Tyler County Sports

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The Woodville Lady Eagles continued their playoff campaign last week with a win against the Boling Lady Bulldogs (31-25). Coach Troy Carrrell remarked that “ugly wins in the playoffs mean only one thing: you advance.” The Lady Eagles played Central Heights in Lufkin on Tuesday night for the Regional Quarterfinals. Results unavailable at press time.

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Lady Jacket Kat Knox dribbles around a Lady Pirate defender in their bi-district loss to Wells on Monday. JANA RAYBURN | TCB

By Jana Rayburn

The season ended for the Lady Jackets on Monday, Feb. 14, with a 33-63 loss to the Wells Lady Pirates.  Trinity Jerkins ended the night with 10 points.  Lily Read had eight points, Kyli Handley scored six points, Kat Knox had four points, Sydney Brock scored three points, and Emma Grimes scored two points.  The Lady Jackets were the third-place team in their district. 

The Jackets split a couple of games this week, as they near the end of the season.  The boys traveled to Chireno last Tuesday, February 8 and lost to the Owls.  Jack Rayburn scored seven points, Rick Carlton scored five points, Keighen Green scored four points, and Luke Read scored two points. 

The Jackets won big over the High Island Cardinals last Friday, Feb. 11 by a score of 69-13.  Jack Rayburn had a big night with 8 three-pointers and 28 points overall.  Keighen Green scored nine points, Luke Read scored eight points, and both Bradley Davison, Carson Thomson scored six points, and Kaighnen Green scored four points.  Also scoring for the Jackets were Rick Carlton, Jaxson Hilliard, and Cutter Lowe all scored two points and Jeff Knox scored a free throw.

Both the junior high boys and girls competed in a basketball tournament in Colmesneil on Saturday, Feb. 12.  Both teams ended the tournament with third place finishes.  This tournament concluded basketball season for the teams. 

Lady Jackets scrimmage Crockett

The Lady Jackets scrimmaged Crockett last week in Chester.  Coach Marty Thompson said the girls played well against the Lady Bulldogs.  Audrey Gilzow sent one over the fence for the Lady Jackets.  Both Olivia Gilzow and Kaylee Tolar pitched, and both did a good job.  The Lady Jackets played a couple of scrimmages in Woodville on Friday, Feb. 11.  The Lady Jackets played against Woodville and Central Heights.  The girls did a good job in both games.  Audrey Gilzow had a double play and caught a hard-hit line drive. 

The Lady Jackets will have a little break this week but will be back in action on Feb. 24-26 in the Kountze tournament.  Opponents and game times will be announced next week.    

Baseball gearing up in ‘Jacket Country

Baseball season is finally upon us, and no one is more excited than Coach Coleman Butter, who is in his first year as Head Baseball Coach for the Jackets.  “The kids are eager and ready to start playing. We have lots of returners and some young kids coming in that are going to help right away,” says Butter. Butter is looking for the returning guys to lead the team. Peanut Fann, Luke Read, Jack Rayburn, Carson Thomson, Zayne Barnhart and Cole Clarke are all returning starters. Butter will also lean on Carsyn Whitworth and Colton Pursley throughout the year. Butter believes this is going to be a different team and the beginning of a new era for Chester Baseball. Butter added, “I’m excited about it all. We will be playing at updated facilities and looking to turn heads this season”. Coach Butter has a full schedule for his team lined out, and several games for the junior varsity team.

The Yellowjackets will kick off their season with a game against the West Hardin Oilers on Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Chester at Alex Johnson Memorial Field at 4 p.m.

 

 

 

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By Jana Rayburn

 The Chester Yellowjacket Football Team was recently named the 1A School State Champion for the 2021-22 National Football Federation National High School Academic Excellence Award. 

 This award was created in February 2021, with the goal to inspire and foster a culture of academic excellence in high school football teams throughout the nation. 

 Finalists from each division, 6A through Private, were selected by the Texas High School Coaches Association from submissions made from coaches across the state.  Eligibility requirements for the award are a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0, superior academic application and performance, and a successful football season. 

 This award is a direct reflection of the work put in by the teachers, coaches, and student athletes at Chester High School, both on and off the field. 

 All state champions will be submitted to the National Football Federation to be considered for the overall National Champion Award. Congratulations go to Head Coach Justin Hilliard, Athletic Director/Coach Coleman Butter, the amazing staff at Chester ISD, and the 2021 Chester Yellowjacket football team members.

‘Jackets take on Leggett Pirates

 The Yellowjackets hosted the Leggett Pirates on Friday, Feb. 4 for the last time this season. 

 The Jackets played hard and stayed with the Pirates most of the game and ended up losing 29-46.  Jack Rayburn knocked down three 3-pointers, ending the night with 13 points.  Keighen Green scored 9 points.  Carson Thomson scored four points, Luke Green scored two points, and Kaighnen Green scored a free throw.    

