The TAPPS private school boys and girls basketball tourneys start this week and Houston has some teams with their eyes on the prize. All of them of course, but there are a few who have a legit shot.
Concordia Lutheran is loaded with talent and will cruise in the first round. However, the 'Saders could catch a pretty talented Village School in Round 2, which would be interesting. Guard RJ Keene is averaging just at 20 point pers game followed by Trey Miller and Kenyon Holcombe. Concordia is H-Town's best shot for a Class 6A title.
Westbury Christian is loaded with talent again and are the favorites in Class 5A. The Wildcats ran the table in district and are led by a pair of juniors Chris Felix and Ja'Vier Francis. They are legit.
The boys from up north – The Woodlands Christian Academy – are the favorites in Class 4A. Guard Bakari LaStrap runs the show for coach Tanner Fields, who went unblemished in district play. They went 24-7 on the season.
Tomball Rosehill, Alpha Omega and Baytown Christian are looming in Class 3-1A.
On the girls' side, it's The Village School's Class 6A title to lose. The Village is LOADED… Like REALLY loaded as they pushed their record to 33-3. Jada Malone leads to team. Concordia Lutheran has a shot, but the Vikings are impressive.
Second Baptist and Lutheran South are the Queens of Houston in TAPPS 5A, while Lutheran North carries the torch for Class 4A.
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THE BRACKETS
The time has come for Willis' Lagway to commit
The nation's eyes will be on Willis, Texas (pop. 8,700) tomorrow as 5-Star QB DJ Lagway, Jr., will make his college decision live on ESPN in front of family, friends, teammates, coaches and his community.
"It's amazing, just being able to do this in front of everybody I've grown up with," he said. "I wouldn't be where I'm at today without them, they've been with me through the ups and downs. I'm excited to able to share this moment with them."
Pushing up his commitment date was a big move, and had his Top 10 favorites making a push to get a commitment from the 2024 QB as the center piece for next year's class. His Top 10 includes Arkansas, Alabama, Baylor, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC.
He did mention that Baylor, Texas A&M, Clemson and USC have been closing strong in his recruitment.
"I want to go to a program that will help me develop and that feels like home," he said. "And give me the best college experience. I’m ready to get rolling on recruitment. I want to help build the No. 1 class in the nation."
So, what's the message to the school and fan-base receiving his early commitment?
"Be ready, it's going to be exciting," he said. "I'm going to bring in the best... I'm going to go out and compete, and hopefully bring a National Championship to the school."
As the Volleyball season has come to an end, it's time for fans to pick who they believe should have the honor of being the 2022 VYPE HOU Public School Volleyball Player of the Year! With plenty of area athletes putting in outstanding seasons, there are many deserving of this honor! Be sure to get your vote in!
Voting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13th.
Please note that the use of voting software or bots will result in a deletion of votes and a potential DQ from the contest. PLEASE try to keep this fair and fun for all involved!
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The Freddy's Way: Enjoying great food without a long wait doesn't mean your meal has to be cooked before you order it. From steakburgers to sundaes, Freddy's makes food fresh after you ask for it because that's the kind of quality you deserve. Take a moment to catch up with friends and family; it's almost time to eat. Click here to see the nearest Freddy's location to you!
Every year ahead of district play Boerne's Head Football Coach Che Hendrix and his staff take their kids out for a team meeting that includes some food and fun before before sitting down and setting the stage for district and beyond.
During this years gathering one word stood out to them that has carried them to an undefeated mark as they head into the state semifinals. "Pisteuo," coach Hendrix said. "It's a Greek word meaning to over believe. To try to over believe to believe in each other and that's been great for us."
That belief has been something that's been building over the last few years. With a coaching staff and players that all buy in it is easy to see why. "I feel like we have a tremendous coaching staff and we've had this staff in place for 5 years," coach Hendrix said. "They are a group that invests in the middle school and we've seen that pay off. When you can keep consistency and schemes and can build relationship and trust, that's the difference right there. It's a very tight knit group among us coaches and players."
That all culminated this past Friday where the Greyhounds came away with a 49-19 win over Calallen.
"We got off to a quick start with that kickoff return which injected a lot of confidence and energy into our team," coach Hendrix said of he's teams start in the regional final. "They (Calallen) did a good job early on with presenting us some problems with stuff they haven't done all year. But once we adjusted, settled in and got some stops we took control. We felt good all week going in with our offense and came out pretty hot to set the tone."
One of the keys this season has been Sophomore quarterback Jaxon Baize. Baize started the season replacing class of 2022 quarterback Rashawn Galloway. "Jaxon has really grown as a quarterback." Hendrix says. "The things we knew coming into the season; being a student of the game, having arm strength and talent, that's shown up this year for him. He has a ton of poise under pressure which we had seen because he is a multi sport athlete. He struggled early on in the first game with some interceptions but from that point on he has really learned and took on the challenge of preparing and being ready to go. His growth and maturity has been phenomenal."
Helping him along the way this season is Senior wide receiver, and brother, Braden Baize. "There's obviously some chemistry there. They are a tight family. and a quarterback wants to trust his receivers and that is the ultimate trust right there," said coach Hendrix.
Braden has had quite the season himself tallying over 1,000 yards receiving and 19 touchdowns on the year "Braden is an unbelievable receiver. He is deceptively fast and quick but he also has the ability to high point the ball and has made some of the greatest receptions I've ever seen this year."
The "unsung" hero of this team, though, has to be the offensive line. "We've made no bones about it, the offensive line is our best unit and we have put a lot of pressure on them and they have been ultra consistent and have played so well as a unit," said coach Hendrix. "We are big, physical, and athletic. The way they play together and work with each other has been really special. They are the back bone of our team."
The Greyhounds now turn to Tyler Chapel-Hill with their sights set on their first state title appearance. The Bulldogs come into the game at 12-2 and have speed that the Greyhounds have not seen yet this season. "They will be the fastest team we've seen and will be explosive offensively," says coach Hendrix. "They play really good defensively and do a lot of the same things we do. So we expect a very physical grind it out ball game. Their will be explosive plays on both sides so if we can limit theirs we have a real good chance to win."
One of the things coach Hendrix can rely on when his team takes the field on Friday? The fans. "We are just so thankful for the support we get," says coach Hendrix. "The community has showed up since Week 1 when it was 100 degrees. We have got a great fan following and community support system and I'm sure we will see them at the Alamodome this weekend."
And no matter the outcome, the Greyhounds are ready to enjoy the moment
"It's a honor to play in this game, we are going to cut it loose, we are going to have fun, and we are going to do what we've done all year."
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