ESPN

Coming off a softball state tournament appearance in 2010 and 2011’s regional quarterfinal team, Hebron senior pitcher Heather Stearns surprisingly had to step her game up.

She is one of the few remaining leaders from 2010’s state semifinal team and one of the few returning from last season as Hebron (19-9, 5-6) graduated seven seniors in 2011. Since the offseason, Stearns has felt the pressure to carry 2012’s young team on her shoulders from inside the circle.

“She’s really had to hold her own this year.” Hebron coach Staci Jackson said. “She’s really had to show a lot of leadership and she most definitely has. She worked extremely hard over the offseason to really try and get stronger and hold her stamina up because she knows over the past two years during our playoff and state runs – it takes a toll on her.”

In turn, her diligence in the weight room has not only helped her longevity in the circle, separating herself again as one of the area’s leaders in strikeouts with 188, but it’s put her at the top of the home run charts in the Metroplex with 12.

“I think her time is still coming,” Jackson said. “We’ve got three games left in district which are huge and I think her time is coming offensively.”

Hebron heads into potentially its most important game of the season Friday against Plano West, which sits just behind Hebron in fifth place with a 4-7 District 8-5A record with three games to play.

District 8-5A continues to dominate area softball

The distance between No. 3 and No. 30 in the ESPN Fab 50 national polls is approximately 7 miles.

Last year’s state semifinalist Plano continues its domination in 2012 with a 23-3 season record and a 10-1 district record, but the Wildcats are in No. 3 Plano East’s rearview mirror in both the district standings and the Fab 50.

Plano East pitcher Holly Kern has held her own in the circle, putting up a 1.77 ERA, but has had plenty of offensive support from nine players hitting above .300.

The Panthers (26-2, 10-1) took the first game against Plano 8-1, but the Wildcats still have a chance for revenge April 17 in the second-to-last game of the season for both teams.

Also in the Week 6 Fab 50 poll from the area is Mansfield Legacy at No. 42.

HURST L.D. BELL (1-0) at No. 4 SOUTHLAKE CARROLL (1-0)
7:30 p.m. Friday at Dragon Stadium

When we saw them last: In Zero Week, L.D. Bell destroyed Mansfield Legacy, 63-9, behind an efficient performance from QB Kyle Romano, who threw for 196 yards and rushed for 75 yards and five touchdowns. Carroll QB Kenny Hill turned in his best performance as a starter, throwing for 402 yards and four touchdowns in leading the Dragons to a 38-31 comeback win over Copperas Cove.

2010 result: Amid its QB controversy, Carroll slipped past L.D. Bell, 20-17, on a field goal as time expired. Hill made his varsity debut off the bench, going 5-for-7 for 52 yards.

What’s at stake: Momentum. Carroll got as energizing a win as it could hope for against Copperas Cove with Hill supplying the late heroics.

Key matchup: L.D. Bell’s running game vs. Carroll’s front seven. Carroll got gashed on the ground by Copperas Cove, giving up two 100-yard rushers. Conversely, L.D. Bell beat Legacy by virtue of its running game, which averaged almost eight yards per carry.

Players to watch: L.D. Bell offensive lineman Kimo Tipoti is a Texas A&M commit. Carroll WR/DB Sabian Holmes became a two-way player last year. He started 2011 with a bang, catching 11 balls for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

Prediction: Southlake Carroll 38, L.D. Bell 24.

DISTRICT 5-5A

• Cedar Hill (8-4, 6-1), lost in DII area. Coach: Joey McGuire.
• Duncanville (8-4, 6-1), lost in DI area. Coach: Jeff Dicus.
• Grand Prairie (2-8, 0-7). Coach: Gary Bartel.
• Mansfield (8-3, 5-2), lost in DII bi-district. Coach: Jeff Hulme.
• Mansfield Legacy (1-9, 1-6). Coach: Chris Melson.
• Mansfield Timberview (3-7, 3-4). Coach: Mark Walker.
• Midlothian (5-5, 3-4). Coach: Lee Wiginton.
• South Grand Prairie (6-5, 4-3), lost in DI bi-district. Coach: Brent Whitson.

THE BIG QUESTION: Will the district title again be decided in the Week 10 Cedar Hill-Duncanville game?

Last season, Cedar Hill staged a fourth-quarter rally to edge Duncanville, 35-31, and both teams finished with 6-1 district records.

Cedar Hill coach Joey McGuire’s plan is to use two quarterbacks, last year’s varsity backup Andre Anderson and Damion Hobbs off the junior varsity.

