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Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Season of Reflection
Fort Worth, TX
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Arlington High and Arlington Martin had several things in common this season. Both were highly regarded. Both finished 13-1 in district play and shared the 8-5A title. And, both were eliminated from the playoffs by the same opponent.
Martin was the first to fall victim to Amarillo High, the defending state champions. The Lady Sandies swept the Lady Warriors in the Region I semifinals, held in Abilene. Amarillo won the three games 25-22, 25-16, and 25-14.
Arlington got the Sandies a day later in the regional final. The Lady Colts were also overmatched, falling in three games 25-13, 25-19, and 25-20.
“Amarillo just had more guns,” Lady Colts coach Sue Cauley said. “We played as good as we could. They were just incredible.”
The Lady Colts were the last of the area teams remaining in the quest for a berth in the state tournament.
“The sad thing right now,” Cauley added, “is that we beat two of the teams that made it to state back in the preseason.”
Despite falling short of the state tournament, Cauley had nothing but praise for her Lady Colts.
“This team is amazing and just so much fun,” she said. “No one was a star in their opinion. They treated each other with respect and had fun together. I’ve coached for a lifetime and this is a group you don’t want to give up.”
Martin and Arlington weren’t Amarillo’s only local victims. Newcomers Mansfield Legacy surprised many by advancing to the area round of the playoffs, but were outmatched against the Lady Sandies. Amarillo needed only three games to get by Legacy. Still, it was a remarkable season for the Lady Broncos.
“This year we set very high goals for ourselves, and we did not quite meet them exactly,” head coach Jennifer Chandler said. “But, somehow we surpassed them by reaching the area round of the playoffs.
“This year’s team was incredibly special to me in that despite all the challenges and obstacles that came our way, this group was determined to overcome them and push ahead to the next one that came our way. This group has a tremendous drive and fight about them and had a desire to begin our volleyball ‘legacy.’”
Legacy’s neighbors, Mansfield, also advanced to the area round of the playoffs, but were ousted by Amarillo Tascosa in three games.
Several district champions were dealt early exits in the playoffs. Keller Central fought off Southlake Carroll to win the 5-5A championship, but couldn’t get past Flower Mound in the bi-district playoff. The aforementioned Lady Dragons were also sent packing in the first round, falling to Hebron.
Trinity, which went undefeated in District 7-5A, couldn’t handle Duncanville in the bi-district playoff, losing in four games. Ironically, it was also Duncanville that beat the Lady Trojans in their season opener.
In Class 4A, Arlington Heights cruised through district play, finishing 7-4A undefeated for the second consecutive year. However, the Lady Jackets failed to advance in the playoffs. Following a bi-district bye, Heights met up with Denton Ryan in the area round, losing in three games.
Like Arlington Heights, District 6-4A champion Boswell earned a bye in the first round, but was bounced from the postseason in a highly competitive area matchup against Crowley.
“I was new this year, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Boswell coach Christy Tate said. “They were great! We did fall short of what we should have accomplished, but we definitely need to be proud of a district championship.”
Crowley, meanwhile, had to fight hard just to reach the playoffs and surprised Boswell.
“This team finally learned to play with confidence,” Crowley coach Cydryce McMillian said. “It was the right time to be playing our best and to be playing with confidence.”
However, the Lady Eagles run came to end when they matched up with District 8-4A champions Aledo. The Lady Bearcats had knocked off Denton before dispatching of Crowley in the regional quarterfinals. Aledo could not advance beyond the regional semifinals, though, losing to Canyon Randall in four games.
Two other schools with high expectations were Azle and Birdville. Both were among the top area 4A teams all season long, yet both came up short in the playoffs. Azle entered the postseason on a ten-match winning streak, but was knocked out by Denton Ryan in four games in a bi-district meeting.
“Denton Ryan had a tough district, too,” Azle coach Melissa Scogin said. “We knew they’d be a challenge. We felt prepared, but our defense just didn’t play well. We kind of fell apart defensively. But I’m not disappointed with the season at all.”
Azle’s district rival Birdville matched up with Denton in the bi-district round and lost a marathon five-game match.
“Last year we graduated two players who led us in kills,” Lady Hawks coach Courtney Grimes said. “We started three sophomores this season. Considering those two things, I think we did a tremendous job this season.”
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