TexSport Publications: April 2021

Friday, April 30, 2021

First round of Insperity Invitational postponed until Saturday

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

THE WODOLANDS, TEXAS (April 30, 2021) With heavy rainfall continuing throughout the day, the opening round of the 2021 Insperity Invitational was been postponed until Saturday (May 1). The first players will tee off at 7:30 a.m. CDT, from the first and tenth holes. Three inches of rainfall occurred as of 3 p.m. CT on Friday, with more expected in the late afternoon. The second round will take place immediately after the completion of the first round, with each groups starting hole switched from the first round.

Insperity Invitational kicks off Friday

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (April 30, 2021) Eighty-one PGA Tour Champions are slated to compete in the Insperity Invitational, 54-stroke play competition with a no-cut format begin on Friday. The tournament, which was scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. at The Woodland Country Club Tournament Course, was in a holding pattern with rain in the forecast and showers expected to continue into the afternoon.

The week kicked off on Monday and Tuesday with practice rounds, followed by the ever-popular Pro-Am on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday will see the actual tournament begin,, which is the fourth event on the PGA TOUR Champions schedule for 2021.

Each champion from the last eight Insperity Invitationals will tee it up in the tournament, including four-time winner Bernhard Langer and defending champion (2019) Scott McCarron. The Insperity Invitational is the first of three consecutive weeks of events on PGA TOUR Champions, continuing at next week’s Regions Tradition before the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, May 14-16.

The the last edition of the tournament (2019), Scott McCarron made three birdies on the back nine of the final round en route to a two-stroke victory over Scott Parel at the 2019 Insperity Invitational. After Parel birdied Nos. 11 and 12 to even the score at 14-under, McCarron responded with back-to-back birdies of his own to rebuild a two-shot lead through 14.

McCarron birdied the 185-yard 16th, hitting an 8-iron to a foot, and regained a two-shot lead with two holes to play. A par-par finish secured McCarron’s second win of the 2019 season, marking his fourth consecutive year with multiple victories on PGA TOUR Champions. He went on to win the Charles Schwab Cup and was named the 2019 PGA TOUR Champions Player of the Year.

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Sam Houston State drops Monmouth Hawks 21-15 in first round of FCS playoffs

Photo by
Darla Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 20211 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS (April 24, 2021) Number 2 seeded Sam Houston State University punched their ticket to the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs with a 21-15 win over the Monmouth Hawks at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium on Saturday. The Bearkats (7-0) scored their 21 points, which were unanswered by the Hawks, in the first three quarters. Monmouth mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring all 15 of their points within seven-plus minutes.

Sam Houston kicked off the scoring on their second drive of the game, marching 47 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Eric Schmid (number 3, shown right)who played his prep ball at The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, connected with Cody Chrest (Cypress Fairbanks HS, Houston, TX) on a 13-yard pass, followed by the successful kicking conversion by Seth Morgan (Klein Oak HS, Houston, TX). The 5-10, 160-pound freshman was successful on all three of the Bearkat extra points.

The remainder of Sam Houston State's points came in the second and third quarters, on two carries by Ramon Jefferson (Truman HS, Bronx, NY). The first TD was the result of a 56-yard run, to cap a three-play, 65-yard drive that lasted 1:10. His second score was a thre-yard run at the 9:49 mark of the third quarter.

The Hawks finally got points on the board after moving the ball 90 yards in eight-plus minutes; ending with a one-yard run by Juwon Farri (Northwest HS, Germantown, MD). Gene Scott (Wall HS, Wall, NJ) pushed the score to 21-8 with a successful three-yard run for the two-point conversion. Their second touchdown occurred with 5:58 remaining in the game when Terrence Greene (St. Joe's Prep, Philadelphia, PA) caught a 30-yard pass from Tony Muskett (West Springfield HS, Springfield, VA). Kaeon Torres (Donovan Catholic HS, Toms River, NJ) split the uprights for the extra point; placing the score to 21-15.

