Sports

ANOTHER HONOR FOR LEGENDARY W.T. WHITE BASEBALL PATRIARCH

Retired coach Shepherd is part of third DISD hall of fame class

By Todd Jorgenson

People Newspapers MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

Almost eight years after his retirement, David Shepherd remains synonymous with the W.T. White High School baseball program. e school’s field is named after him, and his honors and accomplishments are detailed on signage on the bleachers. e latest recognition for the legacy of success during his 34-year tenure with the Longhorns will come in a virtual ceremony on Dec. 6, when Shepherd and nine others are inducted into the Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame.

“ is has been a great place to work,” Shepherd said. “When I came here, it was a blessing. I couldn’t wait to come in the morning. You grow attached to the kids.”

Shepherd grew up on a 50-acre farm northeast of Commerce. He landed his first job in Dallas ISD after a 15-minute interview with administrator Ewell Walker, the father of football star Doak Walker, and remained a teacher and coach in the district for more than 50 years.

Shepherd started at Marsh Middle School before moving to WTW along with the school’s first ninth-grade class. He became the varsity baseball coach in 1980 and led the Longhorns to 32 consecutive playoff appearances. He won more than 650 games and 16

I was tough, and I think the kids appreciated that. David Shepherd

The baseball field at W.T. White High is named for retired coach David Shepherd. “Coach Shep” led the Longhorns for 34 years, earning his place in the Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of

Fame. (PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY)

district titles before retiring in 2014 at age 71.

“I’m an old country boy. Baseball has always been part of my life,” he said. “I don’t know what I would have done if I couldn’t coach baseball.”

Shepherd, who also chaired the biology department at WTW, led the team to the Class 4A state quarterfinals in 1991. He was inducted into the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009.

“I was tough, and I think the kids appreciated that,” said Shepherd, who emphasized discipline and fundamentals. “I taught them the right way to play. We played hard, but we played clean.” ese days, Shepherd enjoys staying in touch with his hundreds of former players. He mentored four future Major League players and dozens more who went on to play in college.

Four of David Shepherd’s all-state players at W.T. White eventually reached the major leagues.

MLB Name Position Career Trey Beamon OF 1996-98 Notable: Made MLB debut at age 22 with Pirates

Calvin Murray OF 1999-2004 Notable: Drafted seventh overall by Giants in 1992

Jeremy Hill RHP 2002-03 Notable: Made 11 bullpen appearances for the Royals

Bryan Holaday C 2012-21 Notable: Played for six teams, including Arizona in 2021

Calvin Murray was taken in the first round of the MLB draft in 1989. Trey Beamon and Jeremy Hill each had brief big-league careers, and Bryan Holaday has been a journeyman catcher for multiple organizations for the last decade.

“Once I started in that first season, it just took off from there,” Shepherd said. “ e success of my kids has been a driving force for me. I’d like to think I played a little part in that.”

ESD Makes History, Although Season Ends Short of Goal Line Hockaday, St. Mark’s claim SPC volleyball titles at tournament

By Todd Jorgenson

People Newspapers

After a year of reaching unprecedented heights, Episcopal School of Dallas fell short of the summit at the SPC football championship game. e Eagles battled through injuries but couldn’t answer a second-quarter barrage by Houston Kinkaid during a 42-17 defeat on Nov. 6.

Kinkaid (9-2) avenged a regular-season loss to previously unbeaten ESD (10-1), which was seeking its first SPC title since 2014 and its first-ever in the large-school classification.

“We were a little banged up, but this is one of the toughest and hardest-hitting teams I’ve ever been a part of,” said ESD head coach Richard Williams. “ ey set a new bar for the ESD football program just PCP_Dec2021x10Banner-Final.pdf 1 11/4/2021 3:26:14 PMby getting here.” e Eagles still finished one of the best seasons in program history. eir undefeated regular season included victories against traditional powerhouse programs from the Houston area. Meanwhile, the Hockaday School’s perfect season — and a late St. Mark’s School of Texas resurgence — culminated in SPC volleyball championships. e Daisies swept all three of their matches at the conference tournament, punctuated by an emphatic win over Arlington Oakridge in the title match. It was a fitting conclusion to perhaps the best season in school history, as Hockaday dropped just one set against SPC opponents this season. In the process, Hockaday (29-7) earned its first championship since 2008 and just its second overall. e Daisies were battle-tested by an early-season tournament schedule that included wins over public school programs such as Plano East, Richardson Pearce, and Mansfield Legacy. Plus, they were unbeaten

LEFT: With a title game loss to Houston Kinkaid, previously unbeaten ESD finished 10-1, one victory short of its first

large-school classification SPC football championship. (PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY) RIGHT: Hockaday capped a perfect season, sweeping their SPC tournament matches, including the title match with Arlington Oakridge. (PHOTO: ROB GRAHAM)

during an abbreviated campaign in 2020.

In the boys bracket, St. Mark’s earned its seventh SPC crown despite coming into the tournament as an underdog. e Lions were just 4-4 in regular-season league play but peaked at the right time. e biggest hurdle was a fourset victory over rival Greenhill in the semifinals. e top-seeded Hornets had beaten St. Mark’s twice during the regular season and were hosting the tournament. at set the table for a five-set thriller in the championship match against Fort Worth Trinity Valley, which enabled the Lions to bring home the trophy for the first time since 2018.

Also, at the SPC fall meet, St. Mark’s successfully defended its SPC title in cross country, led by an individual runner-up finish from Sahil Dodda.

In girls cross country, Hockaday’s Margaret ompson was the individual gold medalist, followed by ESD’s Victoria Schmidt. e Daisies were second as a team.