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American Press
a day ago
- Sport
- American Press
All-Southwest La. Big Schools: Sam Houston sweeps top awards
S am Houston High School teams carved out paths to state championships and swept the top honors on the American Press All-Southwest Louisiana Big Schools teams. Cole Flanagan and Kailyn Mire were indispensable in their respective championship runs and are the MVPs. Baseball Tommy John surgery forced him to miss his junior season, but Flanagan flourished once he returned to the diamond. Pitching and playing center field, Flanagan led Sam Houston to its first state championship since 2001. Flanagan's command of multiple pitches helped the Louisiana-Lafayette signee go 7-2 with a 2.10 earned run average in 53 1/3 innings with 61 strikeouts and 16 walks. The marquee performance of his career came in the second game of a best-of-three semifinal series. He pitched a complete game two-hitter with five strikeouts and a walk to lead the Broncos to a 1-0 win over archrival Barbe and sweep the series. 'He has been a big leader as far as positivity goes,' Sam Houston head coach Chad Hebert said. 'He has been a big part of the lineup and showed a ton of composure throwing the way he did. He was able to limit the damage (in the postseason). 'At Barbe, he gave up two hits and no runs. Every time he had to make a pitch, he did and we made some plays around them.' Flanagan batted .381 with 30 runs, seven doubles, two triples, a pair of home runs and 30 RBIs. In the deciding third game of the Non-select Division I championship series, Flanagan went 3-for-4 and scored the tying run as the Broncos clinched the title with a 4-2 win. Softball While a sophomore, Mire showed poise all season and rarely left the circle, pitching all but two outs for the state champion Broncos. The right-hander tossed 180 innings with 110 strikeouts and 66 walks. She went 30-2 with a 1.63 ERA. She went 4-0 in the postseason and allowed three earned runs in 27 innings. '(Mire) has been phenomenal this entire season,' Domingue said. 'I think she gets overlooked a lot because she's not the strikeout pitcher. She's not throwing 65 miles an hour, but she has literally put this team on her shoulders and carried us. 'She changes speeds and forces weak contact. She might not strike you out every time, but she trusts the defense to make the plays.' Mire kept opponents baffled with a wide range of pitches and speeds. She pitched 10 shutouts and three no-hitters along with two one-hitters and six two-hitters. Mire showed her durability with 15 outings lasting seven or more innings. Not known for power hitting, Mire (.325 avg.) came up clutch in the semifinals when she hit a two-run home run, her first of the season, to send the game into extra innings. Coaches Sam Houston's Chad Hebert and Beth Domingue are the Big School Coaches of the Year. Domingue led Sam Houston to a 30-2 record, including a 28-game win streak to end the season, and the program's first state championship since 2015. The softball team owns six state championships, and Domingue has been a part of all of them as either a player (2000) or head coach (2011, '12, '13, '15, '25). Hebert had long sought to lead the Broncos to a state championship. In his nine seasons at the helm, the Broncos reached the state tournament seven times, losing in extra innings twice in the semifinals, plus a loss to Barbe in the finals in 2019. He guided the Broncos to a 37-8 record. As the No. 11 seed, they twice rallied to sweep defending state champion West Monroe on the road in the regional round and took out 12-time state champ Barbe in the semifinals in two pitchers' duels, 2-1 and 1-0. And they still had enough magic left over for the finals to beat No. 1 Live Oak in three games decided by two or fewer runs. Big Schools Baseball Pos. Player, School Cl. Statistics P Owen Galley, Sam Houston So. 8-2, 1.25 ERA, 51 Ks P Cole Flanagan, Sam Houston Sr. 7-2, 2.10 ERA, 61 Ks P Lawton Littleton, Barbe So. 10-2, 0.76 ERA, 111 Ks P Jairus Miller, Barbe Sr. 13-1, 0.41 ERA, 126 Ks C Hayden Lebleu, Iowa Sr. .341 avg., 6 HR, 40 RBIs INF Lucas Alexander, Iowa Sr. .390 avg., 5 HR, 29 RBIs INF Christian Wold, S. Beauregard Sr. .358 avg.,/6-1, 1.20 ERA INF Noah Fontenot, S. Beauregard Sr. .293 avg./9-2, 2.87 ERA INF Kash Martin, Westlake Sr. .381 avg., 2 HR, 23 RBIs OF Justin Lartigue, LC College Prep Sr. .394 avg., 2HR, 37 RBIs OF Tyler Dartez, Iowa Sr. 5-4, 44Ks, 1.91 