The Bearkats will next face North Dakota State on Saturday, May 1 at a yet undetermined time. The Bisons downed Eastern Washington 42-20. The Bearkat-Bison game will be played at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Houston Dynamo FC fall to FC Dallas in final of La Copita tournament

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2021 All Right Reserved
By Robert H Kelly

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 10, 2021) Playing with will undoubtedly be their starting lineup for their first Major League Soccer match in a week, Houston Dynamo FC dropped a 3-0 decision to FC Dallas, which made their in-state rival the champions of the La Copita tournament.

Both FC Dallas and the Dynamo, along with Austin FC, San Antonio FC participate in the inaugural edition of La Copita. The newly formed preseason tournament kicked off ahead of the Major League Soccer (MLS) and United Soccer League (USL) 2021 seasons

The Dynamo contained the Dallas offensive punch until late in the first half. With 13 minutes to go until halftime, forward Franco Jara got the ball past Houston goalkeeper Marko Maric, from outside the penalty area with a shot to the far post, for the score.

Four minutes later, in the 41st minute, midfielder Andres Ricuarte sneaks the ball past three Houston players into the 6-yard box. Defender Ryan Hollingshead just happened to be "in the right place at the right time," gentling nudging in to the goal for the final score of the first half.

Dallas added an insurance in the 84th minute when Dynamo defender Sam Junqua tried to high ball with his right foot, but he slipped. Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira was there to claim possession. He dribbled into the box and slotted a shot past Maric to the far post.

Dynamo head coach Tab Ramos stated after the game,

“It was good to play a high-quality team like Dallas. I think we certainly could have used a couple more of these games before going into preseason. We needed a match like this where every ball was hard and every play mattered. I’m happy with the team and the first 35-45 minutes. I thought we did quite well. Their goal came sort of against the run of play when we were getting ready to score. Unfortunately, then the other goal came from a freekick where we weren’t ready. I think it was just a preseason mistake. Other than that, the second half was not great for us. I didn’t think we played well in the second half. We had a good overall first half, but the second half wasn’t good enough. Overall, the preseason has been very good, and I think we will be ready for Friday.”

Despite the score, Marić was a stalwart throughout the match, making a number of excellent saves to keep his team in it. In the 11th minute, a Dallas counter resulted in a shot inside the area, but Marić came up with a big save in a one-on-one situation. Unofficially, he finished the afternoon with six saves.

The Dynamo will kick off the 2021 MLS season at home on Friday, April 16 against the San Jose Earthquakes at 7 p.m. CDT.

GK Lindsey Harris shines in Houston Dash draw with Chicago Red Stars

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 10, 2021) The Houston Dash began the defense of their 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup title by battling to a scoreless draw against the Chicago Red Stars on Friday evening. The crowd in attendance at BBVA Stadium saw a spirited defensive battle.in which neither team could get the ball into the goal. With the draw, both teams pick up one point; placing them tied for second in the Cup's West Division standings.

Portland Thorns FC sit atop the West with their 2-1 win over Kansas City. OL Reign hold onto fourth place, having yet to play a match.

The Dash were playing without the services of seven of their players; six who were away on International Duty. Allysha Chapman, Nichelle Prince, and Sophie Schmidt are currently with the Canadian National Team while Rachel Daly is with England. Jane Campbell and Kristie Mewis are on roster duty for the United States.

Dash goalkeeper Lindsey Harris kept a clean sheet in her Dash debut, a feat that no other goalkeeper before her accomplished. The Austin native made a spectacular diving save in the 18th minute to deny Chicago center back Kayla Sharples. After a Chicago corner was initially cleared, the Red Stars cycled the ball back around to the right flank for a cross. Sharples ran onto it and volleyed it on target from six yards, but Harris leapt across her goal to snatch the shot out of the air.

When questioned about making the first save of the game early in the first half, Harris stated:

"Yeah, I usually go into games super nervous until I get my first touches on the ball. It came in (the 18th minute) and (Kayla Sharples) was wide open, but I don't know what happened. I saw it and I just jumped at it. I remember afterwards kind of crawling into a ball and just saying 'don't drop it.' First touch on the ball, so just don't drop it. I kind of curled up into it just to make sure it was safe."

