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THE PLAYMAKERS: Alumni Edition powered by UTMB Health
The Houston area is loaded with talented athletes, who give it their all on their respective fields of play.
Welcome to the VYPE Playmakers, powered by UTMB Health, where we highlight five standouts who have advanced their playing careers to the collegiate level. Here are the UTMB Alumni Standouts.
Tramon Mark -- Dickinson HS Grad (Plays for UH Basketball)
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Dickinson’s-own Tramon Mark enjoyed a stellar high school career, averaging nearly 30 points and leading the Gators to the State Tournmanet during his undefeated senior year -- before COVID-19 forced the rest of the season to be canceled. The 6-foot-5 point guard then moved on to play for the Houston Cougars, where he is currently a starter and is having his best collegiate season yet.
Brooke McCarty-Williams -- Clear Springs HS Grad (Played for UT & WNBA)
Clear Springs alum McCarty-Williams was a beast for the Chargers averaging over 25 points per game, and establishing her school as a major player in Texas girls basketball. Following her graduation in 2014, she would continue to make headlines at the University of Texas, helping the Longhorns reach the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament each year she played. From there, she advanced to the WNBA to play guard for the Los Angeles Sparks (2018) and the Dallas Wings (2019).
Chad Lindberg -- Clear Creek HS Grad (Plays for Georgia Football)
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Lindberg was a four-star offensive tackle for the Wildcats before graduating in 2020, and was a monster in drive-blocking situations. So much so, that his excellence on and off the field, earned him the chance to play for the current National Champions -- the Georgia Bulldogs. While only a sophomore, he was able to play some snaps in Georgia’s 65-7 win over TCU. He will make even more of an impact in the coming years.
Dylan Maxcey -- Friendswood HS Grad (Plays for Texas Tech Baseball)
Friendswood alum Dylan Maxcey played a major role in the Mustangs’ five-round playoff run during his senior year (2021). With a .371 batting average and leading the team in home runs and RBIs, he was a lock for his recruitment to Texas Tech. He currently plays catcher for the Red Raiders and is seeking to establish himself as a potential professional.
Brooke Botkin--Pearland HS Grad (Played for USC Volleyball)
One of Pearland’s greatest outside hitters, Botkin was a significant part of the Lady Oilers’ consistent postseason appearances throughout her high school career (2014-2017). Her extraordinary talent led to her playing for USC, where she earned Pac-12 All-Conference Team honors each year she played. Currently, Botkin is embarking on her professional volleyball career in Switzerland’s A1 League, where she plays for Geneve Volley.
Dickinson Bounces Back with 14-0 victory over Ridge Point
DICKINSON - John Snelson admitted that the past week had been hard.
A 37-0 season-opening loss to Atascocita on the road was "as tough as we've had", the veteran coach admitted. Despite being beaten down, held to just 122 total yards and zero trips into the endzone, that didn't deflate the offensive or defensive units.
Instead, it fueled them.
On Friday, Dickinson (1-1) regained a bit of its offensive rhythm behind the running of John Solomon, while the defense pitched a shutout en route to a 14-0 victory over Ridge Point.
"Offensively, there wasn’t a whole lot of confidence," Snelson said after last week. "For those kids to believe in each other and their coaching staff and lock in, even though we weren’t clean, we were much better versus a quality defense.”
Ridge Point (0-2) has now lost to Austin Westlake and Dickinson to start the 2022 season.
When Snelson and staff went back and turned on the film from that Atascocita game, the one thing that was glaring was the fact of people trying to do other people's jobs.
The step forward from Week 1 to Week 2 was clear on Friday night. Solomon was able to run more, while incorporating Missouri-commit Marquis Johnson into the offense more. De'Rion Crooms also saw a more active role in the offense, while the offensive line held up to allow Solomon time to work.
“You ask any coach, the biggest improvement that a team will make in the course of a season is from week one to week two," Snelson said. "Because you have so many brand-new guys, the first week sometimes something happens. But they’re just more comfortable.”
VYPE/@KPRC2 Player of the Game: @DickinsonFB QB @johnsolo102 talks with us after the big win. Had some big runs and throws in the 14-0 victory. #txhsfb @KPRC2RandyMc @vjglover2023 @derioncrooms @tredevious @Donovangreen23 @LaydenRoque @TThomas06x @DickinsonISD pic.twitter.com/2eWEI52H5x
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) September 3, 2022
Defensively, the Gators were forcing turnovers and causing havoc in the backfield led by Layden Roque, Kaleb Walker and Diego Sanchez. Evan Wiltz and La'Ron Nelson also came up with some big sacks in the win as well.
“They kept us in that football game and will continue to throughout the course of the season,” Snelson said about the defense.
As the Gators turn their attention to Dobie next week, Snelson wants to see the offense take the next step as they did much better at "everybody locking in and doing their own job" this week.
And, of course, they'll watch some film.
“Whenever you win and you go back and watch film, it’s never as good as you think it is,” Snelson said with a smile. “Whenever you lose and go back and watch film, it’s never quite as bad as it feels.