No.2-ranked Tigers knock off 'Riders, 59-42 - January 9, 2012
By Stephen Ewing
Sports Correspondent

Center junior guard Augustine Johnson (14) drives past Tenaha's Jacobi Ivy (25) during Friday night's game in Roughrider Gymnasium. The Tigers pulled away after a slow start to knock off the 'Riders, 59-42. (Photo by Ray Jackson)

It isn't often that a Class 1A program take on a 3A opponent in any sport, so when it happens, it draws a lot of interest. Add the fact that the two schools sit ten miles apart in the same county and they both have large basketball fan bases and then a packed house is expected.

More often than not, the Class 3A team, with a school enrollment more than triple that of its opponent, is expected to be a heavy favorite in this contest, especially on its home court, but not when No.2-ranked Tenaha is the visiting opponent, a team that returns all five starters from last year's Class 1A D-II State runner-up squad. The end result in this heated cross-county affair was Tenaha pulling away for a 59-42 victory.

Center senior forward Johnny Sudds puts up a shot between Tenaha's Keontas Davis (back) and DeAaron Roland (33) during Friday night's game in Roughrider Gymnasium. Sudds scored four points as the 'Riders fell, 59-42. (Photo by Ray Jackson)

Nevertheless, Center fans packed the home side of Roughrider Gymnasium here Friday night, with intentions of cheering their team to an upset victory over the Tigers, who are still shaking off the 'rust' after getting a late start on basketball season due to their Class 1A D-II state football championship.

With the home crowd behind them, the Riders came out swinging, never allowing the Tigers to get more that two unanswered baskets in the first quarter, and led 14-13 at the end of the opening period.

However, the Tigers showed why they are expected to return to Austin this year as they exploded in the second quarter to outscore Center 20-5 and lead 33-19 at the halftime break. The third quarter provided more of the same, as Tenaha stretched its lead to 49-30, before cruising to the win in the fourth quarter.

Tigers' head coach Todd Bodden said he is pleased with his squad's progress and likes the fact that his team was challenged in the contest.

"We schedule teams like Center because they are a solid program year in and year out," Bodden explained. "They are the type of team we can expect to see come playoff time. They are very athletic, very well coached and they get after you on defense. That's part of the reason we didn't score as many points tonight as we usually do."

"We're still getting our basketball legs under us and it shows because we don't look as crisp as we need to all the time. We are still having trouble getting our shots to drop. But it will come together."

The Tiger coach said he was pleased with the way his players hit the boards

Center junior guard Jercarius Berry (11) drives between Tenaha's Jacobi Ivy (background) and Shaquille Mitchell (1) during Friday night's game in Roughrider Gymnasium. The Tigers won the game, 59-42. (Photo by Ray Jackson)

"We won the battle under the boards and that was the key to the game, along with creating turnovers and converting those into points. We just need to keep working on shooting and ball handling and we will be fine."

The Tigers were led by senior guard Reginald Davis, who scored 12 points. Chavis Gregory and DeAaron Roland each added 10, while Octavius Griffith and Shaquille Mitchell scored nine and seven, respectively. Demon Horton and Keontas Davis scored five apiece.

Jercarius Berry led the way for the 'Riders, hitting two three-pointers to finish with 11 points. Tony McCollister added eight, Miguel Johnson III tossed in six and Johnny Sudds and DeJalen Preston scored four each.

The Tigers improved to 7-2 on the year, while the 'Riders dropped to 6-15 with the loss. Tenaha will travel to Gladewater Tuesday night to take on another 3A squad. The JV boys will tip-off at 5 p.m., with the varsity to follow.

Center will host Diboll, with JV boys starting at 5 p.m. and the varsity at approximately 7:45 p.m. The Center/Diboll contest was originally scheduled for Diboll, but has been moved to Center due to issues with Diboll's gym.

Mells paces Ladyjacks past SLU, 69-61 - January 9, 2012

HAMMOND, La. - Ashlee Mells scored a career-high 19 points and Porsha Roberts pitched in 14 points to help lead the Ladyjacks to a 69-61 victory over Southeastern Louisiana in the conference opener.