Head coach James Clarkson talked about the draw in his post game meeting with the press.

“It was great to be back out there. Ten weeks was a really long time for a preseason – you could see the excitement of the players all the way through. The effort they put in tonight was fantastic. We knew it would be a little bit rusty because we hadn’t played since October other than each other in preseason. We know it's going to take a couple of weeks, but what they could ultimate control was ultimately fantastic.”

Friday, April 09, 2021

Houston Dash to face Chicago Red Stars to begin defense of NWSL Challenge Cup title

By Robert H Kelly

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 9, 2021) The Houston Dash will kickoff their 2021 season with the defense of their 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup against the Chicago Red Stars. The 2021 edition of the tournament will begin the first league competition this year for the Dash and an opportunity to defend the Club’s first title. Houston defeated Chicago Red Stars 2-0 at Zions Bank Stadium in Utah on July 26, 2020.

A win will mark the first Dash victory of 2021 after they became the 2020 Challenge Cup Championship and second place in the Fall Series. A victory will also earn the second consecutive victory against Chicago in addition to their fourth victory against the Red Stars.

Former Dash captain and forward Kealia Watt returns to BBVA stadium for the first time since departing the club in 2019 after spending four years in Houston. Goalkeeper Lindsey Harris is set to make her NWSL debut as Jane Campbell is off in Europe with the US Women’s National Team.

Defender Allysha Chapman, midfielders Kristie Mewis and Sophie Schmidt along with forwards Nichelle Prince and Rachel Daly will also be absent due to international duty. Defender Katie Naughton and midfielder Shea Groom will lead the team as co-captains against Chicago.

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. CDT.

Sunday, April 04, 2021

Houston Dynamo FC defeat Austin FC 3-2 in La Copita opener

AUSTIN, TEXAS (April 3, 2021) Houston Dynamo FC defeated Austin FC 3-2 at St. David’s Performance Center earlier today in the opening game of the La Copita preseason tournament for both teams. Houston scored three times in the second half to improve to 5-0-0 overall this preseason and 1-0-0 in La Copita.

Houston scored the game-winning goal in the 71st minute after forward Maxi Urruti launched a long diagonal pass down the left sideline. Speedy Dynamo forward Fafa Picault (shown above right) raced past defender Julio Cascante to force a one-on-one opportunity with the Austin goalkeeper and score his second goal of the match.

Austin took a 1-0 lead into halftime after a well-placed free kick from midfielder Tomás Pochettino in the 16th minute, but Houston equalized in the 54th minute after Picault capitalized on a loose ball inside the box that unbalanced the Austin backline. The forward took a touch toward the near post to create space for a shot that crawled toward the far post.

Houston took the lead two minutes later after midfielder Matías Vera chipped in a ball to Urruti. The ball floated over an Austin defender to the Argentine forward, who spun on his left foot and laced a right-footed side volley into the back of the net with his first touch.

Austin scored their second and final goal of the game in the 66th minute after a rebound off of a save from Dynamo goalkeeper Marko Marić. The Croatian saved Alex Ring’s initial effort from distance, but the ball fell into the path of an oncoming Rodney Redes, who headed the ball into the back of the net.

Maric finished with five saves in his first preseason game against an MLS opponent, including a big save in the final 10 minutes to deny Austin forward Jon Gallagher in a one-on-one situation at close range and preserve the win.

Midfielder Memo Rodriguez scored the only goal in a 30-minute scrimmage that followed the first contest of the day. The scrimmage also featured Homegrown player Daniel Rios and two Dynamo Academy players, Jathan Juarez and Kieran Sargent.

The Dynamo host OKC Energy in La Copita action at 12:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, March 6 at Aveva Stadium. The preseason game is free and open to the public, additional information is available at HoustonDynamoFC.com.

McNeese Cowboys stuns No. 12 Nicholls Colonels 43-13

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (April 3, 2021) Coming into the game with a 2-3 record and being listed as a two-touchdown underdog, the McNeese Cowboys stunned the No. 13 Nicholls Colonels by the score of 43-31 on Louis Bonnette Field at Cowboys Stadium In Lake Charles. The win raises the Cowboys season record to 3-3 and their Southland Conference record to 2-3. The loss dropped Nicholls to 4-2 (3-2 in conference) and virtually eliminated them from the FCS playoffs.

