Pioneers use title shot to stay in shape
Lutheran South in first ever state tournament, but hopes it’s not last
If the Lutheran South Academy football program grows into one of the state’s best among private schools, fans will look to the last couple of years as those that provided the jump start. In the fall of 2013 Lutheran South qualified for the playoffs for the second time in 15 years. Last fall the Pioneers won a district title for the first time since 1996. They added to that by winning a playoff game for the first time in decades.
This summer the school is adding to its resume.
Lutheran South has qualified for the Division II state 7-on-7 tournament for the first time. The Pioneers will try to win the title in College Station July 9-10. They are in a pool with Albany, Chapel Hill and Giddings.
It is just another feather in the cap for coach Stephen Robbins, who returned to coach at his alma mater in 2011.
“We’re a little bit ahead of the plan I was hoping for,” Robbins said. “That comes from our great coaching staff and our kids.”
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Pioneers qualifying for the state tournament is that they’re doing it after graduating 22 seniors from last fall’s team, including their star quarterback Trent Franson.
Luckily, three returning skill players Josh Shelmire, Kyle Hutchins and Terrell Davis give new quarterback Patrick Gonzales plenty to work with. Curtis Teichman and T.J. Alexander have been key contributors, too.
Gonzales is a different player than Franson. He has a stronger arm and prefers to stay in the pocket, though he can run the zone read effectively, too.
Robbins said Gonzales is a student of the game and already a leader. He is calm, cool and commanding. When Lutheran South qualified at the Hitchcock state qualifier, Gonzales called all the plays on the field.
Having a new quarterback able to jump in and keep the team afloat in his first year is a clear sign that the program has found some consistency.
“The kids here know the package, and they’re doing it well,” Robbins said. “It is their time to be ready.”
Lutheran South tried to qualify at two other tournaments but lost before the semifinals. The Pioneers finally had all of their key players for the tournament in Hitchock on June 20. They’ll take a full team to College Station next week with the hope of building on their strong summer and adding to the excitement that will surround the team when official school practice begins in August.
“We’d love to win games up there, and I think we will,” Robbins said. “I hope the guys get to go up against some the best in the state.” Division I qualifiers
Dawson, Pearland and Manvel also are headed to the state tournament. They will compete in the Division I tournament Friday and Saturday. Manvel is in Pool N with Trophy Club Byron Nelson, Mesquite Horn and Lindale. Pearland is in Pool P with Lake Dallas, Plainview and Port-Neches Groves. Dawson is in Pool M with Lufkin, Laredo United and Waxahachie. The top two teams in each pool qualify for the 32-team championship bracket. The third and fourth teams drop into the consolation bracket. McCorkle hired at Alvin
David McCorkle has a strong track record of building softball programs out of nothing or not much. His next challenge will be a different kind of task altogether.
McCorkle, who spent the last three years as the coach at Dawson, has been hired by Alvin ISD to be the coach at Alvin High School.
McCorkle’s first high school coaching job was at Clements, which he built into one of the Houston area’s top programs. At Dawson he led a team that had not had much success to the regional championship round in 2014. He also built his club team Aces Express from the ground up to one of the most respected teams in the nation.
Alvin is a different animal. It won the Class 5A state title in 2008 and has played into at least the second round of the playoffs each of the last six years. In other words, the Lady Yellowjackets are used to success.
“That’s what I’m excited about,” McCorkle said. “It’s a dream getting to a place that has tradition of winning. They know how to win. They’re hardnosed and they grind. I can just come in and help them improve and take that one extra step.”
After 12 years at Clements and three at Dawson, he has a career record of 366-144 with seven district titles, seven district runner-up finishes, two regional finals appearances, five regional semifinals appearances and nine regional quarterfinal appearances.
He has done all of that without having a player pool like the one in Alvin. Most of his previous 15 years he has had great pitching or great hitting. It’s a rare year when McCorkle has had both at the same time.
Many years he has had to mix and match kids at the junior varsity and varsity levels. In Alvin he will have enough player to have full varsity and full junior varsity teams. For the first time he will actually have to have tryouts.
“(The Alvin kids) play hard and they have a lot of talent,” McCorkle said. “I’m coming into a program that has been coached. All I have to do is add some of my expertise, get them to play at a higher level and hopefully win some state championships.”
For years McCorkle said he has pinpointed the Alvin and Pearland programs as the elite programs in the Houston. With a wife and kids situated in the area he said those are the two schools he always hoped to coach. Now he has his chance. “(Alvin) is already at a high level,” he said. “If we can figure out a way to get better then the sky is the limit.”