SPORTS
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Area Standings
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Page 1-B
sports@leader-news.com
2014 Ladybird Softball
RICEBIRD BASEBALL
District 25-3A Team
Overall District Strk.
Ricebirds Needville Sealy Bellville Columbus Wharton Royal
16-4 11-8 9-6-2 11-7 10-7 1-6 0-5
6-0 5-2 5-2 4-3 3-4 1-16 0-7
6W 3W 1W 2W 4L 1L 7L
Scores Needville 12 - Wharton 0 Sealy 17 - Royal 0 Bellville 18 - Columbus 0 Ricebirds Bye
LADYBIRD SOFTBAL
District 25-3A Team
District
Sealy Columbus Needville Ladybirds Wharton Bellville Royal
Strk.
8-1 7-1 7-2 4-4 3-5 1-8 0-9
3W 3W 3W 2L 3L 3L 9L
Ricebird Player of the Week Brylan Crivellari Junior Crivellari won on the mound against the Cardinals, pitching 6.1 innings and allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and had 6 strikeouts. He was also 2-4 at the plate with 1 run. Ladybird Player of the Week Shelby Seaman Senior Seaman pitched against the Columbus Lady Cards last week and only allowed 4 walks and 10 hits with 1 strikeout. El Campo Schedules Ricebird Track Apr. 9-10 Needville District Meet Apr. 16 Sealy Area Meet Apr. 25-26 Kingsville Regional Meet May 9-10 Austin State Meet
Needville Sealy Kingsville Austin
Needville Sealy Kingsville Austin
*Brookshire Royal *Wharton *Needville
Away Home Away
6:30 pm 6:30 pm 6:30 pm
* = District Game
Baseball Apr. 11 Apr. 15 Apr. 17 Apr. 22 Apr. 25
*Royal *Wharton *Needville *Sealy *Columbus
Away Home Away Home Away
7:30 pm 7:30 pm 7:30 pm 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
*= District Game
Ladybird Golf Apr. 14-15 Apr. 28-29
Region IV State
Corpus Christi Lost Pines
Ricebird Golf Apr. 14-15 Apr. 28-29
Region IV State
2 Rauns make it right EC cousins making family proud on, off the field of play
By KAITLYNN BIANCONI sports@leader-news.com
The Rauns have always been a close-knit sports family, starting when current Ladybird softball players Heather and Elise were six and learning how to play golf at Heather’s birthday party. “We have a great photo of Elise as a little girl playing miniature golf at one of Heather’s birthday parties,” Kim Raun, Heather’s mom, said. “Elise is lying down on the
ground, deeply focused on eyeballing the line-up of the golf ball with the hole.” The cousins have a different memory of learning to play golf a couple years later. “I was trying to show Elise how to play golf and I hit her in the head with a golf club,” Heather said, laughing. The Rauns are making Ladybird athletics a family affair with cousins Elise and Heather Raun bringing another generation of athletes
to both the volleyball and softball teams. Both sophomores, the girls have made a habit of taking part in athletics together. “We’ve played together since Little League,” Heather said. “We played on a ‘team’ in the backyard.” Growing up in El Campo, the girls were always close despite parting ways once they started school, when Heather went to EC schools and Elise went to St. Philip. “They attended pre-school and kindergarten together and stayed pretty close even though they went to separate grade schools,” Kim said. “Both girls come from big Aggie families so they’ve share many
Aggie football tailgating experiences where they like to bump the volleyball around while the parents are visiting.” Once grade school came to an end, the girls were still on Little League teams together and always practicing. “They became close again when they went to softball camp together for two years at Texas A&M,” Lisa Raun, Elise’s mother, said. “They have played Little League softball and have been on the same All-Stars teams for their whole lives.” When freshman year arrived, the two joined both the volleyball and (See COUSINS, Page 2-B)
By KAITLYNN BIANCONI sports@leader-news.com
Softball Apr. 11 Apr. 15 Apr. 17
Heather (left) and Elise Raun have been playing softball since their Little League days in grade school. Now all grown up, the cousins contribute to the varsity Ladybird softball team as well as the Ladybird JV volleyball team. The sophomores are currently competing in an academic race as well, as they are ranked No. 1 and 2 in their class.
