PackAttack

Well, as anyone who has been part of a practice knows, practice is just practice. However, with that said the Lufkin D has had a physical presence about them I've not seen in several years around here. Still they have to be coached and need to play the game. I guess the honest thinker in me ask, is any of that enough to close a 4 plus score deficit for Lufkin the past two years? Of course Longview is probably not quite what they were the past two years either. We'll find out soon enough, then we go our separate ways for another year.

Well, when a team gets back 8 or 9 defensive guys from the year before, that played well for the most part the past two years, expectations are high. The last two years for Lufkin have not been a defensive problem, it's been an offensive scoring and sustaining drives problem, leaving the defense in precarious field positions, with the D spending too much time on the field. Didn't have a QB that could add that extra dynamic to the game, the offense became quite one dimensional around Kedren Young. The QB situation is much better this year, Young is gone but many new O parts have stepped in to add some interesting and dynamic possibilities. Still have the same coaching guys running the offense, so Lufkin fans are wondering how the dice will fall this year in this opening game.

Johnson should have started at QB last year as a SOPH, might have been a rough early go for him, but he would have improved and had valuable experience. Unfortunately that has to come this year as a Junior.

Well, figuring that Coach Quick has not had much success against John King teams no matter the talent level at his disposal should factor into this game. Lufkin missing the playoffs three years in a row should factor into this game, you just don't turn things around on a dime just because you suddenly feel there is some special talent. The Panthers are still coached by the same guys, at least on the offensive side of the ledger. Yes, this was considered a special group of freshmen three years ago. That hasn't transitioned well the last two years. Another thing to consider, who has been building a football program the last few years, it hasn't been Lufkin. Think Lufkin is substantially improved from the last two years, however Longview has dominated some of this same group these past two meetings too. The question should be, will Lufkin be improved enough to close a four score gap from the past two years? Base on that factor, I'm thinking DCTF will have Longview at least a 10 point favorite in this game, even played in Lufkin. Then again sometimes there are those rare occasions one can throw out past factors. You just never know, this game might be one of them.

Was not aware until afterward that Lufkin was missing about 6 players who will start in the fall, some were at camps and others still recovering from nagging nicks and dings from Spring ball. The group only started 7 on 7 practice the week before the tourney. Yes, the O had some issues late, they have a couple very inexperienced QBs going into the season. Junior to be Javion Johnson is the projected starter. This group has a lot to prove this year based on the results of the program the last 3 years.

Tyler SQT Pool A Terrell 26, Mesquite Poteet 25 Kaufman 26, Tyler Legacy 19 Pool B Mesquite Horn 14, Mt Pleasant 0 Tyler Chapel Hill 26, Greenville 13 Pool C Lufkin 7, Hallsville 6 Longview 20, Whitehouse 7 Pool A Winner: Terrell Pool B Winner: Mesquite Horn Pool C Winner: Lufkin

Tyler SQT Pool A Kaufman 26, Mesquite Poteet 18 Terrell 48, Tyler Legacy 12 Pool B Tyler Chapel Hill 13, Mt Pleasant 0 Greenville 26, Mesquite Horn 20 OT Pool C Lufkin 30, Whitehouse 28 Longview 20, Hallsville 7

Tyler SQT Pool A Terrell 25, Kaufman 18 Tyler Legacy 19, Mesquite Poteet 6 Pool B Mesquite Horn 32, Tyler Chapel Hill 6 Mount Pleasant 14, Greenville 6 Pool C Lufkin 28, Longview 12 Whitehouse 27, Hallsville 7

Friday Night: Lufkin 1 Forney 0 Lovejoy 3 Hallsville 2 Game #3 for both Saturday.

Jace Camp with a 1 out triple in the bottom of the 8th. Austin Lindsey follows with an RBI single to win Game #2 over Mt Pleasant 2-1. This was a pitchers duel all night. Panthers win the series 2-0. Lufkin moves to 24-7 on the year. In other Bi District playoff action Kingwood Park 4 Hallsville 3 in Game #1, Hallsville 4 KW Park 3 in Game # 2 being played in Lufkin. Game #3 on Saturday also in Lufkin @ 2 PM. New Caney Porter defeated Texas High 1-0 in their Game #1 on Wednesday. Flooding conditions in Livingston/New Caney area have delayed playing Game #2 in Tyler at Mike Carter Field.

