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E-MAILS AND LETTERS
What a tight playoff match between Hays and Round Rock! After a slow start, Hays fought hard to get back into the match, and neither team ever let up. Congratulations to Round Rock on the win. I do have one additional note to add regarding the article written up on the match. Round Rock achieved the win by playing very strong offense AND defense. Likewise, the Hays team's offense AND defense stayed strong until the end. Both teams have stellar offenses which certainly deserve the credit they received in the article, but both team's defensive players deserve a little acknowledgment too. - JE (posted 11/3/04)
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I'm enjoying every letter I get from your site and am so glad you have found successful ways to stay afloat. Just let me know how to become a subscriber. I follow the Tigers (Dripping Springs). I'm so proud of each and every one of the young women and appreciate the long hard work to achieve so much. Also, I want to congratulate the fine coaching. Jeff Coward believes in the talent of his players and does a great job making it all work. GO TIGERS!!! - Rose from Marietta Ga. (posted 11/1)
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Friendswood last year a powerhouse? Well look out this year with several returning from last year including 6'-1" Liz Schaab outside, Lauren Holdorff 6' middle, and to go along this year a very talented defense with several seniors including Lisa Palmer, Lissa Buffaloe and the list goes on. Also Friendswood added a new coach to the mix and it seems to be going just great for them. Although they realize they have a much tougher road ahead than last year with Klein Oak dropping down from 5A, Pine Tree looking tough and many others they seemed very focused Saturday against Clear Lake. Anyway if their is a team to watch or a bubble, someone may want to focus on the Friendswood girls. Great website keep up the good work. - K (posted 11/1)
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Each weekend on Fox College Sports they have a game of the week that is played several times during the weekend. I watched my daughter play at Kentucky while I sat in a restaurant in Salt Lake City while I was on business. In Houston the Warner cable channel is 110. - JH (posted 10/29)
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Well I have a question for all you volleyball fans out there. Why can't collegiate volleyball get the respect it deserves as a sport and get some air time on TV or at least some coverage on a web site like ESPN or other nationally respected sports coverage? Many of you will say sure it does, look at AVP. Of course AVP gets better ratings than collegiate volleyball, the beach is more fun than the gym. However when I have to wade through 10 channels of celebrity poker each and every weekend to find any real sports that involve athleticism I begin to wonder why doesn't this sport, that is full of emotion, drama, upsets, dynasty's and everything else that makes sports great, get any kind of exposure at all. When I have gone to tournaments like the Colorado Crossroads, Lone Star Regionals or the Cross Court classic, I see hundreds of girls per age group playing a sport they all love. Yet, attendance, other than players and parents, is usually very poor.
Furthermore, I have now taken my 12 year old to 4 different college games and was shocked at the poor attendance. What is keeping volleyball from getting a draw of fans that will create a market to make it a more recognized sport. As a former college football player I understand that football is king in Texas, heck they make movies about it. I just don't understand why the press in general has such a tough times recognizing the numbers of people who watch this sport. As someone who grew up in Texas playing football I could pick up any news paper on any day of the week and read articles about my heroes, whether they where still in college or had gone pro. What do we do to give our girls heroes other than the AVP. Why is it that other countries have professional teams and we don't? Please help enlighten me.
I also want to say I truly appreciate web sites like LSVB and Prepvolleyball.com that at least allow me to follow the high school games. - MO (posted 10.28)
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How about those North Crowley Panthers! Moved into 5A competition this year. Finished overall 30-8 and Co-Champions of District 4-5 at 13-1. Best kept secret in North Texas! Solid at each position, including at least 3 bonafide Division 1 recruits. How about a little love? - MJ (posted 10/27)
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It has to be said that your knocking Cedar Park down to 16 from 12 is absolutely laughable. Did Round Rock win in their last match up. You bet, and they played awesome. But also remember that Cedar Park has beaten this team in 4 as well—Just as “easily.” Both of these teams have some of the best talent coming out of central Texas and to discount Cedar Park the way you did in your ranking and comments is just plain “disrespectful.” You moved Round Rock up 4 spots based on one match. Apparently Cedar Park must be better than they are given credit for as you found this win worth four spots in state rankings. - TC (posted 10/19)
Editor's note: Cedar Park's ranking had a lot to do with the fact that they kept winning while teams above them were losing and dropping in the rankings. We've been saying for a couple of weeks that at some point they would get the chance to prove they deserved such a high ranking. The Round Rock match was such a chance, but they came up a little short so we dropped them back to about where we feel they should be.
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How can you not even have Clear Creek mentioned in your top 20 and teams to watch. Let's look back at what they have done as a very young team (only 2 seniors). Beat Dobie in 3, beat Strafford in 5, they are 10 - 0 in District. They have the best setter in the state. I know they have lost 11 games, but this is a young team who has played up and down most of the season and if they get on an up swing in the playoffs watch out. - DS (posted 10/19)
Editor's note: Agreed they have a couple of nice wins, but they dug themselves a ranking hole with several not so nice losses in August and September. They'll have a chance to climb into the rankings with a strong playoff showing.
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I am
glad you have been able to work things out on a subscription basis
to keep LoneStarVolleyball going. We need sites like yours. I think
with your site and more and more writers covering volleyball at the
high
school and club level it continues to raise awareness across the state
of a what a great and exciting sport volleyball is. Its great to be
able to go to one site and try to stay up with what's going on in action
around
the state.