Ladybird swim captain signs with Trinity
Ladybird Track Apr. 9-10 Needville District Meet Apr. 16 Sealy Area Meet Apr. 25-26 Kingsville Regional Meet May 9-10 Austin State Meet
L-N Photo by Kaitlynn Bianconi
Family Time
Corpus Christi Lost Pines
Ricebird Sports Banquet The sports banquet will be held April 30 at the El Campo Civic Center beginning at 5 p.m. Tickets are $8.50 each and they will be available at the high school, the Screen Stop or from Coach Bob Gillis. All varsity sports participants will receive a free ticket.
UHV Baseball Tryouts The University of Houston-Victoria Jaguars will hold open baseball tryouts on May 31 at Riverside Stadium. Tryouts are open to all unsigned players with eligibility remaining at the NAIA level, including incoming freshmen and junior college transfers. Tryouts will begin at 9 a.m., with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. All players are asked to warm up prior to 9 a.m. and be ready to go.
One of the most decorated swimming athletes in school history, Ladybird swim team captain Kari Wilkins has officially signed with Trinity University in San Antonio to continue her swimming career. “I chose Trinity because they offer a great education and have a great swim team,” Wilkins said. “I felt at home when I was visiting and everyone there was very welcoming.” She said the beauty of the campus and friendliness of everyone she met drew her to Trinity. “I felt the girls on the team and I connected and had a lot of fun while I was there, along with the other girls on the recruiting trip,” Wilkins said. “My coach, John Ryan, was a lot of fun to meet and to get to know. He was also great at communicating, which is sometimes hard for college coaches because of how busy they are. He was honest and always ready to help me with whatever I needed.” Because of high school success, Wilkins had other options when it came to other swim teams trying to get her interest. “She was heavily recruited from several DI, DII and DIII schools before finally deciding on TU,” EC Head Coach Richard Nava said. Southwestern University in Contributed Photo Georgetown and Incarnate Word in Moving On Up San Antonio were among the schools Kari Wilkins signs her letter of intent to swim for the Trinity University Tigers next fall at the El Campo Aquatic Center, where Wilkins was deciding between. she has spent most of her time in high school working towards her dream. Back row, from left: Athletic Director Bob Gillis “I chose a Division III school beand swim coach Richard Nava. Seated are Kari’s father, Clay Wilkins, Kari and mother, Polly Wilkins. (See WILKINS, Page 2-B)
Page 4-A
Viewpoint
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, April 16, 2014
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Former headbanger in awe of ‘Cantu’ attitude Growing up in small-town America, there simply weren’t a lot of outlets for releasing my adolescent angst. One method my pals and I particularly liked was riding around in the back of a pickup truck with shotguns looking for varmints to shoot in various freshly-cut hayfields. Skunks, armadillos and possums were the critters that typically met their undoing at our hands. However, we did learn the hard way that one had to be reeeeeally careful not to spook the skunks before you shot them. Take it from me, tomato-juice baths are zero fun. And there was also that nasty knee injury I suffered after I jumped out of the pickup bed and my foot landed in an armadillo hole. Another popular and fun way to release the pubescent stress was to listen to musical offerings from the heavy metal band Metallica. Way back in the 1990’s, affiliating yourself with those menacing musi-
cians was about as hard-core as this little snot-nosed brat could get. Just wearing a black Metallica concert T-shirt around town with the complementary mullet hairdo was a sure-fire way to spread some rural shock and awe. Although a pesky side effect was you were also suspected by church ladies of being an axe murderer or the next Jeffrey Dahmer – no matter how faithful you were with your Sunday School attendance. One of my personal favorite Metallica albums was their 1986 release “Master of Puppets.” Pure genius. I’m quite sure I inflicted permanent damage to my C-4 and C-5 vertebrae while enjoying that album during a particularly intense headbanging session in 1994. Honestly, despite their horrible reviews from the church lady circuit, the members of Metallica were some extremely talented musicians who made music that was in many cases quite beautiful and melodic.
