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Sports

Beakley, Lalani star brightly in 5-0 win

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It was a case of Back-to-the-Future at the 2021 inaugural Ellis County All-Star softball game on Wednesday in Waxahachie. Two Ennis players outshined everyone, one with a parting shot, the other with a harbinger of things to come.

West tops East, 10-3, in baseball All-Stars

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Area baseball players united for the cause of Ellis County on Thursday night at Paul Richards Park in Waxahachie. Representing every public and private school in a county of 180,000 people, it was only fitting the game was played at the old school grass field that was once used for spring training by the White Sox and others.

The West took advantage of hits in the gaps and throwing errors to build a 6-1 lead through four innings. They had a 7-6 edge in hits at the time, but parlayed theirs into runs. They coasted to a 10-3 win on a hot, muggy and buggy night.

More All-Star Game photos

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Italy’s Kevin Rasberry. Fred Phipps Photo

Ozymy wings way to 5th at state

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Following in the footsteps of his athletic family, Avalon High School freshman, Jake Ozymy qualified for the Class 1A State Track & Field meet in Austin last month.

Competing in the 800 Meter Run, the 6-footer finished fifth in the state when he was clocked at 2:08.41. He was recognized by the University Interscholastic League as well as being named a member of the Ellis County High School Sports Awards 2020-2021 Boys’ Track and Field Team for his accomplishments in Cross Country and Track. The event, 800 meters, is roughly a half-mile or two laps around the track.

Ennis opens at No. 7 in preseason

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A year after starting the season at the top of the pre-season rankings, Ennis begins the 2021 campaign at No. 7. The Lions, 9-1 in 2020, easily maintained their No. 1 spot through the regular season and one round of the playoffs before getting eliminated by Mansfield Timberview, 42-28.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine, which will hit newsstands in two weeks, released their recognized rankings in each of the different state classifications. The largest is Class 6A’s Division I, followed by Div. II. Class 5A’s biggest schools compete in Div. I, while Ennis is in Div. II.

Baseball Lions place three among District diamonds

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One of the most productive baseball seasons in Ennis school history saw the Lions advance to the third round of the Class 5A state playoffs and to within one win of reaching regional semifinals. Following the end of the season the team reaped their rewards when District 14-5A released the All-District awards.

Finishing 20-15-2 overall, which included a 5-4 mark in the playoffs, HC Kellen Monreal had three players selected to the First Team or be selected among the District Superlatives.

All-Star baseball game June 29 in ‘Hachie

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Four baseball players from Ennis, two from Ferris and a Palmer tandem will team up for the Ellis County East All-Stars on Tuesday, June 29, at Waxahachie’s Richards Park. They will take on the West All-Stars, with three from Italy, at 7 p.m.

The Lions representatives to the inaugural game includes seniors Eric Stanley, Fito Mendez and Clayton Jenkins along with junior Jeremiah Sanchez. Ferris has Nate Aguinaga and Kanon Gajdica (gah-DEET-za) with Palmer players Gabe Bolden and Hayden Beasley suiting up for the East.

Aguinga named co-Offensive MVP

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Senior catcher Nate Aguinaga (5’10, 205), already named All-District in football and basketball, added another piece of hardware when he garnered a share of the Offensive MVP honors. He hit .303 and paced the Jackets with 23 hits and 15 RBI. The jock-of-all-trades topped the club in at bats (87) and in extra-base hits (10), one of them a jack.

Sophomore Dylan Clark (.307, 23 hits), a talented pitcher (3-1, 3.12), was voted the district’s co-Newcomer of the Year.

HC Joe West and the Stingers, who were 13-13 overall, finished 7-5 and second in District

Willingham honored with Broyles Award

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Editor’s Note: Due to a partial omission in last week’s edition, this is a reprint of this article in it’s entirety.

Texas fans are familiar with the late Arkansas HC Frank Broyles. His Razorbacks defeated No. 1 Texas in Austin in 1964, a favor returned in 1969 when the Longhorns rallied to defeat the ‘Hogs, 15-14, in a game dubbed the Game of the Century.

Gabe Bolden

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A running back, linebacker and receiver in football and a high-scoring guard in baseball, senior Gabe “Golden” Bolden is one of two Bulldogs representing the Ellis County East All-Stars on Tuesday at historic Richards Park in Waxahachie.