Watching the Texas vs. Texas A&M volleyball match at College Station
this weekend was a high point for me with 3,150 fans going nuts even
though there
was an array of football games on cable. The level of volleyball was simply
outstanding. At some point people in Texas will realize there is a
life that doesn't involve
chasing pig skins which is a lot more satisfying. Continue your great job. -
JM (posted 10/18)
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Watch out 3A State qualifiers we are on a roll....right into the playoffs. The Bellville Brahmanettes are in third currently but Inglish continues to ring true with total kills as the kill leader and Streckfuss is a solid force at the net as middle blocker. The two sisters of the Chancellor family are turning in solid performances and Hugo, Schmidt, Meier, and Schneider are top notch as well. It will be interesting to watch them reach the pinnacle at the playoffs. There are so many talents on this years team it will be hard to not notice each and everyone of them. The bench is well rehearsed too. Did I mention the outstanding academic players this team has ? Keep your eyes on the ball....We are swinging hard ! Bellville Brahmanette fan '04..Win State! - JS (posted 10/10)
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If the Cinco Ranch region is so tough maybe KP could explain why it hasn't produced a state champion in 20 years. Think that region was tough last year, try competing in one that included Westlake, Churchill and Clark. And I'm not sure adding the Cy-Fair schools makes it any tougher since to the best of my memory they didn't even send a team to last year's regional tournament. And I think it was one of those North Texas survivors KP is downgrading that eliminated the all-powerful ~@@#@! Houston Stratford in the opening round at San Marcos last year. That makes at least two regions that had stronger teams. And since Martin, the other region winner, finished second at both Duncanville and Pearland last year (where Houston teams had a chance to beat them) I'd say it could be argued that Cinco Ranch played in the weakest region last year. - MS (posted 8/5)
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I really appreciate the weekly HS Volleyball coverage you and your staff publish. I look forward to the weekly updates as my lone pipeline information outside the Greater Houston area. The Houston Chronicle provides a weekly snippet related to volleyball that is slightly above the boxscore information... unless of course there happens to be some human interest story related to the sport. Still, it would only cover the local scene.
Allright, now my point; I really must question the approach and reasoning methods related to the Top 20 rankings. And yes, I do have a daughter that plays for Cinco Ranch. (Right...here's the motive). The Cougars have won 3 straight district titles and if not for ~@@#@! Houston Stratford, we would have made possibly 2 trips to San Marcos.
I know...c'mon Dad, get over it..turn the page. Still, you have not ranked us in the top 20 all year. Furthermore, I haven't seen you list us on the "ones to watch". We are 20-9, beaten 3 of your top 20, and just took Katy to 15-13 five sets. Obviously, the Central Texas region must be "the hotbed" for HS volleyball. In fact, those regions just got much healthier with the decision to move the Cy-Fair ISD schools to Region 3. That way, they can come and join Cinco, Stratford, Katy, and the rest for the "one" golden invitation to the final 4. There, they can meet the "survivors" of those stout El Paso, RGV, and North Texas areas. My main question is why the omittance of Cinco Ranch in your polls? Usually, a team is rated much higher based on their past performance and often not related to their current team.
Again, thank you for your coverage and I look forward to yet another exciting run toward the 2004 Tx. HS Volleyball Championships. - KP (posted 10/3)
Editor's note: Actually we had Cinco Ranch #15 in our first ranking of the season. Questionable early season losses dropped them out and untimely losses since have kept them from returning. But there is still time for the team to win its way back into our rankings - especially with Houston teams beating up on each other on a regulal basis this season.
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I would like to thank you for adding perspective to the private school vs. public school rankings debate. Our local private school is state ranked in TAPPS and their players' letter jackets abound with award patches, yet the quality of play is comparable to our lowest ranked 5A high school in town, who gets NO publicity. Our daughter eventually wants to play college volleyball, so as we look ahead for next year at volleyball programs at local high schools, we have been VERY misled by all the hype our newspaper has given (and continues to give) our private school programs. These girls work very hard and represent their school well, but these apples are certainly not oranges!!!! -TM (posted 9/24)
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I’ve noticed several letters about private school talent vs public school talent. My observation has been that some folks want to play small time but be treated as big time. Their (private school) program just might be considered to be top notch – for their league – but until you can play and compete and defeat the big dogs, don’t pretend to even think you are in the same league as the state ranked teams – of any level. Yes – the big 4-A and 5-A (or even smaller public schools, actually) do have more players to choose from, so of course they are going to have stronger programs. And – because some of these (smaller) private schools don’t have those numbers in stronger players to choose from, it is much easier for a (small private school) player to earn (multiple) awards because her level of talent might be above that of an average player. To use the comparison loosely with no slam intended to junior highs – even some of these state ranked private schools cannot compare themselves to a highly competitive junior high program. Where do you think these (public) high schools get their better players? And to suggest that there be a different ranking list for public schools and a different list for private schools – get real. We’re talking “competitive” volleyball so don’t proceed to insult those players that have also worked really hard and have excelled with their talent and earned a spot for themselves on “ranked” teams by saying these (smaller) private schools – you know who you are – are of the same level and deserve to be ranked with these teams. Want to hang with the big dogs – then earn YOUR spot. All this said, congratulations to those (big or small) private school programs that have truly excelled with their programs by playing competitively and actually earning their rank. Believe it or not, girls play more than one sport in the bigger schools, too, and you won’t believe this - they keep their grades up as well. Wow! I guess true athletes exist everywhere – NOT only in the small schools - contrary to what some people think. - BJH (posted 9/24)
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First of all congratulations on the going to state in volleyball and softball. But this is volleyball.com. This web site is devoted to club and high school volleyball TEAMS not just athletes and definitely not softball. I hate to tell you this but, if playing multiple sports is the true mark of an athlete, then the tapps and SPC schools have a bigger argument than Caldwell and Monahans. Just like small schools should not be omitted because they are small, big school shouldn't be omitted because they are big. I would be willing to bet the farm if a 1A team had the players from Westlake or Churchill on it they would be number one here too. Stop complaining about who is first or second and celebrate the fact that there is even a place to have such a thing. This site is about more than just "we're better than everyone else" And anyone who has not seen all of the teams in the top 20 play or have not beaten them, has no absolutely no legs to stand on. That just makes you a hater. Besides Caldwell had their chance at the rebel bash and lost to Dripping springs. If any small school has an argument it's Poth - MB (posted 9/24)
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I would just like to comment on only large schools being in the rankings. The true athletes are the ones from the smaller schools who play more than one sport and can keep up with their grades, and even make it to state twice. Why aren't those kind of schools and athletes mentioned. Teams like Caldwell and Monahans....they can be called true athletes. Both of these schools made it to state in volleyball and softball. (Two major girls sports) Consider that. - Lacey (posted 9/22)
Editor's note: While we are very aware that there are very good athletes at smaller schools, our rankings reflect the top teams in the state regardless of size. The coaches poll reflects rankings by school size. We don't ignore small schools. In fact, last year our final #1 was a 3A school - Wimberley, which earned its position by beating the top 4A and 5A teams in the state and completely dominated its 3A competition.
