SPECIAL EDITION BY: Steve “Big Daddy” Knapp • Jackie Bierman, Graphic Design • Christopher Blake, Photography
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By Steve “Big Daddy” Knapp Sports Writer
The players on the cover of the DeSoto Winter Sports Magazine have been chosen by their coaches as their Most Valuable Players. When you look at why each of them were chosen you will see that there are many requirements to be a leader and gain the respect from their teammates and coaches. Here is what the coaches said about each of their players. Chris Seekings girls soccer coach. “Adriana Olvera really can do it all, from assisting, to scoring to playing great defense.
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When healthy Adriana is a force to be reckoned with.” Megan Page, girls weightlifting coach. “Emily Milstead is one of the most dedicated, honest, hard working young ladies I have ever met. She has goals and she goes full force to reach them.” Omar Rendon boys soccer coach. “Sergio Alvarez was a player who sacrificed for the good of the team. The last two seasons his role was as a striker and he finished first or second in scoring both years. This year I had to make a move and put him on defense. Many players would quit or complain but I knew he was the right person for the job. He is a great leader and does whatever is needed for the team.” Arthur Hinson is a quiet leader who lets his skills on the court do the talking for him. His calm demeanor on the court and his humble personality makes him a person who others will follow. To be a leader a player must be willing to really work at it and give extra time and effort to improve. A leader must be a team player who is a leader on the field or court and be humble about it. A leader needs to help their teammates and offer encouragement and show leadership both on the field or court and in school and as a member of the community. Our advertisers give their hard earned money to support this magazine. No other school has a magazine dedicated strictly to high school sports like this magazine does. Please take the time to thank the advertisers when you visit their business and give them the opportunity to earn your business. Each of these businesses are run by good, honest, local people and deserve our thanks.
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By Megan Page Girls Weightlifting Coach
We had 7 meets total this year including one invitational before districts and I had a total of 20 girls. Most of the girls placed at the meets. Tylia Crowell placed 1st or 2nd in all, Caroline Livingston placed 2nd or 3rd in most, Leticia Tenorio placed 2nd or 3rd in most, Dekoda Johnson placed 3rd in most, Emily Milstead placed 1st in all, Alyssa Hairston placed 2nd or 3rd in most, Maria Jacobo placed 3rd in some, Brianna Mansfield placed 2nd or 3rd in some, Tiffany Burhans placed 1st-3rd in most, and Jasmyn Jackson placed 1st-3rd in most. The December 2nd invitational at Labelle HS Emily Milstead placed 1st in the (169) weight class out of 14 schools and Tylia Crowell placed 2nd in the (139) weight class out of 14 schools as well. All the girls did amazing this year. I’m very proud! 9 girls made it to regionals, which include: Tylia Crowell, Caroline Livingston, Dekoda Johnson, Leticia Tenorio, Emily Milstead, Alyssa Hairston, Brianna Mansfield, Tiffany Burhans and Jasmyn Jackson.
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By Joe Davis Girls Varisty Basketball Coach
The season got off to a slow start. It was a roller coaster, we had some good ups and some bad downs. We made a lot of little mistakes that we needed to correct. Once we fixed them, we stayed close enough to win. But then we’d go back to making the some old mistakes again.
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By Darrel Nicklow Boys Varsity Basketball Coach
This was my first year coaching at my Alma Mater and it was exciting to get the opportunity. We started off slowly since we were trying to find the right nucleus. I loved the way we competed in every game right from the start of the season, even though we started 0-10. We had some great moments and tough losses. I was proud because we gave ourselves a chance to win even though we came up short. I was especially proud of my seniors for leading this team. I want to thank them, Arthur Hinson, Manny Wesley, Jordan Lawson and Donavon Evans, for buying in to what I was trying to do. We have a great group of kids returning from a 3-19 team, Tyler Vest, Arnold Mele and Curtis Daley to name a few. I want to thank my assistant coaches, Jerome Rudolph and Roma Wilson for a tremendous job of assisting me.
