Sports

Center Roughriders Gymnasium on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 –

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The Center Roughriders girls and boys varsity basketball teams each won District 17 4A conference games over Spring Hill High School on Tuesday.

The Lady Roughriders trailed the Lady Panthers 3-4 points midway through the first period but they gained a 7-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. Defensive pressure by Center helped get seven turnovers which helped CHS take a 20-12 advantage by halftime.

The third quarter saw Center go on a 13-0 point scoring run and they ballooned the lead to 38-18 going into the final period. The Lady ‘Riders outpaced the Lady Panthers 11-8 points in the fourth quarter and came away with a 49-26 district win. Center now has a 13-6 season record and a 2-1 conference mark. They were led by seniors Lanijha Johnson with 15 points, and Gabby Whisenant with 11.

Spring Hill was led by sophomore Elizabeth Corbitt with 10 points. The Lady Panthers stand at 11-12 this season and 1-2 in district play.

Center’s boy’s varsity game was lopsided throughout and the Roughriders gained a 7-0 lead over the Spring Hill Panthers in the first 1 ½ minute. The ‘Riders never trailed and they took a 20-3 lead by the end of the first period. Halftime saw Center leading 38-11 and they grew the lead to 69-21 points by the end of the third stanza.

Late slams by Cash Cross and Jimmarrion Smith made it apparent that SHHS was outgunned this night and at times they trailed by over 50 points. When the final buzzer sounded CHS had taken a convincing 86-47 District 17 win. Center is 10-8 overall for the season and 1-1 in conference competition. They were led by senior Cash Cross with 24 points, teammates: junior Jimmarrion Smith scored 16, junior Tim Johnson 11, and junior Carson Bush also had 11 points.

The Panthers are 9-10 overall and 1-1 in conference play. They were led by senior Peyton Bassett with 11 points.

Center boys and girls will each play at Gilmer’s Buckeyes Gymnasium next Friday, January 5, 2024. Varsity action will tipoff at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tenaha Special Events Center on Friday, December 29, 2023 –

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The 14th Annual Tenaha Holiday Hoops Basketball Tournament wrapped up elimination tournament play with trophy round action taking place on Friday.

The Timpson Bears boys team faced off with the Kountze Lions in a third-place game that was hard-fought throughout the contest. The Bears trailed 8-11 points midway through the first period and 14-18 at the end of the first quarter. Midway through the second quarter the Lions led 29-22 and they gained a 39-25 lead by the halftime intermission. The third quarter saw the Lions begin to pull away and they led 61-42 going into the final period on their way to taking an 86-55 win and the trophy.

Timpson was led by Amare Bruton and Chris Nickleberry Jr. with 12 points apiece. Kountze was led by Zacc Sells with 33 and Mason Donald with 20 points. Nickleberry was recognized with All-Tournament honors after the game.

In the girl’s championship title game, the hometown Tenaha Lady Tigers faced off with the Lipan Lady Indians. Tenaha led 5-4 midway through the first period but Lipan led 13-10 at the end of the first period. Tenaha gained a 21-15 lead midway through the second frame but the game was tied at 21 points each at halftime. In a frantically fast-paced third quarter Tenaha gained a 36-34 advantage going into the final quarter of play. Kountze went on an 8-0 point run at the start of the fourth stanza and led 42-36 by the middle point of the final stanza. The Lady Lions held on defensively and took a 42-39 championship win.

The Lady Tigers were led by Kayanna Cox with 18 points. The Lady Indians were led by Hanna Gaylor with 14 points. Lady Tigers Kayanna Cox, Kennedi Holmes, and La’ Taejha Steadman were named to the All-Tournament team.

The night wrapped up with the boy’s championship trophy game between the Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill Red Devils and the Hooks Hornets. Hooks trailed 4-10 points midway through the first period but they only led 10-12 at the end of the first frame. Hooks fought back to lead 31-30 at the midway break. The Red Devils gained a 45-42 lead by the conclusion of the third stanza. There were seven lead changes between the teams in the final minutes, and ultimately the game was decided by a desperation 3-pointer, sank at the buzzer by Red Devil Alonzo Ramirez which gave CHHS a 58-56 win over Hooks to earn the title in a thriller.

