Region XIV Athletics

News Around the Region . . .

NJCAA Championship Game: Blinn 31, Fort Scott 26

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Blinn College won the NJCAA national championship scoring on an 84-yard Chad Froechnicht punt return with 15 seconds left to defeat Fort Scott (KS) Community College 31-26. It was the Buccaneers’ fourth national title and the second under head coach Brad Franchione who is a native of Pittsburg, KS, which hosted the Citizens Bank Bowl.

“He started running right at me on the sidelines. He stuck his right foot in the ground and turned up and I said ‘Oh, my gosh, he’s going to score,’” Franchione said.

“The first two punt returns, I ran to the right. So I thought they were going to over pursue. I hugged the ball. Ran to the right a little and saw them all pursuing so I cut back. I think I got one or two blocks and I told myself ‘you’re not stopping until you get in the end zone,’” Froechnicht said.

The Buccaneers rallied in the second half after Fort Scott put up 26 unanswered points. Sophomore running back Mike Hayes brought the Bucs within one score on a 14-yard run and a two-point conversion set up by a Gadrian Muse interception of Dominique Davis. Then in the fourth quarter, Hayes bulled his way in from the nine yard line. The Greyhounds sacked Cam Newton on the two-point conversion attempt to leave the Bucs short of the tie.

Blinn special teams provide lift in 10-1 season

BRENHAM — As the Blinn College football team prepares to take aim at its second national championship in the past four seasons, there’s little doubt that it’s been a special season.

And while the Buccaneer offensive and defensive units have earned their share of the credit, it’s easy to forget the other units that have been crucial to Blinn’s success - the special teams.

“There are three pieces to the football puzzle,” Blinn (10-1) special teams coach Cody Fennley said. “The main special teams mission is to get good field position in kickoff and punting. There is hidden yardage in special teams.”

Brenham Banner-Press

Navarro faces stiff task in Mississippi Gulf Coast

COPPERAS COVE — Nick Bobeck watched the DVD of Mississippi Gulf Coast College’s 75-71 loss to East Mississippi in their state championship game. And he watched it again and again and again.

And then he watched it, not as a coach of 10-1 Navarro College, but simply as a football fan.

Corsicana Daily Sun

Jacksonville women turn up heat in win over Blinn

JACKSONVILLE — The Blinn Lady Buccaneers were expecting a low-scoring contest in their Region 14 opener against the Jacksonville Lady Jaguars.

Instead, it was a last-second shot on a night of great shooting that proved costly for Blinn in a 72-71 loss here Wednesday night.

Baytown Sun

Robinson fires in 21 points as JBC upends Blinn in OT

JACKSONVILLE — The Blinn Buccaneers got their first taste of how difficult Region 14 Conference play is going to be here Wednesday night in an 87-83 overtime loss to Jacksonville College.

Blinn, which was picked to finish last in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll, had an 11-point lead with nine minutes remaining in the game, but a scoring drought combined with 21 points from Jacksonville post Gary Robinson prevented the Buccaneers from earning their first conference victory under first-year head coach Tra Arnold.

Brenham Banner-Press

Lee pulls upset over previously unbeaten San Jac

BAYTOWN — The Lee College Rebels fought their way to an 80-76 win over the now 12-1 Ravens Wednesday night at the Lee College Sports Arena.

The win advances the Rebels to 4-6.

Milwaukee freshman Antone Byrd led the way with 36 points. Josh Micheaux scored 19 and Jacob McDonald finished the night with 13.

Corsicana Daily Sun

Former Kilgore players earn honors at TCU

LONGVIEW — After posting an 8-0 record in the Mountain West Conference, it's no surprise the TCU Horned Frogs had a total of 19 players named to the all-conference teams.

