Sports

After the impact of the coronavirus wiped out spring practices or what was to be the 7-on-7 season in May and June, high school football teams lost out on their normal workouts this time of year. Assuming they will report for pre-season camp on August 3, they will have to do in limited time.

A 6’1 senior righthanded pitcher for Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Damian Garcia, ended a shortened season with five appearances this spring. In 4.2 innings, all in relief, he allowed seven hits, walked two and struck out three batters. He was not involved as a pitcher of record.

Former Ennis two-time All-State shortstop, in 2014, Michaela Cochran, a 5’3 redshirt sophomore at Texas Tech University had her playing career cut short due to three knee surgeries.

JT Mackey has taken a road less traveled to education and football, and with a year to go in college, is ending up farther than many predicted and enjoying the fruit of hard work.

Former Ennis All-State defensive end James Lockhart was signed as an undrafted free agent within a day after the seven round NFL draft ended. A total of 255 players were chosen by teams. Then it was like shooting fish in a barrel with Lockhart going quickly to the blue-collar Steel-town that is Pittsburgh. They indicated he would play outside linebacker.

Following a second noteworthy season of junior college basketball, former Ennis standout Nokoia White signed a scholarship offer from the University of Texas-Permian Basin.

Capping one of the most unusual, surreal seasons in the modern history of high school athletics, teams that participate in spring sports across the nation had their schedule circumvented by the coronavirus pandemic.

They are not taking over the world, it just seems way. Divide and conquer, Sam Harrell, the Hall of Fame High School Coach at Ennis, had yet another son, Clark Harrell, rise to the top as a football head coach. Cream has a way of doing that.

Venique Benton, who quarterbacked Waxahachie to a 13-0 start in 2009, has been named the new Special Teams Coordinator at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe (Kansas City), Kansas.

Depending on who you ask, the name of a mascot for a team can vary. I recall nearly a decade ago when SAGU was turning the corner as a nationally recognized NAIA men’s basketball program.