Tyler County Sports

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By Jana Rayburn

The Chester Yellowjackets traveled to Houston on Saturday to take on the Emery Weiner Jaguars. The Jackets fought hard all four quarters, but the Jackets ended up losing 54- 68. Kessler Romo ended the game with 40 yards rushing and 103 yards receiving, with a total of four touch- downs.

Keighen Green carried the ball nine times for 97 yards. Green also had two receptions for 37 yards with two touchdowns.

Rick Carlton had a 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Coach Justin Hilliard said, “All in all, it was a great game. Emery is ranked #1 in the state in TAPPS and are the de- fending state champions. To come in and push them and have the lead with 6 minutes left shows the determination this Chester team has to win.”

The Yellowjackets will host the Apple Springs Eagles on Friday, Sept. 30, which is Homecoming for the Chester Yellowjackets. This Apple Springs team has a winning record this season. Their quarter- back is very accurate and athletic. They also have a 350 lb. fullback that moves well and is tough to bring down. Hilliard added, “This will challenge our ability to play assignment football and to execute on the offensive side of the ball.” Kickoff between the Jackets and Eagles will be Friday at 7 p.m. The Homecoming Queen will be crowned during halftime.

The junior high Yellowjackets traveled to Conroe to face the Con- roe Northside Lions last Thursday, Sept. 23. The Jackets lost 39-66. Kasen Citrano had an impressive second half, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter.

Hilliard said, “Overall, the team is learning. We aren’t quite at the same level as other teams, but we are growing and competing every week.”

The junior high played at Apple Springs on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.

Yellowjacket cross-country

The Yellowjacket cross-country teams hosted a meet at Camp Ta- Ku-La on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

High school boys medalists were Travis Zulpo, Kai Hilliard, Jack Ray- burn, Kevron Green, and Chase Bertrand. Kyli Handley was the top high school girl runner with a 17-minute 2-mile run. Junior High top girl runners were Hailey Purvis, Sadie Garsee, and Carlen Sluga, all within 15 seconds of each other. The top junior high boy runner was Russell McDonnald. Coach Crystal Muncrief was so appreciative of everyone who helped out with the meet and supported the athletes.

The high school and junior high teams will travel to Zavalla for a meet on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

High school races start at 1 p.m., and junior high races will begin at 3:30 p.m. The teams will have a week off for the Tyler County Fair but will use that off time to practice and get ready for the district meet, which will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at Camp Ta-Ku-La.

Lady Jacket Varsity Volleyball

This was another great week for the Lady Jacket Volleyball program. In the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association State Volleyball poll, the Lady Jackets came in ranked #13 in the 1A division. The week started off with a dual match for the Varsity Lady Jackets as they put their undefeated home record on the line versus Apple Springs and Good Samaritan. These two matches would also be the final tune-ups before they enter district competition. In the first match against Apple Springs, the Lady Jackets played arguably their most dominant set of the season as they blitzed the Lady Eagles 25-4 in game one. During that game, Lauren Citrano got the Lady Jackets off and flying as she served 9 points in a row to put the squad in a comfort- able lead. In game two, Kyli Handley led the charge from the service line by serving for 6 points.

Lily Read put down seven kills, Emma Byrd had 10 assists, and Kinsley Barnes led the team with five digs. The Lady Jackets took game two 25-18. In game three, the Lady Jackets dismantled the Lady Eagles 25-9. Kaylee Tolar led the Lady Jackets in serving this game, serving 3 aces. Lily Read had 4 kills. Emma Byrd, Lauren Citrano, Blakeney Whitworth, and Kinsley Barnes all contributed to the offensive at- tack. The back row was protected by Abby Grimes, Saydi Handley, and Kyli Handley as they made sure Apple Springs could find no gaps in the defense. The Lady Jackets took on Good Samaritan for the second match of the night. The Lady Jackets were still hot from the service line in game one as Kinsley Barnes served 7 points from the line. Lily Read dominated by putting down 12 kills in game one. That could very well be a school record for kills in a single game. Emma Byrd was also on fire with 15 assists. Kaylee Tolar chipped in with two kills and Blakeney Whitworth got a block. The Lady Jackets took game one 25-14.

Game two was much like the first game as the Lady Jackets won it 25-11. Lily Read got 7 more kills. Emma Byrd served two aces and added 6 more assists. Kaylee Tolar picked upa huge block during game two. Abby Grimes, Saydi Handley, and Kyli Handley each had four digs. Game three saw the Lady Jackets finish the Lady Hornets off with a 25-18 win for the 3-0 sweep. The follow- ing statistics are for the two games combined. Lauren Citrano and Kyli Handley each served 13 aces, Lily Read had 38 kills, Emma Byrd had 50 assists, and Kyli Handley had 23 digs. On Friday, the Lady Jackets opened up district play against the Burkeville Lady Mustangs, sweeping them 3-0 with scores of (25-9), (25-6), and (25-15). The Lady Jackets were led by Lily Read with 21 kills, Emma Byrd with 14 assists, Kaylee Tolar with 6 aces, and Kyli Handley with 15 digs. Coach Patrick Sluga had this to say about the win, “I’m glad we were able to go on the road and get that very important first dis- trict win. It’s always tough to win on the road and to come in here and dominate like we did says a lot about these girls. Sluga also added, “We are at the ‘taking it one game at a time’ part of the season. Each one of our opponents will get our full re- spect and we will be focused solely on them until our match with them is complete”.