Jay T. Strasner Ink By The Barrel
I was briefly reminded of the “Master of Puppets” album while interviewing local 80-year-old running legend and world record holder Ino Cantu last week. Stay with me here. Ino was discussing the various age brackets of running competitions he’s participated in throughout the years. The awesome octogenarian is now bulling through the Seniors level and setting not just American marks, but world records in his division. Rather impressive stuff. At one point, Ino mentioned the Masters group. My thoughts suddenly lurched back to my teenage years. “Metal-
lica?” I thought. Not quite. “Oh yeah, that’s for age 40 and up,” Ino said in his trademark nonchalance. Gulp. A moment of panicked realization commenced in my old cervical neck injury and creeped into my cerebral cortex as I white-knuckled the phone receiver. “It will only be a few years until I qualify for Masters, Ino,” I confessed to him, shaking my head in disbelief. “Don’t worry, there’s a sub-Masters for guys 35-40 years old,” Ino proudly professed. Now I try to stay in pretty decent physical shape, but I suspect I’d have better luck qualifying for the Masters golf tournament than for a running event. Shoot, I’d be more successful attempting to play a Kirk Hammet guitar solo from “Master of Puppets” than racing around a track. In fact, I have no doubt that even though Ino is more than twice my
age, a race between us would result in me staring at the soles of Ino’s Nikes for the entire competition. Still, Ino’s accomplishments at such as advanced age have inspired me to investigate perhaps running in one of these sub-Masters races in the near future. Don’t laugh. I’ve convinced myself that my chances of winning a race would grow exponentially if there were a special division for runners who suffer from old “Master of Puppets” headbanging injuries and/or armadillo-hole ACL tears. Maybe race organizers could even allow me to wear an old Metallica concert shirt during the contest. Surprisingly, Ino chuckled at the suggestion. “I dunno,” Ino grinned. “Everyone might think you’re an axe murderer or something.” Dadgum church ladies. Looks like they’ve gotten to Ino too. Jay T. Strasner is publisher of the Leader-News.
Letters to the Editor Church bake sale big success Editor, the Leader-News: St. Procopius Altar Society officers wish to thank all the ladies who baked, gave a monetary donation or helped in any way with the bake sale on April 12. To the people who came out and supported us: due to their support, our bake sale was a huge success. Thanks to the El Campo Leader-News for advertising our bake sale and to Richard Sablatura for allowing us to have our bake sale at his grocery store. God bless each and every one of you. Adel Leal, president, and St. Procopius Altar Society Officers
Opinions or views expressed by individual columnists or in Letters to the Editor are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper. Also, while the Leader-News strives for accuracy, errors may occur, and will be promptly corrected once they are brought to the attention of the editor.
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Needs, not wants key to happiness Contentment big challenge with today’s temptations We live in a society that has made it difficult for the average person to be happy. We’re constantly being told that we should have ichael more – every TV advertisement stresses it, our politicians promise eisig it, and we’re constantly inundated by the lifestyles of the rich and famous, making just being content, a challenge. But you can’t live in the hotel on the corner of bitter and restless all your life, the rent is too high. You can’t live your life in a constant mode of “wanting and needing.” Basically you have two choices: you can reduce your expectations and live within your mental means, or you can get up off your duff and chase your dreams. But living somewhere within the twilight of misery and desire is just not acceptable. It’s the same with trying to find the person of your dreams – you have to be patient and persistent. You can’t let your hunger make you desperate or allow you to settle. Part of the trick here, is actually knowing what you want, then finding someone who is close to that. And with all of this, whether it be satisfying your life goals or finding Mr. or Ms. Right, remember that we live in perilous and challenging times – if it looks too good to be true, it often is. The universe rarely gives you what you ask for, but it will always offer you what you’re willing to take. There are two kinds of people in the world: the ones who hide from their shortcomings or use them as crutches, and those who challenge them. You can’t have what you want without breaking a few crutches. Only then can you find contentment, and never forget that there
M R
is a short span between wanting and regret, and that needing too badly is often the harbinger of misfortune. It’s wonderful to know what you want, but sometimes it’s safer in being certain what you don’t want. I’m reminded of the expression by the writer, Wayne Trotman: “Contentment comes from wanting what we need, not needing what we want.” You have to keep some equanimity, some perspective to this wanting and needing thing. You have to remember that, at this very moment, whatever it is you so greatly desire, someone else already possesses. And what you have today, someone else is yearning for with all their heart. Until you find a modicum of satisfaction with who you are and where you are, you’re constantly inflicting yourself with want – life is a constant pursuit of luxuries that become necessities, superfluous elements that somehow become indispensable – a constant game of musical chairs. I’ll leave you with a quote by Anne Frank: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve their world.”
