The post Playoff Roundup: Lewisville finds early spark, cruises to 3-1 win over Marcus in Game 1 of 5A Region I Final appeared first on Allen Publishing.

[photo courtesy] Marcus’ pitcher Nick Lewis (5) on the Mound during spring ball.

The playoff juggernauts — who have combined for 65 wins, 12 already in the postseason – last met on May 5, 2012 in the first round. The series went three games, but Carroll was the one to advance. The Dragons have been their typical selves ever since, but Marcus (33-6) has found its own winning edge and doesn’t intend on slowing down anytime soon.

“These guys want Southlake,” Sherman said. “They ended our guys’ season last year so that’s who they want and we’ll be ready for them. And we’ll be humble about it because we know they (Southlake) are one of the top teams in the state of Texas. But we’d like to think we are too.”

The series starts with Game 1 at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Southlake Carroll. {Editor’s Note: visit allenpub.com throughout the weekend for updated playoff roundup/scores for our area teams}. Game 2 is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Marcus. Game 3, if necessary, will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Grapevine.

Carroll (32-4-1) is ranked No. 16 in the nation by MaxPreps.com. Marcus, currently unranked, has rattled off win streaks of 16 and seven (twice) games and is in the region semis for the first time since 2010. Prior to this series, both teams have yet to lose this postseason (6-0, respectively).

Marcus got here with sweeps of area teams Irving Nimitz, South Grand Prairie and Grapevine. During that stretch they’re pitchers have allowed an average of five hits per game, with senior Nick Lewis (Baylor) having given up a total of four runs on 13 hits. Beyond Lewis, though, Jack Cushing (2-0 in the playoffs) has shown he can be relied on despite having no varsity experience.

Offensively, the Marauders are burying teams in the later stages of games. In Game 2 at Grapevine they scored twice in the sixth inning and added four more runs in the seventh, including a three-run homer from Matt Holcombe, to extend what was a 1-0 lead through five innings. One night earlier, Austyn Laird hit a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth with Marcus trailing the Mustangs by one run. Marcus won the game 6-4.

Carroll has two shutouts in the playoffs and have outscored opponents 37-17 in sweeps of Arlington Lamar, San Angelo Central and Midland. Pitcher Tyler Alexander has been dynamite all year and sports a .350 earned run average with 113 strikeouts to just 13 walks coming into the series.

“You say we’re hot and our hitters are hitting, but pitching wins championships and they’ve got it so we’ve got to go grind out at bats just like we always do,” Sherman said. “They’ve got a guy (Alexander) that’s got stupid numbers; he’s awesome. It’s the regional semis, anything can happen.”

Marcus finished second in District 5-5A, winning eight of its last nine. Including their postseason run, the Marauders entered this weekend’s series having won 14 of their last 15.

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[photo courtesy] Marcus Coach Bryan Erwin at the 2013 Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round up Ride on May 4 in Frisco.

The longtime Marcus football coach rode with the Insperity Express team in the 2013 Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round up Ride on May 4-5 in Frisco and with his teammates covered 150 miles over the 2-day event. Erwin raised $3,200 of his team’s $10,000 donation.

“I had trained off and on and borrowed a bike from a friend, but I had only gone on two rides with it before the event and my longest was 12 miles,” Erwin said. “I had also done spin classes (at the gym) but I was really worried if I could make it for the long haul. Some teams were just flying past me and it was like the sound of cars going by. But I had a cause that was bigger than me.”

Multiple Sclerosis, called MS, is a chronic and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system and has affected approximately 400,000 Americans and 2.5 million people worldwide – including Erwin’s best friend, Rusty Johnson. While there is no known cure for MS, the National MS Society has prospered from events like these to pursue prevention, treatment and a cure. The two-day bike ride has become one of the best supported events in Texas and featured 2,200 riders.

