Pasadena holds home-court edge over Crosby in Tuesday matchup

Story and photo by Chris Price
Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (October 14, 2025) Tonight at 6:30 p.m., the Pasadena Eagles will host the Crosby Cougars in an important District 18-5A volleyball match. Pasadena comes in with a strong 20–9 record, while Crosby sits at 12–21.

Pasadena has been dominant at home, going 8–4 on their court, and their district play is rocking at 6–2.  Crosby, meanwhile, is 4–5 in district matches and 3–6 in away games.

In their last meeting on September 19, Pasadena defeated Crosby in straight sets: 25-23, 25-19, 25-20. That win gives Pasadena some confidence tonight. But Crosby isn’t a team to count out; they will try to show big improvement.

When you look at the stats, it’s close but leans Pasadena. For kills, Crosby has 838 and Pasadena 871. On serving aces, Crosby has 169, while Pasadena has 197, Pasadena holds a slight edge  In digs, Crosby has 1,659, just ahead of Pasadena’s 1,619

Pasadena will want to use their home crowd and solid serving to pressure Crosby. Crosby must be sharp with passing and staying consistent in rallies if they have hope.

The fans should get a competitive match. I expect Pasadena to pull ahead, but Crosby might make them sweat late.

Pasadena Eagles advance to UIL State Volleyball Playoffs

Story and photo by Chris Price

Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (November 1, 2024) Playing in front of load and boisterous crowd, the Pasadena Eagles volleyball team extended their season with a "play-in game" victory against the Crosby Cougars at Bob Barfield Gymnasium in Pasadena. The Lady Eagles downed the Cougars in four sets to avenge their previous meetings this season.

Having faced off three previous times this season. On August 31, Crosby came out top by the score of 2-1 (20-25, 29-27, 13-15) in the Dobie Longhorn Tournament. In district play, the two District 18-5A, foes played each out on September 24 and October 18. In the September match, Pasadena came out on top, 3-2 (24-26, 15-16, 19025, 12-25, 15-10). In their district rematch, the Eagles dropped the five-set match 2-3 (25-12, 10-25, 26-24, 24-26, 13-15).

In the Friday night match, Crosby jumped out to a 1-0 lead, by the score 28-26. The Lady Eagles rebounded from the first set loss, to win the next three (25-22, 25-22, 25-19) to advance to the UIL 5A state playoffs. Last season (2023) they advanced to the 6A playoffs as one of the representatives of District 22-6A.

In securing the fourth-place finish in District 18-5A, they will face the College Station A&M Consolidated Tigers, who is the District 17-5A champion, The Tigers post a 32-10 season record while bring and undefeated record (12-0) into the playoffs. Pasadena finished the regular season with a 21-13 record with a 6-7 record in district play. Both teams will be playing in Division 1 of the 5A playoffs.

The Eagles and Tigers will meet in the first round on Tuesday, November 5 with a 6 p.m. start in Pasadena.

No. 6 Manvel downs No. 9 Crosby 35-21 in battle of Top 10 teams

By AD Jewell
Contributing Writer
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

ALVIN, TEXAS (August 27, 2016) Even mother nature couldn't resist showing up for the season opening showdown on Friday, August 26, 2016 between the No. 6 Manvel Mavericks and No. 9 Crosby Cougars. After a hour rain delay at Alvin Memorial Stadium, both top ranked teams took the field to kickoff the 2016 high school football season. 

And what a kick off it was, Crosby received the kick and on the first snap of the game senior quarterback Mannie Netherly, took the ball 71 yards for the first touchdown. Crosby would miss the extra point leaving the score 6-0. 

Netherly, who is also a  standout receiver pledged to LSU, passed for a total of 171 yards and would also rush for 92 yards. Netherly threw two touchdown passes and one interception. Junior Craig Williams would receive a TD pass on a 14 -play drive in the second quarter and junior Cedric Patterson III would get a 24-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter for Crosby. 

Manvel also debuted a new quarterback,  junior Kason Martin. In a stellar 28 point second quarter, Martin threw for a total of 233 yards, three touchdown passes and one interception. One of the passes in the 2nd quarter was an impressive 85 yard catch and run touchdown by junior Jalen Preston. Preston would also run for an 11 yard touchdown on the following drive. After an action packed first half Manvel lead Crosby 35-14.

Manvel’s defense made its presence known throughout the whole game, shutting down Crosby’s running backs and racking up a total of three sacks on Netherly. Lance Bryant, Xavier Rosette, and Kobe Foster all got sacks for Manvel. 

Both teams will have to spend some time this week working on penalties. Twenty-six combined penalties were given for a total of 282 yards. 

The only score of the second half would come with 5:35 left in the game. Netherly would find Patterson for his second touchdown pass bringing the final score at Memorial Stadium to Manvel 35, Crosby 21.

While both teams had struggles with penalties, they also had successes in their new quarterbacks.  Both teams look prepped for great seasons of district play. Next week Manvel heads to North Shore and Crosby takes on Houston Reagan.

