And So It Begins

After a long offseason, our teams finally hit the courts and fields for the first time this week and what an exciting week it was.

After a shaky first half the Cowboys showed off some of why the preseason expectations were so high for the program. The Cowboys were behind 21-7, but put on a 41-10 rout on Whitworth over the last 31 minutes of the game. We saw some very encouraging signs from a team that has said its goal is to win every game.

The defense recorded four sacks and the top three tacklers for the Cowboys in the game were defensive linemen. I will do some research on it this week, but I can’t remember a time that the Cowboys top three tacklers in a game were all defensive linemen.

The offense also hit its stride after a couple of stumbles in the first half. The kicking game also improved greatly over the game as special teams led directly to 21 points for Whitworth in the first half.

Playing With a Heavy Heart
It was also a sad week around the football program as HSU Athletic Hall of Famer Larry Wartes passed away. Larry has been a fixture at HSU games for the last 20 years as son Alan is the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator and for the last four years grandson Seth Higgins has been a Cowboys on the varsity and and JV team.

In a beautiful ceremony on Friday, it was evident what a great man Larry was and the lives he touched. Seth spoke to the crowd on behalf of the family and it was amazing to see someone so young give a poised and exceptionally poignant message.

Our prayers are with Alan, Sharon, Abbey and Erin along with Seth and the whole Wartes family.

Soccer
The soccer team played to a tie with Division II UT-Permian Basin in its opener. Chris Hunter scored the goal for the Cowboys, who looked like they are poised to compete for a conference title.

The Cowgirls lost in overtime to arch-rival Trinity, but All-American goalkeeper Christi Carr was stellar with 12 big saves.

Both teams are home this weekend for an exciting event on campus. They will host the ASC-SCAC challenge on Friday and Saturday. Friday the Cowgirls will play Austin College at 10 a.m. on Friday and Rhodes on Saturday at noon. The Cowboys play Trinity on Friday at 4 p.m. and Southwestern on 5 p.m. Saturday.

Come out and support the soccer teams this weekend.

Volleyball
The Cowgirls picked up two regional wins on Saturday with 3-0 blankings of Dallas and Hendrix. The Cowgirls are 2-1 on the year after a close loss to perennial South region power Austin College on Saturday.
HSU will play in the Southwestern Tournament this weekend in Georgetown.

Cross Country
The cross country teams will have their first true race of the season on Saturday at Nelson Park. The teams competed in a Twilight relay last Tuesday against McMurry and ACU.