0 CommentsFor the third year in a row, the Emery/Weiner School Jaguars have emerged as the top independent six-man football team in Texas.
The Jaguars won the Iron Man Six-Man tournament in Hutto, an eight-team, season-ending invitational featuring the top independent six-man teams in the state. In the championship game, the Jaguars defeated Centex Home School 78-30, with the game ultimately halted by the 45-point mercy rule in six-man football.
The Emery/Weiner School Jaguars celebrate this year’s championship of the Iron Man Six-Man Football Tournament. The Jaguars finished on the top for the third consecutive season.
“We played great football at the Iron Man tournament,” said Jaguars head coach Adrian Adams. “Not only did we win all three of our games by big margins, we then ended up as the state’s No. 1-ranked team out of about 30 independent teams in Texas.”
At the Iron Man tournament, Jaguars senior Bryan Binder was named the offensive MVP, scoring nine touchdowns in three games. On defense, Brett Levinson, who had an interception return for a touchdown in the title game, and Sam Robinson, who returned a fumble for a touchdown, were named co-defensive MVPs.
Several other Jaguars had big performances, including quarterback Jonathan Schaffer, who threw four touchdowns in the title game, as well as running back Jonathan Podet, who ran for a 65-yard score.
Brandon Levinson had two touchdown receptions, while Justin Olifant ran for a touchdown and had a kickoff return for a score and Max Kaplan had a touchdown reception. Back on defense, Adam Finkelman and Jacob Silver combined for 28 tackles in the final.
It was the best season in recent history for the St. Thomas Eagles football team, which won a pair of playoff games for the first time in 10 years. “We really came on strong and played some outstanding football, especially towards the later part of the season,” said Eagles athletic director Mike Netzel.
It was a season of milestones for the Eagles, whose 42-14 victory over rival St. Pius was their first win over the Panthers since the 2006 season. The Eagles then secured their first playoff win in six seasons with a dramatic 27-21 victory over Dallas Bishop Lynch. The Eagles forced overtime on a touchdown pass from Christopher Zook to Doug Sauder on the final play of regulation, and then won the game on a touchdown run from Derek Martin in the first overtime.
In the state quarterfinals, St. Thomas defeated Austin St. Michaels behind a magnificent rushing effort from Martin, who ran for 165 yards and also accounted for the go-ahead score in the second half. “Derek just ran really well, and our defense played phenomenal in the second half,” said Netzel.
With his victory in the 182-pound weight class, Nathan Avery (in blue and red) led the way as the St. John’s Mavericks won their first wrestling tournament championship in school history. (Photo: Kevin Long, GulfCoastShots.com)
“We’re extremely proud of our kids,” he said. “About 15 of these seniors have been on the varsity for three years, and they’ve made a major impact in getting this football program turned around. Along with Martin, who rushed for over 1,600 yards, linebackers Eric Martin and Cameron Blackwood were the strength of our defense. We also had great line play from guys like Jonathan Cohen and Parker White, while nose tackle Cameron Arndt came on strong as well. We went from three wins three years ago to eight wins this season, and our seniors can take great credit for that.”
With their victory at the St. Thomas Invitational Wrestling tournament, the St. John’s Mavericks won their first wrestling tournament since the school first started a wrestling team back in the mid-1980s.
“It took maximum effort from every guy on this team to pull out the win in a great field that included outstanding wrestling programs such as St. Thomas, Episcopal, Strake Jesuit, Katy and a lot more,” said Mavericks wrestling coach Alan Paul.
It was an especially outstanding meet for St. John’s wrestler Nathan Avery, who won all four of his matches to finish first in the 182-pound weight class. “Nathan is just a monster on the mat,” said Paul. “His work ethic is unparalled.”
The Mavericks’ Orion Hicks, Preston Neal and Alexander Saucer all advanced to the finals in their respective weight classes. Ben Stein, Walter Moore and Eric Hobby all finished third, while Zach Long finished fourth in the meet.
“The guys really elevated their game,” said Paul. “We’ve now seen that we can be successful, and we’re looking forward to going after our first SPC Championship in early February.”
Editor’s Note: Lone Star Emmy Award-winner Todd Freed is the host and producer of Todd Freed’s High School SportZone, which can be seen Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. on Channel 57-The KUBE. To submit information for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email (todd@thebuzzmagazines.com) todd (at) thebuzzmagazines (dot) com.
