Polk County Sports

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The Bulldogs began practice this week and new head coach Brett Ratliff said he is impressed with his squad’s effort. (Photo by Brian Besch)

By Brian Besch
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Polk County-Once in earshot of the Corrigan-Camden practice fields, you can hear both music and the sounds of football. Athletes are upbeat during the heated workouts, paced by the sound system on the sidelines and coaching whistles on the field.

Football season has begun on the north end of Polk County.

"I'm really excited about the kids and the way they have been able to match my intensity and what I am wanting," new Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff said. "Structurally, I think it is probably pretty different from what they are used to from a practice standpoint. In the first day, you can kind of tell that. After that day, they really  haven't missed a beat."

Ratliff describes his practices as "very rhythmic," explaining that he likes to have players run everywhere they go. The fast pace is expected to serve his team well on Friday nights in the future.

Corrigan fans are likely to see many more receivers on offense than they have in previous years. The 'Dogs could be seen running many three and four wide receiver sets during 11-on-11 drills Thursday afternoon.

"We are heavy 21 (personnel), where we are going to run a tight end and two backs. That is my bread-and-butter, whether it be in the gun, or a flexed out tight end, or pro I. We're going to do both and be good at both, and we are going to make our money on that. I'm not scared to go to by 2x2 (two receivers to either side) or 3x1 (three receivers to one side, one on the other) and spread the field out."

Wide receivers stayed busy catching screens, along with intermediate and deep routes. The backs took part in the passing game and ran the option.

The new-look defense flew to the football, having multiple tacklers ready to make plays.

Changes on that defense will be from a 3-4 look or 50 front, to more of a 4-3 alignment that Ratliff believes will suit his athletes.

"It is a defense made to run and it is a defense made to have great secondary kids," he said. "We have a really strong secondary. They know what to do, they play really well and they are fast. We have three linebackers that can run sideline to sideline and then we have some big defensive tackles."

There is plenty of learning on both sides of the ball, as athletes are picking up the nuances of their new system through chalk talk videos and discussion before practice even begins.

The coach said having a young team with few seniors concerns him a bit, but is excited about the talent that is there. There will be approximately eight seniors on the team and the coach is hoping to carry 26-28 players on the varsity.

The team will feature plenty of sophomores, but several have had varsity experience. On the 3A level, Ratliff says depth will always be an issue.

"I'll be honest with you, on day one we came in and I wasn't defeated or worried, but I was just a little stressed because it was so different for the guys from a practice standpoint. It was just the sheer amount of moving that we do at practice. I was wondering if we were trying to go too fast or trying to do too much.

"I told myself that I was going to stay the course and just see the next couple of days how they progressed. I am very pleased with our progression right now. I won't say that we are ahead of schedule, but we are definitely not behind. I think we are right where we need to be right now and we are ready to get into the pads and really see some things."

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By Brian Besch
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Polk County-An announcement from the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Tuesday revealed the state’s larger schools will endure a month-long setback for high school fall sports. 

The good news for enthusiasts of football, volleyball, cross country and tennis in Polk County is that the long drought without sports is likely over in August.

Class 6A and Class 5A schools will have the start of practices pushed back from Aug. 3 to Sept. 7. The first week of football games will be Sept. 24-26, instead of the originally scheduled Aug. 27-29. Dates will remain unchanged for schools in Class 1A-4A.

According to the UIL, “The adjustments reflect the public health situation at this time and the varying numbers of COVID-19 cases across different geographic areas of the state.” The plan provides a delay for schools in highly-populated metro areas, and provides schools in other areas an opportunity to start their season on schedule. 

“Acknowledging the situation is not always clear-cut and that COVID-19 affects every community differently, the plan also allows for local flexibility and encourages districts to plan for possible interruptions in order to complete district seasons,” the press release stated. “With the understanding that not all schools will be able to start at the same time, this plan allows for schools to make playing decisions at the local level, and the UIL will work directly with schools that have scheduling issues not addressed in this plan to allow them flexibility to complete as many contests as possible.”

The UIL’s plan also allows for fans to attend games and events with a maximum 50 percent capacity and a requirement that all spectators older than 10 must wear a face covering.

“Our goal in releasing this plan is to provide a path forward for Texas students and schools,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “While understanding situations change and there will likely be interruptions that will require flexibility and patience, we are hopeful this plan allows students to participate in the education-based activities they love in a way that prioritizes safety and mitigates risk of COVID-19 spread.”

Though beginning “as scheduled,” Livingston football needed to adjust that schedule, as TAPPS school Concordia Lutheran and Class 5A Dayton were the first two regular season matches slated for 2020. The planned road contests will now be replaced with two travel games, starting the season at Needville, then journeying to Palestine. Those road trips will be returned, as the Blue Jays and Wildcats will now come to Livingston for the 2021 season. 