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To
Bellville Fan and Jeff -
To Bellville Fan and Jeff : I was not going to comment on this until
inaccuracies arose. You're obviously proud of beating Hays to finish
3rd at the Rebel Bash over
Hays' 4th place finish. Bellville has a very good team with some
great outsides - you brought your best game that day. If you want
to say it's "silly" to have a team on the "to
watch" list that has gone to 20 with Westlake, and beaten New
Braunfels, Poth, and other quality teams, that's your opinion and
you're entitled to it, but please keep your comments factual - Anna
did NOT
play in the Hays/Bellville match, and the score was 17-10 prior to
your making your great comeback. Just the facts.... - SM (posted
9/20)
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I wanted to add to the comments in reference to Bellville and the teams to watch. From personal experience with this team, I believe they are truely a team to watch. They are improving every match and have beaten some tough teams already this season. 15-5 is a great way to start district. Beating Hays was (as they say) no accident....down 7-17 in game 2 and came back to win......Oh and Anna was playing in that match. Just keep them in mind next go around.......The BRAHMANETTS ARE BACK!!! - Fan '04 (posted 9/16)
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Okay now it's gone totally ludacris. When people start having problems with teams on the "TEAMS TO WATCH" list I know it's time for a reality check. Whats next? Umm Hays shouldn't be on the "TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE" list either. People put too much emphasis on rankings. High School Rankings are opinions not facts and there is no science to it. Make your oun website and put Bellville on your "teams to watch" list. - MB (posted 9/15)
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And I'm sorry but having Hays in your teams to watch is just silly. At least give some of the 3A teams some props. Bellville (#4-3A) smoked them in the semis, and it was no accident. Yeah they don't have Anna, but why would anyone make a ranking based on what they don't have? - Jeff (posted 9/14)
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I couldn't agree more ..... these athletes need time to rest, regroup, let old injuries heal, and be teenagers ! This whole situation with classes, school season, club season, camps, and who knows what else overlapping is out of control. - A Concerned Parent and Fan (posted 8/22)
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Thank you Scott, and thank you JS for your thoughts on this very real subject in Texas. It is as if coaches and club directors do not have a real clue that here in Texas, when one goes to J.O.'s, and then has to start school in August, and preseason team camp in July, these young athletes barely catch a break to refresh, regroup, and rebuild themselves. It is out of control, and down the road, we will suffer here in Texas with loss of some good athletes, I fear. As I watch so many of the young athletes, even their extremely short break here in Texas is often loaded up with camps, as it truly becomes year round. I know a few who are playing through injury and pain as they are forced to start their seasons with injuries that have not had time to heal up enough. I wonder if this situation is happening in any other states? Anyway, thanks to Scott and JS for their perceptive thoughts on the subject. - A Concerned Volleyball Lover (posted 8/22)
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I want to thank you for all the in depth coverage your website has provided for Texas volleyball and I pray that it will continue to supply information for all who are interested and then some. I want to also thank you for the recent letter written to combat "burn-out" (Around The State 8/20). I have been involved with club volleyball for twelve years and have watched it become more demanding on these young ladies; to the point where they don't have time to be themselves (a sister, daughter, friend, grand daughter, etc.). I have walked away from several clubs due to our differences based on club ethics and policies that in my opinion breed "burn-out" and a couple other issues. I do pray that parents and club director/coaches pay attention to this advice. There are reasons why the NCAA has placed limits on our ability to coach our players at the collegiate level and many are for this reason as well. I only hope that USA Volleyball will step in to do the same soon. I can voice my opinion on and on about what I am seeing, but I will stop at this point and thank you one more time. After all, we see the next product of "burn-out" at the collegiate level and then we all see the final product when they step into the real world as leaders, spouses, mothers, role models, etc. We all should be looking out for what's best for not only the game of volleyball, but most importantly the young women who participate in the game. Thanks! - JS (posted 8/20)
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It is a shame that you can't also include private schools in the rankings or have a separate ranking for them. There are some very good Private School Volleyball teams out there. - KL (posted 8/17)
Editor's note: Our rankings are open to all schools, public and private. In fact, we've included private schools and players in both our rankings and All-Texas teams in the past. Unfortunately, even the exceptional private school teams that St. Michael's and St. Mary's Hall had last year suffered losses to un-ranked public schools that cost them a spot in the rankings. Also, our rule has always been that if you want to be ranked among the elite you have to compete against the elite, so private school teams that compile good records against other private schools but don't compete against top 4A and 5A teams will have a hard time proving they deserve a ranking. So far this year we haven't seen or heard of any private school teams capable of beating the teams in our Top 20, but we'll keep looking.
