2011 Texas HS States Awards
Posted: June 1, 2011 04:19 PM
Below are the 2011 All-States teams for the state of Texas, as well as a recap of the event. The names are sorted alphabetically by school name, and these players were voted on by the teams.
1st Team All-States:
- Travis Musgrove (Cedar Park HS)
- Sebastian Duffell (Highland Park HS)
- Brett Gramann (LBJ)
- Ismael Salgado (LBJ)
- Austin Walker (Marcus HS)
- Gabe Lee (McCallum)
- Jeremy Monroe (McCallum)
2nd Team All-States:
- Brian Trussell (Aledo HS)
- Derek Peierls (Anderson HS)
- David Na (Marcus HS)
- Matt Hudspith (Marcus HS)
- Marc Kaylor (McCallum)
- Tat Whitley (McCallum)
- Frank Lenoir (LBJ)
Coach of the Year:
- Mia Iseman (James Bowie HS)
2011 marks the first year that Texas has hosted a USA Ultimate state championship, and the event set a high bar. The State Youth Coordinator and Tournament Director Brad Kaylor did an excellent job hosting the event, organizing Austin’s UPLA and Texas Melee (and more!) volunteers to sell merchandise, keep track of scores, set up and break down fields, and take hundreds of photographs. Many thanks to Brad and volunteers for running such a terrific event. And thanks to the players, parents, and coaches who talked with me about Ultimate, Texas, and their teams. The future of the sport is looking bright in Texas!
The event itself saw high heat (in the ‘90s) and high winds (20-30 mph sustained on both days), but the teams (and their fans) persevered, scoring upwind and downwind – not letting the elements interfere with their Ultimate spirit.
The Field:
Aledo: This team plays together every other weekend and is fairly new to organized Ultimate. However, they never backed down from more experienced clubs. Indeed, many of the Aledo athletes came from other sports programs, including basketball and tennis. They used that experience to run hard and compete with all the other squads throughout the weekend.
Anderson: Anderson is another Texas program on the rise. The current club has been in existence for three years and is guided by coach Ryan McCourt, a University of Texas student. Anderson has the benefit of a direct middle school feeder program and with a team composed of mostly freshmen, sophomores, and juniors it is a program with its eye on the horizon.
Belton: Team name – The Flying Biscuits. The Biscuits could easily be spotted in the field complex due to their bright orange jerseys and hard-running play. Like a few other teams, the Biscuits were sporting a younger look, having lost nine seniors and returning only six players from the third-place finish at the Texas state tournament in 2010. Undaunted and guided by Coach Kyle Pierce, the Biscuits played their way into a quarterfinal berth and gave the eventual champion Marcus High School all it could handle, before losing 9-14.
Bowie: Based out of Austin, Bowie is a 2nd year program that has made rapid strides, quickly cementing itself as a Texas power. Bowie’s match against Highland Park on Saturday ended up being one of the pool play highlights, going down to the wire. With Bowie up 8-7, both teams battled through multiple turns, including a potential upwind layout game-winning catch for Bowie that was called back. Highland Park’s defense was smothering, and after each turn, launched a big flick or backhand to a streaking receiver. Highland Park eventually punched it in on a 30-yard laser flick to force Universe point. By this point, quite a crowd had been attracted for this 2nd round Saturday slugfest. Though both teams had opportunities to score, Bowie persevered, flipping the disc in for a 9-8 win.
Bowie coach Mia Iseman also made sure to give their “biggest little fan” Roy (who can’t wait to play some middle school Ultimate) a shout out. Play on Roy!
Cedar Park: Brand new in 2011, the Cedar Park team had never played Ultimate outside of their school. This was their first ever tournament, but they sported a poised, athletic roster and plenty of fan support. One parent noted that this team was “a dark horse”, and all of the parents clearly enjoyed watching and learning about the sport as the team progressed through the tournament.
Highland Park: Though not an official poll, Highland Park clearly won the “best dressed” award. Sporting fully sublimated jerseys emblazoned with the visage of folk hero William Wallace, and most players wearing warpaint of some sort, the Scots were a sight to behold. They backed up their appearance with strong play and big hucks, going 4-2 on the weekend. At the end of the weekend, Highland Park also secured the “best cheer” award with a stirring rendition of Wallace’s motivational speech from Braveheart.
Hyde Park: This was a newer squad and it ended up playing nearly savage (only 7 players!) by the end of the tournament. Hyde Park looked to use their athleticism throughout the weekend and was never hesitant to put the disc deep. Their fashion also stood out, with most players sporting shorts emblazoned with a large image of the state of Texas. While fatigue clearly set in, they played hard and their spirits remained high throughout the event.
Lake Travis: This Austin-based team has existed for the past three years and has placed well at Texas tournaments the past two years, including a third place finish in 2010. The team runs hard and as they themselves said, they play for the love of the game and “to have as much fun as possible.” This enthusiasm for Ultimate was a sentiment not uncommon in Texas and was apparent throughout all Lake Travis’ matches.
LBJ/LASA: One of the teams with a bit more history in Texas, LBJ/LASA has had a team for 6-7 years and were clearly one of the teams to watch out for at the championships. LBJ/LASA has a unique interscholastic relationship – two distinct schools sharing a building and athletic facilities. While the Ultimate team has drawn from both programs over the years, most of this year’s squad hails from LASA.
