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KFDM COOP

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  1. A 91-0 final leaves both Florida high schools embarrassed ESTERO, Fla. (AP) -- The Estero High football staff gathered in head coach Rich Dombroski's office late Friday, almost in stunned silence. Earlier that night, Estero lost to Naples High by 13. Not by 13 points. By 13 touchdowns. That's right: Naples 91, Estero 0. The rout fallout has been growing since the game ended. "Hey," offered Estero defensive line coach Pat Hayes after the one-sided affair, "I didn't even know 91 was a multiple of seven." With that, the coaches all got a much-needed laugh. A half-hour away in Naples, Eagles coach Bill Kramer -- the man on the winning end -- could use one of those. He looked at the scoreboard late in the game, saw 91-0, and said he felt sick to his stomach. Kramer's team ran only 31 plays and he kept most of his best players on the sideline -- for the entire game in some cases. But still Kramer knew what was coming. Soon after the game ended, his inbox began filling with angry e-mails, some from Estero parents wondering why so many points were necessary, some from Naples parents wondering why their kids didn't play more in an effort to pad their stats. "There's only one way to describe it," Kramer said. "Just bizarre." The schools aren't far off in size: Estero has about 1,400 high schoolers, Naples roughly 1,700. But the pedigree of the football programs couldn't be more different. Estero is rebuilding from the lowest level, with Dombroski in his first year at the school and having inherited a program that had simply crumbled. Naples is the reigning state Class 3A champion, and a contender to win the title again. Naples has players committed to Division I schools like Ohio State already and a roster filled with talent at every position. Estero has no college prospects and only about 25 healthy or so players remaining on its roster. "Some of us, most of us, well, all of us were intimidated," said Tyler Eastridge, a free safety who may be exaggerating when he says he weighs 150 pounds. Naples led 70-0 at the half; only four of the 1,420 games reported by member schools to the Florida High School Athletic Association this season have seen teams score more than 70 points. "It was David versus Goliath," Dombroski said, "and David didn't have a stone to throw." The national record books are incomplete, but a score like 91-0 won't register a blip on the list of all-time defeats. It wasn't even the most lopsided score in the country this weekend -- in Ohio, Beechcroft beat Centennial 96-0, taking knees on plays in the fourth quarter to avoid triple figures. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, five teams have scored more than 200 points in a game, with the record believed to be 256 by Haven (Ky.) High in 1927. Dombroski isn't blaming Naples. "Naples did absolutely nothing wrong," Dombroski said. "We just didn't do anything right." Kramer has been in this spot before. In 2001, the Golden Eagles scored 63 first-quarter points and beat Lely High -- ironically, where Dombroski's girlfriend teaches today -- 85-0, and Kramer suddenly became the target of perceptions that he intentionally ran up the score. But in that game, just as on Friday, Naples had some of its starters not play at all, and others just for one or two series. "We've been through it before and you never want to go through it again," Kramer said. "There were people ready to burn my house." It's an unsettling time again. The Naples Daily News ran a poll asking if Kramer and his team "should be ashamed" over the result, and by Monday evening, the vote was nearly split: 272 no, 243 yes. Hearing that, even Dombroski shook his head. He e-mailed Kramer on Monday to reiterate that Naples did nothing wrong, but that's hardly the only opinion swirling around southwest Florida these days. "My daughter plays basketball and there's a local team that's really good and when they're about to score 100, there's no polls about that," Kramer said. "When the local lacrosse team wins 24-0, where's the outrage? Or when kids win 6-0, 6-0 in tennis? We score 10 touchdowns and everybody loses their minds. "The real irony is we've got some of our parents upset that their kids didn't play or didn't play enough. And you just say, 'Wow."' Dombroski knew when he took the Estero job that there would be days like Friday, but he said the 91-0 thumping might help him turn the program around. "We won't forget this. I won't forget this," said Dombroski, whose freshman program is off to a 4-1-1 start this year, a sign that better days could be ahead for Estero. "We're not going to lay down. We're going to fight for 48 minutes, every time we're out there." So on Monday afternoon, when school got out at 1:45, the Estero High football team headed to its locker room and prepared for practice. New scouting reports were waiting for them, and soon the team headed onto the field for practice, their blue jerseys whipping in the wind as they stretched. "Our team might not be winning or might not be on top right now," said right guard Mike Perez. "But we all have to do the best we can do. We can't forget that." And so, they were back to work, which they'll need. This week, Estero plays Cape Coral -- a team that nearly beat Naples.
