Sports Update
Girls Soccer Playoff Picture: 11-5A/12-5A
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
After an extended time off for Spring Break, the girls soccer teams in Districts 11-5A and 12-5A will return to action on Tuesday for the final three-game stretch of the regular season.
Even at this late juncture of the season, there are plenty of questions in both districts that need to be answered during the next two weeks.
These two districts will be matched up against one another when the Class 5A playoffs begin on Mar. 28-30.
Here is a look at each of the district races:
11-5A
In: Sachse (8-2), Rowlett (7-2), Naaman Forest (7-2)
In the hunt: Garland (6-3), North Garland (3-6)
Sachse: The Mustangs have a slight half-game lead in 11-5A, but that will change on Tuesday when they will be joined by the winner of the Rowlett/Naaman Forest match. Sachse has won four straight matches and has not allowed a goal during that stretch.
That is not a new trend, as the defense, led by goalkeeper Haley Lyon and defenders Tori Hendrickson and Natalie Calhoun, has surrendered just three goals total during 11-5A play.
Sachse is balanced offensively, as 16 different players have scored a goal, led by Chelsea Followwell and Cyera Hintzen with 10 each.
After their bye on Tuesday, the Mustangs will face winless South Garland on Friday before a potentially huge game with Naaman Forest on Tuesday. The Rangers won the first meeting, 2-1.
Rowlett: Outside a pair of 1-0 losses to Sachse, the Eagles have been dominant, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 36-3.
Much of the playmaking up front as come from Haley Rodriguez, who has 16 goals and six assists, and Grayson Byrd, who has 15 goals and six assists. They could get a huge boost if last year's Midfielder of the Year Meagan McCullough is able to return from an injury that has kept her out for most of the season.
Rowlett's biggest game of the year to date is on Tuesday against Naaman Forest, with the winner set to join idle Sachse atop the 11-5A standings. The Eagles close with games against North Garland and Lakeview, who are both mired near the bottom of the standings.
If Rowlett and Sachse were to finish tied at season's end, the Mustangs would own the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head sweep.
Naaman Forest: The Rangers have surged down the stretch with four consecutive wins, including one over Sachse, to move into a tie for second, and with a win over Rowlett on Tuesday, they will join the Mustangs in first place. In order for that to happen, they will need a stark reversal from the first meeting, which the Eagles won, 3-0.
Naaman Forest does have the toughest road from this point. In addition to the match against the Eagles, they must also face Garland on Friday and Sachse in the season finale next Tuesday.
Garland: The Owls have dropped back-to-back games to fall off the leading pace, but are still in good position.
They will officially clinch the fourth and final playoff berth from 11-5A with one win, or one North Garland loss in their final three contests. Garland was swept by Rowlett, but split with Sachse and picked up a 1-0 win over Naaman Forest in the first meeting. After a game against last-place South Garland on Tuesday, the Owls will get their rematch with the Rangers on Friday before finishing out the regular season against North Garland.
North Garland: The Raiders have been able to pick up a few wins, but have not been able to crack the top four. North Garland needs to defeat Lakeview and Rowlett, and hope Garland loses to both South Garland and Naaman Forest if it has any hope of its season finale against the Owls having any meaning.
12-5A
In: Rockwall (6-1-1-1, 21 points), Horn (6-2-1-0, 20)
In the hunt: Longview (6-4-0-0, 18), North Mesquite (4-3-0-2, 14), Mesquite (4-6-0-0, 12), Rockwall-Heath (3-6-0-0, 9)
Rockwall: The Yellow Jackets might have been happy to get the time off for Spring Break after a 4-0 loss to Horn in their last match. Outside of the matches with the Jaguars, Rockwall has been almost unbeatable, with six regulation wins and a shootout victory.
The Yellow Jackets control their own destiny in the chase for the 12-5A title, but they have no room for error with the slight one-point lead.
Rockwall's toughest challenge will be on Tuesday when it hosts a Longview team that it edged, 2-1, in the first meeting.
The Yellow Jackets then face rival Rockwall-Heath, who is fighting for its playoff life, on Friday, before closing with last-place Tyler Lee, who showed it can be dangerous when it defeated Horn.