Sluga believes this mentality will help the Lady Jackets achieve their goal for district, which is to be un- defeated District Champions.

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Former State Rep. James White does the coin toss for Colmesneil’s homecoming game. Photo courtesy of Colmesneil Athletics

By Chris Edwards
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COLMESNEIL – In Bulldog Country, homecoming night proved a good game and a good win for the ‘Dogs.

The ‘Dogs hosted the Overton Mustangs at Taylor Field.

Colmesneil AD/HC Cody Day said he was proud of his team. “We got better this week,” he said.

The ‘Dogs pulled a 36-24 win against the Overton team. Colmesneil ran a total of 41 plays for 383 total yards (135 passing, 248 rushing).

Top players were QB Reed Best, with 138 passing yards and Jayden Shamblin with 176 rushing yards.

Friday’s win puts Colmesneil at a 3-1 overall record, and Overton drops to 1-3 with their loss.

This Friday, the ‘Dogs have one final non-district home game before hitting the road next week. They will play Cushing at Taylor Field.

Day said Cushing will be a challenge. “They do a great job running the option,” he said. Last year, Cushing came out on top of their match against Colmesneil, 40-14. Both teams are sitting at 3-1 records so far.

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Cutter Lowe ran a pass in for a touchdown last week against the Mt. Carmel Bulldogs. The Yellowjackets defeated the Bulldogs 63-8 in the game, which ended at the half due to the mercy rule. Photo by Becki Byrd

By Chris Edwards
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COLMESNEIL – A game with three whole quarters of play without a single score is an obvious sign that both teams’ defensive mechanisms are firing on all cylinders.

The Colmesneil Bulldogs took on the Cayuga Wildcats last Friday on Taylor Field, and although the ‘Dogs came up short by eight points in the end (16-8) marking the first Colmesneil loss of the young season, it was an impressive contest, defensively.

Ultimately, the Wildcats held the ‘Dogs to a total of 118 total yards; 85 passing yards and 33 rushing on 34 plays ran. A single score in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats, on an 83-yard run on a first and 10, lit up the scoreboard for the first time of the night.

Another score on a 30-yard run put Cayuga in the lead for good. Turnovers on offense gave the ‘Dogs a chance to seize the reins, but the Wildcats’ defense held them off on two occasions, without a first down.

Colmesneil goes into Homecoming this Friday against the Overton Mustangs with a 2-1 record. The game begins at 7 p.m.

The last time the ‘Dogs and Mustangs met up, Colmesneil shut them out, 32-0.

The ‘Dogs have one more home game after that against Cushing, next week, before starting district with a road game against the Lovelady Lions.

For Homecoming week activities, there will be a community pep rally at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday on Taylor Field, followed by a bonfire near the baseball field and track. Prior to Friday’s game, at 6:30 p.m., the Homecoming Court will be presented on the field, with the crowning of this year’s queen.

Cross-country team results

The Colmesneil High School and Junior High cross-country teams took part in the Broaddus Invitational meet last week.

According to Athletic Director Cody Day, the run was on a “very hot and difficult” trail in Broaddus.
The cross-country teams competed Wednesday at West Sabine in Pineland. Results from that meet are unavailable at press time.

The top finishers from Colmesneil were:

• Lillian Jalomo finishing 11th for varsity girls

• Daniel Hoover finished 31st for Varsity boys

• Carson Fasske finished 28th for the JH Boys

• Kimber Squier finished 43rd for the JH Girls.

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By Chris Edwards
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COLMESNEIL – It was Thursday night, and the weather was right. There was no reason to relocate the schedule game, like the week prior, and with those factors in play, the Colmesneil Bulldogs were ready to give a hometown crowd a show on Taylor Field.

The ‘Dogs hosted the Houston-area school KIPP East End and hammered them in a 50-6 win for Coach Cody Day’s crew.

An offensive onslaught from Colmesneil put up an insurmountable 42-6 lead by the half, and going into the second half of the game, the ‘Dogs cruised to their victory.

Day said he is proud of the ‘Dogs’ growth through the team’s first two games.

Offensively, the ‘Dogs were led on Thursday by Jeremi Shamblin and Reed Best, who picked up 103 and 94 yards, respectively, rushing.

The 2-0 Bulldogs will take on the Cayuga Wildcats this Friday at home, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

“Cayuga presents a big challenge, particularly up front, where their offensive line averages about 260 lbs. per kid,” Day said.

Cayuga is one of the new schools in the most recently minted UIL alignment for District 2A Region III.

Kickoff for Friday’s game is at 7 p.m. Cayuga is coming off of a loss to Mildred and sitting 1-1 in week three of high school football.