Marcus: From Flower Mound, Marcus has had a club since 2007 coached by Rob Doyle. The team came into the tournament looking to bring home a championship, having placed 3rd in the fall Texas Invite. Enjoying strong parent support (And school! As one parent noted, the team received a send-off for states on Marcus’ outdoor marquee), the team had a clear focus, eventually capturing the championship over an incredibly talented Cedar Park squad.
McCallum: Coming in as the 1 seed overall, McCallum was one of the tournament favorites. They sported a deep and experienced team that won the Texas Fall Invite over stiff competition. And while 20-30 mph wind is hardly ever in any team’s favor, McCallum seemed to be one of the teams least-phased by it, thanks in large part to a stable of confident handlers.
San Marcos: A brand new team, San Marcos showed grit all weekend, with many players sacrificing their bodies in bids on offense and defense. Like a couple other teams, San Marcos was pretty new to the sport. In fact, every player but one is a member of the San Marcos band and all of them are freshman. They were a terrific team to watch play, and the program has a rosy future indeed.
St. Thomas: While not new to Ultimate competition in Texas, St. Thomas replaced all but six players from last year’s squad. Comprising mostly freshman and sophomore, St. Thomas had many competitive games and look to be a force in the coming years.
Woodlands: Woodlands worked hard all weekend, exhibiting a joy for the game and the competition. With some wins and a couple of close losses at this year’s state championship, they are a team that expects to only continue to build.
Semi-Finals
After hard-fought play all weekend, four teams advanced to the semi-finals. On one side, the overall two-seed and three-seed met as expected: LBJ/LASA and Marcus. On the other, the twelve-seed dark horse faced off against the overall one-seed, McCallum. The wind had not slackened and both fields had a stiff upwind/downwind, making upwind goals precious.
LBJ/LASA v. Marcus
This semi-final ended up being a low-scoring affair, with both teams fighting tooth and nail for upwind breaks. However, none were to be had. Marcus began with the downwind disc and the two teams traded points, neither able to punch through the opposing defense. At hard cap, LBJ/LASA came tantalizingly close to an upwind goal, coming down with some big grabs, but unable to get the disc that last twenty-yards to the endzone. Eventually, Marcus worked the disc downwind for the 6-5 win and a berth in the championship game.
Of particular note for LBJ/LASA was #17 Brett Graman who was almost always around the disc and #49 Ishmael “Ish” Delgado who had huge grabs over opponents in this game and throughout the weekend.
McCallum v. Cedar Park
McCallum started the game off strong with a break on the first point as Cedar Park elected to begin on offense going upwind. The teams traded out until 5-5 when Cedar Park netted a big block right on the upwind goal line. Three quick passes and Cedar Park took the 6-5 lead and followed up with a 7-5 downwind goal. McCallum seemed deflated, but at 6-8 they worked the disc in to the upwind goal and proceeded to tie it up on the ensuing point, 8-8. In the end, Cedar Park remained undeterred and punched in the next two points for the 10-8 win.
McCallum had a number of players come up with big plays. In particular, #15 Marc Kaylor and Jeremy Monroe stood out for their poised handling, going both upwind and downwind. Senior Gabe Lee and the Whitley brothers also came up with numerous big plays in the semi-final match.
Championship - Marcus v. Cedar Park
This match between the newcomer Cedar Park and the veteran Marcus squad promised to be thrilling, and the teams did not disappoint. Though both squads showed some clear signs of fatigue (and a couple of injuries), it was a compelling match. Marcus threatened to pull away, going up 6-3 with slicing upwind throws, notably from their two-year captain Austin Walker (#8). Senior David Na (#1) had a couple of huge grabs during the run that helped keep the disc alive.
Despite facing its biggest deficit of the tournament, Cedar Park did not fold. They got back into the game on the back of Tanner Dixon’s big hucks and the athletic grabs of Cedar Park’s downfield receivers. Notable during this stretch of the game was senior Hayden Courtney who had a couple of gravity-defying defensive plays.
At 9-7 Marcus was going downwind and the hard cap was fast approaching. Like many of the points, this one featured numerous turns due to the wind, but it had the added urgency of Cedar Park knowing it needed to score before the hard cap in order to stay alive. A window of opportunity emerged upon a midfield turnover and Cedar Park employed a fast break offense to advance the disc just outside the upwind end zone. Seeing no clear options, the Cedar Park handler launched a blade into the endzone. A teammate player made a tough back-pedaling bid for the disc, but came up just short, resulting in a turnover. Minutes later the hard cap went on. Cedar Park managed to punch the disc in for an upwind goal and Marcus won 9-8.
It was a fitting championship game – gritty, competitive, and highly spirited. And in addition to the above-mentioned players, Cedar Park’s John Ballard and Marcus’ Matt Hudspith (#21) and Devon Wallace (#30) came up with key plays for their respective teams.
Congratulations to Marcus and Cedar Park for their 1st and 2nd place finishes. And congratulations to San Marcos for a well-earned Spirit Award. While the high school Ultimate scene in Texas may be relatively young, it is a vibrant scene – one that will be growing and developing in leaps and bounds in the years to come.