Mells, a junior transfer from Indiana University, came into Saturday's game averaging just 2.8 points per game but delivered in the biggest game of the season thus far with a limited SFA team. The Bellaire High School graduate shot 6-of-8 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three-point territory, had zero turnovers and also had four steals.

After a frustrating first half in which she had foul problems, Roberts carried the load in the second half where she scored all 14 of her points on 4-of-5 shooting and made all six of her free throw attempts.

SFA (11-3, 1-0) outscored Southeastern Louisiana 36-31 in the second half and won the bench scoring battle 31-21. The Ladyjacks also forced a season-high 34 turnovers and had 11 second-chance points.

Both teams combined for 17 turnovers in the games first eight minutes of play before SFA was able to settle down.

Mells single-handedly jump-started the SFA offense by scoring a team-high 13 first-half points, which included 3-of-5 shooting from three-point territory. Mells checked into the game with SFA trailing 15-12 and immediately catapulted the Ladyjacks by scoring 11 straight points and in doing so, gave her team a 23-17 lead at the 6:30 mark.

SFA took a 33-30 lead into the half despite committing 14 turnovers. Southeastern had their fare share of having trouble handling the ball as well by committing 17 turnovers of which turned into 14 points for SFA.

The Lady Lions (5-9, 0-1) were led in scoring by Brandi Simmons (16 points) and Elizabeth Styles (11 points).

The Ladyjacks will next host Central Arkansas on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in the home conference opener.

'Jacks clamp down on Lions, 63-36 - January 9, 2012

NACOGDOCHES - The Lumberjacks held Southeastern Louisiana to just 13 points in the second half and turned a three-point halftime lead into a 27-point runaway, moving to 2-0 in Southland Conference play with a 63-36 win over the Lions on Saturday at William R. Johnson Coliseum.

Antonio Bostic led all players 15 points, 13 of which came in the first half, and SFA (8-7, 2-0 SLC) shot a season-best 53.5 percent from the field while holding its third opponent of the season under the 40-point mark. It was the first time since 2008 that SFA has held a Southland opponent under the 40-point plateau, and is the lowest point total by a Southland opponent for the `Jacks in the Danny Kaspar era.

It was only the third time this season SFA has hit better than 50 percent of its shots, and the second straight game with five connections from beyond the arc. That was necessary against a Lion (5-8, 0-2 SLC) team that packed the lane defensively and forced the `Jacks to attack early on from the perimeter.

Desmond Haymon hit a pair of those threes and finished with 11 points as part of a 30-point effort from the Lumberjack bench, who outscored the Lions' reserves by 16 points. Jereal Scott added nine points and three boards, Taylor Smith had four points and a game-high six rebounds and Micah Delph continued his recent solid play with seven points and two of SFA's 11 steals on the evening.

Once again, it took the `Jacks a while to jump start its offense as they scored just three points on a Bostic triple in the first 8:26 of the ball game while falling behind 10-3 early on. But a pair of short jumpers from Scott helped fuel a 9-2 run that knotted things up and helped propel the `Jacks, eventually, to their first lead of the game when Jonathan King found Haymon from the left side of the court for his first three-pointer that pushed SFA on top 16-14.

SFA then turned to Bostic to close the half as the junior guard scored eight of the final 10 Lumberjack points of the half, primarily on short-corner jumpers against the Lion zone. That effort helped the `Jacks take a 26-23 lead into the break, despite being outscored 18-2 in the paint.

It did not take the `Jacks long to distance themselves from the Lions after the half, pushing the lead to double digits less than five minutes into the second period on a pair of freebies from Haymon as part of an 8-0 run that took the lead from 34-28 to 42-28 with less than 14 minutes to go in the ballgame.

That turned out to be more than enough as the SFA defense held Southeastern to just 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from the floor in the second half with the Lions getting more than half of their points from the foul line.

Haymon led the charge in the second half with all 11 of his points coming out of the break, but he had plenty of help as SFA put together its most efficient 20 minutes of hoops this season by hitting 59.1 percent of its shots from the floor to close out the game.