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Just wanted to say what a great job and thanks for your informative web site. My daughter finished up her first year of club volleyball (12U) and is looking forward playing for her Middle School Team. Club experience was all new to us and your web site gave me the insight to the overall big picture. This knowledge will help us continue down the right pathway of club volleyball, which we all thoroughly enjoyed this past season. Keep up the great work! - BT (posted 8/16)
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As a parent of a girl who played in the state semi-finals, it's important to note that schools whose hometown press corps care enough to send representatives to the state tournament are at an advantage over those (like ours) whose hometown papers operate under the delusion that football is the only game in town. If your hometown press attends the tournament, they are allowed to help select the all-tournament teams for the State Tournament. If they don't, your girls won't get the votes.
Seems to me that a more fair assessment of the players' performances in the tournament would be selections by the officials who officiate and attend the tournament. UIL has really dropped the ball on this one.
The ALL STATE team members are nominated by their coaches; the deadline for nominating a player is around the first of November. So, if a coach doesn't nominate, his players most likely will not be selected.
My daughter's team had no all-tournament team members even though they were barely defeated. They had several girls who really played well. We had NO local press members present. When reporters don't know volleyball even exists, they really should not have a say in the selection of players who deserve recognition! Why is this tolerated? I'll tell you. It's because volleyball is primarily a girl's sport! They just don't care. - Steamed In East Texas--TLBG (posted 8/10)
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I would
like to thank you for publishing Jennie's Story(Dec. 25, 2003 Amarillo
Globe News) on your website. She is my daughter and this along with the tremendous
support she received from her teamates last year and now is truly a story worth
telling. At the time of the accident on Sept. 15, 2003 the entire team and
coaches immediately stopped what they wre doing and came to see Jennie
at NWTH emergency
room to see her before surgery. The doctors let all in at once so Jennie could
see and hear her friends. I thought that a key moment in Jennie's life to see
all of them there, showing love and support.
The Volleyball team was devestated and hurting with Jennie. With district volleyball
in action there was discussion of postponing the next match which was the next
day, Sept. 16th versus 4A powerhouse Hereford. Jennie wished they would go ahead
and play. They did and with some kind of inner strenght and emotion, down 2 games
to one the Pampa girls rallied to take game 4 then finished strong to defeat
the Herd 3-2, for the first match win over them in 18 years. Those girls who
had lost a key player in Jennie, some how pulled it all together for a big victory
in Volleyball history for the school. The ladies were emotionally and physically
exhausted from the previous day with their thoughts strictley with Jennie.
I believe these girls should be recognized because of their heart and soul. All the girls have been together since grade schools, now their senior year and Jennie is managing team. 9 seniors on team (great team I think). These girls will be successful I know, they showed their spirit last year and I will allways hold each and all of them as a dear friend for us forever. - Stephen Rogers / Pampa Texas "Home of the Lady Harvesters" Number One in HEART! (posted 8/9)
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Dear Editor, I get the impression you don't think much of the Junior Olympic Invitational Tournament held in Austin, June 24 - 27, and your Lone Star Regional clubs that competed. I noticed you had the web-site to click on for results but you failed to mention any of the clubs that competed.
The Waco Jr's Stacy team qualified at the Lone Star Regional Tournament, for the J.O.'s National Division, by beating Pearland Jrs and Centex 141, (Waco placed 3rd), but were not able to go due to a paperwork confusion on our teams part. We did participate in the Invitational Tournament and won the 14's division by going 11 wins and 0 losses in match play.
There is no doubt that the Lone Star Region is one of the toughest regions in the country when it comes to volleyball and we are proud to be a part of it. Some of the hardest fought matches we had at the Invitational Tournament were from teams in Texas such as Spike Sport and Willowbrook. For a club that has only been in existence for about 5 years I think we are doing pretty good.
I was just a little disappointed in the lack of congratulations you showed the teams from Texas at the Invitational Tournament. - Proud Parent (posted 7/26)
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How about giving some recognition to those younger Texas teams at Nationals? The Alamo 13 Kaepa finished 2nd after a tough loss in the championships to Kiva. There is some outstanding up and coming talent on that Alamo team (several of which will attend Reagan and Churchill - no surprise there!) Way to go girls! - Joella (posted 7/6)
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How could you not love Erika Castro. What a great article on her this month. She is a great kid with so much talent. Best of luck to you in college. - Robyn (posted 6/22)
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Thank you for your two recent stories on Erika Castro and Michael Faulkner. It's nice that someone finally realizes that there are excellent players competing in the private schools, too. - WSM (posted 6/22)
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Thanks for your mention of Bexar County Juniors 161 in the May 30 Around the State article. Your assessment that BC161 was "knocking on the door" of the national rankings for 16 club teams is right on! April Fricke's BC161 team have fought through injuries (having only 6 healthy bodies for several tournaments), illness and schedule conflicts in a season which culminated in a third place finish in the Tampa Bay Qualifier and the championship at the Lone Star Qualifier, 16 Club Division and a well deserved berth at Nationals in Houston. Thanks to Lone Star Volleyball for recognizing a quality 16 team on the rise! Go BC Go! - Bexar County 161 parents (posted 6/7)
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As the mother of a volleyball player who attends a private school I really appreciated your story on Michael Faulkner. I am continually frustrated by the way our local newspaper ignores private schools. Maybe we don't have the overall talent to match the bigger schools but there are many talented athletes playing for private schools. Thank you for recognizing one of them. I look forward to reading more about these often overlooked athletes. - Brenda (posted 5/24)
Editor's note: Thanks for the note. We created this web site for a couple of reasons. One was to give coaches, parents and players an easy way to keep up with what was happening in other parts of the state. Another was to recognize good volleyball regardless of where it is played. That's why we created the All-Texas Team to recognize deserving players regardless of their school size and that's why we consider both public and private schools in our rankings.