Panola Ponies Gymnasium, Carthage, Texas on Thursday, December 28, 2023 –

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Tenaha’s 14th Annual Holiday Hoops Basketball Tournament is midway through the three-day elimination play. Action at Panola Junior College this morning, and early afternoon, saw the Shelbyville Dragons beat the San Augustine Wolves by a 44-34 score in boy’s action. Shelbyville gained an early 5-2 lead and they led 17-2 by the end of the first quarter. The Dragons never trailed and led 25-16 at the midway break, 38-27 at the end of the third period, and they held on for the 44-34 win. Shelbyville was led by DJ Barnes with 17 points and JaDavian Mathis scored 13. The Wolves were led by Joshua Roland and Travonte Holman with 10 points each.

Next the Brookeland Wildcats boys team beat the White Oak Roughnecks by a 70-50 score.

The next game at Panola Junior College saw the Tenaha Tigers beat the Maypearl Panthers by a 61-47 score. The Tigers led 17-10 after one quarter. THS led 29-19 at the midway break and 51-35 after the third quarter buzzer. Tenaha high-scorers were: Ja’Tyrion Moore with 17 points and DeJaylon Cooks with 14. Maypearl was led by Seth Sergent with 15 points and Gage Upton with 14.

Late Day 2 action saw the Joaquin Lady Rams fall to the Mineola Lady Jackets by a 45-23 score at the Tenaha Tiger Gym. MHS led 9-3 at the end of the first quarter, 19-11 at the half, and 34-19 going into the final stanza. Mineola was led by Jayla Jackson with 17 points. Joaquin was led by Ka'Maria Wilson with nine and Mariya Wilson with eight points.

Tenaha Special Events Center on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 –

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The Tenaha Lady Tigers varsity basketball team took a  opening round win over the Cooper Lady Bulldogs by a convincing 84-23 win on Wednesday during Tenaha's 14th Annual Holiday Hoops Invitational Basketball Tournament. Tenaha jumped out to a 5-0 lead early and never trailed throughout the contest. They held a 13-2 point advantage midway through the first period, a 24-8 advantage after the first period, a 54-12 lead at halftime, and a 66-18 lead at the end of the third stanza. The Lady Tigers were led by Kayanna Cox with 24 points, other Lady Tigers, Kaedynce Cox had 14, Tiyanna Dagley 12 and Christal Sparks had 10. The Lady Bulldogs were led by Marilynn Wilkerson with 10 points. The Lady Tigers will face the winner of today’s Broaduss versus Christoval game at the Tenaha SEC tomorrow, Thursday, December 28 at 9:30 a.m.

Timpson ISD on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 -

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Today the 14th Annual Tenaha Holiday Hoops Invitational Basketball Tournament began Day 1 action with play starting at the Tenaha Special Events Center, Tenaha Tiger Gym, Joaquin Rams Gym, Timpson Bears Gym and Panola College. The tournament lasts 3 days and hosts 17 girls and 17 boys varsity basketball teams in elimination tournament play.

Wednesday morning action at Timpson’s Bears Gymnasium saw the Timpson Lady Bears struggle against an aggressive and physical San Augustine Lady Wolves defensive press. The Lady Wolves were able to pressure THS into errors early and SAHS led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter. San Augustine didn’t allow Timpson a single point in the second period until Maliah Norris sank a free throw with just 32 seconds remaining in the first half of play. The Lady Wolves took a 20-10 point lead into the midway intermission.

The Lady Bears fought their way back into the contest by outscoring SAHS 15-5 points in the third quarter. The two teams went into the final quarter tied at 25 points apiece. Timpson gained their first lead when Natalie Johnson sank a 3-point bucket with 5:40 left in the game. Timpson built a 33-28 lead by midway through the final period and eventually earned a 39-34 opening round win.

The Lady Bears were led by Sky’Annah Horton with 10 points and Maliah Norris with 9. The Lady Wolves were led by Dekia Davis with 10 points.

