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

Tough year projected for area teams
By Kerry Yancey
Monitor Staff Writer
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–True football fanatics start salivating when Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine hits the newsstands each June.
It’s a Pavlovian response generated by 49 years of detailed preseason prognostications, insightful reporting and thorough coverage of all levels of football in Texas – pro, college and high school – backed up by a well-deserved reputation for on-the-money picks.
That said, this year’s Texas Football writers don’t see a whole lot of success for Cedar Creek Lake teams in brand-new surroundings.
Mabank’s Panthers, who notched the school’s first playoff win in 19 years and took eventual state runner-up Gilmer down to the final seconds in the Division I regional finals last November, are picked to finish last in their new district, 15-4A.
Of course, that’s based on Mabank’s boost from Class 3A up to Class 4A.
With 984 students, Mabank will face schools with nearly 1,000 more students. Lancaster has the district’s largest enrollment at 1,824.
In fact, all but one of the District 15-4A schools (Terrell at 1,204) have more than 1,600 students – Forney at 1,726, Red Oak at 1,702, West Mesquite at 1,648 and Mesquite Poteet at 1,621.
Texas Football picks Lancaster’s Tigers as the district favorite, with the other three playoff spots going to West Mesquite’s Wranglers, Red Oak’s Hawks and Poteet’s Pirates.
Lancaster gets the nod because the Tigers have all 11 defensive starters returning from a 6-4 team that missed the playoffs last year.
The Panthers have a strong core of players returning from last year’s playoff squad, but there will be several holes to fill, most notably in the offensive and defensive lines.
Mabank also has lefty quarterback Kolton Browning returning for his senior season, after passing for almost 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns and running for almost 1,000 yards and 15 TDs last year.
Texas Football notes: “Not many players in any classification posted 4,000 yards in total offense last season, but Browning is one of them, and he’s a legitimate top prospect for the 2008 season.”
If fifth-year head coach Jimmy Cantrell can fill the holes left by graduation in the offensive line and the Panther receiving corps, the Panthers will again be an offensive powerhouse.
Six starters return on defense, although there will be some holes to fill in the front seven, particularly on the line.
Eustace’s Bulldogs and Kemp’s Yellowjackets remained together in February’s biennial UIL realignment, moving into District 14-3A along with Wills Point, Canton, Van and Mineola.
Eustace, Kemp, Wills Point and Canton have been district foes before, and the compact district means fans won’t have to drive too far to see a contest.
The Bulldogs, like the Panthers, have the district’s smallest enrollment at 432 students, but both Mineola (439) and Kemp (490) have comparable enrollments.
Wills Point, at 824 students, has the district’s largest enrollment, followed by Van (695) and Canton (555).
Texas Football sees Canton’s Eagles (a Division II area finalist last year), Wills Point’s Tigers (who fell in bidistrict) and Van’s Vandals (who missed the playoffs despite a 7-3 record) as the district’s playoff representatives.
Kemp’s Yellowjackets hope to escape the astounding rash of injuries that led to a 1-9 record under first-year head coach Greg Anderson last year.
On the bright side, those injuries pushed a number of young players into starting positions.
The ’Jackets have eight offensive and seven defensive starters projected to return, led by two-way standout Josh Carr, who became Kemp’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002 last fall.
Kemp still remains very young, however, as they started a freshman and two sophomores on the offensive line last year.
Eustace’s football program took huge strides last year under first-year head coach Doug Wendel, posting a 4-6 record, with a shot at making the playoffs going into the season finale.
At times, the Bulldogs started an all-sophomore backfield, so there is talent at the skill positions – the key for Wendel will be filling the holes left by graduation in the offensive and defensive lines.
A full off-season of conditioning and a full season of operating Wendel’s run-oriented offense should help.
On the south side of Cedar Creek Lake, Malakoff’s Tigers and Trinidad’s Trojans both face rebuilding years in strong districts.
After seeing a playoff squad decimated by graduation, a very young Malakoff team slumped to a 1-9 record last year.
The silver lining to that cloud is eight offensive and seven defensive starters are projected to return for the Tigers, led by dangerous running back/defensive back Cornelius Richardson.
Coach Ronny Reed’s squad will still be very young, but the Tigers have speed at the skill positions.
It won’t help that the Tigers are still in an exceedingly tough District 14-2A, headed by the Kerens Bobcats, who are Texas Football’s pick to win the district.
Mildred’s Eagles and Blooming Grove’s Lions, both playoff teams last year, are picked as the district’s other playoff contenders.
After an eight-year playoff run, capped by an 11-2 record and a state semifinals six-man playoff berth last year, the Trinidad Trojans will be rebuilding after most of the team graduated.
Only one projected starter returns on each side of the ball for Trojan coach Kevin Ray, but Texas Football still picks the Trojans to finish second in Division I District 14 behind the Avalon Eagles, who return five starters each way.

Mabank hosts 13th basketball camp


Monitor Photos/Kerry Yancey
ABOVE: Top campers at the 13th annual Mabank High School boys basketball
camp were (from left) Minor Division MVP Josh Odom and Panther Pride winner
Alton Marshall, and Major Division MVP Jordan Allen and Panther Pride winner
Peyton Lee. BELOW: A group of campers launch balls against a gym wall during
 a shooting drill at the annual camp, headed by veteran Mabank High School boys
basketball coach Mark Allen. Around 50 campers attended the camp, which ended
Thursday.