The Elkins Knights put up a good fight against the Summer Creek Bulldogs. But, in the end, the Bulldogs pulled through and won 57-52! Summer Creek will play Atascocita for the Region III Championship soon. Check out some highlights of the Bulldogs vs Knights game below!
Bradley Collier
SENIOR KELSEY WEDDINGTON IS “THAT GIRL” AT WILLIS HIGH SCHOOL. SHE’S IS EVERYWHERE.
Not only is she in the top-two percent of her graduating class, she also happens to be a premier diver for the Willis swim and dive program. She didn’t always know that diving would be in her future, but she’s ascended to the point of reaching the UIL-6A State Meet a year ago.
To top it off, Weddington patrols the sidelines as a Willis cheerleader as well. Given her exceptional standing, we had to figure out what makes her tick.
This is the 411 with Willis High’s Kelsey Weddington.
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VYPE: How did you get into diving? Why that sport?
WEDDINGTON: “I was originally in gymnastics, but I kept getting hurt. It was too much of a strain on my body, so I got into diving. It really appealed to me. I’ve been diving since the summer of my eighth-grade year. I’ve done club diving, so I’ve gone to Nationals and have found success in the sport.”
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VYPE: How did your experience in gymnastics help you in diving?
WEDDINGTON: “It has helped with my technique, like being able to flip. It took me some time to get the hang of it because going from a gymnastics floor to a diving board was a different experience.”
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VYPE: What do you do outside of diving? What are your other interests?
WEDDINGTON: “I do high school cheerleading. It’s really not super different, given all the flips we have to do."
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VYPE: What do you see yourself doing in the future?
WEDDINGTON: “I hope to dive in college one day. My dream school would be an academy, such as the Naval Academy. I want a school that challenges me and allows me to grow. Plus, I would have the opportunity to serve my country, which is another appeal.”
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VYPE: What are you watching these days?
WEDDINGTON: “Right now, I’m watching ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ on Netflix. The new season was released, so I’ve been getting into that when I have the chance.”
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VYPE: What’s something about you that makes you unique?
WEDDINGTON: “I have a twin brother, Christian Weddington. He’s a wrestler here at Willis. We’re kind of close, and it’s pretty cool that we both go here. For example, during STAAR testing we’ll always sit next to each other. I love that."
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By Bradley Collier
KLEIN FOREST QB JAYLEN BRAGG HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE’S ENTERING HIS SECOND SEASON WITH THE PROGRAM.
The incoming senior has adapted nicely to Forest, after transferring in following his sophomore year. But that doesn’t mean it was easy for the Golden Eagles signal-caller.
“Transferring schools is already difficult as it is,” said Bragg. “But, transferring as a quarterback is even harder in my opinion, because you have to undertake that leadership role in a new place. So, I came in and I just wanted to establish myself as a leader on the team, and my teammates accepted me.
“I feel like the whole transferring process has helped me to persevere – look through the bad times and push on.”
If his junior season was any indication, Bragg has shown that he can sling it just as well as anybody. Additionally, his explosive acceleration is enough to give any defensive coordinator a headache. But, according to the dual- threat Bragg, those aren’t even his greatest assets.
“As a player, I feel like my pocket movement and awareness helps me to stand out,” he said. “I can thank my trainer, J.P. Tillman, for that. I’ve learned how to evade the blitz and progress as a runner and passer.”
However, what’s most interesting about Bragg are the lengths he has gone to in order to improve throughout his football journey.
“My brother started playing football when I was about six, and I wanted to follow his footsteps,” Bragg said. “But, I ended up getting sick. I was diagnosed with HSP (an autoimmune disease), and I was out of the game for about four years.
“That’s really what kept me going whenever I came back. I really missed the sport and it was that drive to get back on the field that fueled me.”
That drive of his might very well lead to his aspirations becoming a reality, someday.
“Obviously, I want to go to college and play football, and hopefully get a shot to play pro,” he said. “If that doesn’t work out, I’m thinking about going into the radiology field – doing something in the medical field because of my history with it. My main goal right now is getting that shot to go to the next level.”
Before he can look to the future, Bragg will steer the ship for the Klein Forest offense one last time. After finishing 5-5 and narrowly missing the playoffs in 2022, it goes without saying that he’ll be dead-set on changing the narrative.
“This year I feel like it’s KF versus everybody,” he said. “I don’t think 5-and-5 really showed how good we were last year. If you look at the box score of all those games, we were up in the fourth quarter. We just need to finish games. It’s kind of like a ‘revenge tour’ this season.”
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Lorin Cook (VYPE)
Through three weeks of play, Summer Creek has seemingly been shot out of cannon to begin the fall season.
Last week’s matchup against a tough opponent like Klein Collins, in which they dominated to the tune of a 34-0 victory, reminded audiences that the Bulldogs (3-0) are a team worthy of everyone’s attention.
“It’s a great feeling and it’s just a compliment to our seniors,” said coach Kenny Harrison. “For the last three years we’ve had great senior classes. Our guys had a tremendous offseason and they embraced the grind, understanding that we were going to have a tough non-district schedule to prepare us for district.
“We talk about it all the time, we play quality opponents. I told our guys that we were going to have to overcome some adversity and they’ve risen to the challenge.”
On the topic of adversity, Summer Creek lost their starting QB Tristan Sanchez after he was injured in the Deer Park scrimmage a week prior to their season-opener against Klein Cain.
Junior WR-turned-QB Blake Thomas (#2) celebrates one of his scores against Klein CainMatthew Ogle (VYPE)
However, the Bulldogs’ leading receiver Blake Thomas has stepped up big time, taking on the role of the team’s signal-caller.
“We knew he (Thomas) could throw because he got reps in the spring,” Harrison said. “He’s turned himself into a leader. He got the opportunity to watch his older brother, Myles Thomas, a couple years ago, so he understands what it takes for a football team to be successful and the work that goes into it.”
Furthermore, senior RB Lloyd Avant (Tulsa-commit) and senior LB Xavier Atkins (LSU) have each become tone-setters in their respective fashions, among the many talented players on Summer Creek’s stacked roster.
Summer Creek's Lloyd AvantLorin Cook (VYPE)
“Avant is not necessarily a vocal leader, he’s a young man that leads by example,” said Harrison. “Kids follow him on the field as well as off the field because of the fact that he’s a high-character guy. Anytime you have someone like that on your team, you’ll have the opportunity to be successful.
“Then you move on to that guy, Xavier Atkins, who moved here in January. It was quite an adjustment for him, just the workload and preparing for the way we do things here in the state of Texas. He caught on quickly. He’s definitely a vocal leader, so we have the best of both worlds with those two.”
Summer Creek's Xavier Atkins prays before his Texas football debut Matthew Ogle (VYPE)
Since moving into the Bulldogs program six years ago, Harrison and his staff have turned Summer Creek into a perennial contender, despite being in a brutal district that features the likes of fellow heavyweights North Shore and Atascocita.
How have they done it?
“Just mental and physical toughness that we’ve brought here to the Summer Creek culture,” he said. “I think one thing that separates our program from a lot of others is the emphasis on that during the offseason."
“We do a lot of things during the offseason that gets our kids mentally and physically prepared to play for 48 minutes. We pride ourselves on that, getting them ready to play a very demanding schedule.”
District-play is about to commence for the Bulldogs, starting with West Brook next Friday. To say the least, it’s going to be entertaining to witness the rest of the season play out for this momentous group.
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