After trading fumbles early in the first quarter, the Colonels got on the scoreboard when quarterback Lindsay Scott (Zachary HS, Zachary, Louisiana) connected with wide receiver Dontzae Costly (St. James HS, New Orleans, Louisiana) on a 10-yard pass for the first score of the game. Kicker Gavin Lasseigne (Central Lafourche HS, Raceland, Louisiana) split the uprights for the extra point to give Nicholls a 7-0 lead at the 7:38 mark of the quarter. The Cowboys responded three minutes later with a 42-yard field goal by kicker Jacob Abel (Goddard Eisenhower HS, Goddard; Kansas) to cut the Nicholls lead to four. The Colonels pushed the score to 14-2 with eight seconds remaining in the quarter when Scott found wide receiver Dai’Jean Dixon (Edna Karr HS, New Orleans, Louisiana) open; flicking a two-yard pass over the line for their second TD of the game. Again, Lasseigne converted the extra point to end the quarter with a 14-3 score.

Then, something “came over” the Cowboys in the second quarter; scoring 21 unanswered points to take the score to 24-14 in favor of McNeese. Quarterback Cody Orgeron (Mandeville HMS, Mandeville, Louisiana, shown above right, number 8) threw to wide receiver Mason Pierce (Dawson HS, Pearland, Texas shown left, No. 89) for two touchdowns; the first a four-yarder followed by a 95-yard pass. The first TD capped a four-play, 85-yard drive that lasted 32 seconds. The second touchdown lasted eight seconds and consisted of a single play. In between the touchdowns, Wide receiver Walker Wood (Lafayette HS, Lexington, Kentucky) carried the ball the final four yards of an 86-yard, seven play drive that lasted 2:59. Nichols was finally able to stop the Cowboys’ scoring punch with a 26-yard Lasseigne field goal with 4:24 left in the first half, taking the score to 24-17 at the half.

At the 12:08 mark of the third quarter, the Cowboys increased their lead when Orgeron found wide receiver Joshua Matthews (Dunham HS, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) open and connected for a 26-yard touchdown pass to push the score to 30-17. Jacob Abel added the extra point, as he did on all previous McNeese touchdowns, to give the Cowboys a 14-point lead. Nicholls responded with 5:43 left in the third quarter with an eight-yard run by running back Julien Gums (De La Sale HS, New Orleans, Louisiana) to cut the McNeese lead to one possession (24-17).

After 2:12 of play into the fourth quarter, Orgeron again found Matthew; this time with a 13-yard pass to allow McNeese to regain a 13-point lead. Unfortunately, Abel’s conversion kick failed, his first miss of the day. It did not take much time for Nicholls to regain some of the momentum they had in the first quarter. Lindsay again found Dixon on a first-and-ten play, with an 11-yard pass to complete their 75-yard drive in 1:31. Lasseigne again added the conversion to take the score to 37-31 with 11:17 left on the clock. McNeese put the nail in the Colonels’ coffin 56 seconds later with a 67-yard run by running back Deonta McMahon (Frostproof HS, Frostproof, Florida). After the score, Nicholls took possession of the ball but could not find the endzone.

For McNeese, Orgeron completed 20-of-27 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns. Parker carried the ball 15 times for 39 yards and three touchdowns while Matthews and Pierce ahd two touchdowns each in the air. Defensive back Enos Lewis (Miami Central HS, Miami, Florida) accounted for 11 total tackles, with nine of them being solo.

Scott completed 26-of-53 passes for 289 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for Nicholls. Dixon caught seven passes for 69 yards and two TDs, with Scott carrying the ball 28 times for 127 yards.

Next up for the Cowboys will be a 4 p.m. CDT matchup on Saturday, April 10, against Sam Houston State (4-0, 4-0 SLC) in Huntsville, Texas while Nicholls will host No. 22 Southeastern Louisiana at 3 p.m. CDT on the same date.