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Saturday
March 20, 2010 Since 1922 |
Scholarships reward work of REL quartet
By Dave Rogers
The Baytown Sun Published February 4, 2010 Not everybody can be 6-feet-5-inches and 288 pounds like Tim Smith or run a 4.3 40-yard dash like Trey Murray, but it wasn’t just dumb genetic luck that had four Robert E. Lee football players accepting college scholarships Wednesday morning.
“We’re grateful,” the 6-3, 280-pound Xavier Ruben said, joining teammates Smith, Murray and Dandrick Jackson in a brief ceremony in the Lee coaches office.
“Some people don’t get the opportunity to get free money to go to school.”
“But,” Smith interjected, “we worked for everything we did. We were in the weight room lifting and going to camps when other people were out partying and having a good time.”
The payoffs for the hard work were scholarships to Baylor University for linemen Smith and Ruben while Murray and Jackson will continue as teammates at West Texas A&M.
Coach Marvin Sedberry, Jr., coming off a 3-8 inaugural at Lee, was impressed with his first Ganders signing class.
“It’s definitely been a different experience here (opposed to Sedberry’s last stop at Fort Worth Poly) because of the history and tradition of Lee.
“This is special.”
The only Baytown-area players to sign with a member of a major college football conference (the Big 12), Ruben, the son of Cathy Ruben, and Smith, the son of Tim and Kerri Smith, both made a verbal commitment to Baylor in the summer.
“It was because of the head coach (Art Briles), the facilities and the school, a little bit of everything,” Smith, an offensive tackle, said when asked why Baylor.
“It was a plus knowing the offensive line coach (Randy Clements) has put out two first-round draft picks in the past two years, one last year (tackle Jason Smith, the NFL’s No. 2 pick overall in 2009) and one that will be this year (center J.P. Walton).”
A 2009 season of high hopes began 3-1 but ended 4-8 for Baylor after the Bears lost both their top running back and quarterback to season-ending injuries.
“I think they’ll slowly but surely get there,” Ruben said.
“I like what Briles did with the University of Houston program,” Smith said. “I definitely think they’ll turn it around at Baylor.”
Smith was a three-year starter and Ruben a two-year starter at the offensive tackle spots for Lee, with Ruben a first-team all-district pick for 2009 and Smith a second-team pick.
But Sedberry also played the pair on defense this past fall, which was a first for both.
Ruben was named second-team all-district at defensive tackle and Baylor wants to try Ruben on defense first.
“I expect to play wherever they put me,” Ruben said. “But defense is my main priority now.”
Murray, the son of Vera Johnson, played some running back and receiver for Lee, but the 5-11, 175-pounder was primarily a defensive player for the Ganders. He was first-team all-district at outside linebacker in 2008 and second-team all-district at strong safety this past season.
The 5-10, 185-pound Jackson, son of Brian Harris, played at outside linebacker, receiver and running back as a junior, scoring two touchdowns against Sterling. As a senior, he was Lee’s featured running back, rushing for 690 yards on 101 carries.
He rushed for 243 yards and two more touchdowns against Sterling this past season and running back is where the NCAA Division II Buffs want him to play. Murray is slated for spots in the secondary and on special teams.
“I liked the team and the coaches, and going up there with a teammate will be good,” Jackson said of West Texas A&M, which is in the Panhandle town of Canyon, near Amarillo.
“It was nice and different,” said Murray, who accompanied Jackson for a recruiting trip to the school two weeks ago.
The Buffs, 8-4 last fall, have won three of the last five Lone Star Conference titles under coach Don Carthel.
Both Murray and Jackson were members of Lee’s state meet sprint relay last year and plan to participate in that sport for their new school.
“Those four were definitely leaders of our ballclub,” Sedberry said. “At halftime of games, they’d get up and give speeches. During the summer, they were real committed to working out.
“They were good examples to our younger kids. I tell the young guys that hard work in the weight room and on the field pays off. Trey, Dandrick, Tim and ‘X’ are examples.
“They get to go off and represent Baytown and Baytown Lee football.”
Area football
signings
Robert E. Lee
Xavier Ruben- Baylor
Tim Smith- Baylor
Trey Murray-West Texas A&M
Dandrick Jackson-West Texas A&M
Goose Creek Memorial
Cody Larson - Concordia University
Darrell Clarke - NW Okla. State
Barbers Hill
Tim Barton - Kansas Wesleyan
Crosby
M.J. Mathis - Kilgore College
Dayton
Payton Ploch- Lamar University
Tony Hill-Stephen F. Austin
Chance McCormack-Blinn JC
The Baytown Sun Published February 4, 2010 Not everybody can be 6-feet-5-inches and 288 pounds like Tim Smith or run a 4.3 40-yard dash like Trey Murray, but it wasn’t just dumb genetic luck that had four Robert E. Lee football players accepting college scholarships Wednesday morning.
