Kountze sets eyes on championship

[KFDM COOP]

Kountze sets eyes on championship

KOUNTZE - This morning, when the bus pulls out and roars past red and black decorations on the chain link fence in front of the high school, it carries with it the hope and pride of the whole town.

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Don't think the team doesn't know it, either.

Last year, after being defeated by Arp in the Class 2A regional finals, team members were in shock.

"It wasn't expected," team member Trey Irvine said. "That's why it hit us so hard."

They, like everyone else in Kountze, simply expected the Lions would go to state, particularly since they were coming off two straight state championships. So this year the team fought hard to redeem themselves.

And they did.

In this small Southeast Texas town, the Friday night lights shine brightest for basketball, which is the talk of the town during the season.

News about the team's latest or upcoming game can be heard at the feed store, Dairy Queen or Mama Jack's restaurant.

Kountze High School Principal Patti Carraway said people come up to her in the grocery store to ask about the team.

"We have great community support," Carraway said. "It really makes a big difference."

In a tradition going back more than 30 years, Kountze High School's basketball program has been the showcase for the town's best athletic talent.

"Kountze is kind of a basketball powerhouse," said Fred Johnson, a retired resident.

The players themselves are acutely aware of the pride their hometown takes in them and they don't take it lightly.

They acknowledged that the pressure can be extreme.

"You just gotta take it how it is and just play," team member Freddie Haynes, an 18-year-old senior, said.

They play to win because they love to play.

Their drive to win is honed sharp by the expectations residents have of a Kountze basketball player.

Because of them, Kountze students can hold their heads up when talk turns to the athletics programs.

Through the week, until school lets out Friday, the excitement will build.

"It's wild and crazy around here this week," longtime government and economics teacher Dee Turner said.

Monday, calls from Kountze residents looking for tickets for the state championship already were flooding the high school administration office, secretary Billie Jean Tate said.

"The excitement is tremendous," said Tate, the wife of Ted Tate, the coach who nurtured the school's basketball prowess for 24 years.

Basketball coach Duane Joubert said some fans plan their vacation time around the team's schedule.

Victor Cash and his wife Tina are two such fans.

Before each game, Tina Cash walks the parking lot looking for a penny - head's up, for luck - to give to Joubert.

Joubert and others feel the team spirit is part of the glue that holds the community together.

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles follow their young athletes' progress with pride - not just in high school basketball, but in all sports at every level.

"They let you know if you mess up," Joubert said. "Not just on the court but off - where it really counts."

[exbccards76smom]

Just wondering where they interviewed these folks....my dad's comments made it in.

[Aggie@heart10]

And that my friends, is what being from Kountze means Bring it home boys...

[WHIRAQFAN]

Good Luck Lions, Bring home that Championship!

[stuart09]

kountze 24

whitewright 34