KFDM COOP

Sharks’ coach earns website’s ultimate honor Dave Rogers’ column for Thursday, March 1 The Port Arthur News In most Texas communities, a three-win football season would have the coach on shaky ground. But for more than two decades, Sabine Pass has not been just any Texas community when it comes to high school football. So Jason Thibodeaux’s reward for leading the Sharks to a 3-5 season last fall was winning the Gordon Wood Award for the Most Outstanding Class 1A Coach in the state from the website texashsfootball.com. “I’ve worked with numerous athletic directors and Jason’s one of the tops,†Sabine Pass superintendent Mack Nash said Wednesday. “I know he cares about kids. He’s very positive and consistent. He’s a first class person. He leads by example. He’s what those kids look up to.†Of course, there’s lots of backstory at Sabine Pass, starting with the fact that before 2006, the school had not competed in UIL football in two decades, after dropping the sport altogether when it had too few students to field a team. Then, there was the major event of Hurricane Rita, which did its best to wipe out the entire fishing community back in September, 2005. That included wrecking the Sabine Pass stadium, ruining all the school’s athletic equipment and closing the school for over a month, all of which combined to end the 2005 season at mid-point. The hurricane also wrecked the home of then football coach and athletic director Ken Wallace, an event which was followed a few months later by Wallace following superintendent Walter Fenn to a new job a hundred miles inland. That’s how Thibodeaux, an assistant last year, got the job. “We needed someone to fill in as athletic director and get things going, most everything was destroyed,†recalled Zach Byrd, interim superintendent at Sabine Pass between Fenn and Nash. “I recommended to the board they make him (Thibodeaux) interim athletic director and he did good work. He got everything up and organized.†Thibodeaux’s 2007 football team first ended a two-year losing streak, then came within one win of qualifying for the Class A playoffs. Christopher Lyke, the owner and chief editor of TexasHSFootball.com, noticed. “The criteria (for the coach of the year award) does not totally involve how many wins the coach has,†Lyke told The News. “It is more for showing what a coach has done in a year’s span from where they were to where they are now.†Taking a team with all the disadvantages of Sabine Pass to “missing the playoffs by a single game says a whole lot about the character of what he has done to get the Sharks from Point A to Point B,†Lyke said. “We tried to evaluate the circumstances throughout the state with many programs. None are more remarkable than what Sabine Pass ISD and the Sharks’ football program went through in a one-year span. Character, leadership, success, spirit and unity is what this award represents.†Other winners of the website’s Gordon Wood coach of the year award were Scott Smith of Rockwall in 5A, Richard Whitaker of Port Lavaca Calhoun in 4A, Neal Searcy of Wichita Falls Hirschi in 3A and Marcus Booker of Cotulla in 2A. All four of those coaches’ teams qualified for the playoffs. Searcy and Booker were among the applicants for the recently filled Beaumont Ozen job.

8-8 LC-M New Caney Tie.

Yes.