No.12 Zavalla pops Lady Riders, 48-31 - January 9, 2012
By Stephen Ewing
Sports Correspondent

The Center Lady Riders played host to yet another state-ranked opponent here in Roughrider Gymnasium Friday night, and they found out the hard way why most of the "experts" think that the Zavalla Lady Eagles are one of the top Class 1A D-I teams in the state.

Twelvth-ranked Zavalla jumped on top early, leading 9-3 at the end of the first period, then continue to stretch that lead throughout the game, eventually defeating the Lady 'Riders (10-8) by a 48-31 count.

Going into the contest, Center head coach Tracy Kincade was concerned about containing Zavalla's 6-4 post player, Kaitlyn Hawley. While Hawley did get several baskets, most of them put-back points off of offensive rebounds late in the game, it was 5-5 guard Shelby Lee who led the way for the Lady Eagles. Lee hit 5-of-8 from three point range to finish with 15 for the game.

"There was nothing on the scouting report on her (Lee), and I saw them play in a tournament earlier this year and she didn't do anything," Kincade explained. "She just got hot and couldn't miss."

Rebounding continues to be an issue for the Center girls, as they were once again beaten on the boards by the more physical Lady Eagles. Kincaid stated that the physical nature of teams like Zavalla will only help his team get better down the road.

"We're going to see teams like this every night in district play, so we need to get used to it," the CHS coach continued. "Our girls are starting to grow up a little and learn how to deal with adversity. We're still awful young, only starting one senior, along with two juniors and two sophomores. We are going to turn this program around."

One of those sophomores had a career game, as forward Lacy Evans posted 19 points to lead all scorers. She also pulled down 12 rebounds. The performance had her coach smiling about the future.

"(Lacy) is just a sophomore, so she's got plenty of time to improve her game," Kincade said. "As she plays more, she will develop into the type of leader we are going to need."

Senior Kia Shepherd was held to her lowest output of the season, scoring six points. Kemi Cleveland added four and Cassie Bush contributed two points.

The Lady 'Riders were scheduled to travel to Diboll Tuesday to take on the Ladyjacks, but that game has been moved to Center due to some issues with Diboll's gym floor. Tipoff for the junior varsity game is set for 5 p.m., with the varsity girls to follow immediately after that.

Center currently sits at 1-3 and in fifth place in the District 18-3A race.

'Riders outgun Kirbyville, 51-44 - November 7, 2011
By Ryan Goodwin
Sports Correspondent

Center will meet Bullard Saturday night in playoffs

Center quarterback Cameron Cloudy (3) struggles for extra yardage during Friday night's District 18-3A finale at Roughrider Stadium. Cloudy ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns in Center's 51-44 thrilling win over Kirbyville. (Photo by Ray Jackson)

Experts, fans, coaches and players all expected a knock-down-drag-out fist fight of a football game when defending the District 18-3A champs from Kirbyville made their way up to Roughrider Stadium for the final district game of the season. Playoff hopes were on the line for the ‘Riders and fans were given the shootout they were promised as Center narrowly defeated the Wildcats, 51-44, in a game involving seven lead changes.

“We are going to do the same thing tonight that we always do,” head coach Kevin Goodwin said when asked about his team’s preparation for the game. “We will line up in all the same formations and see what they are going to do to stop us. Then we will adjust to that. It’s that simple.”

With the win Center moves to 4-6 on the season, 2-2 in district play, and has earned a place in the playoffs. The ‘Riders will face off against Bullard (6-4) in the Class 2A D-II postseason party next Saturday night in Carthage Bulldog Stadium at 7 p.m.

Despite the loss, Kirbyville also qualified for the state playoffs, despite a 2-8 record. The Wildcats will also go the D-II route. District 18-3A champion will be in the D-I bracket.

The back and forth shoot out style of the game began early when Center scored on their first possession only five minutes into the game. The Roughrider drive was 63 yards in nine plays and was capped with a pass from senior Cameron Cloudy to Shaquille Ingram from 15 yards out.

Center runner Shaquille Ingram (10) breaks away from the grasp of a Kirbyville defender during Friday night's game at Roughrider Stadium. The 'Riders defeated Kirbyville, 51-44, to earn a Class 3A D-II playoff spot. (Photo by Ray Jackson)

Ahead 7-0, the ‘Riders were unable to even slow down the Wildcats on their first drive. Kirbyville scored on their second play from scrimmage, after the first play went 66 yards on a pass. The touchdown came when a running back slipped past the Center defenders and into the end zone from five yards out.

