Coach Sodek

A couple of schools in the area had some issues with the state mandated tests and we happened to rate recognized to exemplary and lets just say we had to turn kids away in certain years (class sizes would have been too large).....our school was sued over PL 5281 by another school district and then it (5281)was overturned.  Most of the kids come from one particular area but we do have transfers from different areas as well.  Does this make sense? I'm not sure if you are familiar with our community, but it is basically a farming area.  There are no stores, very few houses, and the only blinking lights are the school sign lights.  There is not even a population sign. Just a sign that says "Mumford". We have a beautiful school (primary, elementary, middle school, and high school), all of which are located on the same campus.  An old historical brick building is located across the road.  It was a general store back when Mumford was booming due to cotton gins, and now the building serves as the post office which is open a couple of hours a day.  Our district boundary lines cover a very small area.  It is a great place to work though.  The kids work hard and the discipline is phenomenal.  Since most of the kids are transfers, they really behave because that transfer can be revoked. If I ever get rich, I will open a convenience store because one could make a killing selling snacks after the school hours are over.

Yes sir BlueDove3.  We would probably have less than 100 kids in our whole school (PK3-12) if not for transfers from surrounding communities.    That is the truth.  It has pretty much always been that way but it has increased some since the addition of the high school in the early 2000's. 

Shooter...THANKS Nash and Garrity...you are correct in your assessment concerning what I said.  Concerning the Booing...Our players and coaches did not Boo--we clapped.  Its not those kids fault.  They were very good.  I wish no one had booed them.  We certainly did not ask anyone to boo.  That was one heck of a basketball team...we all can agree on that,

Hey Guys, This is Coach Sodek from Mumford.  I just wanted to post a few things on this topic because there are several stories going around.  Let me clarify that Triple A Academy is the State Champion, nothing will change that. First, you may want to go read an article published in brazossports.com today. It goes into more detail as far as PL 5281 is concerned and such. Please also read the comments section.  Let me start by telling you that I have been in Mumford for 12 years.  My first year was the 2001-2002 school year.  Mumford was originally a K-8 campus that fed into Hearne ISD for high school.  In about 1998, Hearne started having some issues passing the state mandated TAKS test/TAAS test (whatever it was called at the time.)  My Superintendent , Pete Bienski, (who has been here 36 years) was approached about starting a high school.  My first year at Mumford, the school only went up to 11th grade.  Mumford is a small community basically located in the middle of a cotton patch on Hwy 50.  Our school has always been made up of about 90% transfer students from surrounding areas.  These surrounding areas include: Hearne, Gause, Bryan, Somerville, Caldwell, etc...Our enrollment was rather small for a while, but we have steadily grown.  Our school has an exemplary rating, and thus continues to grow because other schools in the area are rated much lower ranging from unacceptable to recognized.  At the present time, our high school consists of about 130 students, and our school as a whole consists of about 530 students from PK3-12. 90% of those kids are transfers. I was the coach that actually started the varsity program in Mumford.  My first year, I wan an assistant (we were a junior varsity that year), and I have been the head coach ever since.  We struggled, but we have progressively gotten better.  Back when I started an old coach i looked up to told me that I was in a no win situation.  I asked why and he told me that if we continued to lose, I would get fired, but if we started winning, people would point to the fact that our team was comprised of transfers and that we would get accused of cheating.  Below I am going to list you a roster of all the kids on my team and tell you how long that they have been in Mumford.  We have nothing to hide and I will explain the three kids in question to you about the best that I can.  We have not recruited.  Again, you have to decide for yourself, but here is our roster. #1--has been in Mumford since the start of his sophomore year #2--has been in Mumford since Kindergarten #3--has been in Mumford since Pre-K #4--has been in Mumford since Pre-K #5--Lives in Mumford--Moved in this year--Parents moved due to moms job in area....chose to attend our school.  YES HE DOES PLAY ON THE SAME AAU TEAM AS #10 #10--has been in Mumford since start of 8th grade.  His father was the coach in Milano.  He was a mentor of mine when I started coaching and took me under his wing.  When a new AD moved into Milano he was reassigned and was going to be non-renewed.  He applied at Mumford and was hired.  He has been working here for 4 years.  They still live in Milano, and his mom is the Girls Volleyball Coach/Girls athletic coordinator in Milano.  YES HE PLAYS ON SAME AAU TEAM AS #5 #12--lives in Gause.  Gause is a k-8 campus like Mumford was for years.  They do not have a high school.  Kids in Gause can go to high school in Mumford, Milano, Hearne, Cameron, or Caldwell. #15--has been in Mumford since Kindergarten #21--has been in Mumford since Pre-K #23--has been in Mumford since Pre-K #32--has been in Mumford since Kindergarten Those 11 boy make up our varsity team.  As most of them have been here a long time, many of which date back to primary school.  All these boys are not from Mumford district lines, but most (listed above) have spent their school career in Mumford.  We do not have a team full of AAU players.  In fact 2 of our players play AAU.  I do not go to AAU summer basketball because I do not particularly care for AAU basketball....just my preference.  However, I do go watch our summer league team compete in the Bryan High Summer League.  Our #5 moved from a school about 75 miles away, all paperwork was signed by the previous ISD.  I have gotten to know the family and I seriously doubt that they moved that far a distance for him to play basketball.....some will believe me, others will not.  However, I can only present the information to you.  Our #10 played junior high here.  His dad and I have been best friends and when he lost his job, I hired him to be my assistant and the Head Baseball Coach at Mumford.  Is that wrong? Triple A is the state champion.  I said what I said because we did not recruit our kids.....the majority of our kids have been here since primary school (see above).  I do not coach my kids during the summer time, and I don't raid surrounding areas for potential talent.  I should not have said what I said.  As I mentioned in the news article, if i could evaluate talent in Pre-K so well, don't you think I would have a higher profile job than the one I currently hold?  Again, I can't control what people say.  I just have to coach the kids that I have here whether they are from Mumford, move in , or transfer at any age.  Again, keep in mind, most these kids transfer at an elementary age.  Keep in mind if a kid transfers in following their 8th grade year, they have to sit out 1 season.  I have explained this to texasroundball to no avail....I am just gonna let people with questions talk to me....Thanks for at least giving me the chance to explain.  Please read the article on brazossports though.....it may clear some of the issues concerning transfers up.  Some people are under the impression that all these kids transferred into Mumford this year.  I just wanted to point out that the vast majority "have been here".  Concerning Coach King....I would hire him again in a heartbeat.  He has been here for 4 years.  I live in Bryan, Texas and my son goes to Mumford.  He is in 1st grade.  I do not know if he will turn out to be a player or not, but if he does, will he and I be called a cheater if he plays for Mumford and not Bryan?  According to the accusations of some, we will be.  That does not seem fair.  Again, thanks for listening to my rant.  See ya later--Coach Sodek ________________________________________