixth when Cameron Coffey stroked a three-run homer over the right field fence to end the scoring.
Eustace starter Chris Compton got the win, as the ’Jackets were limited to six hits.
Both teams had opportunities to put the contest away, but sloppy defensive play hurt – Eustace committed a remarkable nine errors, while the ’Jackets committed three.
Bryce King and Jeff Gardera both had doubles for Kemp, while Braden Strickland and Ryan Compton had doubles for Eustace. Compton also added a home run.

Browning picked for All-Star game
Monitor Staff Reports
MABANK–Mabank High School senior Kolton Browning has been selected to play in the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star basketball game in Austin July 20.
Veteran MHS basketball coach Mark Allen said he had only one other player – Bart Holloway – chosen for the All-Star Game during his 14-year tenure at Mabank.
“They only pick 24 players from all the classifications across the state,” Allen pointed out. “It’s quite an honor.”
After being the district MVP in both football and basketball in 3A competition as a junior, Browning was named the outstanding offensive player for both football and basketball in District 15-4A this school year.
Browning has signed with the University of Louisiana at Monroe to play football. Early projections have Browning starting at quarterback for the Warhawks as a true freshman next fall.
It is not known if Browning will be allowed to play either basketball or baseball in addition to football while at ULM, although some folks in Mabank think the Warhawks’ coaches should be considering that, as Browning is one of the better left-handed pitchers in the region.
“It’s a pretty good honor to be chosen as one of the top 24 athletes in the state,” dad Karl Browning said Tuesday.
“We’re proud of him; he’s worked hard for it,” he added. “You don’t really expect something like that coming from a smaller town like we are.”