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Thanks for your rankings and there are a great many good 16 teams but you failed to even mention TAV 16 National as one of the ones who could have been ranked too. This is after a 5th in Crossroads, 2nd in NEQ, & 5th in Lone Star. And going to Nationals in American Div. - JB (posted 5/21)
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I have to agree with Jimmie Melinder. 25% of the teams in 16 Open come from TEXAS. Now if that isn’t a testament of how much talent this age group has here in Texas, I don’t know what is. Have fun at JO’s and GO TEXAS!!!!! - Kristine (posted 5/15)
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I just wanted to state how exciting the qualifiers have been and what a statement the teams from Texas are making with 7 teams outright qualifying for JO's in 16 open. I am looking forward to seeing all these teams compete at JO's and I know that they will all represent Texas, their clubs and their families proudly. - Jimmie Melinder (posted 4/30)
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I enjoy
reading your articles each week during the year, but it seems that
you are perpetuating the notion that only the Open Division matters.
All of your recent Lone Star Qualifier summaries were about the Open
Division and completely neglected some great and exciting volleyball
that took place in the Club Division. There is some great volleyball
being played outside the Open Division, but it just seems like the
easy way out to do the significant majority of your reporting on
the Open Division.
Among the highlights you and most others missed in the Club Division:
1. 18 Division - Texas Tornadoes 18 Dan rising up to win a National
bid after getting 2nd to TAV 18 National in Tampa. Speaking of TAV,
they were rolling along to probably another finals matchup with Tornadoes,
but suffered a bit of tragedy after their Outside Hitter went down
with a knee injury in the quarterfinals. They ended up losing in
3, and who knows if their outside hitter will be available for Nationals.
2. 17 Division - A similar situation for Kaepa Circle City 172 (I
know they aren't a Texas team but it's a great story nonetheless).
After
getting 2nd at 2 different qualifiers, they finally win one, beating
TAV 17 National in the finals. In order to get to the finals, TAV
had to win 3, 3-game matches in row on Sunday, including a thriller
against
top-seeded AIM in the semi-finals. It also was a great tournament
for 2nd teams, with 4 of the top 8 teams being 2nd teams, including
both
teams in the finals (Circle City and TAV). The other 2 teams were
AMV Black and Austin Jrs. Navy. Willowbrook's and Alamo's 2nd teams
also
faired well, finishing tied for 9th.
It just shows the strength of some of these Texas programs that there
are so many 2nd teams doing so well, especially with TAV's 2nd 17s
team double-qualifying for Nationals. If you are looking for a good
story, talk to some of those coaches and club directors about the
success of their 2nd teams. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would
be interested
in reading how they've been so successful.
2nd teams had similar success in the 16 Division, also with 4 of
the top 8 teams being 2nd teams, and Tornadoes had a 3rd team finish
tied
for 9th.
Everyone knows how great the Open teams are, so it's like preaching
to the choir. We hear about those same group of girls the entire
year during high school and all through the club season. It's the
other
great players in the state who get overlooked just because they play
in the Club Division or happen to play at great programs like Tornadoes,
TAV, Austin Jrs., Alamo, etc. Let's give them the attention they
deserve.
Thanks and keep up the good work. - Jim S. (posted 4/30)
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I have followed your information on Lone Star for Day 1 and Day 2, hoping that Day 3 would include some highlights from the club division. Will you be doing a follow up to the first two days or was day two it? Open division (at least the gold division) does cover the elite players, however, the top of the club division still includes elite players that people should be interested in. - NTR parent (posted 4/30)
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AIM Miguel 16 Kaepa won the Far Western Qualifier outright - taking the National Bid for JO's. It's about time for everyone to start noticing this team!! - JS (posted 4/21)
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I greatly appreciate your article by Don Kalkstein about Burnout. As the father of a 14 and 15 year old, these girls have been doing volleyball, volleyball, volleyball until their eyes have popped out. They and I needed this article and it was very timely. Thanks. - JB (posted 4/14)
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Great article on "Head Games: Getting Burned Out!" Being a new parent, I haven't been through it personally, but coaching in various age groups the past few years, I've seen it. It's really a juggling process for the athlete. I think your parents and other support systems in your life can make or break you when facing this particular subject. Curious as to what some others have experienced. - Chris (posted 4/13)
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Congratulations to AMV and Willowbrook 16s for their 1-2 finish at the Northeast Qualfiier even though they weren't anywhere to be found in the national rankings. Just goes to show that it's what you do on the court and not the rankings that really counts! - MS (posted 4/13)
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Congratulations to both North Dallas and Amarillo for earning a bid to Nationals at the Northeast Qualifier. From what I understand, all the TX teams played well. Go Texas and represent us at Nationals. - NC (posted 4/12)
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Please keep in mind that the opinions of HP fan are the opinions of one person and not the whole team. The 20-18 game you refer to was one of the more memorable games that I have been involved in and I look forward to the chance for our teams to meet again. Centex is a wonderful team with excellent players and coaching. The parents are great fans and very friendly. For us (HP) to say that we are flat out better based upon a 20-18 3rd game win would be silly. I think that any of the top Texas teams could beat another on any given day. Having said that I believe that all of the Texas 15's have a great chance at the upcoming qualifiers. Good luck to all of the Texas teams and we look forward to seeing many of them in Tampa. - RK (posted 3/18)
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Congrats to Centex for winning the Houston tournament. You "sharecroppers" definitely know how to play volleyball and are a worthy adversary. The results from that tournament seem to answer some questions about Houston Jrs 15s (9th in their own event???). The final match in the TCS was outstanding, shame someone had to lose and both sets of players and parents conducted themselves with class and dignity.Too bad everyone didn't get the chance to see it. Centex would have done well @ Crossroads and could have gone deep, as did Tx Tornadoes (very respectable 7th place finish) and TAV Asics who have an excellent team and are for real.