Official Basketball Box Score -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Official Basketball Box Score Martin's Mill vs Lindsay 03/01/07 8:30 am at Austin, Texas (Erwin Center) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VISITORS: Martin's Mill 29-6 TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 14 Williams, Christa... f 3-7 2-3 1-2 4 1 5 1 9 3 2 0 0 36 30 Tarrant, Ashley..... f 1-5 0-3 1-4 1 6 7 5 3 3 3 0 2 33 01 Barncastle, Jordan.. c 6-17 0-0 4-5 5 4 9 2 16 4 2 3 1 36 11 Daniel, Taylor...... g 6-19 3-7 4-4 4 4 8 1 19 1 6 0 4 36 21 Tindle, Jennifer.... g 5-10 2-4 0-1 0 3 3 4 12 4 3 0 0 36 52 Chaney, Cara........ 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 TEAM................ 4 4 Totals.............. 21-58 7-17 11-18 19 18 37 13 60 15 16 3 8 180 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-24 50.0% 2nd Half: 8-29 27.6% OT: 1-5 20.0% Game: 36.2% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-9 55.6% 2nd Half: 1-6 16.7% OT: 1-2 50.0% Game: 41.2% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 1-2 50.0% 2nd Half: 7-11 63.6% OT: 3-5 60.0% Game: 61.1% 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME TEAM: Lindsay 30-4 TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 32 Eckart, Christina... f 7-15 0-0 1-2 4 6 10 2 15 1 0 0 1 31 33 Anderle, Brittany... f 10-22 0-1 0-0 4 7 11 4 20 0 3 4 0 34 10 Hermes, Chelsea..... g 7-16 1-2 2-8 4 2 6 4 17 6 8 0 2 36 11 Hess, Amanda........ g 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 31 12 Hess, Kaileigh...... g 1-2 0-1 0-0 1 5 6 4 2 7 2 0 3 31 21 Neu, Stephanie...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 23 Murrill, Autumn..... 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 5 42 Fuhrmann, Emily..... 3-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 7 TEAM................ 3 3 Totals.............. 29-61 1-4 3-10 18 21 39 15 62 17 14 4 7 180 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-30 50.0% 2nd Half: 10-26 38.5% OT: 4-5 80.0% Game: 47.5% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-1 100 % 2nd Half: 0-3 0.0% OT: 0-0 0.0% Game: 25.0% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 0-2 0.0% 2nd Half: 3-6 50.0% OT: 0-2 0.0% Game: 30.0% 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officials: Lewis Stroud, Yee Tran-Luce, Gary Benson Technical fouls: Martin's Mill-None. Lindsay-None. Attendance: 5632 Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total Martin's Mill................. 6 24 12 12 6 - 60 Lindsay....................... 21 10 12 11 8 - 62 Game 01 - Conference 1A Division I Semifinal Points in the paint-MARTNMLL 18,LINDSAY 40. Points off turnovers-MARTNMLL 12,LINDSAY 20. 2nd chance points-MARTNMLL 7,LINDSAY 17. Fast break points-MARTNMLL 4,LINDSAY 4. Bench points-MARTNMLL 1,LINDSAY 8. Score tied-6 times. Lead changed-5 times. Last FG-MARTNMLL OT-02:58, LINDSAY OT-00:19. Largest lead-MARTNMLL by 3 OT-02:58, LINDSAY by 17 2nd-07:33. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1A State Semifinal went to Lindsay. They defeated Martin's Mill 62-60 in OT.

In a special board meeting tonight, Rob Davis was offered a one year contract for the 2007-2008 school year. The board voted 7-0.

Let's choose player of the year!!

Give us a final when game is complete. Thanks

Orangefield, Memorial, Central, Lumberton, Hamshire-Fannett, Warren, Sabine Pass at Orangefield Tournament

Nederland, Bridge City at Nederland Tournament

West Brook, PN-G at West Brook Tournament

Woodville, Vidor, Jasper, Silsbee at Woodville Wooden Bat Tournament

Buna, Kirbyville, Newton, Kountze at Buna Tournament

Colmesneil, Evadale, Deweyville, Hardin, High Island at Evadale Tournament

Barbers Hill at Ewell Jackson Tournament in Houston

Dayton at Baytown Tournament

LC-M at Brenham Tournament

Post em here. Anahuac, East Chambers, Hull-Daisetta, West Hardin at Anahuac Tournament

Post em here. Huffman at Huffman Tournament

Post em here. WO-S at University of Louisiana Lafayette Tournament

Post em here Ozen at Conroe Tournament

Post em here. Hardin-Jefferson at Cleveland Tournament

Bashing stops now!!