The route started at Frisco’s Dr. Pepper Ballpark and covered 86 miles on Day 1; the riders used back roads through Pilot Point, Sanger, Ponder and Justin before reaching Texas Motor Speedway. Riders left TMS on Day 2 and rode the final 64 miles in a loop across North Texas and back to the speedway.

“I’ve never been so tired; it was really hard getting back on that bike the second day because of the soreness,” Erwin said. “I remember us stopping for lunch in Decatur and thinking, ‘man, I am a long way from home.’ But I knew all the money we were raising would go a long way.”

Erwin said he donated money to MS research for years to show support for Johnson, but admits he had been thinking of biking in an event for the better part of the last 10 years to raise even more money.

Basically, it was on his life “bucket list” but he simply hadn’t pulled the trigger.

That is until he met Marjorie Hughes, the mother of one of his players, Adam Winston, during a parent teacher conference last year. Hughes, too, had MS and told Erwin about a team her co-workers put together in her honor back in 2009 (Insperity Express). It was the last bit of motivation he needed.

“Without her encouragement, I don’t think I could have done it,” Erwin said of Hughes. “She kept sending me texts and emails to push me to follow through with it. I did it for her and Rusty. I thought about them a lot during the course of the ride and so many people supported me.”

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[photo courtesy] Marcus’ Hannah Null pitched a perfect game and no hitter in a first round sweep of Colleyville Heritage.

In the now 20 seasons since their first varsity matchup (1993-1994), neither team has met in the playoffs. And to add yet another twist to the storyline, whoever wins will move on to the state tournament. Lewisville (27-12) is making its first appearance in the region final; the Farmers’ lengthiest run prior to this year was in 2004 when they went three rounds. They also went three rounds in their first varsity season. Marcus’ only state appearance was in 2007; they lost in the semifinals.

“It’s definitely going to be an intense matchup and what happened in district … a lot of that you can basically throw out the window right now,” said Marcus coach Christy Tumilty, whose team beat the Farmers twice in District 5-5A play. “Lewisville is on fire right now and we just have to keep playing our game at this point. We’re thrilled to be in this position.”

The best-of-3 series starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Byron Nelson. {Editor’s Note: please check allenpub.com throughout the weekend for up to date sports roundups/scores on our area teams}. Game 2 is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday – also at Nelson. Game 3, if needed, is Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Marcus (31-7-1) is no stranger to rivalries this postseason. They beat Mansfield Timberview in three games to set up a rematch with fellow rival and district foe Flower Mound in the regional quarterfinals. The Marauders won that series in three despite losing both district games to the Jaguars, who were state ranked. Marcus then beat Keller last week.

But as good as Marcus is playing, Lewisville has regained its composure from a late season slump and doesn’t look to be slowing down either. The Farmers lost their final four regular-season games when starting pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch injured her ribs after a 3-2 loss to Marcus on April 9; she missed the rest of the regular season. They opened playoffs with a 4-0 loss to L.D. Bell in Game 1 of a best-of-3 series, but have since won eight in a row.

Even with the lone loss to Bell, the Farmers have outscored playoff opponents (Bell, Mansfield, Waco Midway and Lubbock Coronado) 69-20 with three shutouts and two wins by run-rule. Coronado was ranked No. 12 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association national rankings.

“It’s like we told the girls, it’s playoffs and we just want to act like Marcus is just like any other team we’ve faced,” Lewisville coach Lori Alexander said. “Marcus is a real good team, but surely we can play good enough to beat Marcus if we just beat the 12^th-ranked team in the nation. We just can’t beat ourselves because if you make one mistake, Marcus will take advantage.”

Alexander’s squad has done a great job splitting pitching duties in the playoffs between Gorsuch – a freshman — and  senior Chloe Campise. The duo has been hard to prepare for down the stretch given they are so drastically different in style. Campise shows great movement in her pitches and generally pitches one to three innings of work before giving way to Gorsuch, who also has good movement but has more pitches in her arsenal and throws slightly harder, Alexander said.

