Rogers has a long, proud football tradition, and the Eagles came close to giving their town its first state championship when they reached the Class 2A title game in 1997. But Rogers lost to Stamford and the Eagles haven't advanced past the state semifinals since then.
So although Rogers probably still likes to think of itself as a football town, its itch to become home to a state champion was first scratched by the Eagles' baseball program.
Rogers joined the realm of state champions when it won the 2A baseball crown in 2007, then validated its status as a modern diamond power by capturing another 2A title in 2010.
The two trophies look the same, but the fashion in which those two groups of Eagles attained Lone Star State superiority was quite different.
The 2007 squad of coach Craig Coheley was downright dominant, racking up a 36-2 record and never losing to a 2A opponent. The Eagles, first-time state semifinalists in 2006, were 10-0 in the '07 playoffs, sweeping four straight best-of-three series before taking down Blanco and Hooks to seize the state championship at Round Rock's Dell Diamond.
Rogers' star player that year was hard-throwing junior pitcher Taylor Jungmann, the tall right-hander who compiled a 14-0 record and was selected 2A's state player of the year. Jungmann, who transferred to 5A Georgetown for his senior year, went on to star for the Texas Longhorns.
Alan Valenzuela, Chris Joshlin, Ricky Brenek, Marshall Coots, Braxton Byers and Cameron Doskocil also played vital roles for Rogers in 2007.
On the other hand, Rogers' 2010 club didn't come close to displaying that kind of dominance but still found a way to emerge as the state's best.
The Eagles of second-year coach Keith Klaus (Coheley departed for Farmersville after the 2008 season) had to share the district title with rival Salado (the 2A state champ in '08), and they lost the opening game of best-of-three playoff series against Johnson City LBJ, Comfort and Danbury before rallying back to advance. Rogers reached its third state tournament in five years by beating Weimar 4-3 in the single-game Region IV final.
Competing at the University of Texas' Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Rogers rode the pitching of senior right-handers Gregory Mendoza and Chance Marek (both were part-time players on the '07 team) plus opportunistic offense to defeat White Oak and Bushland, respectively, for its second state championship in four seasons.
Nobody would contend that Rogers' 2010 team would have much of a chance to beat its 2007 squad, but that wasn't the point. No, the point was that Rogers, the old football town, had confirmed its status as a bona fide baseball powerhouse.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Belton Tigers baseball: 1994
Baseball is a big deal in Belton, and the memories and pride from the Tigers winning the Class 4A state championship in 1994 remain strong.
Coached by David Tidwell and powered by senior pitchers/shortstops Jason Regan and Brock Rumfield, Belton compiled a 35-6 record. The Tigers seized their only state baseball title by surviving three consecutive three-game playoff series and an extra-inning classic against Carthage in the state semifinals before beating Big Spring in the finale at the University of Texas' Disch-Falk Field in Austin.
Belton was forced to three games by Austin Westlake and then perennial Corpus Christi-area powers Robstown and Calallen. Riding Regan's right arm and their balanced offensive attack, the Tigers made it through all of those challenges to capture the Region IV championship.
Belton trailed Carthage in the bottom of the seventh inning but Regan -- who wielded impressive power despite his small stature -- blasted a dramatic, game-tying home run to keep the Tigers alive and force extra innings. Then in the eighth, Regan connected for a game-winning grand slam to give Belton its long-awaited -- and never-duplicated -- state championship.
The Tigers continued to enjoy plenty of success on the diamond under Tidwell through 2008 (Belton rose to 5A briefly in the late 1990s and then for good beginning with the 2003 baseball season) and Eddie Cornblum starting in 2009, making several deep pushes in the regional playoffs with teams that carried realistic state aspirations.
But Belton hasn't been back to the state tournament since that magical trek to the championship in 1994, making the memories of the Tigers' solitary triumph even more profound.
Coached by David Tidwell and powered by senior pitchers/shortstops Jason Regan and Brock Rumfield, Belton compiled a 35-6 record. The Tigers seized their only state baseball title by surviving three consecutive three-game playoff series and an extra-inning classic against Carthage in the state semifinals before beating Big Spring in the finale at the University of Texas' Disch-Falk Field in Austin.
Belton was forced to three games by Austin Westlake and then perennial Corpus Christi-area powers Robstown and Calallen. Riding Regan's right arm and their balanced offensive attack, the Tigers made it through all of those challenges to capture the Region IV championship.
Belton trailed Carthage in the bottom of the seventh inning but Regan -- who wielded impressive power despite his small stature -- blasted a dramatic, game-tying home run to keep the Tigers alive and force extra innings. Then in the eighth, Regan connected for a game-winning grand slam to give Belton its long-awaited -- and never-duplicated -- state championship.