[Hidden Content]

Cameron expects moves before trade deadline on Wednesday Malcolm Cameron played professionally for eight teams in four leagues over a period of five seasons. He switched teams in midseason four times, and once recalled being traded about a week before Christmas. "My wife wasn't too happy about that," said Cameron, a first-year coach for the Texas Wildcatters who has his own trade deadline looming Wednesday. Cameron promised after Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Stockton Thunder at Ford Arena that roster moves would be made. He directed anger toward forward Olivier Proulx, whose two penalties in the first period contributed to three power play goals for Stockton, but did not mention Proulx by name. "You can read the stat sheet," Cameron said after listing Proulx's penalties and being asked if he was talking about Proulx. Proulx is not the only player with whom Cameron was upset. "Right now we've got a lot of selfish, self-serving players on this team," said Cameron, whose team trailed South Division-leading Florida by one point before a game Wednesday at Utah. "Or I wouldn't say a lot, but we have some, and it's got to go. "There's some other things going on in the game - it's a game within a game - and you can see guys serving their own needs." In theory, the prospect of being traded is something every professional athlete confronts on a daily basis. "If you go out there thinking you're going to get traded or you're going to go somewhere else, then you're probably not going to be effective," Wildcatters forward Leon Hayward said. The Wildcatters have made four trades this season, most recently when Luis Tremblay was sent to Trenton on Jan. 24 for Peter Tormey, who opted to retire instead of come to Beaumont. Cameron said there will be more trades to come. "We're always trying to make this hockey team the best we can," said Cameron, whose team has 15 games left. Among players considered to be secure with their spot on the Wildcatters are Hayward and forwards Kevin Baker, Mike Bayrack and Marco Rosa - if and when he returns from Providence of the American Hockey League. Defensemen Paul Albers and Mike Madill - both of whom played in the ECHL All-Star Game with Baker - are also secure with their roster spots. Center Brandin Cote has been the team's captain in each of his 50 games, so he's not going anywhere. Nor is goalie Matt Yeats, who played his 18th straight game Wednesday. Cameron said any player traded from the Wildcatters would be going to one of the poorer teams in the league. "At this time of year, teams make trades to fill needs," Cameron said. Cameron recalled being traded in midseason from the Fort Worth to Nashville of the Central Hockey League. He also jumped leagues, going from Johnstown of the ECHL to Fort Worth of the CHL. That was in the 1995-'96 season, the last in which a player was allowed to jump from one league to another. "That Johnstown team underachieved, and we were having a bad season," Cameron said. "So what some players did back then when the season wasn't going good was leave for another team in a warmer climate and finish out the season. "That's what (my wife and I) did." Kopriva update Goalie Miroslav Kopriva might return to the Wildcatters as soon as Friday's game at Utah, coach Malcolm Cameron said Wednesday. Cameron said Minnesota Wild goalie Manny Fernandez was close to returning from a knee injury, which would bump Josh Harding to the Houston Aeros and send Kopriva back to the Wildcatters. Kopriva and Matt Yeats had shared goalkeeping duties before Kopriva joined the Aeros on Jan. 24. Yeats played in an 18th straight game Wednesday night. Derek Classen served as the emergency backup goalie for Wednesday's game. Classen had tried out for the Wildcatters before the season. Grizzlies 5, Wildcatters 3 WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - The Texas Wildcatters lost a third straight game in regulation for the first time this season Wednesday. The 5-3 loss to Utah comes after the Wildcatters dropped two of three games against Stockton at Ford Arena last weekend. Texas allowed two goals 12 seconds apart and a third goal 67 seconds later, all in the second period, to fall behind 4-1. Utah scored a short-handed and empty net goal with 31 seconds left to secure it victory. The loss prevented Texas from moving back atop the South Division standings one night after Florida got into the top spot by beating Augusta. The Wildcatters have 71 points with 15 games left. Florida has 72 points and Gwinnett has 70. The top five South Division teams qualify for the playoffs. Texas is 12 points ahead of South Carolina for at least the last playoff spot. The team's longest losing streak is six games, but that includes two shootout losses. The Wildcatters face Utah again Friday and Saturday.