In the series with Coronado, Gorsuch pitched the final five innings in Game 2 and allowed one run to earn the 4-3 win. She also had two hits and scored a run.

Marcus will, of course, counter with its ace Hannah Null. Null, an Abilene Christian signee, has been dynamite in the postseason and looks to have put her own injuries behind her. She, too, missed the second half of league play with a hip flexor/groin injury in her push off leg.

She pitched a perfect game and no hitter in a first round sweep of Colleyville Heritage and has kept her cool on the mound in tighter series with Timberview, Flower Mound and Keller. Against Keller, she pitched a three-hit shutout and struck out six in Game 3. Offensively, she’s been helped lately by the standout play of Ashley Hardin. Hardin had two home runs in the series against Flower Mound and a walk-off single in Game 2 against Keller.

“It’s two great teams vying for a chance to go to state … it’s incredible,” Alexander said.

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Junior Hannah Alspach and senior Sean Diamond were each named the Most Valuable Player for the girls and boys lists, respectively. Alspach was one of four superlative honors for the Wildcat girls, who finished 27-1 in 2013 and brought home the school’s first state title in a girls’ team sport.

Sophomore Brittany Crabtree earned co-offensive player of the year honors with Byron Nelson’s Marshall Davis. Freshman Gairy Natividad won offensive newcomer of the year while Ashleigh Lyons was a co-defensive newcomer with Nelson’s Katina Tsapos. Head coach Kenny Blevins won coach of the year.

Including superlatives, the Guyer girls dominated the all-district team with 12 selections. Megan Stokes, Peyton Bucklew, Kaitlyn Caro and Tatianna Hernandez all made first team. Mikayla Renfroe, Telia Young and Taylor Heaton made second team.

Diamond was the only Guyer boys’ player to win a superlative honor, but overall the Wildcats had seven players make the list. Seniors McKenna Cook, Bryan Jacinto and Michael Munoz made first team and Jordan Reyes, Connor Bourgeois and Josh Kasitz were named to the second team.

The Guyer boys went 11-9-6 during the regular season and advanced to the second round of playoffs, where they lost to Wichita Falls Rider 1-0. It was the program’s second-straight playoff appearance after missing out on the postseason in 2011.

The girls finished the year with 19-straight wins and snapped Highland Park’s 49-game win streak with a 2-1 win in the 4A state finals on April 21. The Scots came in having posted 19 shutouts for the year, but Guyer was able to score twice against a defense that hadn’t given up more than one goal in any game this year. Crabtree finished with 40 goals this season.

DISTRICT 11-4A (GIRLS)

MVP — Hannah Alspach, Guyer, Jr.

Defensive Player of the Year — Allie Rivers, Trophy Club Nelson, Jr.

Co-Off. Players of the Year — Marshall Davis, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Brittany Crabtree, Guyer, So.

Goalkeeper of the Year — Morgan Rushing, Denton, Sr.

Midfield Player of the Year — Tiffany Dang, Birdville, Jr.

Utility Player of the Year — A’lexa Bain, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year — Gairy Natividad, Guyer, Fr.

Co-Def. Newcomers of the Year — Katina Tsapos, Trophy Club Nelson, Fr; Ashleigh Lyons, Guyer, Fr.

Coach of the Year — Kenny Blevins, Guyer

First team

Megan Stokes, Guyer, Sr.; Peyton Bucklew, Guyer, Jr; Kaitlyn Caro, Guyer, Jr.; Tatianna Hernandez, Guyer, Sr.; Madison Hall, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Lynnsey Brim, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Darla Hyde, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Megan Kurosky, Birdville, So.; McKenna Jetton, Birdville, Sr.; Stephanie Sorrells, Birdville, Sr.; Kristi Lantrip, Lake Dallas, Sr.; Jessica Lantrip, Lake Dallas, Sr.; Hannah Neece, Argyle, Jr.; Audra Webbe, Argyle, Sr.; Kyla Petrie, Denton, Sr.; Kirsten Holmes, Denton, Jr.