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By Chris Seekings Girls Varsity Soccer Coach
Our soccer team faced a lot of adversity this year. There were a lot of different players from last year and it took time to build up chemistry as it does with any team. Injuries plagued our season especially at the goalie position. I would have liked to see more dedication from our girls as they have the skills to be very successful. If these girls focus on dedication and hard work the sky is the limit. Adriana Olvera was our leading scorer with fifteen goals. She really can do it all from assisting, to scoring, to playing great defense. Adriana’s knee gave her issues near the end of a long season. When healthy Adriana is a force to be reckoned with. Brenda Perez is a special talent at sweeper.
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She is intelligent and makes good decisions. Kaylyn Castro was the definition of a hard worker. She understood her role and worked her butt off every game and practice. Coaching her was awesome because she has made great progressions from the beginning of last year to the end of the soccer season this year. Shakira Nicklow was a pleasure to watch and see her hard work pay off. She started earning more and more minutes each week with her heart and determination to get better every day and that she did. She earned more minutes and played a vital role on our soccer team. It was disappointing that we did not make it to the district finals with the talent that was on this year’s team. The answer to this team being more successful in the future is simple. The answer is dedication. If the girls can focus and improve their dedication and step up the hard work there is no doubt in my mind we will be successful. There was only so far Tim and I could take these girls as coaches. The rest of the way comes from wanting it and putting in the hard work it takes to be a good team.
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By Omar Rendon Boys Varsity Soccer Coach
Our season has been an up and down roller coaster when it comes to our roster. We had trouble staying in rhythm is season. We had a strong group who stuck around and chose to defend the Bulldog Pride. It doesn’t matter how many players are on our roster, what matters is those who give it their all to show the love they have for the game and for their school. The guys who stayed until the end have gotten my respect and you mean a lot to me. I’ve enjoyed being your coach this year and will miss you guys. Senior Jesiel Rivera is one of those players who played mid field and he’s a person with so much love for the game and his teammates. Any coach would love to have him on his team. He never gave me any attitude, he just did his job. Luis Sarmiento was our keeper and was a great plus to our team. He always surprised me with his great saves. Another senior, Pablo Marinez, had his ups and downs along with a major injury, but he was the strongest player in our lineup. He played all areas of the field. He is a great player. We have some very good juniors coming back next season. Benito Vazquez, Sergio Alvarez, Johnny Morales and Francisco Sanchez were strong key players on my team. They are smart, respectful and great players with lots of talent. They will be a force in our line up in their senior year and will be a headache to our opponents. We have some good sophomores too. Jose Villa, Jose Nuevo, Jose Alvarez, Daniel Lugo and Daniel Villafuerte got to hear the best of my yelling and are players who will return next season and will be greater as
they continue to improve. They are all very talented. My freshmen Angel Martinez is also a player who will have a good future. He has a lot to learn but has time. My other freshman Javier Barajas is definitely a player who will make history. He has tremendous skills for his age. I believe he scored more goals in his first season than any other player. ONCE A BULLDOG, ALWAYS A BULLDOG.
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By Steve “Big Daddy� Knapp Sports Writer
The staff basketball game was a challenge by the student body to play the DeSoto County High School staff in a basketball game after the season ended. Each class put together a team and through a series of elimination games, the seniors beat the sophomores in an exciting comeback in the final seconds to earn the right to play the staff. The championship game went back and forth until the seniors held a 3 point lead with under 10 seconds left to play. Through creative score keeping, officiating and time clock management, the seniors clung to a 2 point lead with just 1.1 seconds left in the game. Football and softball coach Jeff Golden took an inbounds pass at midcourt and turned around and threw up a Hail Mary shot. The ball hit nothing but net and the staff pulled out an exciting win by one point.
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Congrats Bulldogs on a job well done!
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