Texas
15s volleyball definitely belongs at the highest levels and there are
several teams that can and will challenge any of the top programs. HP,
Centex, TAV, Alamo, Austin Jrs, Tx Tornadoes all belong in Open(didn't
leave anyone out on purpose) As for the whole "barking bad dog"
thing, there is nothing wrong with a little self-promotion and team pride,
who doesn't want to stand up and cheer for their team.
A rematch? Absolutely, you only get better by taking on tough competition.See
you at Lone Star. Thanks to LoneStarvolleyball.com for providing a forum
to further Texas Volleyball. Great Job! Appreciate the love your sending
West. - High Plains Fan (posted 3/18)
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It is very easy to overlook a good team from the sun country because there are so many bad ones. The Amarillo JO's and High Plains are exceptions. New Mexico needs their own region. Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland and El Paso could be a region in itself. The JO's used to play in North Texas and did very good. On a side note good luck to all the Texas teams at Denver. - TT (posted 3/18)
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Many
of us in TX volleyball followers appreciate High Plains and their performance
in the Cross Roads event. It certainly did a lot for TX volleyball. At
this time, there is little
doubt High Plains is at the top of TX volleyball in the 15's division.
Initially, Cross Roads posted the results of the 15 open division incorrectly.
High Plains was not listed 4th. This was brought to your attention quickly
by myself, a Centex parent, and you promptly made the correction.
At Centex, our last match against a very good Austin Jrs teams saw them
go down 25-17 and 25-11. Our last match against the always strong Alamo
Kaepa was won 25-11 and 25-13. After beating High Plains 25-19 and 25-17,
Centex lost to High Plains 20-18 in the 3rd, but won the TX Championship
Series overall points title. I am sure the High Plains fan would love
to see another match with Centex.
With that said and after playing High Plains twice, their parents are
good sports. The self serving post from the "High Plains fan"
goes against the saying that bad dogs don't need to bark. It's kind of
like saying, "I are smart". Us here sharecroppers in central
Tx appreciate your website and thank you for taking the trouble to
provide
it. - Centex fan (posted 3/17)
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Dear Editor: High Plains 15-1 finished 4th in 15 Open just missing earning a bid by losing to Colorado Jrs. On the way defeating TX Advantage, Tx Tornadoes, Lady Aces, Delta Valley, Circle City barely losing to eventual champion KIVA in 3 games. This is the best 15s team in Texas (proving that by winning the TCS) and is among the top 10 teams in the country. Just because we are not in the "Lonestar Region" you seem to forget about us. How about a little respect!! Take a look at the results they speak for themselves. - No love for Amarillo/High Plains (posted 3/16)
Editor's note: Actually, if you follow our site you know that last week we had a photo of the High Plains team and an article about them winning the TCS in the Around The State column. The were initially left of the results from Crossroads because the Crossroads web site mistakenly forgot to list them in their final standings. We received several emails from High Plains fans and we made the change and highlighted their addition on the front page. It looks as if Crossroads received the same emails because they have since updated their site. There is plenty of love here at LoneStarVolleyball to make sure Amarillo gets its share.
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Congratulations to the High plains 15's on winning the Texas Championship series. Sounds like it was hard fought all the way with a lot of good teams in the final stop. Great tournament series and hopefully more Amarillo teams enter in the future. - TCS observer (posted 3/9)
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Through very reliable sources and alot of research I have come to the conclusion that the Amarillo j.o.'s 14's may be the best team in the country. With recent success at Texas Fest and the rumor that the legendary Danny Barker is the actual head puppeteer and mastermind of the operation. Kiva, Puerto Rico, Muncie, cc, Sting and whomever else might read this you better step up those practices. - West Texas Fan (posted 3/3)
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Alright Austin fan here are the top 4 teams in the tour finals in order of their finish this weekend. 1. AJV, 2. Alamo, 3. Tornados, 4. AIM AJV has beat all three teams in that pool, some twice. Alamo beat the tornados, and the tornados beat alamo at the first stop. Aim beat tornados, and the tornados beat them at the second stop. Alamo beat Aim in vegas and at the second stop. So Austin is ahead of all these teams and the other three can beat each other hmmm.....Austin finished higher at 17th and the other three finished in the same ten at vegas 41-51. Vegas keeps looking more and more valid after every stop. See ya after the tour finals. - VS (posted 3/1)
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Have your team play Alamo 16 twice and see how you do. Some great 17 year old teams have lost to the power house that is Alamo 16, but that team could be ranked extremely high in the 17 yr old group also. Rankings mean nothing. I get so annoyed that parents complain why their kids team is not ranked higher. Get over it, it doesn't matter, and yes it is subjective. You don't get a prize for being ranked 7 or 4 or 3. I think its sad that parents taint club volleyball. I have seen arguments over which team should win, yelling at line judges on a missed call, and being obnoxious. Parents watch how you child acts on the court and learn something from them. Its just a game. - MG (posted 2/27)
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I disagree with VS. All you have to do is look at the final standings in Vegas and compare who finished above who vs. what those teams have done against each other this year in tournament play and it is obvious that seeding as well as strength and weakness of the pools had more to do with the final standings than the actual strength of the teams. - Austin fan (posted 2/27)
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Re: Brittany's story: Very nice article about a very nice girl. Congratulations, Brittany on all your accomplishments and we'll see you when the Demon Deacons play the Tar Heels! Thanks lonestarvolley.com for recognizing a very talented player. - Mary Jo Peterson (posted 2/27)
