Mirror Sports 2-10-09

Passing lanes. Ball screens.Defensive pressure. Shot selec-tion.

Those are what Midlothian bas-ketball players are thinking about.

District championships. Playoffseeding. Post season scenarios.

Not so much. With so much on the line each

and every time the Panthers stepon to a gym floor, the team hasreverted to the oldest and mostused line in the sports handbook.But if it works, who can argue?

“It’s been easy (to stay focused)It’s kind of a cliche but we’re tak-ing it one game at a time, tryingnot to look ahead. Every game isthe biggest game of the year,” sen-ior guard Cameron Lowman said.

That philosophy has comedown from the top as coach GlennHartson stresses the importanceeach day of playing the team infront of you, not the next oppo-nent.

Looking ahead would be easyfor Midlothian but the team refus-es to do it. Doesn’t mean it does-n’t look around.

Each night, players and coachestake a look at the district resultsand figure out where things have

shaken out. With WacoUniversity’s loss last week toWaco High, the Panthers andTrojans are currently tied atop theDistrict 16-4A race with time run-ning down.

Despite being on top, Hartson isstill wary of even making theplayoffs so he presents his teameach night with the same type ofspeech. It’s short, simple and goesback to that one game at a timemindset.

“I’m not saying a whole lot. I’mjust trying to keep them focused.Every game is a big game, that’smy saying to them every gamefrom the beginning of district tohere. This game is big, the nextgame’s big,” Hartson said. “Like Itold them today, I know you guysare tired of hearing me say big

game but every game is a biggame. In this district right now,the way it’s crowded and congest-ed, every game is a big game andthat’s the approach you’ve got totake it. That’s the mentality andthey know that. They’re smartkids. They know.”

The good news for Hartson andhis team is the players havebought in to the system that tookthem from a sub-.500 non-districtstart to a pair of four game winstreaks in district play.

Specifically, the team has madea living off defensive pressure. In

the full-court press tabbed as“white,” the team harasses the ballhandler and anyone trying to helpmove the ball past half court. Thatpressure has forced numerous

It took exactly 29 minutes of executivesession discussion between the six mem-bers present of the Midlothian ISD boardof trustees, but, in the end, the groupunanimously approved athletic directorSteve Keasler’s recommendation that for-mer Mexia coach Lee Wiginton becomethe new head football coach at MidlothianHigh School.

Wiginton becomes the 14th head coachat Midlothian since 1960 and inherits aprogram that finished the season with a 1-9 record as a 4A team.

It was announced early Monday morn-ing the Panthers will make the move to 5Anext season.

“I’m just thrilled to be here. I’m thrilledto be a Panther right now,” Wiginton said.“With realignment today, I think that’s

exciting. I think that’s an exciting oppor-tunity that’s out there for all these youngmen and for us as a coaching staff. We’regoing to come in with our shoes on fireand get ready to come after it. I think it’sa great time to be here.”

Accompanied by his wife Becky, 7-year-old son Haydon and 3-year-olddaughter Julia, Wiginton made his way

around the Midlothian board room Feb. 1talking with school officials, parents andplayers.

The hire came just hours afterMidlothian became the first team in EllisCounty history to be classified as 5A. The

Sports irrorWednesday, February 10, 2010

Wiginton welcomed to new post at Midlothian

Inside sports...

•Players talk about the hiring of the new coach

•Midlothian coaches and players share their thoughts onthe move to 5A and their new District 5-5A home.

•A look at the Panthers’ new opponents for next season.

Photo by Alex Riley/The Mirror

New Midlothian football coach Lee Wigintonwas unanimously approved by the board.

Board unanimously approves hire as coach prepares to lead Panther programBy ALEX RILEY

Mirror sports writer

See HIRE, Page 5C

Stayingfocused


Midlothian senior Zach Hofstad applies pressure to the inbound passer during last week’swin over Corsicana. The Panthers have kept up their defensive intensity, which has putthem in position to contend for the District 16-4A championship.

See HOOPS, Page 6C

By ALEX RILEY


Hockey punches playoff ticket

PLANO – Before last week’s game,Matt Bassett’s scoring slump was a teamjoke. After Thursday, Bassett was theone with the last laugh.

The Midlothian point leader recordeda three-goal hat trick and an assist as thePanthers picked up a 6-3 win over HEBBirdville.

“I feel a lot better and we’re playingwith different guys on our lines so Ithink that makes a big difference. Wehave more communication and justteamwork,” Bassett said.

More importantly, the team assureditself of a spot in the playoffs.

With the win, Midlothian (15-3-1) is

now six games up on Arlington Lamarwith just five games left to play meaningthe team will make the post season tour-nament bracket.

Getting that clinching victory wasanything but easy or pretty.

Tempers flared between both squadsas the Panthers and Titans combined for22 penalties throughout the night,including 10 stemming from fights inthe second and third periods.

A first period flurry of goals startedwhen Trent Newman took assists byBassett and Chris Green in for a 1-0 leadjust over three minutes into the game.Birdville tied the score about five min-utes later before the Panthers broke the

game back open. Bassett’s first score came on a power-

play off assists from Brent Jones andBlake Parker at the 10:44 mark to allowMidlothian to retake a 2-1 lead. Lessthan 40 seconds later, Bassett returnedthe favor as he and McClain Williamsonhanded out an assist to Parker for a 3-1lead.

Birdville trimmed the game less thantwo minutes into the second period butBassett would notch the game winner atthe 4:27 mark off a Williamson assist.After Birdville trimmed the lead back toone late in the second period, the twoteams got into their first scuffle just asthe period came to an end. That resultedin seven players starting the third periodin the penalty box as both teams openedplay with a four-on-four match-up.

Bassett would ice the game at the11:19 mark of the third with his thirdgoal of the night off a Brent Jones assist

Win over HEB-Birdville clinches post season berth, keeps team in division raceBy ALEX RILEY


See HOCKEY, Page 4C


Matt Bassett notched a hat trickin a win over HEB Birdville. Videohighlights of the game are avali-able under the video tab atwww.thedailylight.com.

Upcoming scheduleFeb. 11vs. Colleyville Heritageat StarCenter in Euless8:45 p.m.

