KFDM COOP

Defense top priority for ‘Dogs, PN-G HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER By Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News Let us mention some of the area's all-time greatest soccer coaches -- Jorge Lopez, Spikes Sturdivant, Phil Mattingly, Julie Johnson -- they all know what wins prestigious playoff games. Rob Bledsoe and Aimee Bates belong right them in that regard even though they might be too modest to admit it. They know what wins, too. Their teams enter the 4A area playoff round in a doubleheader tonight at Brenham's Rankin Park. The Port Neches-Groves girls meet Lindale at 6 p.m., followed by the Nederland boys against Lindale at 8 p.m. The only way Aimee and Rob make the long three-hour ride back to Mid-County with wide smiles on their faces is if all of Lindale leaves Brenham without any goals. Whether your name is Lopez, Johnson, Sturdivant, Mattingly, Bates or Bledsoe, the name of this game definitely is defense. Shortly before kickoff on this night -- with winners advancing to the 4A regional quarter-final rounds -- the reminders of defense will be firmly re-emphasized. Never mind that Bledsoe holds Nederland's all-time single-game scoring record (seven goals) or single-season mark (46 goals). Never mind that part. Rob was becoming nervous on Monday because it's time for Nederland's defense to stand up and be counted. That's exactly what Aimee's defense did last Thursday when PN-G eliminated Huntsville 1-0 in its 4A bidistrict victory. The Lady Indians will seek an instant replay of that defensive superiority again tonight. Despite his record-setting high school scoring background, Bledsoe played sweeper -- a most prominent defensive outpost -- at Tyler Junior College. The Tyler squad was a Top 10 JUCO team. One of Bledsoe's teammates back then was Lindale boys head coach Jason Lawless. The two oppose each other for the first time tonight. "Lindale has a set of twins that are very good," the NHS coach said, knowing a very limited amount about the Eagles. "They're pretty strong up the middle. Defense is all about commitment... integrity... focus.... discipline. "I'd much rather win 1-0 than 5-4. If you play defense, you're going to be in every game. We kinda gritted out that win (a 3-1 shootout survival against Humble Kingwood Park) on Friday. There are areas where I would like to see us improve. Our touch has to be a lot better. We need to be able to settle the ball." The Bulldogs had no need to make further lineup changes on Monday because they escaped Crosby's Cougar Stadium without a significant rash of new ones. Nederland (17-4-2) has defended well this season. The Bulldogs have permitted more than one goal to only three opponents -- Lumberton, Houston Sharpstown and Kingwood Park. Similar defensive strength can be publicized about the Lady Indians (17-5). Since the start of District 20-4A play on Jan. 15, PN-G's girls have surrendered more than one goal to two foes -- Lumberton on Jan. 22 and Nederland on Feb. 15. Here lately, the Bates' bunch has fashioned four straight shutouts and blanked six of its last seven opponents. "Huntsville was a tough team," PN-G's coach said. "They had an opportunity to score last in the second half, but we did a good job on defense. We need to utilize the space better." A big deal could be made of PN-G's struggles in previous area rounds since the girls program's inception in 2000, but this 2008 team can write its own history. This 2008 team is 1-0 in the playoffs.

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kogt t's the Rangers, not the Astros, who have picked up pitcher John Patterson. Patterson agreed to a minor league contract with Texas after being released last week by the Washington Nationals. He's reunited with pitching coach Mark Connor, who was the pitching coach in Arizona when Patterson was with the Diamondbacks. He'll start the season in the minors with the hopes of getting some arm strength back before joining the big league team in Arlington.

;D Now you see it?

Score?

:'(

8) 8) 8) 8)

Buna wins 8-5!! WP Josh Clark...

Congrats!!

Monday Buna-8 Anahuac-5 Hardin-4 Deweyville-15 Tuesday WB-11 Memorial-0 PN-G-3 Vidor-4 Ozen-7 Lumberton-6 Central- Dayton- LC-M-7 Nederland-3 BH-6 Huffman-3 OF-3 HJ-4 Jasper-15 Silsbee-0 Kirbyville-0 HF-11 BC-16 WO-S-0 Kelly-12 St. Thomas-4 Kountze-18 Warren-5 Coldspring-1 Tarkington-3 Woodville-8 Woden-2 Spurger-1 Evadale-18 High Island-14 West Hardin-5 SP-7 HD-8 Legacy- O'Connell- Big Sandy-13 Broaddus-1 Friday West Brook-9 Humble-1 PN-G-16 Central-2 LC-M-12 Lumberton-6 Vidor-4 Ozen-5 Nederland-5 Dayton-0 Barbers Hill-14 C.E. King-1 Huffman-12 Crosby-1 BC-5 HJ-0 OF-3 Silsbee-8 Jasper-9 Kirbyville-1 WO-S-4 HF-12 Kountze-10 Anahuac-5 Warren- Hardin- Woodville-15 San Augustine-3 Tarkington-12 Cleveland-7 WH-1 Spurger-11 Big Sandy-13 Brookeland-5 EC-4 Deweyville 1 SP-9 H.I.-7 Evadale-7 HD-3

Post updates here..

4pm start..post updates here...

4pm start...post updates here..

Not sure on position.

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Yes.

THSBCA and Inside Prep Baseball Poll for 2008-03-20 Texas 5A Texas 4A 1.ALVIN 19-1 2.EL PASO SOCORRO 20-0 3.HUMBLE ATASCOCITA 18-2 4.PLANO WEST 14-1 5.GEORGETOWN 14-5 6.MISSION SHARYLAND 18-1-1 7.SAN ANTONIO REAGAN 16-2 8.COPPELL 14-3 9.ROWLETT 14-0-2 10.ARLINGTON MARTIN 15-3-1 1.CORPUS CHRISTI MOODY 15-2 2.NEW BRAUNFELS CANYON 18-1 3.MESQUITE POTEET 13-3 4.HIGHLAND PARK 17-3 5.CORPUS CHRISTI CALALLEN 18-1 6.BRENHAM 14-4 7.DENTON RYAN 13-2 8.BARBERS HILL 13-3 9.WAXAHACHIE 13-2 10.PORT NECHES GROVES 11-3 Texas 3A Texas 2A 1.MEDINA VALLEY 18-1 2.CUERO 16-2 3.BRIDGE CITY 14-3 4.JASPER 14-3 5.SINTON 13-5 6.SPRING HILL 14-1 7.SNYDER 15-4 8.PROSPER 11-2 9.HUTTO 11-1 10.KENNEDALE 11-1 1.BROCK 11-1 2.SALADO 13-3 3.CENTRAL HEIGHTS 13-4 4.HALLETTSVILLE 11-2 5.HUGHES SPRINGS 12-1 6.GUNTER 14-3 7.HARLETON 9-2 8.HOLLIDAY 10-1-1 9.ABERNATHY 14-3 10.ROGERS 14-3 Texas 1A 1.ARCHER CITY 10-4-1 2.NEW DEAL 9-3 3.GRAPELAND 9-4 4.THORNDALE 1-1 5.OVERTON 9-2 6.FAYETTEVILLE 8-2 7.DAWSON 7-1 8.MAUD 8-1 9.TRENTON 8-4 10.CROSS ROADS 9-2

Good Luck Lumberton!

Without a doubt!

At Nederland.

Winner of this one will have sole possession of 1st Place.

Should be a good game!