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Tuesday
March 16, 2010 Since 1922 |
19-4A spikers open district play Friday
By Dave Rogers
The veteran Barbers Hill coach can tell it in his bones – or his sick list.
“We’ve got the flu, a little strep, a little sprained ankle, a lot of coughing and sneezing going on,” he said Thursday after returning from opening-day play at the Dickinson tournament.
“I think at one point today, we were only playing with half our people.”
So it must be time to start district volleyball play.
For Barbers Hill’s District 19-4A that comes about today.
Because of Friday night football conflicts, the league is playing its varsity first (at 4:30 p.m.) on Fridays.
Barbers Hill is at Galena Park, Crosby is at C.E. King, Goose Creek Memorial hosts North Forest and Dayton and Kingwood Park lock up in the other first-day match.
“It happens,” Leonard said, speaking of players at less than full speed. “It happens almost every year. People get hurt, you go to your bench, you play your next people.
“And it’s that time of year for district to start, too. Look down the schedules. We’re past the halfway mark.”
Crosby and Barbers Hill shared the top spot in District 19-4A a year ago, each going 13-1 in league play with each team winning the rivalry match on its homecourt.
But neither is the team getting all the talk in 19-4A ahead of Friday’s matches.
Dayton beat Barbers Hill in a second-round match at the Santa Fe tournament last week.
“I think this district is extremely competitive,” Crosby coach Michael Williams said. “Dayton beat Barbers Hill last weekend and Kingwood Park is playing pretty good ball.
“I think there will be a lot of teams fighting for four spots.”
Crosby carried an 18-1-1 record into the Dickinson tournament, its only loss coming at Santa Fe.
“Dayton and Crosby,” were the answers of Goose Creek Memorial coach Misti Clark when asked the teams to beat. “Barbers Hill’s still up there, but Barbers Hill lost to Dayton last week.”
Clark’s team is in a funk, she said. The Patriots were 6-11 after falling to Pasadena Memorial and Crosby at the Dickinson tourney Thursday.
The coach said she was taking her team off the bus and straight to the gym for some practice upon arrival home Thursday afternoon.
“The kids seem to be down on themselves,” she said. “They don’t work together as a team and we’re going to have to make some changes. We’re going to have to mesh.
“When we get down, we get really down. We have to get that inner drive. Hopefully, we’ll find it before (Friday) night.”
Barbers Hill is now 18-6 overall, including Thursday wins over Angleton, Sam Rayburn and Fort Bend Hightower.
“It was a good day for us. We got to play against a bunch of athletic teams,” Leonard said.
Such was the case against Dayton, he said.
“The truth hurts: we lost. They’re good and they played better than we did for about an hour and we lost to them,” Leonard said. “We came back and beat Nederland, C.E. King and Elsik before losing to Alief Taylor and taking second in the Silver Division at Santa Fe.”
And what about district?
“I guess Dayton,” he said when asked his team to beat. “I’ll be happy if we can beat Crosby and Kingwood Park.
“I think it’s kind of stayed the same since last year. The games all close and well played. But we’re all right. A lot of people would be happy to be 18-6 and playing Pearland on Saturday morning.”
The veteran Barbers Hill coach can tell it in his bones – or his sick list.
“We’ve got the flu, a little strep, a little sprained ankle, a lot of coughing and sneezing going on,” he said Thursday after returning from opening-day play at the Dickinson tournament.
“I think at one point today, we were only playing with half our people.”
So it must be time to start district volleyball play.
For Barbers Hill’s District 19-4A that comes about today.
Because of Friday night football conflicts, the league is playing its varsity first (at 4:30 p.m.) on Fridays.
Barbers Hill is at Galena Park, Crosby is at C.E. King, Goose Creek Memorial hosts North Forest and Dayton and Kingwood Park lock up in the other first-day match.
“It happens,” Leonard said, speaking of players at less than full speed. “It happens almost every year. People get hurt, you go to your bench, you play your next people.
“And it’s that time of year for district to start, too. Look down the schedules. We’re past the halfway mark.”
Crosby and Barbers Hill shared the top spot in District 19-4A a year ago, each going 13-1 in league play with each team winning the rivalry match on its homecourt.
But neither is the team getting all the talk in 19-4A ahead of Friday’s matches.
Dayton beat Barbers Hill in a second-round match at the Santa Fe tournament last week.
“I think this district is extremely competitive,” Crosby coach Michael Williams said. “Dayton beat Barbers Hill last weekend and Kingwood Park is playing pretty good ball.
“I think there will be a lot of teams fighting for four spots.”
Crosby carried an 18-1-1 record into the Dickinson tournament, its only loss coming at Santa Fe.
“Dayton and Crosby,” were the answers of Goose Creek Memorial coach Misti Clark when asked the teams to beat. “Barbers Hill’s still up there, but Barbers Hill lost to Dayton last week.”
Clark’s team is in a funk, she said. The Patriots were 6-11 after falling to Pasadena Memorial and Crosby at the Dickinson tourney Thursday.
The coach said she was taking her team off the bus and straight to the gym for some practice upon arrival home Thursday afternoon.
“The kids seem to be down on themselves,” she said. “They don’t work together as a team and we’re going to have to make some changes. We’re going to have to mesh.
“When we get down, we get really down. We have to get that inner drive. Hopefully, we’ll find it before (Friday) night.”
Barbers Hill is now 18-6 overall, including Thursday wins over Angleton, Sam Rayburn and Fort Bend Hightower.
“It was a good day for us. We got to play against a bunch of athletic teams,” Leonard said.
Such was the case against Dayton, he said.
“The truth hurts: we lost. They’re good and they played better than we did for about an hour and we lost to them,” Leonard said. “We came back and beat Nederland, C.E. King and Elsik before losing to Alief Taylor and taking second in the Silver Division at Santa Fe.”
And what about district?
“I guess Dayton,” he said when asked his team to beat. “I’ll be happy if we can beat Crosby and Kingwood Park.
“I think it’s kind of stayed the same since last year. The games all close and well played. But we’re all right. A lot of people would be happy to be 18-6 and playing Pearland on Saturday morning.”