Sports and Outdoors

 Lake Info

Normal Lake Level is 322.00 feet above Mean Sea Level.
Current level for Cedar Creek Lake is: 319.77
Water Temperature:
na degrees - top
58 degrees - bottom

KHS fetes fall athletes
By Kerry Yancey
Monitor Staff Writer
KEMP–Kemp High School athletes, coaches and parents marked one of the most successful first semesters in many years Monday at the Fall Sports Banquet at the high school cafetorium.
Robert Emfinger, outgoing president of the Kemp Sports Boosters, welcomed the crowd and urged them to become active in Boosters projects.
“The Boosters have donated more than $20,000 to the athletic program since August, 2007,” Emfinger pointed out. “With great pride we watch them (athletes) and support them, and (that makes) all the time we spend well worth it.
“What we do is not just for our kids, but for the future of Kemp High School athletics,” Emfinger added. “We need your help to continue this effort.”
The Athletic Booster club meets every fourth Monday evening, Emfinger said.
Athletic director and head coach Greg Anderson noted the success of the fall sports teams, and introduced the high school coaching staff.
Along with Anderson, KHS coaches include Jason Blackmon, Jeff Combs, Randal Forguson, Adam Hass, Liz Henning, Kris Jones, Matt Langer, Terrance McCloud, Corrie Riland, Cody Ross, Sally Ross, Kent Smith, girls athletic director Peggy Swierc, Scott Travis and Cord Wood.
Each of the coaches introduced each player, including sub-varsity teams, and spoke about the seasons posted by their team during the fall.
Cross Country
Cross country coach Sally Ross pointed out a number of her runners practiced (and played) one sport and then came out to practice cross country either before school or after school.
The cross country team ran in six different meets and the District 14-3A meet in Eustace.
At the district meet, Michelle Ritterbach finished ninth overall, qualifying her for the Region II meet at Arlington, where she finished in the top half of the field against more than 100 runners.
Most Improved
Stephanie Wilkie
and James Simmons
Heart & Hustle
Amber Pass
Most Valuable Runner
Michelle Ritterbach and Tyler Jones
Volleyball
Veteran coach Peggy Swierc said this year’s junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams were an “astounding” group.
“In 31 years of coaching, these are some of the hardest-working girls I’ve ever coached,” Swierc said.
This year’s junior varsity squad doubled the number of wins they posted last year, while the varsity girls tripled the number of wins, compared to last year, she said.
“We were the only district team that placed every member on the Academic All-District team, and we did that for the second year in a row,” Swierc pointed out.
Heart Award
Kayleigh Martin
Most Consistent Server
Kimmie Gorka
Blocker of the Year
Breanna Griffith
Hitter of the Year
Shelbie Wright
Passer of the Year
Kimmie Gorka
Best All-Around
Amanda Lawrence
(second year for the award)
Most Valuable Player
Meagan Lacy.
Yellowjacket Award
Nicole Autry
Football
Anderson said the Yellowjacket football team wasn’t expected to do much at all in the new District 14-3A, and at one point, the ’Jackets were 0-3, and many people were wondering if they weren’t looking at another 1-9 season.
After that 0-3 start, the ’Jackets won six of their next nine games, including three straight district games (two on the road), a regular-season finale against Canton that clinched a playoff berth, and their bidistrict championship game against the defending Class 2A state champion Farmersville Farmers.
Of the five teams the ’Jackets lost to, four of them were playoff teams, and one was a field goal away from qualifying for the playoffs in Class 4A, Anderson pointed out.
The turning point in the season, Anderson said, came in the Yellowjackets’ first victory, a dramatic come-from-behind win over the visiting Rains Wildcats.
The next week, the ’Jackets put up 63 points in a road win at Palmer, one of the best nights in school history, Anderson said.
After beating Canton at home to qualify for the district’s third-place playoff berth, the ’Jackets held off a talented Farmers team to take their first playoff win in 11 years.
Anderson also announced the 14-3A All-District list, which was released earlier that day after district champion Van lost to Prosper in the state Division I quarterfinals.
The ’Jackets placed 15 players on the Academic All-District list, Anderson added.
Most Valuable Player
Josh Carr
Offensive back/receiver
Jeremy Quick
Offensive lineman
Chaz White
Offensive Player of the Year
Korey Henderson
Defensive lineman
Lance Roberts
Defensive secondary
James Trim
Linebacker
John Kilgore
Defensive Player of the Year
Travis Thomas
Yellowjacket Award
Wesley Kerr and Joseph Weeks


Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Kemp High School’s outstanding cross country runners, volleyball players and football players gather following the conclusion of the KHS Fall Sports Banquet Monday at the school cafetorium.

’Dogs grab first win
Monitor Staff Reports
EUSTACE–A big second quarter enabled the Eustace Bulldogs to hold off a late comeback by the Fruitvale Bobcats and secure their first win of the season Tuesday, 36-34.
This weekend, the Bulldogs were scheduled to play in the Scurry-Rosser Invitational basketball tournament.
Tuesday, Dec. 9, the Eustace boys and girls will travel to LaPoynor for games against the Flyers, opening with a 5 p.m. sub-varsity contest.
Next weekend, Dec. 11-13, the Bulldogs will travel to Brownsboro to play in the Great East Texas Shoot-Out, before hosting Grand Saline Tuesday, Dec. 16.
After a defensive battle in the first quarter, the Bulldogs erased a two-point deficit and took a seven-point halftime lead by outscoring the Bobcats 15-6 in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Bobcats outscored Eustace 12-9 to cut their lead to four points heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, the Bulldogs were outscored 8-6, but held on for the narrow win.
Balanced scoring marked the Eustace effort, with seven players getting in the scorebook, led by David Key’s 10 points.
Johnny Lee and Zach Sutton both scored seven points each, with Marcus Emmons adding six, and Zach Keeling, Trevan Johnson and Brandon Beggs all scoring two points each.
Fruitvale’s Kevin Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, while Carie White added five, Ian McCann four and Tyler Yates three.

Panthers pop Van
Monitor Staff Reports
VAN–Mabank’s Panthers used a one-two inside punch of Kolton Browning and Tyler Fisher to knock out the Van Vandals 69-54 Tuesday.
Now 4-0, the Panthers hosted the 10th annual Cedar Creek Lake Shoot-Out basketball tournament this weekend.
Tuesday, Dec. 9, the Panthers are scheduled to host the Rains Wildcats for a rematch, opening with 4:30 p.m. sub-varsity contests.
Mabank crushed Rains 105-37 in their first meeting Nov. 25.
After an open date, the Panthers will host the Wills Point Tigers Monday, Dec. 15, again opening with 4:30 p.m. sub-varsity games.
Tuesday, the Panthers took a narrow 14-11 lead in the first quarter behind Browning, who scored eight of his game-high 27 points in the opening frame.
A five-point edge in the second quarter enabled the Panthers to take an eight-point halftime lead, 33-25. Griffin Marshall and Micky Pycha both hit 3-point baskets during the period.
In the third quarter, Fisher scored eight of his 19 points to power a three-point scoring edge.
Up by 11 heading into the fourth quarter, the Panthers outscored Van 21-17 in the period to forge the final 15-point margin.
Browning’s 27 points included a mediocre (for him) night at the free throw line, hitting just 5-of-10 attempts.
Fisher hit 3-of-5 at the charity stripe while scoring his 19 points, as the Panthers overall shot just 50 percent, 15-of-30. The Vandals hit 11-of-15 from the free throw line.
Tray Phillips finished with seven points, while Marshall and Pycha both finished with five points, Cameron Tucker added four points and Jacob Woodard added a pair of free throws.
Zach Gormley led the Vandals (who just got some players from the football team Monday) with 16 points, while Jordan Schmidt added 12 points.