Crosby HS WR Mannie Netherly commits to play college football for LSU

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

CROSBY, TEXAS (June 25, 2016) Heading into his final year of high school football, one Houston area player knows what colors he will be wearing when he takes the field in the fall of 2017. Crosby High School senior Emmanuel (Mannie) Netherly announced on Friday evening, June 24, 2016, via his Twitter account, that he will attend Louisiana State University and will play for the Tigers beginning in 2017. The 6-2, 183-pound quarterback and wide receiver had offers from over 20 other schools, including Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Texas.

Netherly led Crosby High School to a 11-1 record in 2015, with a 10-0 regular season record while posting an 8-0 record in route to the district championship. In the playoffs, Crosby defeated Lumberton by the score of 42-13 in the first round of the Class 5A Division II before falling to Fort Bend Ridge Point 42-14 at NRG Stadium in the second round.

The future LSU Tiger will bring impressive stats to Baton Rouge. He posted a 4.48-second 50-yard dash, along with a 4.32-second shuttle run and a 36.9-inch vertical jump. In his junior year at Crosby, as a wide receiver, he caught 60 passes for 1,002 yards and 18 touchdowns. In addition, he carried the ball 22 times for 230 yards and four touchdowns. When playing quarterback, he completed 13 of 23 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. He was a first team all-district selection at wide receiver and was named to the Texas Sports Writers Association's all-state second team. Netherly and the Crosby Cougars will kick off the 2016 season on Friday, September 2, 2016 against Manvel High School.

No. 2 Crosby takes 43-13 bi-district win over Lumberton

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

NEW CANEY, TEXAS (November 13, 2015) After having an 80-yard kickoff return called back for a penalty, the No. 2 Crosby Cougars promptly scored on their first play from scrimmage and used a 35-0 halftime lead to down the Lumberton Raiders by the score of 42-13 at Texan Drive Stadium in the Houston suburb of New Caney on Friday, November 13, 2015. With the win, Crosby moved to 11-0 in 2015 and will face Fort Bend Ridge Point at NRG Stadium on Saturday, November 21, 2015.

The Cougars’ first score scored 26 seconds into the game when Craig Williams took the ball from quarterback Tristan Cotton and quickly ran 91 yards down the left side for the touchdown. Kicker Juan Ochoa kicked the first of his six extra points to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead. A little more than two minutes later, Trevian Edwards caught a Cotton 32-yard pass for Crosby’s second touchdown of the game. Williams added another touchdown at the 6:32 mark in the first quarter secure a 21-0 lead after 12 minutes of play. Crosby added two more touchdowns in the second quarter on another run by Williams at the 8:19 mark and a Cotton to Jordan Hill 31-yard pass with 4:55 remaining in the half.

Crosby scored an insurance touchdown late in the third quarter on a three-yard run by Sherman McGee. Lumberton was finally able to get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter on a 11-yard run by Timothy Rhodes and a one-yard run by Caleb Thomas.

Crosby will next face Fort Bend Ridge Point with a 5:30 p.m. match-up on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at NRG Stadium. Ridge Point downed Port Lavaca Calhoun by the score 42-35 in bi-district action.

Netherly's overtime TD leads Crosby to 42-35 win over New Caney

Emmanuel Netherly (16) shown with his father,
Crosby assistant coach Dwight Netherly, scored three TDs
in Crosby's 42-35 overtime win against New Caney.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

CROSBY, TEXAS (October 23, 2015) With the score tied at 28 after four quarters, Crosby quarterback Tristan Cotton fired an 18-yard pass to Emmanuel Netherly in overtime to secure a 42-35 victory over New Caney at Cougar Stadium in the Houston suburb of Crosby on Friday, October 23, 2015. With the win, the Cougars remain undefeated in district play with a 6-0 record and a perfect 8-0 record in 2015.

Netherly added three touchdown to his season total; two in the air and one on the ground. The fleet-footed junior carried the ball one time for five yards and the score and caught passes of 27 and 18 yards for his other two scores. Cotton was 15-of-26 for 234 yards and three touchdowns while rushing 21 yards on nine carries.

Crosby took an early lead in the first quarter with a 66-yard touchdown run by Craig Williams and a Yardley Cruz extra point. Cruz stepped up to the tee six times during the game and split the uprights on every extra point.

New Caney scored twice in the second quarter on passes from Timothy Ware to David Harvey. Crosby added a touchdown between the New Caney scores with Netherly’s 27-yard scoring pass from Cotton to tie the score at 14 after 24 minutes. Both teams scored 14 points in the third quarter to again tie the score going into the fourth quarter. Crosby went ahead with 3:40 remaining in the game on a Cotton pass to Shammah Gray and the Cruz conversion. The Eagles took the kickoff and tied the score on a Mart’e Allison two-yard run and Eduardo Martinez’s extra point with 30 second left in regulation.