ERA/.340 avg. OF Brody Anderson, Westlake So. .493 avg., 37 RBIs/ 6-2, 2.01 ERA UT Slade Shove-Knox, Sulphur Sr. 582/3 IP, 3-4, 44Ks, 29bb, 3.37 ERA UT Presley Courville, Barbe Sr. .492 avg., 3 doubles, 13 RBIs UT Bryce Cunningham, Leesville Sr. .375 avg., 21 RBIs/392/3 IP, 42 Ks UT Trace Moreaux, St. Louis Catholic Jr. 5-3, 2.18 ERA, 54 Ks UT Konnor Boudreaux, St. Louis Catholic Jr. .350 avg., 22 RBIs/261/3 IP, 2 Svs MVP — Cole Flanagan, Sam Houston COACH OF THE YEAR — Chad Hebert, Sam Houston Softball Pos. Player, School Cl. Statistics P Alya Stollsteimer, Iowa Sr. 19-9, 3.81 ERA P Kailyn Mire, Sam Houston So. 30-2, 1.63 ERA, 110 Ks P Mattie Fullington, St. Louis Catholic Fr. 8-1, 1.83 ERA, 139 Ks P Claire Mellard, Sulphur Sr. 7-7, 3.72 ERA, 91 Ks P Laila Roberson, DeRidder So. 12-8, 5.44 ERA, 142 Ks C Layla Landry, Sam Houston So. .500 avg., 14 HR, 57 RBIs INF Emma Venable, Jennings Sr. .522 avg., 8 HR, 34 RBIs INF Pressy White, Sulphur Sr. .520 avg.,18 HR, 47 RBIs/2.58 ERA, 92 Ks INF Carolina Eidson, Sam Houston Sr. .495 avg., 11 HR, 42 RBIs INF Elaina Newman, Westlake Jr. .580 avg., 42 RBIs, 54 runs OF Alivia Singletary, Iowa Jr. .426 avg., 5 HR, 30 RBIs OF Morgan Henry, Iowa Fr. .352 avg., 3 HR, 35 RBIs OF Camryn Jackson, S. Beauregard So. .365 avg., 6 HR, 32 RBIs UT Addi Daigle, S. Beauregard Fr. .506 avg., 5 HR, 33 RBIs UT Aubrey Portie, Sam Houston Jr. .494 avg., 14 HR, 49 RBIs UT Kylie Price, Jennings Sr. .433 avg., 32 RBIs, 34 runs UT Charlie Kyle, Sulphur So. .450 avg., 5 HR, 25 RBIs UT Ella Kay, Barbe So. .518 avg., 25 RBIs, 34 runs MVP — Kailyn Mire, Sam Houston COACH OF THE YEAR — Beth Domingue, Sam Houston
Miami Herald
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Sam Houston Football Preview 2025: Can Phil Longo Rebuild the Bearkats?
Sam Houston is used to winning football former head coach KC Keeler - who left to take over the Temple gig - the Bearkats went to the FCS Playoffs six times from 2014 to 2022, and won the national title in that strange 2020ish years ago, the 3-9 Bearkats lost five games by a touchdown or less, battled hard in losses to BYU and Air Force, and couldn't buy a break. The 10-3 team of last season was more like what everyone was expecting, and now …It's going to be interesting. New head coach Phil Longo was part of the Sam Houston coaching staff under Keeler from 2014 to 2016, and then he became the hot offensive coordinator on the circuit. At Ole Miss, and then at North Carolina, and over the last few years at Wisconsin, his offenses have been … okay. Now he's back in transfer portal took away major parts of last year's squad, few teams have to replace more production, and Longo's head coaching resumé is a 7-14 run for two years at La the guy knows offense. No defense in America loses more production, so … Sam Houston Bearkats Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- If Phil Longo is going to run the offense the way he wants, he needs the passers to control the attack. He has a good one in place in Hunter Watson, a good-sized senior who ran for 647 yards and nine scores to go with 1,811 yards and 12 touchdown has to cut down on his picks, throwing eight last year, but he's a playmaker. Longo also has Mabrey Mettauer, a former Wisconsin prospect who'll be in the mix for the gig. - Top receiver Simeon Evans left for North Texas, and Noah Smith is done, but Qua'Vez Humphreys is a big play target averaging over 19 yards per catch. The transfer portal, and a few good parts of the rotation - Michael Phoenix II caught 15 passes - will fill in around Humphreys.- The offensive front wasn't anything special, but for the most part, it held its own. It has two All-Conference USA-level talents in guards James Dawn and Rhett Larson. The tackles are new, and 315-pound JUCO transfer Zo'maryon Bryan should take over at center.- Top back Jay Ducker left for Temple, DJ McKinney left for New Mexico, and now the top backs should emerge from the portal. Elijah Green (Indiana) and Xander Cheek (UHMB) are quick backs with plenty of tread on the tires. Sam Houston Bearkats Preview 2025: Defense - The Bearkat defense led Conference USA in scoring defense and was second in total D. And now it has to replace just about everyone, especially on the line. Let's just call this a work in Cox is a pass rusher who saw time at Alabama, 280-pound AJ Sargent (JUCO) is perfectly fit for the nose, and the rest of the two deep will fit in around them. - The secondary is also loaded up with prospects from the transfer portal. Cornerback Emon Allen is back after seeing a little time at one corner, and Wisconsin transfer Jace Arnold will take over on the other side. Despite losing the stars, the safeties should be okay with a little time, with Trey Harris (Cornell) likely the best of the bunch.