Horn: The Jaguars are hoping that if Rockwall slips up in any way, they will be there to take advantage. Behind goalkeeper Bayleah Hill and a stout defense, Horn has recorded 12 shutouts this season, but they also have one of the most dangerous offenses in the area.
Courtney King leads the team with 11 goals and Haley Hicks has a team-high 10 assists, but the Jaguars feature several other playmakers and the team has only been shut out twice this season, with neither of those coming during 12-5A play.
While Horn, who meets Mesquite on Tuesday, still has its sights set on the top, it has another big game on Friday against Longview, which it leads by only two points in the standings. The Jaguars will have a chance to avenge one of their two district losses in the regular season finale when they play North Mesquite.
Longview: The Lobos are in good position to make the playoffs, needing just one point in their final two games, but that will not be easy with matches at Rockwall on Tuesday and against Horn on Friday, both of whom they lost to the first time through the schedule. Longview can also clinch if Mesquite is unable to earn the full three points in its remaining two matches.
However, the Lobos need victories if they not only want to climb higher than the three seed, but also risk falling down to the fourth spot when the playoffs get started.
North Mesquite: The Stallions have been an up-and-down team for much of the 12-5A season. Outside of a three-game stretch in which they captured two regulation wins and a shootout victory, they have alternated wins and losses.
Aileen Lara and Alexis Santos have stepped up their scoring of late, but it might be the defense that is the key for North Mesquite, which has allowed at least three goals in all of its losses.
The Stallions do have a favorable schedule, as they play sixth-place Rockwall Heath on Tuesday and last-place Tyler Lee on Friday. North Mesquite is hoping to earn enough points from those matches where it is not in a must-win situation in the finale against Horn.
Mesquite: The Skeeters have hung around the playoff race for the entire season, but they must act quickly with only two matches left. Mesquite likely needs to get points from its match against Horn on Tuesday, and then after a bye on Friday, get a regulation win over Rockwall-Heath next Monday to have any chance.
Rockwall-Heath: The Hawks are the biggest long shot, but they could make things interesting with a win over North Mesquite on Tuesday. Even if that were to happen, they would likely need to upset undefeated Rockwall on Friday, defeat Mesquite in the season finale and hope some other breaks fall their way.
Follow Devin Hasson on Twitter: @DevinHasson
Even at this late juncture of the season, there are plenty of questions in both districts that need to be answered during the next two weeks.
These two districts will be matched up against one another when the Class 5A playoffs begin on Mar. 28-30.
Here is a look at each of the district races:
11-5A
In: Sachse (8-2), Rowlett (7-2), Naaman Forest (7-2)
In the hunt: Garland (6-3), North Garland (3-6)
Sachse: The Mustangs have a slight half-game lead in 11-5A, but that will change on Tuesday when they will be joined by the winner of the Rowlett/Naaman Forest match. Sachse has won four straight matches and has not allowed a goal during that stretch.
That is not a new trend, as the defense, led by goalkeeper Haley Lyon and defenders Tori Hendrickson and Natalie Calhoun, has surrendered just three goals total during 11-5A play.
Sachse is balanced offensively, as 16 different players have scored a goal, led by Chelsea Followwell and Cyera Hintzen with 10 each.
After their bye on Tuesday, the Mustangs will face winless South Garland on Friday before a potentially huge game with Naaman Forest on Tuesday. The Rangers won the first meeting, 2-1.
Rowlett: Outside a pair of 1-0 losses to Sachse, the Eagles have been dominant, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 36-3.
Much of the playmaking up front as come from Haley Rodriguez, who has 16 goals and six assists, and Grayson Byrd, who has 15 goals and six assists. They could get a huge boost if last year's Midfielder of the Year Meagan McCullough is able to return from an injury that has kept her out for most of the season.
Rowlett's biggest game of the year to date is on Tuesday against Naaman Forest, with the winner set to join idle Sachse atop the 11-5A standings. The Eagles close with games against North Garland and Lakeview, who are both mired near the bottom of the standings.
If Rowlett and Sachse were to finish tied at season's end, the Mustangs would own the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head sweep.
Naaman Forest: The Rangers have surged down the stretch with four consecutive wins, including one over Sachse, to move into a tie for second, and with a win over Rowlett on Tuesday, they will join the Mustangs in first place. In order for that to happen, they will need a stark reversal from the first meeting, which the Eagles won, 3-0.