The next game at Timpson’s Gym saw the #1 Texas 2A Martin’s Mill Mustangs face off with the Brookeland Wildcats in boy’s action. The Mustangs jumped out to an early 5-0 point advantage and they led 15-8 at the end of the first period. Brookeland pulled to within 3-points of MMHS at the midway point of the second period but the Mustangs went on another run, they led 34-27 at the midway break. Martin's Mill eventually won the contest 73-44.

December 26, 2023 - Only a couple of weeks remain until one of the largest and most competitive 1A-3A High School Basketball tournaments happens in the state of Texas... the 14th Annual Tenaha ISD Holiday Hoops, Where Champions Play! The action starts at 9:00am on Wednesday, December 27th across five different venue locations and continues until the Championship game on Friday, December 29th at 6:30pm in the Tenaha High School Special Events Center. The five venue locations are Tenaha HS Special Events Center and High School Tiger Gymnasium, the Panola College Arthur Johnson Gymnasium, the Timpson HS Collegiate Event Center, and the Joaquin HS Gymnasium.

Seventeen teams will compete to be the Champion of Holiday Hoops: Brookeland, Douglass, Hooks, Kountze, Lipan, Martins Mill, Maypearl, Mineola, Moulton, MP Chapel Hill, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelbyville, Tatum, Tenaha, Timpson, and White Oak.

This year's tournament features truly the Best of the Best on both sides, and Tenaha is beyond excited to see these match-ups take place. The school’s administration shared, “We are honored that each team selected our tournament to compete in, we are thankful for the officials who dedicate their time and expertise in making this a great event, and we absolutely could not do this without our amazing staff, media partners, and sponsors who work tirelessly all year to plan and execute the 3 day event.”

The below link goes to the tournament bracket created in google sheets. Tenaha will keep this document live throughout the tournament as each game is played. QR codes will be displayed at each playing site for coaches/officials/media to scan for live updates. There will also be a QR code available on our social media channels for our live tournament program that will include up-to-date scoring at each location daily, team pages, sponsor information and much more.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dHVZLE7Th_zqDIynZ8TQzBa33BOlyHk3Fbw0mhM6tUs/edit?usp=sharing (Tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet takes you to the Girls bracket or the Boys bracket)

January 3, 2024 - Stephen F. Austin (SFA) Chapter of the Texas Association of Sports Officials Baseball Division is hosting on Saturday, January 13, 2024, a meeting for new umpires orientation to be held at Kurth Memorial Library (Conference room); 706 S. Raguet St., Lufkin, Texas; at 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.

Meeting will cover upcoming high school baseball schedules, starting February 12, 2024 to May 17, 2024. Games fees are $95.00 varsity and $75.00 for sub-varsity; plus mileage. Games start at 4:00 and 7:00 pm and are scheduled on your available. Must be 18 years old to umpire high school baseball games.

There is a great need for new umpires. If you love the game of baseball, you’ll love being on the field with the players, coaches and other umpires.

For more information, contact: Terry Fauble 936-238-5798 or Hector Herdanez 936-526-1041

Center High School on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 –

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Center Roughriders senior quarterback Emonte ‘Cash’ Cross signed a letter of intent to play football and study at Lamar University next fall. The signing was at Center High School’s library and was attended by his peers, family, school staff and coaches as well as, media. Center Athletic Director and head football coach Ricky Meeks led off the ceremony and said, “Cash has excelled here as a leader. He is leaving here as the career leader here in touchdown passes, the career leader in total yards, career leader in completions, he has left a big mark on the program. He has been a joy to coach. To be able to see him sign with Lamar and to continue playing football is awesome.”

Cross plans to major in business at Lamar. Cross stated “I really liked the coaches at Lamar. I will miss my friends and teammates here at Center.” Cross rushed for 908 yards and 17 touchdowns as the ‘Riders quarterback this season. He averaged 83 yards per game rushing. He threw for nearly 2100 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. Cross is currently participating in the Roughriders basketball program.

Lamar University's main campus is at Beaumont, Texas and they enroll over 17,000 students per year.

Joaquin Rams Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 –

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The Joaquin Lady Rams and Rams Boys varsity teams each played the visiting Garrison Bulldogs on Tuesday at Rams Gymnasium. Both games were District 23 2A-1 contests.