The Tigers continued to enjoy plenty of success on the diamond under Tidwell through 2008 (Belton rose to 5A briefly in the late 1990s and then for good beginning with the 2003 baseball season) and Eddie Cornblum starting in 2009, making several deep pushes in the regional playoffs with teams that carried realistic state aspirations.
But Belton hasn't been back to the state tournament since that magical trek to the championship in 1994, making the memories of the Tigers' solitary triumph even more profound.
Temple Wildcats football: 1979 and 1992
Going back to the beginning of Texas high school football, Temple has had one of the state's winningest programs. The Wildcats advanced to state championship games in 1940, 1941, 1951, 1952 and 1976 but lost each time, though never by more than 13 points.
Temple finally broke through and joined the pantheon of Texas state champions in 1979, producing a 15-0 season under legendary coach (and Temple native) Bob McQueen. The Wildcats defeated Houston Memorial 28-6 at Baylor University in Waco to capture the crown in Class 4A, the state's largest classification before 5A arrived in 1980.
The '79 Wildcats posted Temple's fourth consecutive 10-0 regular season (1980 delivered a fifth straight 10-0 mark), then edged previous playoff nemesis Plano 19-16 in the second round of the postseason and survived a 3-0 struggle against Lewisville in the state semifinals.
For the season, the Wildcats outscored opponents 480-89, racked up four shutouts and limited foes to six points or less 11 times.
One of Temple's top players in '79 was junior running back Kenneth Davis, who shared carries with senior Darrell Weddington. Davis went on star at Texas Christian and made four Super Bowl appearances with the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s.
Temple continued to win under McQueen in the 1980s but didn't make it back to another state final until 1992, when the Wildcats fashioned a 15-1 march to the 5A Division II championship.
Whereas Temple was perfect in '79, the '92 Wildcats didn't even get through their district schedule unscathed. They lost 14-7 to league rival Killeen, then responded by winning their final three district games by a combined score of 127-20.
Temple steamrolled through the playoffs, defeating Round Round, Huntsville, Richardson, Richardson Lake Highlands and Amarillo by a combined 231-78 before cruising past Houston Yates 38-20 at the University of Texas' Memorial Stadium in Austin to become a two-time state champion.
State powerhouse Converse Judson won the 5A Division I title in '92, but Temple could stake a claim to being the outright 5A champion that year because its Wildcats beat Judson's Rockets 37-21 in a non-district duel in September.
And as of the beginning of 2010, Temple -- whose football program had struggled since McQueen's retirement after the 1999 season -- hadn't returned to a state title game since its 1992 triumph.
Temple finally broke through and joined the pantheon of Texas state champions in 1979, producing a 15-0 season under legendary coach (and Temple native) Bob McQueen. The Wildcats defeated Houston Memorial 28-6 at Baylor University in Waco to capture the crown in Class 4A, the state's largest classification before 5A arrived in 1980.
The '79 Wildcats posted Temple's fourth consecutive 10-0 regular season (1980 delivered a fifth straight 10-0 mark), then edged previous playoff nemesis Plano 19-16 in the second round of the postseason and survived a 3-0 struggle against Lewisville in the state semifinals.
For the season, the Wildcats outscored opponents 480-89, racked up four shutouts and limited foes to six points or less 11 times.
One of Temple's top players in '79 was junior running back Kenneth Davis, who shared carries with senior Darrell Weddington. Davis went on star at Texas Christian and made four Super Bowl appearances with the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s.
Temple continued to win under McQueen in the 1980s but didn't make it back to another state final until 1992, when the Wildcats fashioned a 15-1 march to the 5A Division II championship.
Whereas Temple was perfect in '79, the '92 Wildcats didn't even get through their district schedule unscathed. They lost 14-7 to league rival Killeen, then responded by winning their final three district games by a combined score of 127-20.
Temple steamrolled through the playoffs, defeating Round Round, Huntsville, Richardson, Richardson Lake Highlands and Amarillo by a combined 231-78 before cruising past Houston Yates 38-20 at the University of Texas' Memorial Stadium in Austin to become a two-time state champion.
State powerhouse Converse Judson won the 5A Division I title in '92, but Temple could stake a claim to being the outright 5A champion that year because its Wildcats beat Judson's Rockets 37-21 in a non-district duel in September.
And as of the beginning of 2010, Temple -- whose football program had struggled since McQueen's retirement after the 1999 season -- hadn't returned to a state title game since its 1992 triumph.
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