Redskins romp Tigresses
LA VETA- The Lady Redskins managed to run away with 58-41 victory against the Tigers of Del Norte last Saturday. The victory came without sophomore starter, Sami Willhoite, who was absent because of a death in the family.
In a low-scoring first quarter, the Redskins took the lead 6-4 midway through and kept the lead throughout the rest of the game. Del Norte tied it up in the second, but that was as close as they got. The Tigers had trouble at the free throw line. Also, the Lady Skins executed a combination man-to-man and zone defense, constantly substituting players to keep the Tigers guessing. After the first quarter, the Skins led 14-10.
La Veta still had trouble containing the Tiger’s press and controlling their in- bound passes. They were held to only ten second-quarter points. Emily Moll hit a shot with .5 seconds remaining in the half to give La Veta a 24-22 lead.
The Lady Skins came out in the third playing like champions. La Veta exploded with 18 points. Shelby Morgan was tenacious defending the in-bound passes, forcing turnovers and frustrating the already tired Tigers.
In victory, Coach Smith commented on how proud he was of his team. Top scorers for La Veta were Morgan with 19 and 6 rebounds, Moll with 14 points and 5 assists, and Shea Brgoch with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.
In earlier action, the Junior Varsity team defeated the Tigers 21-13. The Skins also saw action January 8 when they traveled to Center and faced the Vikings. The Lady Vikings were no match for the Redskins as La Veta’s offense exploded for an easy 67-34 victory. The Skin’s defense was dominant in closing down the usually tough Viking scoring machine. On the Skin’s side, Moll scored 16, Brgoch scored 14 and Morgan scored 13.
John Mall basketball action
FOWLER- The Panther boys and girls traveled to Fowler last Thursday for league action. Both teams walked away disappointed. The Panther girls were defeated 46-32 in a game which was closer than the score indicated. The Lady Cats trailed after the first quarter 18-9, but played great ball for the remainder of the game. The Panthers played defensive ball and held the usually high scoring Grizzlies at bay. Kristen David was high scorer for the Panthers with 16, followed by Desi Aguirre who hit 10.
The Panther boys dropped their game 59-27. The Panther’s defense had trouble containing the Grizzly’s top scorer, Nick Beurman, who shot an amazing 7 of 7 from the field and 2 of 2 three-pointers.
The Panthers have a pair of games this weekend, first traveling to Crowley County on Friday to face the Chargers. Action begins at 5 pm. On Saturday, the Panthers will host Fountain Valley. Action starts at 2 pm.
Still undefeated
WESTCLIFFE- The La Veta Redskins took four grapplers to the Custer County tournament and walked away with two first-place finishes and a second. Their placements in the finals propelled them into the top six finishers out of a field of 15. Four wrestlers were out due to illness and injury.
Adam Ortivez continued his dominance at the 103-pound division claiming his fourth title and compiling a 16-0 season record. Ortivez rolled through all five opponents, including previously ranked Eli Perez. All his wins came by pin fall. Stephen Kimbrel at 145 took top honors, winning all his matches and extending his record to 17-0. Kimbrel’s toughest match of the day came in the semi-finals when he defeated Mike Mullen of Simila, a returning state qualifier, with a takedown as time was expiring. He won by decision. He then faced Rye’s Billy Forrell with a first period pin.
Ron Ortivez III lost his first match of the season during the championship match against returning state qualifier and undefeated #A wrestler, Ben Register. After a scoreless first period, Register chose the down position to open the second, and Ortivez controlled the match until Register escaped in the last 10 seconds for the 2 points. Ortivez could not come back and lost the match on a 4-0 decision. With his first loss of the season, he captured second place. James Smalley lost his second match in a closely fought match which put him into the fight in the third-place bracket. He subsequently lost the match, ending his day.
Afterwards, Coach Ortivez said, “This is the kind of competition we have been waiting for. This was good for our kids. We know now that there are still things to improve upon, but overall, the boys wrestled up to the competition.”
The Skins will travel to the Walsh tournament Saturday.
Good-bye and good luck
LA VETA- The Redskin’s Dakota Mason played his last game in a La Veta uniform last Saturday night. Dakota will be moving to Paris, Texas to live with his father and attend North Lamar High School. The superstar junior’s surprise announcement earlier last month caught his coach and teammates off guard. He stated he has decided to move because “the school in Paris will give me greater exposure to obtain more academic and athletic scholarships.” Paris is centrally located, just north of Dallas, and is near six major universities as well as several smaller colleges. Mason stated the decision to leave was strictly his.
Mason visited Paris over the winter break and had a chance to talk with the coach and team members. He told the Journal, “most of the teammates accepted me and are looking forward to having me join the team. I will have to show them what I can do and earn my spot though.” Mason began practice for the North Lamar Panthers on Monday and must play at least fifteen days on the junior varsity squad, according to the Texas High School Athletic Association regulations. Then he is free to join the varsity team.
Mason left for Texas immediately after the Redskin’s come-from-behind victory against the Del Norte Tigers. He was a big part of that victory. He is the Redskin’s leading scorer and rebounder this season and his efforts will be missed. In his athletic career here, Mason has always given 100% to his team and was more concerned with a team victory than individual acclamations. Dakota played football and basketball in his three years as a Redskin and excelled as a multi-sport athlete.
In closing Mason stated, “I wish my teammates the best of luck for the rest of the season. I will miss them.”
Comeback kids
LA VETA- Dakota Mason took the floor for the last time as a Redskin and gave the crowd a show they will not soon forget. Mason took the opening tip-off down court for the game’s first bucket. Del Norte’s Lance Martinez soon put the Tigers on the boards. The Tigers hit two three-point shots in the first, opening up an 18-10 lead.
La Veta muscled back into the game in the second but fell behind by four as the half ended. The Skins opened the second half with an offensive explosion, and went on to score a victory 70-53. Mason gave the hometown crowd a good-bye gift, scoring 20 points. Franklin Geiser hit 15.
Earlier in the week, the Skins defeated the Center Vikings 72-50. Their next opponent will be rivals Hoehne Farmers.
