Sports

National Signing Day occurs early February across the country. One of the area’s most talented athletes, Matthew Nunez signed a scholarship offer to play football at NCAA Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The school of 4,824 undergraduates is located in Durant, Okla., 113 miles north on Hwy 75.

Fresh from the UIL’s declaration of district alignments for the next two years, Ferris football HC and Athletic Director Brandon Layne has six of the Yellowjackets next 10 regular season games scheduled. The Dallas Morning News has published the non-league games for many schools, with the Black-and- Orange among their list. It should be noted the University Interscholastic League does not allow team’s itineraries to become official until next Wednesday, Feb. 26.

In what was considered to be a pivotal boys basketball game, Ferris came up short to Hillsboro, 79-65, on Tuesday night at the Yellowjackets’ nest.

Head Coach Jerrel Chumley has seen his Ferris hoopsters head north after a southbound 7-25 season a year ago. A resounding 3-8 district mark in his first season ended with a 1-7 thud-like final month.

Ferris and their colleagues in District 17 will meet the top four teams in District 18, a league which Waco Connally has led from the start.

Second place Midlothian (22-8) earned a season sweep against third place Ennis on Tuesday, 61-36, at the Ensign Gym. The Panthers did a similar number, 68-41, a month ago. Midlo is 9-1 in league games while Ennis slipped to 6-5.

Developing skills and racking up wins, the Ennis Junior Varsity tennis team revealed plenty of both during Thursday’s Spring Blowout Tournament hosted by Ennis.

Holding true to a season-long pattern of explosive starts and hungry finishes, Ennis vaulted to a 22-6 lead and then rallied late to whip Cleburne, 64-56, on the road.

Despite cold temperatures to turned the fuzzy yellow sphere into snowballs, a handful of Ennis Tennis players finished high over the weekend at the Highway 287 tournament.

One of Lion Nation’s most respected leaders, Gary Fincher, has seen it all in his stint as president of the Lionbackers, the club of supporters of Ennis football. In the past year he has handed the baton to his heir, Jeff Irish.