Panthers refusing to look ahead, working tostay in District 16-4A championship title hunt

Coverage ofTuesday’s game

between Midlothianand University in

Wednesday’s edition of theWaxahachie Daily Light

2-10 Midlothian Sports 3/9/10 4:49 PM Page 1

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Signing Day2C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Star wide receiver signs on with BaylorJohnson ready for opportunity to shineat college level, raise standard in Waco

Eddie Johnson is a man ofhis word. Months ago, theMidlothian wide receivermade a verbal commitment toplay college football at Baylor.Plenty of other schools tried toget the standout to sway on hispledge.

But on Wednesday morning,the senior made good on hiscommitment to play for theBears when he signed anational letter of intent. Justlike he said he would.

“It feels like home. It’s a bigstrong program. Our class isone of the classes that’s goingto bring Baylor to probably abowl game this year and winchampionships,” Johnson said.“I just stuck with it. A lot ofthe D-I players that committedto it stuck with it. We’re justready to go down there andplay in Waco and win for thewhole season.”

The offers came fast andhard at Johnson as traditionalpowerhouses like Texas,Oklahoma and Tennessee triedtheir best to change the 6-foot-3 receiver’s mind.

Nobody understands whathe brings to a field better thanJohnson who knew collegeswere going to continue comingafter him. But in the end, thechallenge of what Baylor hadto offer was just something toogood to pass up.

Under second-year coachArt Briles, the Bears haveimproved drastically and nar-rowly missed out on a bowlberth. That upswing hasJohnson excited as he feels hecan help get the team over thathump.

“That’s a big challenge Iwant to take. A lot of playerstell me, ‘You could have wentto Oklahoma. You could havewent to Texas. You could havewent to Florida or anywherelike that.’ But I was like I don’twant that,” Johnson said. “Iwant to make something smallbecome something big so I’mglad for that.”

Briles appears to see thesame thing.

The three-star prospect is atop 100 wide receiver by both

By ALEX RILEY


See JOHNSON, Page 5C

Photo by Rebecca Hertz/The Mirror

With his parents Eddie Sr. and Jeanette and former coach Robby Clark looking on, senior receiver EddieJohnson signed his national letter of intent to play at Baylor during the school’s morning televisionshow taping.

If two is company and threeis a crowd, then what is five?

According Tess Voissard,family.

Surrounded by blood relatedfamily members, Voissard,Alex Furr, Lindsey Cisco, ToriAdame and Callie Bishop allsigned national letters of intentto play college soccer atDivision I schools next seasonmaking them largest seniorclass to do so in Midlothianschool history. And quite possi-bly the closest.

“It’s kind of like you’redoing it with your familybecause I’ve known these girlsfor forever,” Voissard, aLouisiana-Lafayette signee,said.

On a team ranked in thestate’s 4A top 10 poll, these fiveplayers were almost guaranteedto steal the spotlight. As theysigned on with their respectiveschools, they did just that.

Each player picked her insti-tution based on what she need-ed out of the college experi-ence. But in the end the oppor-tunity to continue playing soc-cer at the collegiate level was a

dream becoming reality. “I always hoped I would and

that was the goal so it feels real-ly good to reach what we haveworked for for years,” MiddleTennessee State signee LindsayCisco said.

“It means a lot. I’ve alwayswanted to continue my careerand I’m really excited to signbecause I’m really excited toplay in college,” HoustonBaptist University signee ToriAdame said.

As if earning a college schol-arship wasn’t special enough,the group got the chance toshare the moment with eachother. Of course they’ve beensharing special sports relatedmoments with each other forquite some time.

The five-some has beenplaying together for years withsome relationships betweenthem stretching back all theway to kindergarden. That bondhas made them a cohesive uniton the field. It’s also made themfriends off it.

“We train together every dayso we all are happy for eacho t h e r and o u r s e l v e s also

Stock photos/The Mirror

Tess Voissard, Lindsey Cisco, Tori Adame, Alex Furr and Callie Bishop have been key cogs to Midlothian’s success on the soccer field the last few sea-sons. Each of the five has earned multiple letters and have made the program a top 10 caliber team.

To the fifth powerGroup of soccer players sign on to play collegiately, set mark for greatest class in school history

See SOCCER, Page 4C

By ALEX RILEY



Midlothian senior soccers players Callie Bishop, Tori Adame, Tess Voissard, Alex Furr andLindsey Cisco signed national letters of intent to play college soccer last week.


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UIL RealignmentWednesday, February 10, 2010 Midlothian Mirror 3C

Cedar HillFootball2009- 5A regional finalists2008- 5A regional finalists2007- 5A bi-district champs2006- 5A state champs2005- 7-5A district champs

Volleyball2009- 5A bi-district finalists2008- 7-5A district champs2003- 7-5A district champs

Boys basketball2009- 5A state runner-up2007- 5A bi-district champs2005- 5A state runner-up

Girls basketball2009- 5A area champs2007- 5A area champs

Baseball2007- 5A bi-district champs

Girls soccer2008- 5A bi-district champs

DuncanvilleFootball2009- 5A bi-district finalists

Volleyball2009- 5A bi-district finalists2007- 5A bi-district champs2006- 5A bi-distrct champs

Boys basketball2009- 5A regional finalists2008- 5Aregional semifinalists2007- 5A state champs

Girls basketball2009- 5A regional finalists2008- 5A regional finalists2007- 5A bi-district champs

Baseball2007- 5A bi-district champs

Girls soccer2009- 7-5A district champs2007- 5A bi-district champs

Boys soccer2008- 5A bi-district champs2007- 5A bi-district champs

South Grand PrairieFootball2006- 5A area finalists2005- 5A area finalists

Volleyball2009- 5A bi-district finalists

Boys basketball2007- 5A bi-district champs

Baseball2009- 7-5A district champs

Softball2009- 7-5A district champs2008- 5A bi-district champs2007- 5A bi-district champs

Mansfield LegacyFootball2009- 4A area finalists

Volleyball2009- 4Aregional semifinalists2008- 5A area champs2007- 5A bi-district champs