Second team

Mikayla Renfroe, Guyer, Jr.; Telia Young, Guyer, Fr.; Taylor Heaton, Guyer, Sr.; Nicole Coetzer, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Nadja Meyer, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Jaiden Brown, Birdville, So.; Sammi Moore, Birdville, Jr.; Jade Ware, Birdville, Jr.; Ryleigh Bohnenstiehl, Lake Dallas, So.; Kelly London, Lake Dallas, So.; Regan Steider, Lake Dallas, Sr.; Keely Brewer, Lake Dallas, Jr.; Cassi Hargrove, Argyle, Jr.; Laine Lowery, Argyle, Jr.; Alana Burns, Denton, So.; Camilla Rosin, Denton, Jr.

DISTRICT 11-4A (BOYS)

MVP — Sean Diamond, Guyer, Sr.

Co-Offensive Players of the Year — Mike Husbands, Denton, Jr.; Enrique Rangel, Birdville, Sr.

Midfield Player of the Year — Ryan Dandan, Trophy Club Nelson, Jr.

Defensive Player of the Year — Jacob Lightcap, Birdville, Sr.

Goalkeeper of the Year — Declan Johnson, Lake Dallas, Sr.

Newcomer of the Year — Feliciano Amaya, Denton, So.

Co-Utility Players of the Year — Jared Delgado, Birdville, Jr.; Brett Powell, Trophy Club Nelson, Jr.

Freshman of the Year — Jacob Rangel, Birdville, Fr.

Coach of the Year — Howard Putter, Trophy Club Nelson

First team

Travis Carmichael, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Christian Pratt, Trophy Club Nelson, So.; Jalen Jones, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Noah Russo, Trophy Club Nelson, Jr.; Stuart Johnston, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; John McGuffin, Birdville, Jr.; Thomas White, Birdville, Jr.; Issac Villalobos, Birdville, Jr.; Garrett Perkins, Birdville, Sr.; McKenna Cook, Guyer, Sr.; Bryan Jacinto, Guyer, Sr.; Michael Munoz, Guyer, Jr.; Chris Torres, Denton, So.; Tyler Proffitt, Denton, Sr.; Johnathan Penny, Denton, Sr.; Logan Stewart, Lake Dallas, Jr.;.Trey Torno, Argyle, Sr.; Brian Williams, Jr.; Argyle.

Second team

Devin Porter, Trophy Club Nelson, Jr.; Brendan Gillette, Trophy Club Nelson, Sr.; Mason Shank, Trophy Club Nelson, Fr.; Stephen Hightower, Trophy Club Nelson, Jr.; Brendon Woodcock, Trophy Club Nelson, Fr.; Weston Dux, Birdville, Jr.; Kirby Seibel, Birdville, So.; Juan Pablo Martinez, Birdville, Jr.; Tristan Kramm, Birdville, Jr.; Jordan Reyes, Guyer, Jr.; Connor Bourgeois, Guyer, Jr.; Josh Kasitz, Guyer, Fr.; Zachary Alspach, Denton, So.; Christian Carranza, Denton, Jr.; Chance Pope, Lake Dallas, Jr.; Marco Subias, Lake Dallas, Jr.; Drew Estrada, Argyle, Fr.; Nathan Dealy, Argyle, Sr.

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The school announced Lunt’s decision last week in a press release. The true freshman — who completed 81 of 131 passes for 1,108 yards and six touchdowns — was the team’s opening day starter and was an early sensation; he went 11-for-11 in his first career start and threw for 436 yards in his second outing. But a knee injury in Game 3 and a concussion late in the year gave backups Walsh and Chelf a chance to prove they were perhaps just as solid under center.