Center went four-and-out on its next drive, failing to pick up a first down before turning it over on downs.

The Wildcats added their second touchdown of the night after only four offensive plays when the Wildcat quarterback connected with a receiver for 29 yards. The Wildcats piled up 243 yards through the air on the night.

The ‘Riders put together a 12-play drive that went 90 yards when they got the ball the next time. Cloudy ended the drive with his second rushing touchdown, this one from eight yards out, bringing the score to 14-14.

On their next offensive play, Kirbyville gave the ball right back to the ‘Riders after a 21-yard gain and a fumble. Center capitalized on the turnover and scored with 4:22 left in the half when Cloudy ran in again from nine yards out, putting his team up 21-14. Cloudy ended the night with 90 yards on 17 touches.

Kirbyville responded with a drive that lasted almost four minutes and went 59 yards before stalling on the ‘Rider 18. Center then ended the half by kneeling on the ball and running the remaining time out.

Just like their opening drive of the game, it only took Kirbyville two plays to score after they received the Center kickoff to begin the second half.

With the score now tied 21-21, the ‘Riders lost the ball after a promising drive that went six plays and 42 yards before a Johnny Sudds fumble gave the Wildcats the ball at the 12-yard line. It took Kirbyville 14 plays and about five minutes to score, but the 'Cats went up 28-21 with 4:48 left in the third quarter.

Center once again tied the game only two and a half minutes later when Cameron Cloudy connected with K.J. Garrett for a 10-yard touchdown.

The Wildcats then scored on their first offensive play, with a 75-yard pass. Then in a gutsy call, the Wildcat head coach sent his offense out for the 2-point conversion and his team made him a smart man when his quarterback connected with his running back, bringing the score to 36-28.

Center head coach Kevin Goodwin (center) leads his team out on to the field before Friday night's game at Roughrider Stadium. The 'Riders clinched a playoff spot in the Class 3A D-II playoffs with a win and will take on Bullard Saturday in Carthage at 7 p.m. (Photo by Ray Jackson)

The ‘Riders were also the first to strike in the final quarter, after using a double pass earlier in the drive when Cloudy rushed in from three yards out to push the scoreboard to 36-34. Once again Cloudy kept the ball and dashed in for the 2-point conversion, tying the game at 36-36.

The ‘Riders forced a Kirbyville punt on their defensive stand, and then took the ball 70 yards for a touchdown to go up 43-36. This time the ground attack was led by senior Johnny Sudds, who rushed six times during the drive and totaled 41 yards.

With 4:23 left in the game, Kirbyville was able to put together a 5-play drive and add six points when the Wildcat quarterback kept it on a QB sneak from inside the 1-yard line. Then the Wildcats were successful on a second 2-point conversion when a running back rushed in untouched.

With the score now 44-43 in favor of Kirbyville and only 2:39 left in the game - and possibly Center's season - the ‘Riders received the ball at their own 27-yard line. Once again the ‘Riders were led by Sudds, who scored from 32 yards out to put his team up 49-44. His fellow senior, Cloudy, then added the two point conversion to make the deficit seven and the score 51-44.

Kirbyville received the ensuing kickoff with 1:03 left in the game. After a pass interference call against the ‘Riders on the second play of the drive, Kirbyville picked up a pair of first downs.

With just 16 seconds left, the Wildcat quarterback dropped back from the Center 33-yard line and threw a pass into the end zone and right in the hands of Center quarterback Cameron Cloudy who had gone into the game as a safety only two plays earlier.

“I threw Cameron out there because you always want your best athlete on the field,” Goodwin said after the game. “He came up to me on the sideline and told me he wanted to be in, so I put him out there and he came away with the interception.”

“There is only one thing to explain what happened tonight,” said a very emotional coach Goodwin after talking to his team only moments after the game. “Me and the kids talked about Jesus this week and how he rose from the grave and how we had to rise to the occasion. That is simply what happened tonight. With his help we rose to the occasion. It feels good to finally come out of one of these close games on top.”