  2. Click link to listen to show [Hidden Content]
  3. Here's the complete PN-G vs. Livingston game!! Click link to watch whole game! [Hidden Content]
  4. Beasley, Thomas proud to be No. 1 Gabriel Pruett The Orange Leader For the first time in their college careers, West Orange-Stark graduates Deon Beasley and Earl Thomas can say they are No. 1. Beasley and Thomas man the secondary for the Texas Longhorns these days and after a thrilling 45-35 win over the Oklahoma Sooners, Texas was voted into the top spot in the Associated Press poll Sunday afternoon. Thomas came up big for the Longhorns in the victory Saturday in Dallas with two interceptions in the redshirt freshman’s first ever Red River Rivalry, one was huge at the end of the first half and set up a key field goal. “It all happened so fast,†Thomas said of the interception on Sunday. “I was in awe of the moment. I was very proud to be able to get a turnover for my team.†This has been quite the surprise year for the 2008 Longhorns who started the season at No. 10 in the AP poll. Texas is a young team, especially in the secondary. Soon after the season started the upsets began to shake up the polls, just as in 2007. While other teams were falling, Texas was busy beating teams like Florida Atlantic, Rice and Arkansas. The Longhorns then knocked off Colorado, 38-14, to set up a No. 5 vs. No. 1 showdown against the hated Sooners. This was supposed to be the game bringing Texas back down to Earth and the one proving Oklahoma was the best team in all the land. Didn’t Beasley get the message? “It is amazing for us to beat those guys,†Beasley said on Monday. “They have great athletes all over the field. It is like Coach (Mack) Brown said, we were better that day. The main thing right now is our young guys are playing real big. It is quite impressive and it is unique.†Thomas, who was selected Defensive Player of the Game by Brown, reported never being nervous during the game yet he found sleeping Friday night quite a chore. “Even though I have been in a few big games, that was the loudest stadium I have ever heard,†Thomas added. “I really wasn’t nervous because I had four games under my belt. I could barely sleep the night before because I was so antsy. “Oklahoma is a great football team with great athletes. At first they caught me off guard because I really didn’t expect such a quick tempo. In the second half we made some adjustments, the game slowed down and it was smooth sailing from there.†Thomas learned of the Longhorns’ jump over Alabama into the top spot from a text message Sunday while at church. “At the start of the season a lot of people were doubting us,†Thomas said. “It is a great accomplishment. I am happy we are starting to prove everyone wrong.†The fun for the Longhorns does not stop with Oklahoma, far from it. Texas will play host to Missouri Saturday, another match up with a team loaded on offense. Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel has thrown for 2,055 yards this year and has 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Tigers receiver Jeremy Maclin is even getting some Heisman talk with his 39 receptions for 600 yards and five touchdowns. “We know we have to play our best on Saturday,†Thomas said. “Our team looking ahead will or behind will not be an issue.†Beasley watches as much college football as anybody and has seen the upsets over the last few years. “We are going to have to step things up a lot harder than normal now,†Beasley said. “It does not matter who is No. 1 after six games. It really only matters in January and when you hopefully reach a BCS bowl game. I could not even tell you who was No. 1 at this time last year but I can tell you LSU won the championship. “Missouri is coming into the game with a chip on their shoulder. We have to play every snap like it is our last one of the season and stay focused. We all realize this is a very good football team. They have the capability to put points on the board in a hurry.â€
  5. United's Crayton goes after Dynamo fan after racist insult A fan has been banned from Houston Dynamo games indefinitely after an incident Sunday night in which United goalkeeper Louis Crayton had to be restrained. Security personnel escorted the fan from Robertson Stadium after he directed racist language at Crayton near the Dynamo's clubhouse after a 0-0 tie in Houston. "It is so sad that he would say that to me," Crayton said, according to The Washington Post. "I am saying hi to the fans and he walked up to me and told me, 'Hey, you're a monkey, go back to the jungle.' I told him, 'Hey, you can't say that to me. I am not a monkey, I am a human being like you.' "I jumped over to ask him why he insulted me, and he kept going." Crayton, a native of Liberia, made two saves for United (10-14-4), including one in the last minute of second-half stoppage time, to salvage the draw with Houston (11-5-11). "The Dynamo have informed Major League Soccer of the incident and the identity of the individual, and further actions may be taken," the Dynamo said in a news release. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
