Sports and Outdoors

 Lake Info

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

Kaufman Lions edge Bulldogs, 6-5
Monitor Staff Reports
EUSTACE–A four-run outburst in the top of the first inning powered the visiting Kaufman Lions past the Eustace Bulldogs 6-5 Tuesday.
Now one of four teams at 5-4 in District 13-3A baseball play, the Bulldogs faced a must-win situation at Ferris in the season finale Friday in order to secure a playoff berth.
Despite the loss to Kaufman (who is also 5-4), the Bulldogs got some help when the 5-4 Kemp Yellowjackets lost to 5-4 Ferris Tuesday (see related stories).
Tuesday, the Lions got four runs in their first at-bat, as the first two batters nailed long line drives, and the Bulldogs hurt themselves with some sloppy fielding.
Errors – they committed six in the game – really hurt the Bulldogs’ comeback efforts, and they fell just short, despite the Lions helping with three errors.
Eustace had six hits in the game off the Lions’ Ethan Martin, while Kaufman had seven hits off the Bulldogs’ Braden Strickland, who pretty much shut Kaufman down after struggling in the first inning.

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Eustace baseball coach Chris Powers (left) points down to third base as Bulldog
baserunner Justin Cook slides in just ahead of the cutoff throw to Kaufman
Lion third baseman Zach Mayo. Cook was safe when Mayo misplayed the ball,
but the hosting Bulldogs lost to the Lions, 6-5, Tuesday.

District baseball race tied
By Kerry Yancey
Monitor Staff Writer
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–It’s really a shame that the UIL is breaking up District 13-3A, because a fan couldn’t ask for a more balanced district.
After the football race went down to the wire last fall, four of the district’s six teams tied for first in basketball, forcing a tournament to determine playoff seeding.
The loop’s baseball race went down to the wire, too, as four teams – Kemp, Eustace, Kaufman and Ferris – went into Friday’s season finale with identical 5-4 records, while Mabank was a game back at 4-5.
At 3-6, Crandall’s Pirates were the only team going into Friday’s contest (against Kaufman) out of the playoff hunt.
Mabank’s Panthers, who defeated Crandall 12-7 Tuesday (see related story), faced a must-win situation when they hosted the Kemp Yellowjackets Friday.
If the Panthers won, the worst they could do would be a three-way tie for third, but a loss would drop them out of the playoffs.
Kemp, however, could secure no worse than a tie for first with a win over the Panthers, as the ’Jackets already hold a tie-breaker edge over Eustace and a home-and-home split with Ferris (see related story).
Eustace, who lost to Kaufman Tuesday (see related story), went into Friday’s season finale at Ferris knowing they probably could still tie for a playoff berth even if they lost to the hosting Yellowjackets.
If playoffs are needed to determine the district’s post-season berths, those will likely be scheduled next weekend, April 24-26, weather permitting.
The opening round of the playoffs will pit 13-3A teams against District 14-3A squads, probably the following Monday or Tuesday, April 28-29.

Mabank girls in playoffs
Monitor Staff Reports
MABANK–With the end of the regular season Tuesday, the Mabank Lady Panthers secured the District 13-3A third-place playoff berth.
The Lady Panthers will face District 14-3A’s Van Lady Vandals in the first round of the playoffs.
A site and time for that bidistrict playoff game was to be determined late Friday after the conclusion of Van’s season-ending game against the Canton Eaglettes.
It’s likely the playoff game will be set sometime next weekend, April 24-26, weather permitting.

59 wins Howard tournament
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–About two dozen teams turned out for the third annual Courtney Howard Foundation Memorial Golf Tournament Monday.
While the sky was cloudless all day, the temperature was still fairly nippy at the shotgun start. However, those attending the end-of-tournament gathering on the Cedar Creek Country Club’s back patio were very comfortable as temperatures rose into the upper 60s.
The team of Wayne Anthony, Stan Williams, David Nowell and Elliott Davis took low gross in the four-man scramble with a round of 59.
Second low gross (62) went to the team of Jimmy Hill, Taylor Brown and Jason Delong.
Wade Coker, Billy Hickson, Noah Hickson and Boyse Wood collaborated to win the low net score.
Second low net went to the foursome of Kirk Bonner, Steve Roe, Kent Smith and Bob Fox.
There were three Closest to the Pin award winners – Steve Carter on No. 5, Garry Teague on No. 14 and Debbie Ewing on No. 17.
Newton Hopkins won the Longest Drive prize.
Donald Kyle of Mabank won a 12-gauge over-and-under shotgun at the tournament, and Mark Blackburn, a CCCC resident, won a Weber gas grill also given away.
Jesse Trevino won a door prize putter, while a set of clubs donated by Dallas Wholesales went to Curtis Butler.
Proceeds from the tournament went to the Courtney Howard Foundation to fund high school senior scholarships and other lake-area charity efforts.

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Wayne Anthony, along with teammates Stan Williams,
David Nowell and Elliott Davis (not pictured), took low
 gross score Monday, posting a round of 59.