With two weeks left in the regular season, Crosby will face New Caney Porter at Texan Drive Stadium on Friday, October 30 in New Caney. They will close out the regular season with a Friday, November 6 match-up against C.E. King at Cougar Field in Crosby.

Crosby continues dominance in UIL District 21-5A with 43-21 win over Kingwood Park

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

CROSBY, TEXAS (October 3, 2015) Racking up 525 yards of total offense, the No. 2 Crosby Cougars downed Humble Kingwood Park by the score of 43-21 on Friday, October 2, 2015 at Cougar Stadium in the Houston suburb of Crosby,Texas. With the win, the Cougars raised their season record to 6-0 with five weeks to go in the regular season.

Junior running back Mannie Netherly continued his record breaking season, catching eight passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a two-point conversion to his scoring total on the Cougars’ third touchdown of the evening. Quarterback Tristan Cotton added two rushing touchdowns for the Cougars to contribute to Crosby’s win.

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved

Crosby scored 36 points before the Panthers managed to score on a Zach Purcell two-yard run and a Matthew Flaherly kicking conversion at the 3:56 mark in the third quarter. Crosby responded with Netherly’s second score two minutes later. Kingwood Park added two additional touchdowns by Garrett Sweeney’s rushes of 12 and 25 yards.

Cotton was 23-of-30 in the air for 281 yards and two touchdowns, while Craig Williams carried the ball five times for 147 yards and one touchdown. Seven Crosby players caught passes during the game for 295 total yards, while six players rushed for 230 yards.

Kingwood Park was paced by Sweeney’s 66 yards in the air and Aaron Hurd’s 79 yards on the ground. They accumulated 270 yards of total yards, with 162 of those yards in the air. With the loss, Kingwood Park dropped to 1-4 for the season and 1-2 in district play, while Crosby improved to 4-0 in district.

Crosby will next face Dayton at home on Friday, October 16, 2015, while Kingwood Park faces Dayton on October 8, 2015 at Turner Stadium.

Crosby Cougars down Barbers Hill Eagles 40-21 on Manny Netherly's three TD effort

Junior wide receiver Manny Netherly's (16) three touchdowns
helped the Crosby Cougars to a 40-21 win over the
Barbers Hill Eagles on Friday night.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

MONT BELVEAU, TEXAS (September 11, 2015) Paced by three touchdowns by wide receiver Manny Netherly, the No. 2 Crosby Cougars quickly outpaced Barbers Hill and downed the Eagles by the score of 40-21 at Eagle Stadium in the Houston suburb of Mont Belvieu, Texas on Friday, September 11, 2015. With the win, the Cougars go to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in District 21-5A play while the Eagles fall to 1-2.

Netherly caught five passes for 138 yards in route to his three touchdown game, the best of the season for the 6-1 junior, and raises his count to six TDs for the 2015 season. He first reached the end zone at the 3:44 mark in the first quarter on a four-yard pass reception from quarterback Tristan Cotton. He added his second score of the game with 5:45 remaining in the first half as a result of a 65-yard pass from Cotton. He rounded out his scoring onslaught with a 50-yard pass, again from Cotton two minutes later. Cotton finished the game competing 21-of-32 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted once.

The Cougars got on the scoreboard first after four minutes, 46 seconds of play when senior running back Sherman McGee carried the ball the final six yards into the end zone for the score. Jesse Vargas added the kicking extra point, as he did for all the Crosby touchdowns of the night. Barbers Hill quickly answered the McGee score with a touchdown of their own, on a one-yard run by senior running back Hunter Gobert. Marco Castillo tied the score at seven-all with the first of his three extra-point kicks.

Crosby senior quarterback Tristan Cotton (12) threw for
360 yards against the Barbers Hill Eagles.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved

Crosby followed up with two of Netherly’s scores before Barbers Hill again found the end zone for their second score of the game; a two yard run by junior running back Cameron Hendricks. Netherly’s third TD follow before the Eagles scored on another Hendricks run, a five-yard romp with 37 seconds remaining in the first half. Both teams headed to the locker room at halftime with Crosby holding a 28-21 lead.

The Cougars added two insurance scores in the third quarter on a 54-yard run by junior wide receiver Terryl Wiley at the 10:45 mark in the third quarter and a five yard pass from Cotton to senior wide receiver Shane Hudson. Crosby opted from the two-point conversion and failed on the attempt.

Crosby accounted for 532 yards of total offense against the Eagles, with 360 if the yards coming from Cotton’s aerial attack. The Eagles posted 248 yards of total offense, with 186 yards coming on the ground. The physicality of the game was evident with the officials throwing their flags 14 times with 118 penalty yards assessed to both teams.

Barbers Hill will next face the 1-2 Dayton Broncos on Friday, September 18, 2015 with a 7 p.m. CDT kickoff at Bronco Stadium in Dayton. Crosby will face the Humble Wildcats at Cougar Stadium on Friday, September 18, 2015 in a 7 p.m. CDT contest.