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Please help me to understand. Willowbrook 16 Molten beat Austin Jrs Mizuno in a pretty decisive 2 game match at the last Tour of Texas stop in San Marcus. How did Austin move to a position over Willowbrook in the rankings after a head to head win like that? - Baffled in Htown (posted 2/26)
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You say, and I quote "We gave only passing consideration to final standings in Las Vegas because seeding and strength (or weakness) of pools can skew the final results" Why would you not feel the same thing for the tour? Every Team in Division 1 went undefeated but the luck of the draw gave them their first round match -ups. So how can you justify not using vegas results if your going to use the tour. I'm not saying the teams are not deserving of their rankings but you are discrediting my teams success at vegas and making excusses for those who were not successful. The tour is pretty much the same format as vegas in the upper age groups. Some of the teams you have ranked higher than others have lost to teams in age groups younger than them ie. Team Texas and Aim. Also after winning a tournament in a higher age group you lower a team? I just don't get it. . A tournament won is a tournament won. Wins and losses, thats should be the measure of a rankings board not could have, should have, and would have. . - VS (posted 2/26)
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I enjoyed reading your Jan. 15 article on the success of the Hit Away team in the Tour qualifier. The most important comment centered around Hit Away's team size. They have two girls who stand six feet, with the others girls being much smaller. I have never understood why height has such a focus over speed, quickness, good passing, leaping ability, and relentless defense. Granted, a tall front line is important, but watching this team of small players pass with precision, hit hard into taller players, (Maybe that explains the team name) and dig balls that seem un-returnable proves that the defensive plays determine the ultimate winner in close contests. Good luck to all the teams that participated in the Tour Qualifiers. The fun has begun! - VB fan (posted 1/19)
Editor's note: We agree. We were amused when the coaches who opposed the move to rally scoring said it would place to much emphasis on offense. In fact, as club fans have recognized for years, the opposite is true. It increased the importance of defense and passing, which was reflected in the type of teams who advanced to the state tournament.
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LonestarVolleyball.com made a tough call look pretty easy with the selection of Jsei Grisham as Player of the Year, father Lee as coach and three time 3A champion Wimberley as team of the year. It is with great pride that I have covered Wimberley as well as state wide volleyball over the past 19 years and I think that Wimberley demonstrated that their still is room at the top for the small schools. Great seasons and congratulations to the players, coaches, parents and fans of Clark, Stephenville, Wallis Brazos and Round Top Carmine for their titles as well. Special mention clearly to several schools that were surprises to many but stepped up on the court such as: Harlingen South, Lago Vista, Highland Park, Milano, Wink, Shiner and too many more to list. - Butch Hart (posted 1/8/04)
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As the All-Area teams were printed in the Dallas papers this weekend it became obvious that the paper only contacts the coaches that have ventured into the playoffs and they will only promote their kids. It is a good thing that college recruiting is not done the same way. The girls that got the awards were deserving but there are a lot of other players that are better position players out there but have no support. To only select players that have gone through the playoffs is a sign of lazy sports writers. They need to check with college coaches to see who they think are the hottest kids out there. Some of the best players in the state play on teams that didn't make the play-offs. Why not make it play-off All-Area and all of the rest. Just a thought. - CR (posted 1/6/04)
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This letter is for those fans who "know" a list of players not named who would whip the heck out of the named teams, or who think any team with three named players should have won state, etc. etc. Volleyball is a team sport with a capital T. I witnessed the performance of a team all year long that had two outstanding players, a very good one, and three players with serious playing problems in some area of their game all year long. I know intimately how hard it is to have a GREAT team without six GREAT players and a GREAT coach. That does not mean that the girls on Arlington Lamar, Brownsville Rivera, Victoria, Midland, etc. weren't GREAT players who deserved a post-season honor as much as a GREAT player on a world-beater team. Let's face it guys, there are a whole lot of outstanding players in Texas period. Some teams are blessed for having a whole lot of them, together with an outstanding coach and those are the ones who win State, place in club nationals, and make it to the semi-finals at one or more of the big tournaments. Others aren't as blessed. It definitely take six working well as a unit, plus help on the bench to get world-beater results. I know of one team that had a GREAT player who got very little out of her high school volleyball career because her setter this year was TERRIBLE, and her coach-well that's another story. I bet you plenty that a West-Texas All-Star team, or a south Texas All-Star team with a coach working with them like Wimberley's would give a Houston, Austin, or San Antonio all-star team hell regularly. I'm sure those area teams would give back as much as they would take too. You'd see very close parity in results between them. I agree it's very strange that the sportswriters and girl's coaches missed some apparently outstanding players. But, again I say don't pooh-pooh the honorees. They're outstanding players too. - Desert Dad (posted 1/1/04)
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I looked
at the All Central Texas Team selected by Butch Hart and that group seems
tough to beat. If there was a tournament with the best players of:
1) Metro Houston
2) Metro San Antonio
3) Central Texas
4) Dallas - Ft Worth Metroplex
I would favor the Central Texas group that Butch Hart listed. Happy New
Year! - Houston Fan (posted 12/29).