- The linebacking corps is way thin. The starting foursome desperately need Antavious Fish (Akron) to fill the stat sheet - he made 179 stops over the last three seasons. CJ Johnson has to be one of the team's leading tacklers in the middle, with star tacklers Trey Fields (North Texas) and Trey Gaither done. Sam Houston Bearkats Key to the Season Be far better in the red a new offense with new parts. Now there has to be a new improvement inside the year's team only scored 74% of the time in the red zone, and came away with touchdowns on 51% of the trips. It didn't matter all that much - the Bearkats didn't lose any one-score games - but this year they can't be as loose. Sam Houston Bearkats Key Player Alex Sargent, DT ahead and pick any offensive starter and he might be the key to the season, but the defense needs an anchor to work around. The line might not be totally starting over, but it's close. The 6-0, 280-pound Sargent to come in from Tarleton and hold up on the nose. Sam Houston Bearkats Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Elijah Green, RB Bearkats loaded up on transfer portal running backs, and Green should be the best if everything works out right. He was a growing star at North Carolina three seasons ago, and last year he scored five touchdowns for Indiana. With just 185 carries in five years, he's Transfer Out: Isaiah Cash, S a coin between Cash and leading tackler Caleb Weaver (Duke) for the biggest loss. Cash was a great tackler for the Bearkats, and the veteran safety was also a baller with ten broken up passes. Now he'll be a key part of the Virginia Tech defense. Sam Houston Bearkats Key Game at WKU, August 23You want to talk about a tone-setter? It's the first game of a new era of Sam Houston football, it's in Week 0, it's on the road, and it's the Conference USA opener. It'll take something special to come up with a big season, but win this, and everything else in conference play is easy.- 2025 Sam Houston Schedule Breakdown Sam Houston Bearkats Top 10 Players 1. James Dawn, OG Jr.2. Hunter Watson, QB Sr.3. Antavious Fish, LB Sr.4. Elijah Green, RB Sr.5. Trey Harris, S Sr.6. Keelan Cox, DE Sr.7. Qua'Vez Humphreys, WR Sr.8. Rhett Larson, OG Jr.9. Mabrey Mettauer, QB RFr.10. CJ Johnson, LB Sr. Sam Houston Bearkats 2024 Fun Stats - Scoring: 1st Quarter 57, 2nd Quarter 110- Fumbles: Opponents 22 (lost 11), Sam Houston 16 (lost 6)- 4th Down Conversions: Sam Houston 14-of-20 (70%), Opponents 12-of-31 (39%) Sam Houston Bearkats 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen There's a certain level of expectation at Sam Houston, but the team doesn't have the level of talent - the defense has to replace just about everyone. On the plus side, it's still Conference USA, and there are plenty of winnable games to make a good Bearkats beat Liberty last year, but it's still a major plus not to have to deal with it. Even without facing the Flames, there might not be any sure-thing layup wins, but other than a trip to Texas, there aren't too many games that aren't out of reach. Sam Houston has to own the one score games - it went 6-0 in games last year decided by a touchdown or less. It won't do that this time around, but it'll still be good enough to push for a The Sam Houston Bearkats Win Total At … 5.5Likely Wins: No projected sure thing wins50/50 Games: Delaware, FIU, at Hawaii, Jacksonville State, at Louisiana Tech, at Middle Tennessee, at New Mexico State, UNLV, UTEP, at WKU,Likely Losses: at Oregon State, at Texas © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Temple Football Preview 2025: KC Keeler Will Break the Owls' 3-9 Cycle