Boys basketball2009- 4A area champions

Boys soccer2009- 4A state semifinalists

Girls soccer2009- 4A area champs

Softball2009- 4A bi-district champs

Mansfield TimberviewFootball2008- 4A bi-district champs2007- 5A area champs

Volleyball2005- 4Aregional semifinalists

Boys basketball2009- 4A state semifinalists2006- 4A bi-district champs2005- 4A bi-district champs

Girls basketball2009- 4A state runner-up2008- 5Aregional semifinalist2007- 5Aregional semifinalist

Boys soccer2009- 4A bi-district champs

Girls soccer2009- 4A sectional champs

MansfieldFootball2008- 5A area champs

Volleyball2007- 5A bi-district champs2006- 5A area champs

Boys basketball2007- 5A area champs2005- 5A bi-district champs

Girls basketball2007- 5A bi-district champs

Boys soccer2009- 5A area champs2008- 5A bi-distrct champs2007- 5A bi-district champs

Baseball2009- 4-5A district champs

Softball2008- 5A bi-district champs

Grand PrairieNo notable championshipssince 2005.

Recent athletic achievements of District 5-5A teams

Photo by Andrew Branca/The Mirror

Newly hired coach Lee Wiginton talks with players at a meet and greet last Thursday. Wiginton inheritsa program that finished 1-9 last season and has moved from 4A to 5A.

Welcome to the show

When Lee Wiginton accepted theoffer to be Midlothian’s new footballcoach, the school was 4A. Before hecould even get into town, the schoolmade the jump to 5A and was pittedagainst some of the toughest competi-tion in Metroplex.

Talk about a warm welcome. Wiginton, the former coach at 3A

Mexia High School, was broughtbefore the Midlothian school board justhours after the UIL announced thePanthers would make the jump to 5A.The move is one Wiginton was awaremight happen and it’s a challenge he isprepared to embrace.

“The way I kind of look at realign-ment and things is its one of thosethings you can’t control and once it’sdone those are the teams you play. You

prepare to win those games, it doesn’tmatter who it is,” Wiginton said. “Kindof everywhere I’ve been I’ve alwaysthought that we want to be the best andto be the best you have to beat the bestand I think we’re going to have thatopportunity because there’s some ofthe best in this district.”

In his 10 seasons as a head coach,Wiginton appeared in the playoffseight times and has coached a total of18 playoff games in that span. At hislast stop, Mexia, a 3A team, was anarea finalist in 2008 and 2009.

But the challenge ahead of himmight be one of the tallest in the state.

Coming off a 1-9 season, thePanthers make the move to District 5-5A which features perennial powersCedar Hill, Duncanville and threeteams from the Mansfield district.Cedar Hill finished the regular seasonas the No. 1 ranked team in the state

but fell late in the playoffs. The newly hired coach was aware

that the teams Midlothian will facenext season are traditional powersmaking the road to a winning a seasonan uphill climb. However the challengeis one he intends to take on head firstand believes the Panther players shouldbe ready to attack as well.

“We’re certainly going to respecteverybody we play but we won’t fearany of them I can assure you that,”Wiginton said. “We’re going to go towork with one mindset and that’s goingto be to be the best team we can be andstep on the field and be able to beatanybody we play. That’s the only waywe’re going to approach it. It wouldn’tmatter if they had dropped us to 3A orraised us to 5A or thrown another A,

By ALEX RILEY


See DISTRICT, Page 6C

New football coach arrives on histortic day for Midlothian athletics

Players excited about opportunity

Sometime around the middle ofthe day, junior defensive backVictor Gonzales knew that most ofthe Midlothian football had heardabout being realigned to a 5A classi-fication. The halls were abuzz.Literally.

“When we heard that this morn-ing at 9:30 all we could say was‘Yeah! We’re ready.’ Fourth periodwas crazy because we’re all fired upabout that. Can’t wait to play CedarHill and Duncanville and all thoseteams,” Gonzales said.

With the school enrollment mov-ing the Panthers up to the top tier ofTexas high school football,Gonzales and his Midlothian team-mates eagerly awaited the UILrealignment results last week whenthe school was pitted against someof the best teams in the area.Traditional powers like Cedar Hilland Duncanville are just the start toa district with opponents like

Mansfield and Grand Prairie wait-ing the wing.

The new district left members ofthe football with mixed emotions asthe competition level climbed dra-matically.

“We’re trying to think positiveabout it because it’s like a wholenew game in 5A,” junior widereceiver Colton Thigpen said. “Thenew surroundings and the competi-tion is going to be a lot tougher. Ithink we’re going to be all right.”

The day culminated the hiring ofa new football coach for the pro-gram as Lee Wiginton was intro-duced to his new team just hoursafter the Panthers were officiallymade a 5A team.

It was a whirlwind day but onethat has players optimistic about theroad that lies ahead next season.

“We know 5A’s real competitiveand it’s new to us. I just think we’re

By ALEX RILEY


See PLAYERS, Page 6C

Photo by Mike Sackett/Special to the Mirror

Junior defensive back VictorGonzales said the move to 5A firedplayers up for next season.

Midlothian coaches look ahead to 5A competition

Football coach Lee Wiginton

Boys basketballcoach Glenn Hartson

Softball coachJennifer McFalls

Volleyball coachRhonda Currey

Baseball coach Ray Hydes

See REACTION, Page 6C

“We’re certainlygoing to respecteverybody weplay but wewon’t fear any ofthem I canassure youthat.”

“I’m excited,and lookingforward to thenew challenge.”

“Very excited aboutthe new district. It isgoing to be very challenging and competitive. Locationis really good and thefacilities are great.”

“We are coming from a very compet-itive 4A district and jumping into acompetitive 5A district. ... We willdefinitely have our work cut out forus, but I have confidence the girlswill step up and meet the challengeand be competitive in this new district.”

“Knew this was going to happensooner or later. There are somechallenges and I think our coacheswill do the best they can to compete.”


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The members of theMidlothian girls basketballteam are realists. They knowthe post season is out ofreach for this season.

In no way does it meanthey were going to give up.

As the regular seasondraws to a close, the LadyPanthers have every intentionof fighting to the very end. Infact, they wouldn’t have itany other way.

“We haven’t stoppedworking hard and I don’tthink anyone has just becauseour playoff hopes are kind ofgone. I don’t think that’saffected anybody,” seniorNatalie Ruud said.