STATS AT A GLANCE

SCORING BY QUARTERS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
Rushing
Kirbyville: #5 12-88 3TD; #1 11-70; #21 6-100. Center: Johnny Sudds 16-236 2TD; Cameron Cloudy 17-90 3TD; K.J. Garrett 20-70.
Passing
Kirbyville: #11 11-16-1 243 yards 2TD. Center: Cameron Cloudy 5-5-0 37 yards TD; Shaquille Ingram 1-1-0 24 yards.
Receiving
Kirbyville: #3 4-111; #3 4-111; #1 4-92 TD; #21 2-37 TD. Center: Shaquille Ingram 1-15 TD.
Records
Kirbyville: 2-8, 2-2 district. Center: 4-6, 2-2 district.

Lumberjacks Wrap Up Second Scrimmage - August 22, 2011

Season opener against McMurry less than two weeks away

NACOGDOCHES – The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack football team wrapped up its second scrimmage of preseason camp Saturday evening. SFA played two quarters in front of fans at Homer Bryce Stadium.

“I’m pleased with the scrimmage,” said head coach J.C. Harper. “We had a really good week of practice heading into tonight, and we followed that up with a strong scrimmage. I’m really happy with the effort on both sides of the ball.”

Junior Ryan Epperson continues to impress during camp recording his second interception in as many scrimmages. He also finished the night with five tackles. The defense recorded 10 sacks on the evening and picked off three passes, including Epperson’s, which he returned for a touchdown. Freshman Ismiah Miles led the team with two sacks.

The Lumberjacks were able to play all six quarterbacks who are battling it out for the starting spot, while sophomore Brady Attaway and Dalton Williams took the snaps with the ones. The Attaway-Williams duo combined for 14-of-24 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, and also had one interception.

Junior wide out Ryan Gambel led all SFA receivers with five catches for 39 yards. After being the leading receiver in last week’s scrimmage, freshman Garrett Smith hauled in only one pass but it was an 18-yard scoring strike from Williams.

The SFA running backs carried the ball 22 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Attaway, and junior Jeremy Barnes each rushed for a score on the night. Barnes led the SFA backs with nine carries for 28 yards.

The Lumberjacks are slated to open the 2011 regular season Thursday, Sept. 1 with a 6 p.m. contest against McMurry.

'Riders Honing in on Season Opener - August 22, 2011
By Ryan Goodwin, Sports Correspondent

Center backup quarterback Cody Carleton (red jersey) looks to throw down field during a recent Roughrider workout. Center outscored Buna, 2-1, and Deweyville, 1-0, in scrimmage action Thursday night. (Photo by John Krueger)

BUNA, Tx -- The Center ‘Riders sharpened their skills in style against two Class 2A opponents here Thursday night during a three-team scrimmage. Center picked up a combined 313 yards on offense against the two squads, picking up a pair of victories.

Before the game CHS head coach Kevin Goodwin said his team didn’t change anything this week at practice, just focusing on improving from last week’s scrimmage against Palestine, where Center lost three touchdowns to none.

“We really tried to hone in on some things this week,” Goodwin said. “We spent more time making sure our kids focused on wrapping up during tackles and continued to run their feet all the way through the tackle.”

The ‘Riders began the night facing off against the Cougar offense of Buna. The Center defense struggled early, allowing four first downs and a Cougar touchdown in only 10 plays.

The ‘Rider D was able to force a Buna turnover on downs after three quick first downs, but the Cougars responded with a 16-yard run for a first down and a 51-yard pass for touchdown that put them up 1-0.

Later in the scrimmage, Center’s offense got a shot at Buna for ten plays, but, like the defense, it started sluggishly. The ‘Riders went to the ground early, running the ball for eight of 10 plays. senior quarterback Cameron Cloudy rushed for seven yards on three carries, while senior Johnny Sudds, who missed action last week due to a minor aggravation to an injured knee, ran for 10 yards on two touches. Junior K.J. Garrett picked up 15 yards on three carries.

Cloudy attempted two passes during the possession and completed one for five yards to junior Augustine Johnson, who ended the night with two catches for 11 yards.