 The Jackets next game will be in High Island on Friday, Feb. 11.  The game will start at 7 p.m. 

  The Jackets will play their final district game of the season in Chester on Tuesday, Feb. 15 against the Chireno Owls.  Game time will be at 7 p.m.

 The Lady Jackets defeated the Leggett Lady Pirates last week 56-48.  Lily Read scored 25 points and Sydney Brock scored 16 points.  Kat Knox and Emma Grimes both score four points each.  Saydi Handley scored three points, and Abby Grimes and Trinity Jerkins each scored two points. 

 The Lady Jackets have wrapped up the regular season and are gearing up for what they hope is a long postseason run.  The team will face the Wells Lady Pirates in the bi-district round of the state playoffs on Monday, Feb. 14 at Hudson High School.  Tip off will be at 6 p.m. 

Lady Jackets prepping 

for softball

 The Lady Jackets will play their first softball game of the season on Thursday, Feb. 10 as they host the Crockett Lady Bulldogs for a 4 p.m game. 

 Then, the team will travel to Woodville for games against both the Lady Eagles and the Lady Blue Devils from Central Heights.  The Lady Jackets will first take on Central Heights at 4:30 p.m. and then Woodville. 

 Coach Marty Thompson said this has been a challenging start to the season, as his team is battling injuries and illnesses.  However, the girls have been working hard in practice and in the batting cages with the goals to improve and make a long playoff run. 

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Chester Lady Jacket Sydney Brock takes a shot in her teams win over the Goodrich Hornets last week. Brock scored 17 points during the game. JANA RAYBURN | TCB By Jana Rayburn

The Lady Jackets are holding in third place as they have two games left in the regular season.  The Lady Jackets were scheduled to play Burkeville on Tuesday, Jan. 25, but got a win due to a forfeit by the Lady Mustangs.  Chester traveled to Goodrich on Friday, Jan. 28 and overpowered the Lady Hornets 39-27. Sydney Brock led with 17 points.  Kyli Handley scored 10 points. Lily Read scored seven points, Kat Knox and Emma Grimes each scored two points, and Abby Grimes scored one point. 

The Lady Jackets will play their last home game of the season on Friday, Feb.4.

They will be hosting the Leggett Lady Pirates at 6 p.m.  This should be a good game, as their last meeting with Leggett was an extremely close game.  This game will also be designated as ‘Senior Night’, in which to recognize seniors on the team.  Emma Grimes and Trinity Jerkins will be recognized for their efforts on the court during their time at Chester.  The final regular season game for the Lady Jackets will be on Tuesday, Feb. 8.  The team will travel to Chireno for a 6 p.m. tip off.   

The Yellowjacket basketball team split their games this past week, losing to Burkeville by 10 points and defeating Goodrich easily. 

The Yellowjackets lost a close game to Burkeville on Tuesday, Jan. 25 by a score of 48-58. Jack Rayburn led the team in scoring with 15 points.  Keighen Green had 10 points, Rick Carlton contributed nine points, Carson Thomson scored eight points, Luke Read scored four points, and Bradley Davison added a basket.

The Jackets traveled to Goodrich on Friday, January 28 for a game against the Hornets.  The Jackets made easy work of the Hornets, defeating them 47-32.  Rick Carlton had an impressive start, scoring 12 points in the first quarter alone. 

Carlton finished the game with 16 points.  Jack Rayburn scored 13 points, Carson Thomson scored six points, Cutter Lowe scored five points, P.J. Purvis scored three points, and both Luke Read and Jaxson Hilliard scored a basket. 

The Yellowjackets will play at home on Friday, Feb. 4, as they host the Leggett Pirates. This will be ‘Senior Night’ for the Jackets, honoring and recognizing Luke Read, Carson Thomson, and Kaighnen Green for their hard work and contributions to the team. They game will tip off around 7:15 p.m. 

The Jackets will take on the Chireno Owls in Chireno on Tuesday, Feb. 8 around 7:15 p.m.

Lady Jackets scrimmage

The Chester Lady Jackets hosted the Kountze Lady Lions in a scrimmage on Saturday, Jan. 29.  The Lady Jackets got some good practice against a strong Kountze team. 

Coach Marty Thompson was pleased with their offensive efforts and got to see some things that he needs to work on with his team.

The Lady Jackets will have a week of practice before their first game, which will be on Thursday, February 10 in Crockett.

Annual Wild Game Supper scheduled

The Wild Game Supper will be on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m in the Chester ISD Cafeteria.  This annual event helps to support athletics at Chester. 

Along with all the home cooked food, there will be a silent auction. 

Also, the Alex Johnson Memorial group will hold a Volleyball and Cornhole tournament earlier on the same day.  Teams will need to sign up early. 

Contact Becki Byrd at 936-465-6572 for more information.  Spread the word and join us to help support our kids.