“It’s crazy, like in January or February all over again with realignment,” Livingston Athletic Director Finis Vanover said. “It’s nice to finally have an answer — that’s the big deal. There’s been no information and all rumors with nothing solid. When they finally released the deal this morning, at least you can breathe a sigh of relief that we have an official date, official plan and here it is.

“They cut off one of our scrimmages and that hurts a little bit. I have no idea why they did that, so we just get the one. We’ll have three weeks of practice and then one scrimmage.”

The Lions will need to also search for a scrimmage, as both were canceled.

The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs have undergone plenty of changes in the past few months, but the schedule will not be one of them. New Athletic Director Brett Ratliff said the announcement was a relief to know when games begin.

“Just from what I have been hearing and seeing what TAPPS brought out earlier last week, I really felt strongly that there was going to be some type of delay in some form or fashion,” Ratliff said. “I did not know that they were thinking about just delaying 5A and 6A. When you go and look at the numbers and looking at the statistics for the virus, it makes sense and I can understand why they are trying stagger it. I was a little surprised that they didn’t stall us as well, but I am pleasantly surprised.

“It is relief. We want to play and the kids want to play. They deserve to play and have the opportunity. We’re going to do the best job that we can as a coaching staff and as a school district to make sure we keep these kids safe and keep us safe. These kids need this, not only just to play the sport, but for the social interaction and the lessons that they are going to learn for life.”

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Phillips has already done some homework on his new team over the past week, studying game film from the 2019-20 Lion season.

By Brian Besch

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Livingston - One of the perks of coaching in Texas for decades is the acquaintances, connections and friends made through the profession. Livingston Athletic Director Finis Vanover has once again used those to hire Brazosport High School head coach Calvin Phillips to hold the same position for the Lions.

Earlier in the week, Kohl Neel took the La Porte head coaching job, leaving Livingston with a void. A phone call started the wheels in motion to bring Phillips to Polk County. 

“He had a lot to do with it,” Phillips said from DeWalt Field House Thursday. “I have coached with him before at Angleton and got into the playoffs there when he was athletic director. He was a big piece of the puzzle.”

The coach has been at Cleveland, Columbia, Wharton, West Columbia, Stafford, Brazoswood, Angleton, Dickinson and Brazosport since 1978. It was at Angleton, where Vanover was then the athletic director, that the two last coached together.

Thursday, he met a few of the students he will soon coach on the hardwood. 

“Today was the first chance to see some of the players. There was only about six there that were varsity players from last year. There is height, but they are small. We have a lot of stuff to do in the next few months, but there are some pieces there. The biggest thing is now trying to get the communication and dialogue with everybody. Everybody needs to get to know each other and see what everybody’s expectations are. I can smile a little bit, knowing that you have something to work with. I’ve never had a lot of height where I have been head coach.”

The new coach said he has spent the past week studying game films from the 2019-20 season. Assistant coaches Stephen Seaback and Robert Rogers are back on the staff to help ease the transition.

“Coach Seaback has sent me some film on Hudl and I have been watching some games. The pieces are there, it will just be the kids buying into my philosophy. Then, I get to see them a few weeks before school starts and hopefully, we can have some communication. It is going to be a challenge, but I’ve been in it for a while, so I know you just need time to make things work. Coach Seaback and coach Rogers have communicated with me about the kids and the liabilities and assets with the kids.”

Phillips said the Lions will open it up and run a lot this season. 

“More pressure man (on defense) and I like transition,” the coach said. “I haven’t got a chance to see all the kids, but there are a lot of bigs out there that are 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7. There is a little skill there. I haven’t seen any guards, but I like man-to-man pressure and try to get out and run a little bit. I can’t really say until you see all the personnel, but I think we might be able to see some things like that.” 

In his previous stops, Phillips said his squads have been long-range shooting teams.

“It is an up-tempo type thing with pressure, pressure, pressure. We try to get our opponents as uncomfortable as possible and try to win a lot of games on our defense.”

Phillips recalls coaching in the area through his first years in Cleveland 1978-80, but does not have many connections to Livingston.

“The only thing I know is Lake Livingston,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know much about the community or that type of thing, but the days that I’ve been up here, the welcoming party has been pretty good. I’m looking forward to it.”

Getting a late start by joining the school in July should not have the same impact as usual, with most extracurriculars suspended for months.

“Everybody is kind of behind a little bit, but it gives us some extra time. Everybody can sit down as a staff and evaluate some things and what I want to do. I don’t have to rush. We want to make sure that it’s right and that the kids are going to be comfortable with what we’re doing. It kind of throws a little wrinkle in the situation, but just like anything, you have to adjust on the run. That is kind of what we’re going to do.”

The new hire is already out building relationships and preparing to improve upon a program that has reached the playoffs the past couple of years. He is happy to be in the community and looking for support. 

 “I’m going to try to be as visible as possible with the parents in the program and kind of let them know who I am. I don’t want to just see them when things are going bad. I want to make sure I establish a rapport with them.”