  6. PN-G/Livingston will be up to watch late Monday.
  7. Female referee finds comfort on football field Yvonda Lewis used to wear a hairnet. She doesn’t work in the food service industry, although some have suggested she belongs in the kitchen. Lewis used the nylon net and bobby pins to stuff her hair under a black cap, part of the disguise she wore on the football field as the only female official in the Houston area. Now, Lewis is one of three female high school football officials in Texas. Despite receiving her share of verbal abuse from coaches, players and fans, she is working with the Southwestern Athletic Conference and trying to get a job in the Big 12. Lewis, 37, no longer hides her shoulder-length black hair. She lets it hang loosely from the back of her cap, letting everyone know that yes, she is a woman, and yes, she has a place on a field where many think only men should tread. “I love the game of football,†Lewis said. “I love sports, and although a lot of people don’t think a woman belongs out here on a football field, I know that it is exactly where I belong.†The journey hasn’t always been pleasant. Some coaches have told Lewis to “get back in the kitchen,†and she has heard vulgar shouts from fans at many games. “For a while, there were more downs than ups, but I didn’t give up,†Lewis said. It would have been easy to do so. High school officiating isn’t lucrative, and Lewis has had plenty of success off the field. After graduating from Prairie View A&M, she worked for NASA in Colorado Springs, Colo. When she decided to buy a house in Houston, Lewis earned her real estate license and became an award-winning Realtor. Now, she works for Harris County in the information technology department. A different radio voice In 2004, Lewis began a radio career at KCOH. On The Sports Queens show, she offers a female perspective on local and national sports. “I have been very fortunate to do a lot of things in my lifetime,†she said. “Being a part of sports is something that is really important to me too, though, and I want to keep that a part of my life.†Lewis played basketball at Willowridge High School but doesn’t remember having females referee her games. “It was even uncommon for a female to ref girls sports,†she said. “Back then, I was thinking more about becoming a (basketball) star, so I didn’t think about it too much at the time.†When Lewis started on her mission to become an official, she turned to SWAC officials representative J.J. Johnson, who has more than 40 years of experience in high school and college. Johnson said he tried to talk Lewis out of the idea, but when he saw her determination, he decided he would coach her. “We worked on a lot of things, from knowing the rules to watching every aspect of the game to improving her running speed and sight of the field,†Johnson said. “She put forth a lot of effort in everything and has come a long way.†Johnson told Lewis before she officiated her first game that she would have to have a thick skin. He also encouraged her to learn something from every game. “We all make mistakes,†Johnson said. “I am still learning 40 years later, so I told her to stay calm, use her knowledge and pay attention.†The first high school game Lewis officiated was in Bay City more than four years ago. She heard shouts from fans who disapproved of having a woman on the field. She made it through the game, though, and afterward, one of the coaches told her she proved him wrong. That, Lewis said, was motivation. Enthusiasm abounds She officiates four to five games a week, from freshman to varsity level. She makes a point to always be on top of her game, which has won over some area coaches. “The thing I love about (Lewis) is that she is enthusiastic, and I think we have lost that a little in high school sports,†Foster football coach Mark Wiatrek said. “She knows the game, but more importantly, she loves the game, and you can tell when she is on the field. I think that is important. She doesn’t treat this like a job. It is fun for her.†Wiatrek said he, like others, was baffled the first time he saw Lewis show up to officiate one of his games. “I won’t lie. I thought to myself, ‘What is a woman doing out there?’ †he said. “But it didn’t take long for me to get over it, because she did a good job. I think most coaches would be the same way. It is a little different, but as long as she does a good job, we can’t complain at all.†It hasn’t always been fun. Lewis, 5-1, also used to umpire high school baseball, a job she has given up. Because of all the judgment calls in baseball, she could never prove herself to the coaches and players. “In football, it is a lot more technical,†she said. “If a coach wants to argue with me over a call, I can explain much easier why the call was made. In baseball, a lot of it is opinion.†Lewis is hardly the first female to take her spot on a football field. There have been a handful of college and high school female kickers. Sarah Thomas was the first woman to officiate a Division I football game in 2007 and is a regular in Conference USA. Lewis works the chains in the SWAC and is hoping to become an on-field official. She has also been in contact with the Big 12. “We are looking at making her our first on-the-field female official in the SWAC right now,†Johnson said. “That is how far she has come in a short time.†In order to make it, Lewis said she always brings her best. “You better know all the formations, the rules, be on top of all your P’s and Q’s,†Lewis said. “I don’t have the luxury of getting things wrong. I pay attention and study hard so I can pass every test and answer every question.†Knowing her rights And Lewis knows her way around a football field. She does not hesitate to throw a flag or blow her whistle. She also knows how to handle coaches who get out of line. “I know how to throw a flag and give 15 yards if a coach runs on the field to yell at me,†she said. “I don’t do that much, but I know what my rights as an official are.†Lewis hopes her journey can be instructional for other women. She said a few times a year a mother in the stands or a cheerleader will tell her how inspirational it is to see her on the field. And now, because of advice from Johnson, everyone on the field sees Lewis for who she is. “I told her to let that hair down, let people know she is a female out there,†Johnson said. “She needs to be proud and confident.†Lewis had no problem taking that advice. “When I started, I wanted to blend in with the others and not let on that I was different,†Lewis said. “Now, I am confident with my skills, and there is no reason for me not to be out there and be proud of the woman that I am.â€
  8. **SETXsports Small School Game of the Week**
  9. Interesting District!!
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