We need a home run right now.

16-5A 2024 Standings District Overall W L W L T Lufkin Panthers 11 1 19 6 0 Kingwood Park Panthers 8 4 21 7 0 Porter Spartans 7 5 21 6 1 Huntsville Hornets 6 6 14 12 0 Dayton Broncos 2 10 10 17 0 Nacogdoches Dragons 2 10 5 19 1

2024 16-5A Girls Softball Standings - 4/8/24 School Name *W-L *Pct. *RF Huntsville 5-1 - 23-4 Lufkin 4-2 - 16-10 Kingwood Park 4-2 - 19-6 Dayton 3-3 - 20-8 Porter 2-4 - 12-11 Nacogdoches 0-6 - 11-8-2

16-5A 2024 Standings - 4/8/24 District Overall W L W L T Lufkin Panthers 9 0 17 5 0 Kingwood Park Panthers 7 2 19 5 0 Porter Spartans 5 4 19 5 1 Huntsville Hornets 4 5 12 11 0 Dayton Broncos 1 8 9 15 0 Nacogdoches Dragons 1 8 4 17 1

16-5A 2024 Baseball Standings - 4/3/2023 District Overall W L W L T Lufkin Panthers 8 0 16 5 0 Kingwood Park Panthers 6 2 18 5 0 Porter Spartans 4 4 18 5 1 Huntsville Hornets 4 4 12 9 0 Dayton Broncos 1 7 9 14 0 Nacogdoches Dragons 1 7 4 16 1

Your right, doesn't seem to be a problem for 6A. Just divide up come playoff time. Did the 5A thing in football before the splits came along in 2014 and 2015, and it didn't benefit Lufkin either year finishing 6-5 and 7-4.

I agree

Just because 9-5A DI said NO, doesn't mean the UIL won't put Lufkin there. No one wants Lufkin there and then give up a possible playoff spot, they don't want to travel to Lufkin to play either. Same difference with the UIL making a nonsense move to put Lufkin traveling to three schools South of Ft Worth. Not good for Tyler either, and they are 3-4 hours round trip closer than Lufkin. No one wants Lufkin, 7-5A DI, they didn't want Lufkin because of the same long 7-8 hour round trips, they all voted unanimously to let Lufkin petition out. Not sure if 11-5A DI is in play or not, they may vote against Lufkin too. LOL - Just put us in an East Texas DII, we are playing almost all 5A DII teams already in all the other sports. This is just a mess.

Lufkin won't be there, they will be over in Region III where they belong. Anyone think HP moves to 6-5A ,and then W Mesquite and N Mesquite move to 7-5A?

Yea, I did mean JT, anyway, it's been a long day.

Glad to see this news from Matt Stepp. Hope they can work out something respectable, even 11-5A DI looks like a possibility if they move Crosby from 11-5A DI in with their rival Barbers Hill in 9-5A DI. Then Lufkin could possibly move into 11-5A DI. Don't care which district, either one will do over driving my life away going North.

No problem, not much difference, except HP has not yet formed their phycological block over Lufkin like Longview has done over Quick and staff. You guys get to play DeSoto in first couple of rounds, no cake walk either.!

Sorry, Lufkin really got screwed in this deal for the 200 mile plus mile travel trips in 7-5A DI, when they could have easily placed Lufkin South in district 9-5A DI or 11-5A DI, and traveled just 90-130 miles instead. Not great for Tyler either, but they are much closer to DFW than Lufkin, and Cleburne, Joshua and Burleson are all directly South of Ft Worth. No where close to Lufkin, anyone checked a map on that one?, someone at the UIL has a misconception of time and space between Lufkin and those schools. You can bet your bottom dollar too, that HP, Cleburne, Joshua and Burleson, even Midlothian, don't want to travel to Lufkin to play.