A look ahead to 2008/Orange Leader

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A look ahead to 2008

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

So my partner in crime Van Wade let Orange Leader readers know the Top 10 stories of 2007, I figured today was as good as any to give out just a few stories we are looking forward to in 2008.

Breaking stories will always come out of the blue as teams and players seem to always rise up out of nowhere.

This is a list of athletes and teams who should make the most noise in the new year.

The list is in no particular order.

Coach Cris Stump

The first-year coach in Bridge City found the sledding to be tough as the Cardinals went 0-10. Stump and the Cardinals will be looking to make up some ground in 2008. District 21-3A will always be a tough go and Stump should have the tools next year to grab a few wins. Bridge City was young in 2007 and the good thing is all those under-classmen will be a year older in 2008.

Beasley and Thomas

Two former West Orange-Stark standouts could find themselves in starting roles for the Texas Longhorns next year as Deon Beasley and Earl Thomas work in the secondary. Beasley saw a ton of action in 2007 and recorded two interceptions along the way. Thomas was redshirted and could very well see playing time along with Beasley for the Longhorns.

Wade Phillips

The Orange native has the Dallas Cowboys in the thick of the NFC playoffs after a 13-3 regular season record. Dallas under home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs under Phillips in just his first year at the helm. With Tony Romo and Co. flying high, Orange could see Phillips in the Super Bowl this season.

Scott Sterling

Sterling of Orange earned his 2008 PGA Tour card after finishing 21st on the top 25 Nationwide Tour in 2007. Sterling won his first event this past year in Australia in the Jacob’s Creek Open. Sterling has been in the Nationwide Tour since 1995, won more than $215,000 and welcomed a new child to the world this past year.

District shake ups

Realignment is set for February and not too much is expected to happen. Dayton could be headed out of District 22-4A while District 21-3A teams in our area hope to see Kirbyville, Silsbee and Jasper move on. Teams like Orangefield and Bridge City could only benefit from such a move.

Volleyball action

LC-M Volleyball Coach Vicki Castino notched her 300th win this past year as the Lady Bears made the playoffs for the second time in a row. Christine Sicktich will be a junior in 2008 so three years is within the Lady Bears reach. Becca Mathews also has had Bridge City in the playoffs for two years straight and will look for a return trip to the regional tournament.

Lady Bobcats

New Coach Chris Jost has taken over for Sonda Ancelot as the Lady Bobcats are fighting for the District 21-3A championships this year. What a feat it would be to see Orangefield make the regional tournament for a third consecutive season.

Baseball dominance

LC-M and Bridge City certainly have had nice runs of late under coaches Steve Griffith and Billy Bryant. Griffith and the Bears won District 22-4A last year and return a ton of players for 2008. Now the Bears want more playoff wins this year to go with a possible district championship. The Cardinals meanwhile want their District 21-3A championship back from the Jasper Bulldogs who won the state championship last year.

WO-S football

Talk about dominating and WO-S football is right at the top of the mountain. The Mustangs are riding a 24-district winning streak after outscoring District 21-3A 309-54 in 2007. A fifth straight district championship would be a nice piece to Dan Hooks’ Hall of Fame career. A lot of talent will be lost to 2007 graduation but the Mustangs only reload.