Sports

Industrial Cobra names were selected to All-District teams for 3A-1 14. From left are front, Nick Strauss, Dominic Busby, Avery Milner, Jay Sandoval, Devon De Los Santos, Trevor Ressman, Stephen Bethany and Dylan Burgin and back, Dylan Hempel, Wesley Sliva, Brock Werckle, Brenan Prukop, Matthew Shelton and Bailey Kolb. Not pictured is Nick Kouches.

    The Edna Cowboys hosted a basketball game with the Ganado Indians and lost with a final score of 57-54. This is the second time the teams have met up in pre-district play, where the Cowboys lost to the Indians with a score of 58-49 on Nov. 24 in Ganado.
    Christian Palacios said the team has been bonding. “Since we’re such a small team everyone knows everyone,” he said. “I would say we need even more effort than we have had, and keep going to the ball.”
    Malcolm Chaisson agreed with his teammate, and said more communication could be had with the team. “We need to talk more to work together, and talk more during the game.”

Katelyn Dodds participated in the Sport Karate International Texas State Games in Houston, Nov. 20-21, and represented ZEN Martial Arts. Dodds competed in six disciplines in the 9-11 age group and earned five first place championships and one second place. She was selected to compete in a Grand Championship and won the Contemporary Novice Texas Overall Grand Champion. Dodds will be attending the International Tournament after Christmas, to be held in South Carolina.

The JCHT sports section had the Cobra girls basketball team lost to East Bernard with a score of 49-29, which is incorrect. The Cobras won the game, 49-29, and stats for that game will be in next week's paper. Thanks to Duane Martin for the heads up!

    The Edna Cowgirls hosted a basketball tournament this past weekend to get ready for season play, and so far the points are high and the 'Girls are solid. Head Coach Brett Nidey is back for more with a team he hopes will do well.
    "We started practicing only a couple of weeks ago and are learning every day. This team is young this year," he said.
    Nidey has one senior, Shermeka Thompson, and three freshman on varsity, Laynee Hyden, Acajia Dickerson and Lexi Reyes. Two sophomores, Marquisa Callis, Jaslyn Foley and five juniors: Bailey Brown, M’kayla Barnes, Kirstie Soto and Ashley Soto.
    "Every game and practice is an adventure, and I just have to remember how young we are, the team is learning varsity is much faster and more physical than Junior Varsity, or even Junior High," Nidey said. "I believe that sports in general teach kids how to deal with adversity, teamwork, time management and responsibility."

    Head Coach Chad Hartley started off with eight players for an Edna Cowboy basketball team at the end of October, but gained nine players after football season ending just last week for a total of 17 players, enough to make a Junior Varsity team.
    Now he has eight seniors, three juniors and two sophomores.
    Hartley said sports in general teaches young men to work hard to achieve their goals, and how to work with others. "I have my game plans ready, I'm just taking the season one game at a time," he said. "We work on the basic skills daily because you can never practice them enough."
    The Edna Cowboys have some depth this year. Hartley said he is returning most of his team from last year, and he hopes the success of this year's football team will carry over into the basketball season.

    This year Head Coach Bryan Branch has one senior he recruited because of her speed, Maddie Workmon, because he believes her fastness is needed on the Maiden basketball team.
    "She (Maddie) has a great attitude and I appreciate all she is doing," he said. "We need Sierra Salazar and Cheyenne Galindo to have big years for us to be successful, they both have been on varsity for three years and now as juniors they are no longer the role player, but have to pick up the scoring as well as being the leaders. Sierra has done a great job of being the point guard. It's not just in games, but in practice explaining things to her teammates on the side."

    The Ganado Indians have a new basketball coach this year, Paul Pliler, and he comes from Joaquin in East Texas. He's also coached 17 years in different areas, like Garrison, Lovelady, Valley View and Sabine. Pliler has been able to take some of his basketball teams to the Regional Quarterfinals three times and his overall record is 249-145.
    The Indians began working with him in the beginning of November, and Pliler said they look good so far, and just getting to know him and learn the new system. Their first game was against St. Joseph on Nov. 20.
    "I have two seniors plus we lost one to a knee injury during football. There are four juniors, but again lost two more to football injuries," he said. "We're not ready enough for a game plan, we have to see district teams in action and get a feel for what we can do early on in games."

    The Industrial Cobra basketball boys team is looking to find new heights this year, and with returning senior and four-year varsity member Brandon Alexander as last year's District Most Valuable Player, they are sure to do big things.
    Head Coach Rusty Roe said the Cobras have a solid group of players that haven't played football this season, so the team has been conditioning and working out since September, but have been practicing daily since the end of October.
    "We played Bay City in a scrimmage and it helped us work on things we can work on in practice," he said. "Especially with their size and quickness. It took us a little bit to get used to their type of play, but after we did there were some really good things."

    Winning is important to Industrial Cobra coach Kristy Bradford, but not at the expense of her athletes. The team started practice at the end of October with 17 girls. After the end of cross-country and volleyball, Bradford has been working with 28 girls.
    "Building women of integrity for their futures that will far outweigh their time in high school is huge to me, I want them to walk away from our season eager to go to the next phase of their life or get ready for the next season," she said. "I have learned over the years that before I can get anything out of my athletes they have to respect me as a coach. If I learn to love my athletes first that everything else will fall into place."