Concordia Lutheran, TWCA headline VYPE's Private School Top 5

Nov 12, 2019

Concordia Lutheran is VYPE's No.1

By Bradley Collier

Houston Christian completed the mission last season – winning back-to-back SPC Championships. Anchored by Georgia-signee Sahvir Wheeler, the Mustangs were able to take home another state title. The other state title coming back to Houston was in TAPPS 1A, which was brought home by Baytown Christian.

So, who can bring home the hardware this year? The Woodlands Christian Academy fell short of a TAPPS 4A State Championship by just a few points in overtime; Lutheran South fell in the TAPPS 5A state title game and Concordia Lutheran was in the TAPPS 6A state semifinals.

These teams have the pieces back to contend. Check out who VYPE thinks can bring home the trophies.

The Woodlands Christian Academy

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No. 1 Concordia Lutheran Crusaders
After winning a TAPPS 6A State Championship in 2018, the Crusaders returned to the Final Four last season to try and complete the repeat. Concordia Lutheran fell short to Antonian College Prep, 70-55, ending their year with a mark of 36-3. The Crusaders do have to replace Montavious Murphy (Kansas State) and Pierce Hellums (Sam Houston State) but bring back key pieces. Concordia Lutheran is led by standout junior RJ Keene. The 6-foot-7 shooter averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals and four assists per game last year. Keene was a TAPPS second-team, all-state selection. Other notable players include newcomers Nash Golaszewski, Kenyon Holcombe and Adam Stewart. Golazewski comes over from The Woodlands Christian Academy, where he earned TAPPS 4A first-team, all-state honors last year as a junior; and Beaux Brashear comes over from The Woodlands. Bill Honeck enters year 12 leading the Crusaders and is just two wins shy of No. 300 at the school. With 21 victories this year, Honeck will hit win No. 600 of his career.

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No. 2 The Woodlands Christian Academy Warriors
The Woodlands Christian Academy was so close in 2019 to a repeat. The Warriors fell just short to Arlington Grace Prep, 58-54 in overtime, in the TAPPS 4A State Championship game. TWCA finished 28-11 overall. The Warriors return three starters this season with hopes of getting to the program's fourth-straight Final Four and try to win their second title in the last three seasons. Bakari LaStrap will be the headliner. LaStrap, a TAPPS 4A first-team, all-state selection, averaged 14 points, six rebounds and five assists per game last year. Also back are TAPPS 4A honorable mention, all-state selections Emanuel Jones (8 points, 7 rebounds) and Luke Mansfield (7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists).Newcomers to the team include Tucker Nooe, Austin Benigni and Chanse Perkins. Tanner Field enters year four leading TWCA boys' basketball and has posted an 83-30 record.

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No. 3 Episcopal Knights
For the past five seasons, Episcopal has finished runner-up in the SPC Championship game. The last two years, Houston Christian was the team to hand them the loss. So, is the 2019-2020 season the one where Episcopal gets over the hump and wins its first state title since 2013 and second in program history? The Knights have the players to do it. The
two main headliners to keep an eye on are seniors Jahari Long and DJ Nussbaum. Both were All-SPC selections a year ago. Long is verbally committed to Seton Hall. Other key returners include D'Avian Houston and Gerard Edwards. With this senior class built the way it is, Episcopal is primed for a run at the coveted SPC title.

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No. 4 The Village School Vikings

The Vikings head into this season seeking the program's sixth-straight trip to the playoffs. Once there, The Village School hopes to make a run. Last season, the playoff journey ended in the first round, halted by El Paso Cathedral in a 57-50 loss. The Vikings finished the year 13-21 overall. Looking to this season, The Village School brings back four starters, including first-team, all-district selection Trace Boling. Last season, Boling averaged 18 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Other key returners include second-team, all-district selection Tomaye Mojuetan (7.6 points, 6.8 rebounds); honorable mention, all-district pick Jo'Qwan West (6.8 points, 5.6 rebounds) and Earving Wilson (5 points, 2 rebounds). Notable newcomers include Jordan Henderson (Tompkins), Dorian Boyland (Manvel), Tochi Owens (Paetow), Hunter Hillegeist (Cinco Ranch) and Abdullah Hakeem Olajuwon. Yes ... that Olajuwon. The son of the NBA Hall of Famer has joined The Village School and will be a sophomore. Andrew Johnson enters his second year at The Village School.

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No. 5 St. Thomas Episcopal Saints

It wasn't long ago that St. Thomas Episcopal played for a state title in three-straight seasons. The Saints have one TAPPS title in the trophy case. The Saints reached the second round of the TAPPS 4A playoffs last year before falling to Waco Vanguard College Prep by just two points. The Saints do return some firepower from a team that went 23-13 overall, extending its playoff streak to 10-straight years. Start with the young-gun Jakoby Flores, who as a sophomore was named TAPPS first-team, all-state. Flores averaged 25 points, 5.8 assists and 3.1 steals per game and was one of just two sophomores to be named to the team. So, who helps him? Melvin Holloway, a 5-foot-7 senior, was named TAPPS second-team, all-state after averaging 16.8 points, 4.2 assists and 4.2 steals per game. The duo of Flores and Holloway could lead this group back to a state title game. Also, don't sleep on 6-foot-8 junior Alex Vatrachski, who averaged nearly a double-double last year, scoring 7.5 points and grabbing 10.5 rebounds per game. Chris Twine enters his 11th year at St. Thomas Episcopal with a 223-113 record.

Want a copy of the VYPE 2019-20 Basketball Preview Sent to you? Click here to go to SHOPVYPE.com

Card's Return, Lake Travis Too Much For Judson; Rematch With North Shore Awaits

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

For the second straight year, the UIL 6A Division I Region IV final featured Lake Travis and Converse Judson and was played at San Antonio's Alamodome. The Cavaliers won 38-21 in 2018 and earned a come-from-behind 48-35 victory on Saturday.