Working through the finalstretch, gaining experienceand building confidence arejust some of the goals coachBrooke Walthall has set forthe team as her first season ashead coach draws to a close.

After a win overCorsicana, the coach washappy to see her team stillgiving 100 percent effort inthe game. She believesmoments like that are a signher philosophies and teach-ings are getting through.Even in Friday’s loss atMidway, the effort was stillthere.

“That’s good. They’veworked very, very hard andwhen you work hard it’s hardto give up on things. I thinkthat they’re still continuing todo a good job and I thinkwe’re still getting better,”Walthall said.

Building on a season thatis the program’s most winssince the 2007-08 season willbe key as the program makesthe jump to a highly compet-itive District 5-5A next sea-son.

Winning now is a confi-dence booster many playersrealize will only help asthings move along.

“It’s really importantbecause we have to have apositive outlook on next year.People talk and it’s not verypositive but it’s good to knowthat ending our season onwins will kind of help us inoffseason and after the sea-son because it will be a goodatmosphere,” junior HannahPlante said.

The good news forWalthall and her team isthey’re only losing four play-ers from this season’s rosterto graduation and the juniorvarsity and ninth-grade teamshave a combined record of36-14 with a 16-4 recordagainst district competition.

Having those players stepup and make contributions tothe varsity level while alsocultivating the current talenthas become a top priority forWalthall.

With that in mind, Walthalland her squad are focused onthe now, not what’s comingaround the bend.

“You know, we haven’ttalked about it because wehave two games left in thisseason and we want to focuson this year and this team wehave right now. And when weget done and more on into

offseason we’ll talk aboutthat,” Walthall said. “I justthink that we’re in a greatdistrict, playing against greatteams with great traditionand we’re going to beat thoseteams.”

Contact Alex [email protected] orat 469-517-1456.

Frank Seale eighth-gradegirls basketball update

Both the A and B teams picked up big winslast week over Coble. The A team notched a40-26 win while the B team earned a 39-30victory.

For the A team, pressing defense forcednumerous turnovers. Jacyln Freeman led theway with 10 points while Mackenzie Huntadded eight and Michelle Cleveland tackedon six.

The B team took an early lead and keptpushing the whole way through. KorbinMonday had 18 while Jessica Giles added 12and Ellen Kyle scored six.

Ninth-grade girls basketballupdate

The freshman girls basketball team contin-ued its hot streak in district play rolling to a38-10 win over Cleburne. The team followedthat up with a low scoring affair againstCorsicana that finished with the LadyPanthers claiming a 24-18 win. The twoteams nearly doubled-up their offensive per-formances from the whole game in the fourthquarter. Midlothian was up 13-8 going intothe fourth and held on to win.

Rylea Milson led in scoring with six points.The freshman team closed out its season

with a 35-19 loss to Midway. The team finish-es the season with a 18-6 overall record andwere 10-1 in district to tie Midway for thebest record

JV girls basketball updateCoach Greg Stover didn’t want to hand out

too much praise to the Midlothian junior var-sity girls but in the end the results are speak-ing for themselves.

After earning a big 33-20 win overCleburne last week, the Lady Panthers rolledto a 44-17 win over Corsicana at home. The

defense allowed just nine first half points asthe team went up 26-9 to shake off a slowstart.

“I just thought we were sluggish, right atthe beginning too. Defensively we weren’tvery good. We picked it up though. Weweren’t taking shots. We had wide open looksbut we weren’t shooting the ball,” Stoversaid. “We came back and played better in thesecond half. I thought from the second quar-ter on we played pretty good.”

Rachel Martin led the way with 13 whileCourtney Tobolka had nine. The team limitedCorsicana to six points or less in each of thefour periods.

The JV girls fell to Midway 39-23 drop-ping their record to 17-10 and 8-5 in district.

Varsity girls basketballupdate

Clinging to a one-point halftime lead overCorsicana, the Lady Panthers doubled theirpoint total in the third period en route to a 37-27 win proving it’s not how you start but howyou finish.

Led by Natalie Ruud’s 10-point first half,Midlothian (12-19, 5-7 district) showed littleoffensive life early on while the defense heldCorsicana in check. Those two elements com-bined for a 13-12 halftime lead.

All that changed early in the third period asa pair of Ruud free throws broke a 15-15 tieto give the Lady Panthers a lead they wouldnot relinquish. Back-to-back plays by seniorguard Lauren Daniell led to a driving lay-upand a 3-pointer from deep while TrishaDupree’s pull-up jumper from the wingcapped a furious scoring effort in the thirdperiod.

In just eight minutes, Midlothian scored asmany points as it had in the first half to earna 16-4 scoring advantage in the third. Muchof that offense was created by pressingdefense that forced turnovers and careless

passes by Corsicana. Solid free throw shooting was the name of

the game in the fourth as Midlothian playedkeep-away to drain the clock and protect itslead. Ruud, Daniell, Hannah Plante andBrandi Spillers combined for seven of theteam’s 11 points in the period at the charitystripe to help snap a three-game losing streak.

Ruud finished as the scoring leader with 16while Daniel added seven. In total, sevenplayers scored on the night as the LadyPanthers held their opponent under 40 for thethird time in the last six games.

Natalie Ruud’s 16 wasn’t quite enough toget the Midlothian girls over the hump as theteam dropped a 53-29 game to HewittMidway. After falling behind by just one atthe end of the first period, the Lady Panthers(12-19, 5-8 district) were outscored by sevenor more in each of the next three periods.

Walnut Grove seventh-gradeboys basketball update

The Walnut Grove seventh-grade boys Ateam fell to Jones in a 63-28 game. BrandonKlor had nine points while Will Wiens addedfive.

The B team also had a tough night againstJones as the squad fell 49-31. Ryan Splawn’seight points led the way while Darion Danielsadded seven.

Walnut Grove eighth-gradeboys basketball update

A pair of Walnut Grove eighth-gradersposted double-figure scoring games againstHoward as the A team nearly pulled off ahuge win but fell 48-42 down the stretch.Quindell Daniels led with 12 while BrendanCornell added 10. The B team had five-pointefforts from Dakarai Berry and ChandlerRoss but fell to Howard 48-20.