The Lady Rams took a 7-2 point lead by the middle of the first quarter and they led 11-8 at the end of the first period. Joaquin led 17-10 midway through the second frame and they took a 22-15 lead into the halftime intermission. The Lady Bulldogs fought back and outscored the Lady Rams 14-5 in the third period to take a narrow 29-27 lead into the final quarter. Joaquin turned the tables and outpaced Garrison 13-6 in the final quarter to earn a 40-35 point win.

The Lady Rams were led by senior guard Ke’maria Wilson with 17 points. The Lady Bulldogs were led by junior guard Briana Downs with 21 points.

In the boys varsity game Joaquin was able to take a narrow 12-11 lead by the end of the first period. The teams were each tied with 26 points each at the midway break. Garrison was able to outscore Joaquin 11-7 points in the third frame to take a 37-33 point lead into the final period. In a defensive fourth period Garrison and Joaquin each held each others offenses in check with both teams scoring 9 points apiece. The game ended with the Bulldogs taking a 46-42 point win.

Joaquin was led by junior guard Tanor Doggett with 20 points and senior guard Gauge Jordan with 15. Garrison was led by forward Brayden Davidson with 17.

The Joaquin girls will participate in Tenaha’s Holiday Hoops Tournament on December 27-29. The Rams and Lady Rams will head to Timpson on January 2, 2024 for more District 23 competition versus the Bears in two weeks.

Arlington, Texas on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 –

The Timpson Bears varsity football team made history on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington by defeating the Tolar Rattlers by a 49-7 score in a state final championship, the school’s first ever. The Bears win gave them an unprecedented undefeated 16-0 record. The Rattlers’ ended with an overall 14-2 mark.

After a failed Tolar offensive opening drive, the Rattlers punted the ball to the Bears with over nine minutes remaining in the first quarter. Timpson senior quarterback Terry Bussey hit junior receiver Colton Carroll for a 48-yard touchdown for the first score of the game. Senior kicker Tyler Lane tacked on the extra point to give Timpson a 7-0 lead with 7:25 left to play in the first quarter. Both teams had stalled possessions and the first quarter ended with the Bears holding the narrow 7-0 point advantage.

Early in the second quarter Bussey found sophomore receiver Dacorian Johnson for a 97-yard touchdown reception and the Bears held a 14-0 lead with 10:53 left in the second quarter.

With 2:09 remaining in the first half, Bussey broke loose in the open field and found the end zone for a 93-yard touchdown run, the longest in 2A state championship history. Another Lane extra point gave the Bears a 21-0 lead. The Bears lead held until halftime.

The Rattlers opened the second half and gained possession with an onside kick. Senior quarterback Isaac Blessing later scored on this drive with a QB sneak for a 1-yard touchdown run and got the Rattlers on the scoreboard. Brooks Stone tacked on the extra point, making the score 21-7 with 8:10 left to play in the third quarter.

Amare Bruton took the ensuing kickoff and went the distance from 78 yards away. Lane’s extra point made the score 28-7 with 7:55 left. On the Rattler’s next drive Bruton tipped a Tolar pass and Bear’s teammate senior Nate Scourton returned the interception to the Rattler’s 10-yardline. Bussey then dragged a bunch of Rattlers into the end zone for the Bears next touchdown. The PAT made the score 35-7 with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter.

The next points came with two minutes left in the third quarter when Bussey found Johnson for a 44-yard touchdown reception. Another Lane extra point kick extended Timpson’s lead to 42-7.

Bussey hit Bruton for his fourth touchdown pass of the night from 37 yards away. This extended Timpson’s lead to 49-7 with 10:54 left. That tied Bussey for second place for most touchdown passes in 2A state championships history. This proved to be the games final score.

Coach Kerry Therwhanger said, “The team has been so supportive of everything we have been trying to get done and to finally be able to give this to them for the first time ever in school history, it feels great." After the game Bears seniors Tyler Lane and Terry Bussey were presented the offensive and defensive Most Valuable Player awards for the game.

The Bears last four seasons have been a historic run with the team reaching the state semifinals all four years and now winning the unprecedented first state football title.

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