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Couldn't agree with you more on your comments about the 4A and 5A. I also question their mentality for a lot of the UIL state tournament MVPs. - J.M. (posted 12/29)
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It is
a shame that some coaches apparently don't even bother to nominate their
players. I understand that each coach had the option of naming three players
from their team to the sportswriter list by December 1. If some coaches
chose not to do this, too bad for the deserving children and shame on
the coaches for not taking care of their girls. Maybe the area nominee
sportswriter in Arlington, Austin, San Antonio and Houston for the TSWA
was on vacation or at the local pub when the deadline came due. The fact
is that all post-season teams have problems as to who gets named and who
does not get named. The only thing you can safely assume about any of
the lists is that this girl or that girl named is a very good high school
player. From what I can tell your website's all-state list is driven by
the opinions of mysterious "informed individuals" and relies
heavily on the opinions of certain coaches, club observers and college
scouts. Not all good players play a lot of club, and not all good players
are college prospects. Case in point apparently is Jesi Grisham from Wimberley.
Since she's short, college scouts didn't think that much about her. I
understand she's going to Texas State, not a top 20 Division I program.
You named her as the MVP of the state or Best Setter I believe after the
season, but didn't carry her on your all-state team except under Honorable
Mention. Are the other girls you named better high school setters? No,
but they do have more future potential than she does (probably).
I'm certainly aware of the politics of it all. Our district named a girl
who didn't even play the back row as "Most outstanding defensive
player." In my opinion, she wasn't even the best defensive player
on her team. A local paper named one girl from our team as an area MVP
when the district named a more deserving one from our team (my opinion)
MVP. The same paper named only four 5A players to their all area team,
granting two first team slots (the only level other than honorable mention)
and three honorable mentions to a team that didn't even break .500. Our
team beat that team like 25-6; 25-9. Obviously they sell a lot of newspapers
in that town.
To conclude my point is this. I'm sorry that the sportswriters and the
girl's coaches missed some outstanding players. My daughter got in with
the sportswriter's and for that I'm grateful. However, I'm convinced that
this website stepped over the line in its commentary by bad-mouthing the
Victoria girls and indirectly other girls coach and sportswriter all-state
honorees. It would have been better for you to criticize only the process
rather than the named individuals. - Desert Dad (posted 12/29)
Editor's note: Our All-Texas Team is selected between the club and high school seasons and reflects the opinions of recruiters and coaches as well as our own observations during the club season as to the best players in the state. As we explained in the article, the high school awards we hand out in December are based strictly on performances during the high school season and the impact a player has on her team. As a result, we are able to recognize players who may not be considered the top players at their position but had a great high school season and a major impact on their high school team's performance. While we solicit input from recruiters, coaches and a few knowledgeable writers for the lists, from the Duncanville Tournament in August through Third Coast in June (and sometimes the JOs in July) we also watch hundreds of matches over the course of the year involving the best teams and players. While we acknowledge that the girls on the sports writers list are good high school players, our point in the Around The State column is that some VERY good high school players who performed all season against top flight competition were left off. If they want their list to be taken seriously, the writers need to change their process.
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What an incredibly pathetic excuse for an all-state team. Not only could the Honorable Mention team whip the all-state first, second or third teams, but I could put together a team of players not even mentioned who could beat the sports writers "top teams." Maybe the sports writers need to stick to football and not try to act like they know anything about volleyball. - Brad M. (posted 12/29)
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I can't believe the all-state selections by the so-called sports writers. Thank you for pointing out how little they know about volleyball. If they can't pick a true all-state team, they shouldn't even bother. It even makes it less impressive of an honor for the girls who made it and deserve to be on there. - Not Surprised (posted 12/29)
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The Texas Sports Writers All-State team is embarrassing. It proves what most of us have known all along: Texas Sports Writers know nothing about volleyball. Three players from Victoria Memorial on the first team!? How did they not win state? Recruiters from USC, Hawaii and the other powers must be fighting over players from that team. And let's see - half the starting lineups from Midland, Brownsville Rivera, Arlington Lamar, Tomball and two players each from Pearland and Plano West earned some honor. Yet no one from Churchill, Stratford, Westwood, Cinco Ranch and several other top teams. I realize this happens every year, but this year it seems especially bad. There's no excuse for this, I don't care what their little process is. - MS (posted 12/29)
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(Re: confused and biiter). To clarify, the pollster note at the top of the TGCA final poll indicates that the top four spots are allocated (and have been for the past three years) to the team in the Final Four. Great job by LonestarVolleyball.com and editor Scott White. Texas has a tremendous number of outstanding players, club and high school, and some of the best matches are not only in the big school ranks but in the West Texas 1A, Central Texas 3A and Far East Texas 4A as well as the Valley which is emerging with talent and, of course, the much maligned Stephenville who got their ring with a sound performance on the court. - EJ (posted 12/13)
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I just looked at the final coaches poll and I was disappointed. It wasn't as much a poll as it was a "final standings." It looks like they just took the four state qualifiers and ranked them based on the finish at state (including ties for 3rd! ) then took the four regional finalists for the next four spots. Then they picked a couple of regional semifinalists to fill in the bottom two spots. As a result Elkins finishes above Cinco Ranch. Obviously no thought went into this ranking. Anyone who saw Cinco Ranch's performance against Stratford in the regional semis and compares it with the Elkin performance in the finals knows that Cinco Ranch was stronger then Elkins. At least you guys got it right. - Confused and bitter in Houston (posted 12/7)
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