The tough finishes for the A team contin-ued in a game against Jones as the squaddropped a 40-37 heartbreaker in overtime.

Roman Brown led with 11 points while TreyHall added eight.

Ninth-grade boys basketballupdate

Both the A and B ninth-grade teams got thechance to take the court last week againstCleburne as the A team dropped a 39-35heartbreaker to the Tigers while the B teampicked up a 59-11 win.

In the A team game, Midlothian raced outto a 17-7 first period lead before Cleburnecame back to outscore the Panthers in each ofthe final three quarters. The Yellowjacketsoutscored Midlothian 22-14 in the secondhalf to pick up the win.

Josh Tobolka led in scoring with 13 whilebrother Jeramy Tobolka had 11.

The B team fared much better as it heldCleburne scoreless in the first period and toone point in the fourth. Marcos Sanchez ledwith 12 points while Jacob Mathis, JavierMaldonado, Kevin Gilmore and HunterPearce each had eight. All nine players scoredat least two points in the game. The B team is3-3 on the season.

The A team bounced back from the losswith a huge 61-28 win over Corsicana athome.

Led by a pressing defense, the Panthers ranout to a 27-13 halftime lead while holding theTigers to single digit scoring in three of thefour periods.

“We came out and I thought the energy andthe enthusiasm were a little higher than thefirst time we played those guys,” coach JohnKistopoulos said. “Our press really leads to alot of our offense and it’s good to see we’regetting better at running that press. I’m justhappy that we got out there and pretty muchdominated from the start of the game and weshould.”

Daniel Rushing led in scoring with 12while Josiah Copeland had eight as all 12

Sports4C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Trying to build a little off-season momentumLady Panthers hope strong finish willhelp build morale for next year’s team

Next week...A quick look back on seniornight for the four playersfrom the 2009 season.

By ALEX RILEY



Midlothian players Hannah Plante (12) and Trisha Dupree (21) battle for a loose ball during last week’s winover Corsicana. The Lady Panthers show no signs of quit as the season draws to a close.

MIdlothian ISD Round-up


Danielle Bourgeois and the freshmangirls continue to roll, improving to 10-0 in district.

Photo by Chad Wilson/The Mirror

Alyssa Freeman and the Lady Pantherjunior varsity team got a big 20-pluspoint win over Corsicana.


Brandi Spiller came off the bench toscore in the varsity squad win overCorsicana.


Freshman Christian Fussell and theninth-grade boys beat Corsicana by33 points last week.

See ROUND-UP, Page 6C

Coverage of Tuesday’sseason finale against

University inWednesday’s edition of

the Waxahachie Daily Light


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Panthers will spend next falllining up against traditionalpowerhouses like Cedar Hilland Duncanville. That movemade getting a man to leadthe team in place all the moreimportant.

After sorting throughapplications and resumes formore than two months,Keasler was glad to finallybring a name before the boardhe felt met the criteria ofwhat the school was lookingfor.

In 16 seasons as a headcoach, Wiginton has com-piled a record of 80-43 withplayoff appearances in eightof the last 10 seasons.

“It’s been a long processbut also a thorough process inthe fact that I can tell any-body in the community that Ispent hours of time trying tomake the right decision forour kids and our communityand I feel really, really goodabout who we have,” Keaslersaid.

Following Keasler’s pres-entation of Wiginton as a can-didate, the school boardagreed and voted to offer a 1-year dual probationary con-tract.

“I think after we saw thecredentials and his past andhis references I think we feltlike it was a slam dunk,”board member Tom Mooresaid.

At Mexia, Wiginton pro-

duced back-to-back District19-3A championships andwon the bi-district round eachseason before falling to theeventual 3A state championboth times.

While stepping up to elite5A competition will be amajor challenge, it was onethe newly hired coach says heis ready to take on quickly.Wiginton will begin workimmediately on assembling astaff and making the move totown, saying he hopes to beon the job by Wednesday.

“A number of things (madethis the right place) startingwith the schools. With theelementary schools beingexemplary that was huge formy family. Being a wayscloser to my in-laws that’sinvaluable to us and theopportunity that exists for thefootball program, as a coach,is just a grand opportunity.The sky’s the limit I think,”Wiginton said. “From every-thing I hear the kids are hun-gry and that’s all you canwant as a coach is to havekids that are eager and readyto go and come out here andgo to work.”

Armed with a spreadoption style playbook,Wiginton has yet to coach agame but already has sup-porters of Panther footballbuzzing. While his hire mayhave been the end to a topsy-turvy day, many hope it willbe Midlothian that comes outon top in the end.


SportsWednesday, February 10, 2010 Midlothian Mirror 5C

When Tom Moore raisedhis hand to vote LeeWiginton in as the new foot-ball coach at Midlothian, theschool board member waswell aware of all that hadhappened on Monday.

In a matter of hours,Midlothian went from a 4Aschool without a footballcoach to a 5A school in oneof the premiere districts inthe area with a newly hiredcoach. Talk about turn-around.

“I think today wasextremely significant.. We’vegone 5A. We’re going to bein a really tough district andwe’re starting off with a newhead coach and so this is avery significant day in thehistory of Midlothian. I thinkwe’re stepping in the rightdirection,” Moore said.

In a room filled withschool staff, fans and footballplayers, the school approvedthe hire of Wiginton after therecommendation of athleticdirector Steve Keasler.

While the members of theboard discussed the candi-date in an executive session,Wiginton and his familyroamed the room talking withthose gathered.

The overwhelming feelingseemed to be a positive end-ing to a very event filled day.

“It’s really important (tohire him) because it obvious-ly wasn’t working out withthe old coaches so it’s impor-tant that he comes in anddoes a good job and I thinkhe will. So far I like him,”junior wide receiver ColtonThigpen said.

Wiginton’s hire came just

hours after Midlothian wasmoved to 5A. The newDistrict 5-5A features someof the area’s top teams mak-ing the trek to a winning sea-son all the tougher.

After just a brief conversa-tion with new coach, juniordefensive back VictorGonzales already had a feel-ing that Wiginton’s hiremight be a big boost to a pro-gram looking to shake off a1-9 season.

