As football fans waited for the Super Bowl last week, Dallas-area residents waited for the Super Thaw. It finally came over the weekend, providing relief from an ice storm, followed by 100-plus hours of subfreezing temperatures that paralyzed north Texas.
Schools in the area canceled classes Tuesday through Friday because of the thick layers of ice on the roads. Ceremonies for national signing day were canceled and ice even knocked out a game played on ice: the Texas High School Hockey League's All-Star event.
The week of cancellations shut down all sports in season, but basketball teams were most affected. Some teams are playing two rescheduled games this week, plus the two that were already planned.
"It's like an NBA schedule," Coppell boys basketball coach Brad Chasteen said.
For the girls basketball teams, the layoff came at a critical time. With the University Interscholastic League's deadline for determining playoff spots on Saturday, teams are making up games and shaking off rust at the same time.
Most teams didn't practice on the days when school was canceled. Some are playing games this week for the first time in 10 days.
But Skyline girls coach Cassandra McCurdy sees a positive in the time off, or at least a potential positive.
"We're hoping that the layoff will bring them back hungry and ready for the upcoming playoffs," said McCurdy, whose team is No. 11 in the 5A state rankings. "I think just a couple days back and we'll be rolling."
It's almost playoff time, so teams better be rolling. And hopefully, when the playoffs arrive, they'll be rolling on dry roads instead of slipping on ice.
PILOT POINT FOOTBALL COACH TAKES JOB AT HAYS CONSOLIDATEDPilot Point coach Blake Feldt, who led Pilot Point to the 2009 Class 2A Division II state title, is leaving to become the head coach at
Hays (Buda). Feldt will replace Bob Shelton, who is retiring after 43 years at the school. The hiring will help Consolidated's offensive line immediately because Feldt's son, Boone Feldt, is a 6-4, 270-pound junior who The Dallas Morning News' HS Gametime had rated the Dallas area's No. 25 recruit in the Class of 2012.
STREAK PUTS COPPELL BOYS COACH AT 499 VICTORIESJett Raines scored 16 points Monday to lead
Coppell to a 55-46 victory over Justin Northwest, giving the Cowboys (23-6, 9-1 in District 7-5A) a two-game lead in district play. The team's eighth straight win also inched coach Brad Chasteen closer to the 500-win milestone. Chasteen, who has coached for 15 years at Coppell, has a 23-year record of 499-269. Chasteen should reach the milestone soon because Coppell plays three more games this week.
JOE BERGERON WINS ALL-STAR GAME MVP AWARDNorth Mesquite's
Joe Bergeron signed with Texas on Wednesday morning, and later in the day was named MVP of the Team USA vs. Team World game in Austin. Bergeron scored on a 56-yard touchdown run and a 19-yard screen pass to help Team USA win, 21-14, against a team of players from around the world.
McKINNEY BOYD GIRLS SOCCER TEAM IS LOADED WITH SIGNEESBoyd (McKinney) won the 4A girls soccer title in 2008, was a 5A regional finalist in 2009 and last year was the 5A state runner-up. So maybe it's no surprise that Boyd (9-1-1), again a powerhouse this year, had so many players sign letters of intent last week. But seven on one soccer team is impressive. The players who signed are
Cadie Annett (Texas A&M-Commerce),
Callie Annett (Texas A&M-Commerce),
Alexandra Beck (Valparaiso),
Jacqueline Cox (Dallas Baptist),
Lauren Katada (UT-El Paso),
Kelley Monogue (Texas A&M) and
Meghan Streight (Texas A&M).
TOP PERFORMERS
* Craig Lutz, Marcus (Flower Mound) track/cross country: The senior, who has signed with Texas, finished third at the 2011 USA Junior Cross Country Championships with a time of 25:06 in the 8K race.
* Jasmine Caston, Plano East basketball: The sophomore guard scored 17 points to help Plano East pull away from Flower Mound for a 62-52 victory. Plano East (25-6, 11-1 in District 8-5A) is tied atop the district with Plano West (24-6, 11-1).
RECRUITINGSigning day has passed, so football recruits for the Class of 2012 are now the hot targets. Among the Dallas-area players who received offers last week were Allen running back Jonathan Williams (Missouri), Skyline receiver
Thomas Johnson (TCU) and Fort Worth All Saints quarterback
T.J. Millweard (Virginia Tech).
In softball, several of the area's top players gave oral commitments last week, led by Hebron star pitcher
Heather Stearns, who committed to Baylor. The junior was an all-state selection as a sophomore, when she was 23-11 with a 0.86 ERA and led Hebron to the state tournament for the first time. Other Dallas-area players who gave oral commitments, according to The Dallas Morning News, were Flower Mound sophomore outfielder Christy Lisenby (Baylor), Frisco Wakeland junior catcher Tess Soefje (Houston) and Birdville sophomore pitcher/outfielder Susan Welborn (Texas Tech).
FINAL THOUGHTBecause of the ice storm and lingering subfreezing temperatures, national signing day was a wild one for area players and coaches. Schools were closed and there were rolling blackouts throughout the state because of the demand for electricity. But high school coaches and players found ways to fax their letters of intent Wednesday morning.
College coaches, of course, weren't willing to wait. With some players still wavering on signing day, college coaches have no patience for letters of intent that aren't faxed early — even if it's because a recruit can't get to a fax machine or there's no electricity. On signing day, college coaches are a pretty paranoid bunch.
"There's just so much stealing going on," said Denton Guyer coach John Walsh, who had 12 players sign. "When one kid changes his mind, the coaches just go to the next and it's like dominoes. They want those in pretty early."
Matt Wixon is the high school sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News. He can be reached at mwixon@dallasnews.com or on Twitter @mattwixon.