The ‘Rider defense hit its stride during the next stand against the Cougar offense, allowing only 19 yards of total offense. Defensive linemen Nathan Sears, a senior who is a third-year player on varsity, and Kyle Clinton, both came away with Buna fumbles.

The Center offense also struggled to gain yards during their second possession against Buna, gaining only 18 yards, all of which coming on the ground.

The ‘Riders also battled the Deweyville Pirates during scrimmage play. In their first offensive possession against the Pirates, the ‘Riders were hitting on all cylinders, picking up three first downs while gaining 42 yards.

Cloudy attempted five more passes, hitting three different receivers for 14 yards. On the seventh play of the possession a Center receiver broke away from the Pirate defense. Cloudy threw the ball deep for what would have been a sure score had the Deweyville defender not purposely pushed the ‘Rider receiver away from the ball to save the touchdown. On his next pass attempt Cloudy misread the Pirate defense and a safety came away with an interception over the middle of the field.

The Deweyville defense took the field next, and the ‘Rider defense held them to 27 yards on 10 plays. Center saw impressive hits from defensive backs Augustine Johnson, who caused a Buna fumble, and Johnny Sudds, who knocked the ball loose from a Pirate receiver after a 3rd-and-long pass that might have resulted in the team's second consecutive first down. The ‘Riders also established repeated pressure on the quarterback with defensive linemen Austin Mosby.

During their next drive, Center had six different players carry the ball, picking up four more first downs, bringing their total against Deweyville to seven on only 20 plays. Johnson picked up 10 yards on one carry, sophomore Miles Netherly added five on one touch and Shaquille Ingram ran for 34 yards on only three gives.

Junior Cody Carleton saw action at quarterback during this drive. He gained four yards on two carries and was perfect through the air, completing the only pass to Ingram for seven yards. The ‘Riders ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Garrett to bring the score to 1-0 in favor of Center. This ended the scrimmage portion of the evening.

Center then began a 15-minute quarter of live action against Buna. The ‘Rider offense began its drive, which only lasted two plays and 41 seconds, on its own 30-yard line. Center quickly scored after Cloudy hit junior T.J. McCollister on a receiver screen. McCollister easily beat the Cougar defenders down the sideline for a 69-yard touchdown.

Buna then struggled to move the ball against the Center defense, gaining only one first down. The ‘Rider defense saw another big play from Kyle Clinton as he pulled down a Cougar seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Cougars were forced to punt after only six plays.

Center received the ball at their own 15-yard line, but put together a one-play, 12-second drive for a second touchdown, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of Center. The TD came by way of a Shaquille Ingram run of 85 yards. Ingram finished the night with 128 yards on only five carries and 9 more yards on two receptions.

Buna had one last drive on offense before the game was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions, but they were only able to pick up one first down before deciding to punt on 4th-and-long.

After the game coach Goodwin said he wants his team to focus on getting off to a faster start on both sides of the ball.

“Our biggest deal moving ahead will be learning to play early,” Goodwin said. “Once we really got going tonight everything was fine, but we have to learn how to strike that match a little sooner.”

The Roughriders will next see action in their first regular season game Friday in Rusk at 7:30 p.m.

STATISTICS AT A GLANCE

Center Scrimmage vs. Buna

Individual Leaders
Rushing
Center: S. Ingram 2-94 TD; K.J. Garrett 2-13; J. Sudds 3-11; C. Cloudy 5-10; A. Johnson 1-7.
Passing
Center: C. Cloudy 3-7-0 73 yards TD.
Receiving
Center: A. Johnson 1-5; T.J. McCollister 2-68 TD.

- - - - - - - - -

Center Scrimmage vs. Deweyville

Individual Leaders
Rushing
Center: S. Ingram 3-34; C. Cloudy 3-21; A. Johnson 1-10; M. Netherly 1-5; C. Carleton 2-4; J. Sudds 3-3; K.J. Garrett 1-2 TD.
Passing
Center: C. Cloudy 4-6-1 21 yards; C. Carleton 1-1-0 7 yards.
Receiving
Center: S. Ingram 2-9; D.J. Preston 1-7; T.J. McCollister 1-6; A. Johnson 1-6.