“I’ve talked to him a littlebit. He sounds like a cooldude,” Gonzales said. “Hesounds like he’ll push us and

I know he looks like a dudethat if we mess up he’s goingto say, ‘Get on the line, we’rerunning.’ I like that and Ithink he’s going to motivateus and we’re going to do itbig time in Midlothian Ithink.”

Gonzales and Thigpenwere two of about a dozenplayers gathered at the boardmeeting. Joining them werenumerous parents and fansfrom the town, each of whichwas eager to shake the newlyhired coach’s hand.

While the road to the play-offs is a long ways away, the

feeling in the program hasbeen given a much neededlift.

“I like the fact that wewere able to pull a youngman that resembles a little bitof what we’re about and Ialso like the fact that he’s gota winning record and he’sbringing the kind of systemthat is going to blend withour guys very well. We’rehappy to have him,” playerfather Joe Windsor said.


HireContinued from Page 1C

Players, fans embrace new coachGroup turns out to welcome Wiginton, ready for new direction in football team


Midlothian coach Lee Wiginton and his wife Becky introduce themselves to fansand players gathered at last Monday’s hiring.

By ALEX RILEY

Daily Light sports writer

The Wiginton FileHead coachingexperience: 10 years(Bosqueville 1A,Comfort 2A, Mexia3A)... eight playoffappearances, 18 totalgames

While at...•Bosqueville: Brought school to firstplayoff appearance in 2000, earnedDistrict 23-1A coach of the year.... Areafinalist in 2001... 2003 state quarterfi-nalist. District 22-1A coach of the year

•Comfort: State semifinalist in 2005...regional semifinalist in 2006, District 8-2A coach of the year... bi-district finalist2007

•Mexia: Area finalist 2008... Area finalist2009, District 19-3A coach of the year

Personal: Salutatorian of 1989Lampasas High School class... neverlost a district game in high schoolcareer at any level... quarterback of twoundefeated district championship teams

to make it 5-2. The final score of thenight came as Trent Newman scored anempty net shot with time running downafter Birdville pulled its goalie.

Along with clinching a playoff berth,the Panthers got a boost from a pair ofreturning players. After Jones cameback from a knee injury last week,teammates Williamson and Parker madetheir return to the ice after being side-

lined for more than three months. Theduo combined for two assists and a goalin their return to the ice.

“We’ve got our whole team back,we’re running 15 now, full bench, andit’s just more rest for every guy and abig confidence booster for everybody,”Parker said. “I haven’t played in awhile. It’s just good to be back with myteam and getting on the ice again isfun.”

With the post season looming, coachRyan Pfeiffer is wary of earning a play-off berth with five games left to play.Keeping his team focused will be key asThursday’s indiscretions showed.

“It’s not very important (to lock it up)yet because it’s how high we finish upthatís important,” Pfieffer said. “Rightnow we’ve locked up an eight hole orsomething like that. So if we lose out,we’ll still finish in the bottom fourth ofthe playoffs so it’s important to get it butwe’re not done. The way we play therest of the way is more so going to bemomentum relevant then. If we focus onthat, then the points and positioning willtake care of itself. But it’s more trying togain speed so you hit the playoffs run-ning.”

HockeyContinued from Page 1B

because we worked reallyhard for it,” Cisco said.

For coach Austin Guest,the moment provided ashowcase of why the pro-gram has received notorietyover the past few seasons.With a No. 5 preseason rank-ing in the TASCO poll, theLady Panthers entered theseason with lofty expecta-tions. The five college leveltalent players were a majorpart of that.

“You could tell when thatgroup walked through the

door as freshman this was aspecial group. At that pointthe problem is ours to makesure we make the best out ofwhat they bring to the table,”Guest said. “All the coacheshere have created a greatenvironment where wedevelop players over the longhaul. We get great players tostart with and we do a wholelot of work technically, tacti-cally, physically to improvethose kids over the course oftime.”

With a large portion of theseason yet to play out, thegirls know there is still alaundry list of opportunitiesin front of them. Having thefuture already figured out is amajor weight off each one of

their minds. “A lot of people are trying

to figure out where they’regoing and stuff and it’s justnice knowing that we’re fin-ished, it’s done. We knowwhere we’re going and that’sgood to know,” Furr, anArkansas State Universitysignee, said.

What the event meant tothe program is easy to meas-ure. The symbolism to theplayers involved might beanother thing.

Just a few months remainin their high school careersand with the college choicesmade, the realization of theirtime together is slowlybeginning to sink in. Withthat in mind, the players

made sure to enjoy their daytogether in the spotlight.After all, that’s what familiesdo.

“At the beginning of theyear I was like, ‘I’m ready tograduate.’ And now that it’sour last semester I kind ofdon’t want to go away andleave my family and all myfriends,” Bishop, a CentralArkansas University signee,said. “It’s a happy time and atime that our parents areproud of us and happybecause its finally all paidoff.”


Rivals.com and Scout.comand finished with 814 yardson 48 receptions with eighttouchdowns last season. Heclaimed first-team all-districthonors.

In a statement released byBriles after the signing dayclass was announced, thecoach said Johnson has a“world of great upside” andthe program “expect(s) greatthings out of him.”

Former Midlothian foot-ball coach Robby Clarkagrees.

“I think Eddie’s bound forsuccess in a lot of ways. He’sobviously got an NFL bodyalready and if his route run-ning and ball skills catch upwith his body, he’s a for sureNFL guy,” Clark said.

While adjusting to collegelife will be a new part ofJohnson’s life, the growthprocess will get a slightboost. After taking a year togray-shirt, former Midlothianquarterback Bryce Petty willtake the field with Johnsonnext fall as the duo look toregain the connection thatmade them successful in highschool. The duo hooked upfor 994 yards and four touch-downs over Johnson’s sopho-more and junior seasons andcould be on track to eventual-ly do it again.

Before Petty takes thefield, Johnson will be catch-ing passes from All-American candidate RobertGriffin who headlines a deepreturning group for the Bears.Just another reason Johnsonsays heading to Waco was theright choice.

“We’ve got Robert Griffincoming back. We’ve got widereceivers coming back. Ourdefense is stacked.Everybody in the secondaryis coming back. So we’re justa strong offense ready to takeon everybody that’s coming,”Johnson said. “I can’t wait forthat.”