New Temple head coach KC Keeler wins took Rowan - it's in New Jersey - to four Division III national title games, but couldn't quite get over the hump. He won a D-IAA national title at Delaware and went to two others. He won an FCS national championship at Sam Houston and went to three he brought the Bearkat program into the FBS, and after one warm-up season, led the way to a nine-win regular season and a bowl appearance. At 66 years old when the season starts, he's taking on an even bigger project. It's possible to win at Temple. The program enjoyed five straight winning seasons from 2015 to 2019, going 43-24 with five different head also possible to lose big at Temple. The Owls went 13-42 over the last five years with four straight 3-9 Keeler doesn't lose. He has just four losing seasons in 32 might take all of 2025 to get up to speed, but this year's team has decent experience, and it shouldn't take too many massive tweaks to make a big improvement in a blah AAC. The improvement starts with … Temple Owls Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- Offensive coordinator Tyler Walker was fantastic for the Montana State offense last year. He cranked up a high-octane passing attack that was among the best in the FCS, but this is a full rebuild for a Temple offense that averaged just 309 yards and fewer than 20 points per game.- The offensive line isn't necessarily a positive - it couldn't keep anyone out of the backfield - but it's relatively experienced with plenty of veterans to move around Kevin Terry at tackle and Chris Smith at center. - Leading running back Terrez Worthy is back after averaging over five yards per carry on his 425 yards and four scores, but former Sam Houston starter Jay Ducker will be the main man.- The passing game will be a work in progress. Evan Simon led the team with 2,032 yards and 15 scores with nine interceptions, but Anthony Chiccitt from Robert Morris is just good enough to prove a receiving corps loses 61-catch man Dante Wright, but there's just enough experience to be okay. Antonio Jones was a decent short-range target last year on the inside, and John Adams should do more deep on the outside. Temple Owls Preview 2025: Defense - There wasn't any pass rush, and the run defense was the third-worst in America, but the Owls were stunningly good on third downs, and the secondary wasn't awful. Javier Morton is the best safety in the bunch - the former Nebraska Cornhusker made 48 tackles last season - and Youngstown State's Jalen Castleberry is coming off a 50-tackle season to work on the other side of veteran Ben Osueke. - Top tackler Tyquan King left for the UConn linebacking corps, but UMass transfer Jalen Stewart should be a statistical star coming off a 77-tackle season with the Minutemen. Outside option Ty Davis might be the pass rusher needed coming in from Delaware.- Will the pass rush show up from the line? Khalil Poteat and Cam'Ron Stewart have the look and a little experience, but the production has to come from the ends. There's a little bit of size on the inside with 300-pound Demerick Morris and 270-pound Sekou Kormah, but they don't get in the backfield. Temple Owls Key to the Season The turnovers have to has a big enough uphill climb as is. It can't make it steeper with all the mistakes. Last year's Owl offense gave it up a whopping 25 times, and with three or more turnovers in five games. The O turned it over just once in the three wins, Temple Owls Key Player Evan Simon, QB enough experience, size, and moxie to be the leader in the new era. He'll have a better running game to take the pressure off, but the line is still iffy, and the stars have to emerge at receiver. Being a game-manager, spreading it around, and keeping the mistakes to a minimum might be good enough for a big turnaround. Temple Owls Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Jay Ducker, RB Sr. He came over with KC Keeler to be the star of the running game. He ran for 1,184 yards as a freshman at Northern Illinois, ran for seven scores in two years at Memphis, and last year ran for 745 yards and seven touchdowns for the Transfer Out: Tyquan King, LB Owls need players who can do a little of everything, especially get into the backfield. King tied for the team lead with six tackles for loss and led the way with 112 tackles. Now he'll be a star on the UConn D. Temple Owls Key Game UTSA, Oct. 4It's a measuring-stick game. The Owls should beat UMass and Howard to start, will almost certainly lose to Oklahoma and Georgia Tech to follow, and then there's a week off before starting AAC play. There are winnable games on the slate, so beat UTSA at home, and this might be a stunningly good first year under the new regime.