Naaman Forest does have the toughest road from this point. In addition to the match against the Eagles, they must also face Garland on Friday and Sachse in the season finale next Tuesday.
Garland: The Owls have dropped back-to-back games to fall off the leading pace, but are still in good position.
They will officially clinch the fourth and final playoff berth from 11-5A with one win, or one North Garland loss in their final three contests. Garland was swept by Rowlett, but split with Sachse and picked up a 1-0 win over Naaman Forest in the first meeting. After a game against last-place South Garland on Tuesday, the Owls will get their rematch with the Rangers on Friday before finishing out the regular season against North Garland.
North Garland: The Raiders have been able to pick up a few wins, but have not been able to crack the top four. North Garland needs to defeat Lakeview and Rowlett, and hope Garland loses to both South Garland and Naaman Forest if it has any hope of its season finale against the Owls having any meaning.
12-5A
In: Rockwall (6-1-1-1, 21 points), Horn (6-2-1-0, 20)
In the hunt: Longview (6-4-0-0, 18), North Mesquite (4-3-0-2, 14), Mesquite (4-6-0-0, 12), Rockwall-Heath (3-6-0-0, 9)
Rockwall: The Yellow Jackets might have been happy to get the time off for Spring Break after a 4-0 loss to Horn in their last match. Outside of the matches with the Jaguars, Rockwall has been almost unbeatable, with six regulation wins and a shootout victory.
The Yellow Jackets control their own destiny in the chase for the 12-5A title, but they have no room for error with the slight one-point lead.
Rockwall's toughest challenge will be on Tuesday when it hosts a Longview team that it edged, 2-1, in the first meeting.
The Yellow Jackets then face rival Rockwall-Heath, who is fighting for its playoff life, on Friday, before closing with last-place Tyler Lee, who showed it can be dangerous when it defeated Horn.
Horn: The Jaguars are hoping that if Rockwall slips up in any way, they will be there to take advantage. Behind goalkeeper Bayleah Hill and a stout defense, Horn has recorded 12 shutouts this season, but they also have one of the most dangerous offenses in the area.
Courtney King leads the team with 11 goals and Haley Hicks has a team-high 10 assists, but the Jaguars feature several other playmakers and the team has only been shut out twice this season, with neither of those coming during 12-5A play.
While Horn, who meets Mesquite on Tuesday, still has its sights set on the top, it has another big game on Friday against Longview, which it leads by only two points in the standings. The Jaguars will have a chance to avenge one of their two district losses in the regular season finale when they play North Mesquite.
Longview: The Lobos are in good position to make the playoffs, needing just one point in their final two games, but that will not be easy with matches at Rockwall on Tuesday and against Horn on Friday, both of whom they lost to the first time through the schedule. Longview can also clinch if Mesquite is unable to earn the full three points in its remaining two matches.
However, the Lobos need victories if they not only want to climb higher than the three seed, but also risk falling down to the fourth spot when the playoffs get started.
North Mesquite: The Stallions have been an up-and-down team for much of the 12-5A season. Outside of a three-game stretch in which they captured two regulation wins and a shootout victory, they have alternated wins and losses.
Aileen Lara and Alexis Santos have stepped up their scoring of late, but it might be the defense that is the key for North Mesquite, which has allowed at least three goals in all of its losses.
The Stallions do have a favorable schedule, as they play sixth-place Rockwall Heath on Tuesday and last-place Tyler Lee on Friday. North Mesquite is hoping to earn enough points from those matches where it is not in a must-win situation in the finale against Horn.
Mesquite: The Skeeters have hung around the playoff race for the entire season, but they must act quickly with only two matches left. Mesquite likely needs to get points from its match against Horn on Tuesday, and then after a bye on Friday, get a regulation win over Rockwall-Heath next Monday to have any chance.
Rockwall-Heath: The Hawks are the biggest long shot, but they could make things interesting with a win over North Mesquite on Tuesday. Even if that were to happen, they would likely need to upset undefeated Rockwall on Friday, defeat Mesquite in the season finale and hope some other breaks fall their way.
Follow Devin Hasson on Twitter: @DevinHasson
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