SoccerContinued from Page 2C

JohnsonContinued from Page 2C

Photos by Rebecca Hertz/The Mirror

Family members of each player look on as theirdaughters sign letters of intent to play collegiatesoccer next season. The five signees were the mostfor the program in its history. (Top from the left) ToriAdame, Callie Bishop, Linsdey Cisco, Alex Furr andTess Voissard have helped make the Lady Pantherprogram into a top 15 caliber team in the state ofTexas over the last few years.

Photo by Gary Puckett/Special to the Daily Light

Eddie Johnson cappedhis career by signing onto play at Baylor.


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“Obviously this district makes forsome increased competition anddifficult playoff routes, providedwe can earn playoff births. Wehave played primarily a 5A andstrong 4A non-district schedule forseveral years to begin prepara-tions for the new challenge thatlies ahead of us.”

–Austin Guest, boys and girlssoccer coach

“We are going into a district withgreat tradition and that is some-thing we are looking to continueto build on here in Midlothian.”

–Amanda Baird, assistant girlsbasketball coach

“The Midlothian High SchoolTennis Team is excited about thenew challenges that it will face.Duncanville, Mansfield, MansfieldLegacy and Mansfield Timbervieware all regional qualifiers in theirrespective districts this year and

have always had strong tennisprograms, but I know theMidlothian High School tennisplayers are ready to put in thework that will be needed to winDistrict Championships in district5-5A.”

– Marcus Canonico, boys andgirls tennis coach

“We knew this was a probabilityand we will be in a challengingdistrict. We just need to prepareour athletes for the new districtand region. Our athletes areresilient and they can step up tothe challenges before them.”

– Cindy Williams, boys and girlscross country coach

“I’m excited about us competingagainst the biggest & best golfprograms in the state! MansfieldHigh will make us elevate ourplay to another level and I knowwe will work extremely hard to getto that level.”

– Brant Barrett, boys and girlsgolf coach

Sports6C Midlothian Mirror, Wednesday, February 10, 2010

we’re going to go about our business thesame way which is going to be all out.”

The good news for Wiginton is theprogram returns a large portion of thetalent from last season. Of the six play-ers selected to first or second team all-district slots, five will return next sea-son. The Panthers also get their toptackler and top passer back.

That talent has Wiginton excitedabout what he has to build on.

“From everything I hear the kids arehungry and that’s all you can want as acoach is to have kids that are eager andready to go and come out here and go towork,” Wiginton said.

Contact Alex [email protected] or at 469-517-1456.

going to get ready and we’re moreactive on offense and everything, doingwhat we’ve got to do for next yearbecause we know it’s a tough districtand all,” Gonzales said. “But we’reready to go. That I guarantee — we’reready to play.”

Contact Alex [email protected] or at 469-517-1456.

DistrictContinued from Page 3C

PlayersContinued from Page 4C

turnovers which have led to easy buckets intransition.

With an up-tempo style like that, Hartsonand his assistant coaches are constantly mon-itoring how players are feeling physically sothey don’t wear down. Fatigue might be aconcern but it hasn’t seemed to affect thesquad yet.

“Coach (Cesar) Condarco and I really tryto watch them in practice. There’s some dayswe’ll go really, really hard and then there’ssomedays where we know they’re dragging alittle bit and we’ll only go 45-50 minutes dur-ing the period and just an hour or so afterschool,” Hartson said. “It’s a balancing act.Those first five play a lot of minutes andyou’ve got to watch out what you’re doingbecause of that.”

Energy doesn’t seem to be a problem at allfor Midlothian as Hartson sees and hears itfrom his players each day. With the coachingoffices right next to the locker room, Hartsonsaid he hears cheering, yelling and pep talk-ing coming from inside whenever players areusing the facility. During practice, veteranplayers provide the same type of talk on thecourt, trying to keep teammates motivated forthe road ahead.

No one is predicting the finish to the sea-son but the Panthers are aware of what’sgoing in the district around them. They’re notworried about what others do but what they

can do. But in the situation they’re in, it’shard not to use a possible championship as alittle motivation.

“It just keeps us ready to go. We know wehave a chance to go to the playoffs, maybeeven get a district championship and go pret-ty far in the playoffs. It just keeps usfocused,” Lowman said.

Contact Alex at [email protected] at 469-517-1456.

HoopsContinued from Page 1C

ReactionContinued from Page 3C

2010 Midlothianfootball schedule

Aug. 20 Richland(scrim) TBA

Aug. 27 Grapevine 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 3 @Saginaw 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 10 Northwest* 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 OPEN

Oct. 1 Duncanville 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 8 @Legacy 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 15 Cedar Hill 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 22 @G. Prairie 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 29 @Timberview 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 5 Mansfield** 7:30 p.m.

*Homecoming**Senior Night

Upcoming scheduleFeb. 12*vs. Ennis5 p.m./6:30 p.m./8 p.m.(ninth/JV/varsity)

Feb. 16@Waco High5 p.m./6:30 p.m./8 p.m.(ninth/JV/varsity)

*Senior night

ONLINE: Video highlights oflast Tuesday’s game withCorsicana. Go towww.thedailylight.com andclick on the video tab.

members of the roster scored at least twopoints in the game.

“It’s good to get some of those kids inthere. I was pleased to see Daniel Rushing doa good job. That’s a kid that real talented ath-letically. I enjoy working with him over herein basketball and I’m glad he’s making themost of the minutes he’s getting and I’d liketo see him get a whole lot more minutes,”Kistopoulos said. “Kevin Gilmore’s a guythat worked with our B-team all year, showedup to every practice, never missed a practice.Showed up to all the B-team games, playedwell and because of that I moved him up. Irolled him out there and he scores a couplebuckets tonight. Things like that really makeyou happy.”

JV boys basketball update The season of tough finishes continued for

the junior varsity basketball team as thePanthers dropped a 57-52 heartbreaker toCleburne in overtime. The Panthers boltedout of the gate with a 32-30 halftime leadwhich grew to 43-36 at the end of the thirdperiod.