“We’re grateful,” the 6-3, 280-pound Xavier Ruben said, joining teammates Smith, Murray and Dandrick Jackson in a brief ceremony in the Lee coaches office.
“Some people don’t get the opportunity to get free money to go to school.”
“But,” Smith interjected, “we worked for everything we did. We were in the weight room lifting and going to camps when other people were out partying and having a good time.”
The payoffs for the hard work were scholarships to Baylor University for linemen Smith and Ruben while Murray and Jackson will continue as teammates at West Texas A&M.
Coach Marvin Sedberry, Jr., coming off a 3-8 inaugural at Lee, was impressed with his first Ganders signing class.
“It’s definitely been a different experience here (opposed to Sedberry’s last stop at Fort Worth Poly) because of the history and tradition of Lee.
“This is special.”
The only Baytown-area players to sign with a member of a major college football conference (the Big 12), Ruben, the son of Cathy Ruben, and Smith, the son of Tim and Kerri Smith, both made a verbal commitment to Baylor in the summer.
“It was because of the head coach (Art Briles), the facilities and the school, a little bit of everything,” Smith, an offensive tackle, said when asked why Baylor.
“It was a plus knowing the offensive line coach (Randy Clements) has put out two first-round draft picks in the past two years, one last year (tackle Jason Smith, the NFL’s No. 2 pick overall in 2009) and one that will be this year (center J.P. Walton).”
A 2009 season of high hopes began 3-1 but ended 4-8 for Baylor after the Bears lost both their top running back and quarterback to season-ending injuries.
“I think they’ll slowly but surely get there,” Ruben said.
“I like what Briles did with the University of Houston program,” Smith said. “I definitely think they’ll turn it around at Baylor.”
Smith was a three-year starter and Ruben a two-year starter at the offensive tackle spots for Lee, with Ruben a first-team all-district pick for 2009 and Smith a second-team pick.
But Sedberry also played the pair on defense this past fall, which was a first for both.
Ruben was named second-team all-district at defensive tackle and Baylor wants to try Ruben on defense first.
“I expect to play wherever they put me,” Ruben said. “But defense is my main priority now.”
Murray, the son of Vera Johnson, played some running back and receiver for Lee, but the 5-11, 175-pounder was primarily a defensive player for the Ganders. He was first-team all-district at outside linebacker in 2008 and second-team all-district at strong safety this past season.
The 5-10, 185-pound Jackson, son of Brian Harris, played at outside linebacker, receiver and running back as a junior, scoring two touchdowns against Sterling. As a senior, he was Lee’s featured running back, rushing for 690 yards on 101 carries.
He rushed for 243 yards and two more touchdowns against Sterling this past season and running back is where the NCAA Division II Buffs want him to play. Murray is slated for spots in the secondary and on special teams.
“I liked the team and the coaches, and going up there with a teammate will be good,” Jackson said of West Texas A&M, which is in the Panhandle town of Canyon, near Amarillo.
“It was nice and different,” said Murray, who accompanied Jackson for a recruiting trip to the school two weeks ago.
The Buffs, 8-4 last fall, have won three of the last five Lone Star Conference titles under coach Don Carthel.
Both Murray and Jackson were members of Lee’s state meet sprint relay last year and plan to participate in that sport for their new school.
“Those four were definitely leaders of our ballclub,” Sedberry said. “At halftime of games, they’d get up and give speeches. During the summer, they were real committed to working out.
“They were good examples to our younger kids. I tell the young guys that hard work in the weight room and on the field pays off. Trey, Dandrick, Tim and ‘X’ are examples.
“They get to go off and represent Baytown and Baytown Lee football.”
Area football
signings
Robert E. Lee
Xavier Ruben- Baylor
Tim Smith- Baylor
Trey Murray-West Texas A&M
Dandrick Jackson-West Texas A&M
Goose Creek Memorial
Cody Larson - Concordia University
Darrell Clarke - NW Okla. State
Barbers Hill
Tim Barton - Kansas Wesleyan
Crosby
M.J. Mathis - Kilgore College
Dayton
Payton Ploch- Lamar University
Tony Hill-Stephen F. Austin
Chance McCormack-Blinn JC