Contact Your Area Representatives Representative Phil Stephenson Texas House of Representatives District 85 P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX 78768 (512) 463-0604
Michael Reisig is a best-selling novelist and an awardwinning newspaper columnist. His novels are available at bookstores everywhere, and in paperback and ebook format through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and Apple.com. Visit his website at michael-reisig.com for information on his latest adventure/humor novel, The Road to Key West, and his apocalyptic thriller, The New Madrid Run.
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Jay Strasner................................................Editor & Publisher Shannon Crabtree ..............................................News Editor Nancy Unrein..........................Bookkeeping/Office Manager Casey Smith ..........................................Production Manager Quala Matocha ..............................................Lifestyle Editor Katilynn Bianconi ..............................................Sports Editor Jody Larimer ..........................................................Reporter Keri Mahalitc ...................................................Advertising Stacy Morris .......................................Classified Advertising
Senator Glenn Hegar Texas Senate District 18 P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station Austin, TX 78711 (512) 463-0118 Hegar District Office: P.O. Box 1008 Katy, TX 77492 (281) 391-8883 Congressman Blake Fahrenthold Congressional District 27 117 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-7742 Fahrenthold Victoria Office: 5606 N. Navarro, Ste. 203 Victoria, TX 77904 (361) 894-6446 Governor Rick Perry Governor of the state of Texas Office of the Governor P.O. Box 12428 Austin, TX 78711
THE EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS (USPS 169520) is published semiweekly on Wednesday and Saturday for $45 per year in Wharton County; $60 per year out of county; $84 per year out of state; and $45 per year for the online edition by Wharton County Newspapers, Inc., 203 E. Jackson St., El Campo, Texas 77437. Periodical postage paid at El Campo, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS, P.O. Box 1180, El Campo, Texas 77437. © 2014 Wharton County Newspapers, Inc. Email address: lettertoeditor@leader-news.com
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SPORTS
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El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Page 1-B
sports@leader-news.com
2014 Ricebird Football
L-N Photos by Kaitlynn Bianconi
In The Trenches
(Above) Ricebird Antonio Cooper charges full speed into Brent Haynes at El Campo’s first practice in pads on Friday. The Ricebirds will face the La Grange Leopards on Friday in their first scrimmage of the 2014 season. (Right) Jabous Davis runs through the defense in practice last week.
Practice grind continues; scrimmage set for Friday La Grange exhibition to help settle Ricebird depth chart
By KAITLYNN BIANCONI sports@leader-news.com
Eye On The Prize Clint Kruppa eyes the pass last week in practice. The Birds just began week two of preseason. L-N Photo by Kaitlynn Bianconi
The Ricebirds are preparing for the first test of their 2014 season when they scrimmage the La Grange Leopards on Friday night in El Campo. “We’re trying to find football players and find depth at all positions,” Head Coach Bob Gillis said. “We need kids who can play a couple positions. We’re looking at all areas; everything is a concern.” EC wrapped up its first week of preseason on Saturday with a special teams practice. “It was really the first official special teams practice we’ve had,” Gillis said. “It was good, we had everyone here, we ran against punt returns and we lined up a punt team against them and it went fine.” After just three days in pads, the Birds are getting into shape. “We’re getting more accustomed to the
pads,” Gillis said. “They’re getting used to it. Their legs are tired because we’re still doing extended practice, but they’re doing fine.” The Ricebirds have begun to make noticeable improvements in the first short week of practice. “They’re coming off the ball better and running better,” Gillis said. “But we’re only seeing it against us.” On Friday at 7:30 p.m., the Birds will face off against the Leopards, the team who took them out of the playoffs in the bidistrict round in 2013. In its first scrimmage, EC is hoping to gain some experience going into the regular season. “They need to get game speed, they’ll be able to run,” Gillis said. The scrimmage on Friday will have teams trading turns on offense for the first part and will be put in a game situation in the last section.