According to published reports, head coach Mike Gundy still considers it an open competition. So Lunt has opted to go elsewhere. As of press time, he had not announced where he intends to transfer.

Walsh, who graduated from Guyer in 2011, came on in relief of Lunt in Week 3 and led OSU to a 65-24 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Walsh entered six plays in and finished with 420 all purpose yards and five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing). They set a school record with 742 yards of total offense.

He finished the year 3-0 as a starter and was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. According to the OSU website, his 170.11 quarterback rating in 2012 not only led the Big 12 and ranked fourth nationally, but it was also the fourth best ever by a freshman — trailing only Michael Vick of Virginia Tech, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and Rudy Carpenter of Arizona State.

Walsh finished the year throwing for 1,564 yards and 13 touchdowns, but he also led the team in total offense with 1,854 yards and was third on the team with seven rushing touchdowns.

The problem in this fairy tale is that Walsh also got injured. Lunt reclaimed his starting job, but a week later suffered a concussion. That allowed Chelf to show his metal and he didn’t disappoint. He started the final five games of the season and was named Most Valuable Player of the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

For his career, Chelf has completed 153 of 246 passes for 2,108 yards and 20 touchdowns. And because he finished last season so strong, Chelf reportedly came into the spring as the front-runner. But Gundy has supposedly wavered on naming a starting quarterback.

With Lunt now reportedly out of the mix, it’s down to a two-man battle.

A national recruit as a high school senior, Walsh passed for 3,518 yards and rushed for 1,642 yards while accounting for 57 touchdowns. He led Guyer to the Class 5A state title game his senior season, where they lost in the final minutes to Cibolo Steele. Walsh was ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s No. 4 dual-threat quarterback that year. He was also the No. 77 national recruit, regardless of position, as well as the nation’s third most accurate high school passer.

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The Wildcats, who were swept by Cleburne last weekend in the Class 4A area round, have become a consistent playoff team in recent years despite jumping back and forth in classifications. The latest showing gave them four postseason appearances in the last five years (3 in 4A, 1 in 5A) – this after missing the playoffs in each of the school’s first three years in existence.

“Every year presents a new challenge. Eight years ago there wasn’t a lot of winning going on here, but the last four years have been more realistic with having an established program,” Kinzy said. “This was a great senior class with great leadership, but we’ve got guys back who had a lot of playing time.”

It was a solid group of seniors, led primarily by starting pitcher and Kinzy’s son, Jud (Weatherford Junior College), Reid Battles (Odessa Junior College), Chris Monroe (Odessa JC) and Cole Wessling, who is still entertaining college offers at press time.

This year’s senior group was more than helpful in leading a charge through a rough District 5-4A slate that, on more than one occasion late in the season, had anywhere from 3-4 teams  tied for first place. Guyer — which split its season series with Azle, Wichita Falls and Lake Dallas — lost to Rider and Wichita Falls heading into the finale against Brewer. Had Guyer lost to Brewer and Lake Dallas beat Azle, there could have been a scenario where either three teams would be tied for third place or four teams vying for three playoff spots. In the end, Guyer beat Azle in a mini-seeding tournament to take the No. 2 spot.

They swept Saginaw in the first round before falling to Cleburne in a series that saw the Wildcats commit seven errors in a 13-1 Game 2 loss.

“We knew we were going to have to play our best baseball to beat Cleburne, and in Game 1 we were perhaps a base hit away from maybe winning it,” Kinzy said. “But Game 2 was just bad defense, and it was uncharacteristic of this year’s team.”

Looking ahead, Kinzy said there will be plenty of open positions next year and that he won’t be worried about how young or old the players are in terms of who might have an edge at a starting role.

“Over the last two years we’ve learned a lot on kids who had those multiple years of starting,” Kinzy said. “Next year will be different, I want to put the best kids out there and it doesn’t matter what classification they are. I’m as proud as ever with this program, and we’ve got some good players here.”

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