A big part of that was Texas 2020 quarterback commit Hudson Card, who played in his first football game since he suffered a foot injury in Lake Travis' 26-25 rivalry win against Westlake on October 11th. The VYPE Player of the Game finished with three passing touchdowns and a rushing score.

"I've always wanted to come back ever since I got hurt, so that was my mission the past couple of weeks," said Card. "The team around me stepped up and the O-Line did an unbelievable job keeping me protected."

Card's team, Lake Travis, flexed its muscles early and took the game's first lead on Hays McCannon's 27-yard field goal. The Cavaliers would then fall behind by 11 points because Mike Chandler found Amarea Bailey-Davis on a 43-yard touchdown connection and added a 10-yard touchdown run towards the end of the first quarter.

But, Lake Travis got back on track in the second quarter, and made it a one-possession game going into halftime. Card found Weston Stephens for a 70-yard score with 2:25 left, and the Cavalier defense forced a Chandler fumble that nearly set up a go-ahead score on the final play of the first half.

The trend continued in the third quarter. Card launched a pair of touchdown passes to Kyle Eaves, and Stephens added a 44-yard touchdown run to make it a 31-14 advantage with 3:43 left in the period.

"You just got to stay with it," Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said of his team's comeback. "It's a 48-minute ball game. You can't freak out at the beginning of it and you gotta keep your cool and make some adjustments and we were able to do that."

Lake Travis' streak of 28 consecutive points would come to an end on De'Anthony Lewis' nine-yard touchdown run, but the Cavaliers immediately responded with Stephens' 52-yard touchdown run to make it a 38-21 game before the end of the third. They were followed by a pair of Chandler touchdown runs, but Card's rushing score, McCannon's 32-yard field goal and DJ Johnson's late interception wrapped up the Cavs' win in the fourth.

Lake Travis will now prepare for North Shore in the teams' second straight state semifinal meeting. The Cavaliers suffered a season-ending loss to the Mustangs when the teams met in 2018, but hope to avenge that defeat in next week's game.

For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX) on Twitter.

Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.

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INSTANT REACTION: Rockwall Shakes Off Slow Start, Downs Prosper

Courtesy Rivals.com

FRISCO - Another banner night for JSN. If you aren't familiar with those initials, you should probably get acquainted real quick because he's going to be a force come Saturdays next year at Ohio State.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a huge night for Rockwall in a 59-42 win over Prosper to advance to the 6A Division I State Semifinals, despite the terrible start.

By the 7:40 mark of the first quarter, Rockwall was already in a 14-0 hole. Prosper took the opening drive and scored in nine plays. On Rockwall's next possession: pick-six. Rockwall sophomore Braedyn Locke settled in and went to his go-to man, Smith-Njigba to get Rockwall on the board.

A punt and a JSN TD run tied the game. Another Prosper punt and a 53-yard JSN touchdown and the lead was gone by the midpoint of the second quarter.

All said an told, JSN simply dominated when his team needed it to the tune of 11 catches for 218 yards and 4 receiving scores; add in two rushing scores on the night, too.

Prosper hung tough with Rockwall in some stretches, but the scoring prowess of Rockwall was just too much to overcome, and Rockwall advances to meet Duncanville (14-0) next week in the state semifinals - time, date and location still to be determined.

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Shadow Creek Ends Manor's Magical Run; Will Play Wagner In State Semifinal

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

Shadow Creek (14-0) faced an unexpected challenge when it took on a hot Manor (8-6) squad during Saturday's UIL 5A Division I Region III final at San Antonio's Alamodome. The Sharks, who were the classification's state runner-up in 2018, faced a Mustang program that won its first three playoff games after a 5-5 regular season, but proved to be the better team in a 59-14 victory.

"They're all tough at this point in the year, so we just wanted to come out and try to protect the football and be great tacklers and solid on special teams," said Shadow Creek coach Brad Butler. "That's kind of our thing week in and week out."

Shadow Creek jumped at the opportunity to slow down its opponent, and took the game's first lead on VYPE Player of the Game Kyron Drones' two-yard touchdown run with 6:50 left in the opening quarter. He finished the game with three passing touchdowns and a pair of rushing scores.

Manor answered with a Che Nwabuko nine-yard touchdown run at the 4:22 mark of the quarter, but Chanceller Byers forced an interception with 47 seconds left in the period to set up the Sharks' go-ahead field goal and 10-7 lead at the 10:40 mark of the second frame.

Manor then jumped ahead on the scoreboard for the first and only time in the game when Matthew Hill connected with Lavonte Benford on a 47-yard touchdown. That gave the Mustangs a 14-10 edge with 5:10 left in the first half.

Even though Shadow Creek trailed at this point, it was all Sharks the rest of the way. Drones found Kelvon Brown and CJ Guidry on a pair of offensive scores, and Jaylen Lane's late pick six added to the 31-14 halftime advantage.

The second half was more of the same. The third quarter saw a Drones five-yard touchdown run and a 16-yard touchdown to Seth Jones, as well as a Jay'Veon Bell 22-yard touchdown run. Shadow Creek ultimately wrapped up their scoring with a Thomas Davis pick six at the 3:46 mark of the fourth.

Shadow Creek now turns its attention to San Antonio Wagner (13-1), who it beat 41-24 in the same state semifinal round in 2018.

"They know it's the rematch and they [are] going to try to have a redemption game, but we can't let that get to us, and we just gotta get over there and win," Drones said of next week's opponent.

For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX) on Twitter.

Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.

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