Not just a Priday face
“We’ll go on offense for 12 plays, rotate kids in and play 12 plays and switch it up again,” Gillis said. “We’ll have six or eight plays and get everyone in and looked at. Then we’ll get 18 minutes on the clock for a quarter and a half. We want to do that because of the new rule.” EC and La Grange will have to get used to the newest UIL rule with a 40-second play clock this season. “Both teams need to practice it, and the refs too. It’ll speed the game up a bit,” Gillis said. “We need to be able to adjust, go against someone else and see where we need to work on for the next week.” The Birds will travel to Waller next week for their second scrimmage of the season against the Bulldogs. El Campo’s first regular season game is set for Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. against the Gregory Portland Wildcats at Wildcat Stadium.
El Campo woman balances motherhood with championship fitness career
BY JAY T. STRASNER publisher@leader-news.com
The busy mother of her toddling daughter Aeris, Joanie Priday of El Campo has faced the same obstacles that many moms do in trying to achieve fitness goals. “When I was preganant, I was really kind of concerned if I would be able to get back into shape the way I wanted to after the baby,” Priday said. “I gained around 40 pounds, which was a lot for me. I’d always been active, doing cheerleading in high school, powerlifting and all those things. I wanted to make sure I stayed fit after the baby came, like I had always been.” Earlier this year, a few months after reorganizing her food selections and fully dedicating herself to a workout routine, Priday transformed into the best shape of her life – and she now has the hardware to prove it. Priday competed in the NPC Branch Warren Classic last month and won first place overall in her height class in the bikini fitness division. She was able to achieve her fitness goals under the direction of her husband, Jay Sanchez, as the couple owns Revolution Fitness & Sports. “It takes a lot of commitment to
get to competition level and do well,” Priday said. “You’ve got to really make sure you eat right, manage your intake and be very specific with your workouts.” Priday – who is in the 5-2 height class – said her ideal weight for competing is between 102 and 105 pounds. But don’t let that diminutive size fool you – this blonde mother can likely bench press and squat more than many of you dudes out there. She explained that in the bikini division, judges are looking for fitness, with defined muscularity. She said it was important to be toned but to also maintain a phsysique that is feminine and not bulky. Competing last year for the first time, Priday said she learned what would be required to take her fitness to the next level and to actually win events. “I had to make some gains in my quads and shoulders to really step it up,” she said. “I took some time off from competing and just wanted to add some muscle. I was confident that I had made strides, but going into the Branch Warren my goal was just to make the Top 3. I was amazed when they announced I had won my division. I feel very blessed to have won.” Even though her body fat was at
a very low percentage on the day of competition, Priday pointed out that the athletes do not starve themselves to get to that level of sinewy fitness. She also competed at Branch Warren with El Campoans Savannah Staff and Naomi Metoyer, as the trio helped push each other for workouts and meal planning leading up to the show. “The night before the event we ate a regular meal – steak and potatoes,” she said. “That morning we had steak and eggs and then a snack. We even ate a cookie right before we went on stage to give you that extra energy. Managing your meals and eating correctly and at the right times is a big part of making sure you look your best – not just for people competing but also for others who want to get in good shape and be fit.” Up next for the champion Priday is a national competition. A high enough finish at nationals would qualify her for the chance to turn pro, which she says is her new goal. “There’s a national meet in November that I’m looking at,” she said. “If I could somehow finish Top 10 at that one, I’d be beyond satisfied. I’m just going to work hard, see what happens and hope for the best.”
She’s The Champ
L-N Photo by Jay T. Strasner
Joanie Priday of El Campo captured top honors in the bikini fitness division of the NPC Branch Warren Classic last month. Priday said winning the championship was even more rewarding after the birth of her daughter.