GAMES
RANKINGS
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: H-Town Softball Rankings midway through the season
The district portion of the Spring season is well underway, which entails the struggle of familiar opponents vying for playoff seeding in the coming weeks.
As it stands, Katy and Pearland seem poised for a deep run in the postseason, which could potentially land them in Austin, come June. However, teams such as Oak Ridge, Langham Creek, and Alvin have re-established themselves as premier contenders, with fellow challengers -- Bridgeland, Kingwood, Deer Park, and Brazoswood -- right on their heels.
Barbers Hill and Lake Creek are still the clubs to beat within Class 5A. But the hierarchy can always change, as long as Angleton, Foster, Kingwood Park, and Crosby remain in hot pursuit.
Meanwhile, in the private school sector, LSA and TWCA appear to be the front-runners in their respective TAPPS divisions, while Episcopal and Houston Christian look to be on a collision course in the SPC.
Given that information, check out the full list of teams that need to be on everyone's radar as the second half of the season unfolds.
...
CLASS 6A TOP-25
1. Katy Tigers (23-1-1; 8-0 in district)
2. Pearland Oilers (19-2; 4-0)
3. Oak Ridge War Eagles (24-2; 8-0)
4. Langham Creek Lobos (22-3; 6-0)
5. Alvin Yellowjackets (19-3-1; 4-1)
6. Bridgeland Bears (19-4; 5-1)
7. Kingwood Mustangs (19-6; 6-0)
8. Deer Park Deer (18-6; 4-0)
9. Brazoswood Buccaneers (18-7; 5-0)
10. Houston Memorial Mustangs (18-2; 6-0)
11. Cy-Fair Bobcats (16-7; 6-0)
12. Clear Springs Chargers (16-6; 5-1)
13. Conroe Tigers (16-9; 7-1)
14. George Ranch Longhorns (16-5; 9-0)
15. Summer Creek Bulldogs (16-8-1; 5-1)
16, Klein Oak Panthers (15-7; 5-1)
17. Heights Bulldogs (14-9; 4-0)
18. Dawson Eagles (13-5-1; 3-1)
19. Grand Oaks Grizzlies (16-11; 5-3)
20. Katy Taylor Mustangs (14-9; 7-1)
21. Tomball Cougars (13-10-1; 5-1)
22. Spring Lions (10-8; 6-0)
23. Ridge Point Panthers (9-7; 7-1)
24. Bellaire Cardinals (9-6; 1-1)
25. Travis Tigers (9-6; 7-2)
...
CLASS 5A TOP-15
1. Barbers Hill Eagles (22-3-2; 6-0 in district)
2. Lake Creek Lions (19-5; 4-1)
3. Angleton Wildcats (18-5-1; 5-0)
4. Foster Falcons (13-4-1; 3-0)
5. Kingwood Park Panthers (17-5; 2-1)
6. Crosby Cougars (17-6; 3-2)
7. Lamar Consolidated Mustangs (16-4; 4-2)
8. Dayton Broncos (19-5; 2-0)
9. Friendswood Mustangs (13-6; 3-2)
10. La Porte Bulldogs (11-5; 3-2)
11. Magnolia Bulldogs (16-9-1; 3-3)
12. Manvel Mavericks (15-8-1; 3-2)
13. Santa Fe Indians (17-8-1; 1-4)
14. Fulshear Chargers (13-13; 6-0)
15. Magnolia West Mustangs (15-11; 3-2)
...
PRIVATE SCHOOL TOP-10
1. Lutheran South Academy Pioneers (12-1)
2. TWCA Warriors (9-0)
3. Episcopal Knights (13-8)
4. St. Agnes Academy Tigers (10-6)
5. Cypress Christian Warriors (9-7)
6. Houston Christian Mustangs (10-8)
7. St. Pius X Panthers (10-9-1)
8. St. John XXIII Lions (5-3)
9. Kinkaid Falcons (6-9)
10. FBCA Eagles (4-8)
RUN IT BACK: Freeman's Recovery Will Reignite Rosehill Christian To State Contention
DESPITE THEIR RELATIVELY SMALL CLASS-SIZES, IT’S NO SECRET WHO ROSEHILL CHRISTIAN’S “IT-GIRL” IS.
Whether she’s lighting up the scoreboard on the basketball court or re-writing the record books on the track, Mercy Freeman has helped to establish RCS as a brand on the TAPPS-3A scene.
Considering all the success she has seen, it might come as a shock that Freeman nearly never joined track and field.
“In fifth and sixth grade, I actually didn’t have that much of an interest in joining the track team,” she said. “I had just finished with basketball each of those years, so my thought process was, ‘I’m tired of running’. But, Kaleigh (Frazier) kept encouraging me to join, so seventh grade is when I ultimately decided to give it a shot.
“Since Kaleigh did hurdles, I figured I could try some events other than sprints as well. Eventually, I fell in love with jumping and the sport itself, and the work that’s needed to consistently improve yourself.”
It’s a good thing she was ultimately swayed to join, since she’s been the definitive catalyst towards Rosehill Christian’s two state titles over the past three seasons.
But, that’s not the only reason the senior has to appreciate the time she’s put in.
“Having played most sports at Rosehill Christian, I feel like track would be my favorite ‘team vibe’ for lack of a better word,” said Freeman. “Everyone is always super close, and after our meets we all go out to eat – whether it be at Canes, Chick-fil-a or Whataburger. At the end of the day, I feel that we’re more of a family, rather than a team.”
According to head coach David Saye, Freeman contributes 45 points to the family, on average. Given that insane statistic, the Eagles would have handily won the TAPPS-3A State Championship for the third-consecutive time in 2023, had it not been for Freeman suffering a high-ankle sprain in the opening event.
Rest assured, Freeman has been doing her utmost to ensure that Rosehill Christian can flip the script in 2024.
“It was definitely hard to come back from that, especially since I wasn’t able to walk initially,” she said. “I had to start from square one – re-learning how to walk, run and jump – which is crazy to think about the little things we do on a daily basis.
“The biggest thing for me was getting my strength back and having to work extra hard in order to catch up. Because we were supposed to win last year, I think that we’re all more determined than ever to get back to our State Title form.”
They may have their game-face on now, but it should be a safe assessment that Freeman and company will be all smiles in the coming months.