But the Yellowjackets would rally to tie thegame in the fourth and outscored Midlothianin the extra frame 10-5 for the win. ColtonRapp led the scoring with 16 while RyanWeaver had 11. Bryan Boleman’s seven wasnext in line.

The gut-check games continued against JVdistrict leading Corsicana as Midlothian’searly lead evaporated thanks to a two-pointthird period resulting in a 50-44 loss.

“Two points in third quarter wasn’t toogood but other than that we played a prettygood team. They’ve only lost one game indistrict so we had our chances we just didn’tmake it happen,” coach Pat Richmond said.

The boys got started off on the right foot asColton Rapp scored 12 points in the first half

on solid shooting from long-range to put thePanthers ahead 30-21 at the half.

“They were backed off in that 2-3 zone andI was pretty excited. We were hitting some 3son them. But whenever they come out andpressure us it’s tough, we struggle with that, “Richmond said.

Midlothian’s offense went cold in the thirdand scored just two points as Corsicana rolledout with 15. The deficit proved to be toomuch for the team to rally from.

Rapp’s 14 led the way while Shane Deckeradded nine.

Varsity boys basketballupdate

Led by Cameron Lowman’s season-high26 points, the Panthers turned a seven-pointhalftime lead into a 20-point blowout with a72-52 win over Corsicana.

Down numerous times in the second peri-od, Midlothian rallied back to claim a 31-24halftime lead.

After listening to coach Glenn Hartsonemphasize a need for defense during thebreak, Lowman and his counterparts werehappy to oblige. The senior guard scored 10of the team’s first 13 points in the third peri-od to run out with a 46-27 lead.

Many of those points came as the Panthersturned up the defensive pressure, whichresulted in bad passes and easy transitionpoints.

The margin ballooned into the 20-plusrange as Lowman hit Johnson with a pass fora dunk to push the Panthers ahead by 21. Thedeficit would not dip below 20 the rest of thegame.

In the third period alone, Midlothianoutscored the Tigers 24-10 resulting in thehuge gap.

With the starters pulled for much of thefourth quarter, reserves like Jackson Sandifer,Mason York, Cody Meyers and BrandonMundie got the chance to run the floor. WhileLowman’s 26 stole the show, nine of theteam’s 10 players scored. Johnson posted 13

points to go along with a dozen reboundswhile Blackburn kept his double-digit scoringstreak alive with 10.

On Friday, the Panthers traveled to theWaco area for a game against Hewitt Midwayand were thumped 70-42 in the most lopsidedloss since starting district play.

Midlothian (16-11, 8-3 district 16-4A) gota taste of its own medicine as Midway usedfull-court press defense to harass and blockthe passing lanes of the Panthers.

Down 38-19 at the half, Midlothian didrally to get the deficit to 13 with just underthree minutes remaining in the third but itwasn’t enough as Midway went on a big runto take control of the game for good.

Center Eddie Johnson led the way with 14points and nine boards while BlaneBlackburn added 12 and Cameron Lowmanfollowed up his 23-point night with 10.

The Panthers played Waco University witha share of the district title on the line Tuesday.For a full recap of that game, seeWednesday’s edition of the WaxahachieDaily Light.

Boys varsity soccer updateFresh off a three-draw effort in the Cement

Capital Classic, the Midlothian boys soccerteam dropped a 2-0 decision to an undefeatedNorth Dallas team.

Midlothian boys soccer team got back inthe win column posting a season high eightgoals in an 8-0 win over Kennedale to opendistrict play.

Led by Brett Hames’ three goals, thePanther offense exploded and helped theteam improve to 5-3-5 overall with 1-0-0 startto district play. Other goal scorers were KevinErmatinger, Jake Walker, Eric Haston, ParkerEllis and Brian Bynum.

Girls varsity soccer updateThe Midlothian girls dropped their second

straight game of the season falling to PlanoEast 2-0 last Monday. District play for theMidlothian girls team opened with a 0-0 drawagainst Kennedale. The Lady Panthers are 7-

5-2 overall.

Boys powerlifting updateMidlothian’s boys powerlifting team had a

big weekend in Kennedale claiming fifth outof a 17-team field.

Heath Lemonie led the Panthers with a firstplace finish in his division while VincentSellers came in second. Michael Glenn tookhome a fourth place spot while VictorGonzales picked up a seventh place finish.

Girls powerlifting updateIt was another good weekend of competi-

tion for the Midlothian girls powerliftingteam as the Lady Panthers took home fifthplace in the Kennedale meet last Saturday.

Lexi Ball claimed a first place individualfinish while Stephanie Horton came in sec-ond. Kate Tulley and Shaddai Rios each tookhome third place in their respective divisionswhile Desirae Northern came in fifth. WhitniPearce (sixth), Destiny Meadows (eighth),Kaylee Harcrow (10th) and Taylor Marshall(11th) also had good efforts.

Senior citizen program tobe offered again

The Super Senior Citizen program offeredby Midlothian Independent School Districtwill once again be active for the 2009-2010school year.

This program provides free admission toall Midlothian ISD home athletic contests.The club is open to all MISD residents over65 years of age and to all MISD retireesregardless of age.

To join the SSC club and receive your freegold card good for admittance to allMidlothian ISD athletic home events, justcome by the athletic office, located in thelobby of the arena at the High School cam-pus. If you have additional questions, you cancall 972-775-8174.

–Alex Riley

Round-upContinued from Page 4C

Midlothian athlete grabs MVPLocal Midlothian product BryceFausett (37 above), a quarterback, wonMVP honors for the Class of 2013 in anevent at Grand Prairie High School.More than 350 athletes from across themetroplex came out in an attempt tomake an impact on college footballrecruiters at The Old Coach Five-StarPerformance Camp.

Big killHunter Wilkerson came up with a bigkill on this 200-pound hog on hisgrandparents’ property in NavarroCounty on Jan. 17 during the youthweekend. He is a seventh-grader atFrank Seale Middle School.


Midlothian resident andRed Oak volleyball play-er Candace Halbertsigned a letter of intentto continue her career incollege at Brookhavenon Tuesday. Halbert isthe third Lady Hawk tosign this season.

Midlothian nativesigns on withBrookhaven CC


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Mirror Sports 2-10-09