- 2025 Temple Owls Schedule Breakdown Temple Owls Top 10 Players 1. Jay Ducker, RB Sr.2. Jalen Stewart, LB Sr.3. Evan Simon, QB Sr.4. Jalen Castleberry, CB Sr.5. Javier Morton, S Sr. 6. Ty Davis, LB Sr.7. Antonio Jones, WR Sr.8. Chris Smith, C Sr.9. Demerick Morris, DT Sr. 10. Terez Worthy, RB Sr. Temple Owls 2024 Fun Stats - 1st Quarter Scoring: Temple 94, Opponents 29- Sacks: Opponents 37 for 234 yards, Temple 14 for 83 yards- Touchdowns Scored: Opponents 55, Temple 27 Temple Owls 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen The 3-9 season was hardly great, but there were chances to get closer to six turnovers and inefficiency were the issue, but the coaching staff is good, there's a nice base of players to work around, and it's the American Athletic Conference. The schedule isn't bad. The road games are the issue. Charlotte and Tulsa are winnable games, but they're on the road, and so is the opener against UMass. Even so, this is the year the Owls break the three-win The Temple Owls Win Total At … 4Likely Wins: Howard50/50 Games: at Charlotte, East Carolina, Navy, at UMass, at Tulsa, UTSALikely Losses: at Army, at Georgia Tech, at North Texas, Oklahoma, Tulane © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
American Press
17-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Galley's walk-off hit forces game three for Non-select Division I state championship
Sophomore Owen Galley's walk off RBI single Friday evening gave No. 11 Sam Houston a 4-3 win over No. 1 Live Oak in the second game of the LHSAA Non-select Division I championship series at McMurry Park in Sulphur. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) SULPHUR – Sam Houston entered the second game of the LHSAA Non-select Division I state championship series Friday evening needing a win, and sophomore Owen Galley delivered to force today's deciding game three. No. 11 Sam Houston beat No. 1 Live Oak 4-3 to even the series. The Eagles won game one on Thursday, 3-1. Game three will start at 5:30 p.m. today. Galley was faced with a tense situation in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied 3-3. Sam Houston had two runners on base but was down to its last out, and Galley had a full count. He sent the ball flying to center field to bring home Brock Blessing to win the game. 'It means everything,' Galley said. 'We're the underdogs in this series. 'We're the 11th seed. They're (Live Oak) the one. We're not expected to win. Everyone's doubting us. We just have to keep grinding all the way through.' It wasn't the only time the Broncos needed some clutch two-out hitting. Freshman third baseman Grant Oustalet hit a hard grounder that bounded over and out of reach of third baseman Brock Davis with two outs in the sixth inning to plate Haden Peshoff and tie the score, 3-3. Galley, who went 3 for 4, had another critical hit in the opening frame when he smashed an RBI double off the left field wall to even the score at 2-2. 'Man, he's a player,' Sam Houston head coach Chad Hebert said. 'He's so mature for a sophomore. 'I mean, you look at the game, you can take the walk-off, but look at the three plays he made at first. Diving plays to kill it with the PFP behind it. Gets three knocks in the game, executes a slash. He's just locked in, man. The guy's a winner, and he's always going to be, and he's going to win in life just because of who he is as a person.' Sam Houston's Bennett Harlow relieved starter Cole Flanagan in the fifth inning and pitched three scoreless innings. It was his second win in a relief role in the postseason. Davis put the Eagles (33-7) on top 2-0 in the first inning with a two-run double. After earning a save in game one on Thursday, reliever Trevor Hodges took the loss Friday after allowing an unearned run on two hits with four strikeouts and a walk in 1.1 innings. Sam Houston 4 Live Oak 3 LO 210 000 0 – 3-7-1 SHHS 200 001 1 – 4-9-1 PITCHING: W – Bennett Harlow (3ip, 1h, 0r, 1k, 1bb). L – Trevor Hodges (1.1ip, 2h, 1r, 4k, 1bb). TOP HITTERS: Live Oak – Cameron Washington 2-3 (run), Brock Davis 1-3 (2 RBI), Jace Griffin 2-2. Sam Houston – Connor Walker 2-4, Owen Galley 3-4 (2 RBI, double), Grant Oustalet 2-3 (RBI). NOTE: Series tied 1-1. RECORDS: Live Oak – 33-7. Sam Houston – 36-8.
American Press
10-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
PHOTO GALLERY: Sam Houston beats rival Barbe in semifinals
PHOTO GALLERY: Sam Houston beats rival Barbe in semifinals Published 11:27 pm Friday, May 9, 2025 1 of 23 No. 11 Sam Houston (32-7) beat No. 2 Barbe (34-6) 2-1, 1-0 in the Non-select Division I semifinals on Thursday and Friday to advance to the championship series next week at McMurry Park in Sulphur. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) Email newsletter signup Featured Local Savings