Nick Sanders and Wayne Daniels, a couple of Kilgore graduates, were both selected to the all-conference teams. Sanders was named to the first team as a cornerback. He finished the year with 28 tackles, and Daniels had 47 tackles, eight tackles for losses, 51/2 sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Longview News-Journal

Phelps drops in 27 as Kilgore rolls to victory

KILGORE — Johnathan Phelps scored 27 points, including 7-for-9 shooting from three-point range, to lead Kilgore College's men's basketball team to a 104-56 rout over the Northwestern State University junior varsity on Wednesday at Masters Gymnasium.

Longview News-Journal

Free throws down stretch lift TJC past Panola

CARTHAGE — Panola College's men's basketball team cut a 12-point, second-half Tyler Junior College lead to three in the final minute, but the Apaches hit 10 of 10 free-throw attempts in the last three minutes to hold off the Ponies in a 64-57 win at Arthur Johnson Gymnasium.

Longview News-Journal

Trinity Valley holds on to defeat Paris in OT

PARIS — From the opening tip of Wednesday’s game against the Trinity Valley Cardinals, the Paris Junior College Dragons faced an uphill battle.

PJC fell behind by 10 points within the first three minutes and played tight defense near the end of regulation and one overtime period.

Trinity Valley struck its final dagger early in the second overtime when Adrian Forbes and Isiah Rusher scored back-to-back baskets to give the Cardinals a lead they wouldn’t lose, as they escaped PJC’s Hunt Center with a 76-71 win in double-overtime.

Paris News

TVCC women run win streak over Paris to 70

PARIS — It’s a new season with new coaches and many new players. Yet it was still the same result for the Paris Junior College Lady Dragons, as they were trumped 85-62 by the No. 7 nationally ranked Trinity Valley Community College Lady Cardinals on Wednesday at the Hunt Center.

PJC (6-4, 1-1) is winless in 70 attempts against the perennial powerhouse Trinity Valley squad.

Paris News

Navarro 3-pointers drown Bossier Parish, 86-61

CORSICANA — Navarro coach Johnny Estelle made an obvious, but important point after the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ 86-61 victory over Bossier Parish on Wednesday night at the Wolens Center.

You recruit shooters to make shots. So when the 3-pointers rained in for Navarro like they did against Bossier, it was a good thing. And a planned thing.

“When you recruit guys who can shoot the ball, you’re happy when they finally start going in,” Estelle said

Corsicana Daily Sun

Navarro OL Grant eager for chance in last game

CORSICANA — The disappointment that came with losing to Blinn in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference championship game for the second straight season would leave some sophomores in a funk.

But David Grant is not your normal sophomore. The 6-7, 310-pound tackle has plenty left to prove to himself and to Division I recruiters. He’ll get that opportunity on Saturday in the Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove against No. 7-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast in his final game as a Navarro Bulldog.

Corsicana Daily Sun

Region Quick Hits

• JC GRID-WIRE ALL-AMERICAN LIST: Navarro, Blinn place 2 apiece on JC Grid-Wire All-American Team (PDF)
• NJCAA ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL TEAMS: Title holders Navarro, Blinn top list
• NJCAA ALL-AMERICAN VOLLEYBALL TEAMS: National champ Blinn has 2 on No. 1 team
• NJCAA WOMEN'S ALL-AMERICAN SOCCER: Navarro's Venecia Reid earns first-team status
• NJCAA MEN'S ALL-AMERICAN SOCCER: SJC has 2, Tyler 1 on first team
• 2008-09 ALL-REGION XIV MEN'S BASKETBALL: All-Region teams from Region XIV
• 2008-09 REGION XIV ALL-CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL: First, second and honorable mention
• 2008-09 ALL-REGION XIV ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM: Regional team, All-Conference
• 2009 ALL-REGION XIV ALL-CONFERENCE EAST ZONE: All-Conference team from East Zone only
• 2009 SWJCFC FOOTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE: All-SWJCFC team, including HM
• 2009 REGION XIV WOMEN'S ALL-CONFERENCE: TJC, Navarro dominates team