Duncanville must rebuild its defense after graduating all but two starters. Junior Cordray Love moves from cornerback to free safety and tackle Jamaal Fears lends experience up front.

The Longhorns and Panthers graduated significant skill players including their respective quarterbacks, giving hope for potential contenders South Grand Prairie and Mansfield.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OG Aderius Epps, QB/WR Andre Anderson, DE David Harris, LB Steven Taylor, Cedar Hill; WR Jeff Thomas, WR/DB Malcolm McKenney, RB Aaron Piper, Duncanville; WR Devante Lacy, Grand Prairie; DE Hassan Ridgeway, QB Jerod Evans, WR Gary Davis, Mansfield; LB Montreal Jett, QB DeCarlos Humphrey, Mansfield Legacy; QB Charles Taylor, DE Rene Lawson, Mansfield Timberview; LB Slater Gravens, QB Bryce Murphy, Midlothian, QB Jared Johnson, DB Abraham Hall, South Grand Prairie.

DID YOU KNOW?

Brent Whitson, fresh from an overhaul of the program at Richardson High, is South Grand Prairie’s fifth head coach in the school’s 43-year history. ... In Lee Wiginton’s debut season as head coach at Midlothian last year, the Panthers’ win total of five was four more than they had in their final season in Class 4A the previous year. ... Mansfield defensive end Hassan Ridgeway, a Texas commit, is hard to miss at 6-5 and 240 pounds, but Tigers opponents will try to do just that. … Cedar Hill has won or shared district titles in five of its last six season. ... Duncanville running back Aaron Piper averaged nine yards every time he touched the ball as a sophomore last season.

PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEAMS

1. Cedar Hill
2. Duncanville
3. South Grand Prairie
4. Mansfield

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Former Seagoville post and Arkansas recruit Devonta Abron needed a half to warm up in the Texas High School Coaches Association basketball All-Star game, but he came alive in the second half, flexing his muscles and throwing down slams to seal a 103-94 North All-Star victory and a North MVP award.

* Four of the area's five players on the North squad started the game: The Colony's Austin Chatman, Flower Mound's Jordan Green, Abron and Melissa's Hondo Webb. That line got two shifts in the first, helping the North All-Stars to a quick lead, ending the first frame on top, 28-19.

*The second began with a rush of South points narrowing the deficit to as few as four by way of pure showmanship, throwing down dunks or hitting from behind the arc. Fundamentals gave way to flair as the second half came to a close, with turnover and fouls keeping either team from scoring. The North remained on top at the half, 51-47.

* Hustle and flash was the name of the game for Chatman in the first half. He pulled the ball outside in transition halfway through the second quarter and attempted a hard bounce alley-oop to Forrest Robinson that was just barely tipped over the streaking Robinson's hand in the paint. Had the defense not been alert, the crafty dish would have connected with Robinson for an easy dunk. Chatman then finished the first half with a no-look dish into the lane in transition but couldn't get the assist from Tashawn Thomas. Chatman was failed by another teammate with a minute left in the game when Jordan Green missed a wide open dunk after a Chatman no-look, behind-the-back pass.

* The North's only spark in the third quarter was Abron, who threw down three slams that kept the South's momentum at bay. The South tied the score for the first time since the beginning of the game at 53 just a minute and a half into the third and took its first lead, 66-64, with 3:30 left in the third, then finished the third with the lead, 73-72.

* Abron again kept the South's momentum down in the fourth, throwing down a dunk to start the quarter and hitting a 3 on the very next possession. A few Thomas mid-range jumpers kept the fourth run in favor of the North. A pair of 3s by the South's Tyler Friedel kept the game close with under two minutes left in the fourth, but the North kept possession for the majority of the final minute to seal the game.

* The South's Tre Demps of San Antonio Reagan won the MVP award for his squad.

* During halftime, the teams remained on the floor to watch a few participants from each team take part in a 3-point contest and a dunk contest. Webb came in second in the 3-point contest, draining 11 in a minute, but came four short of the winner, Victoria East's Friedel. Flower Mound's Green won the dunk contest, throwing down all three of his tries on the first try.

MANSFIELD, Texas -- Mansfield Legacy baseball wore down Irving on Saturday in Game 3 of their bi-district matchup, 13-5.

The crowd that gathered saw a high-energy game that included 11 stolen-base attempts and 18 hits by both teams. That energy boiled over in the bottom of the fourth, when Legacy scored four runs on three hits and a walk to take a 6-4 lead.

“We hit the ball pretty good today,” Legacy coach David Walden said. “They’ve got a great baseball team over there. We didn’t know how we were going to get those first five guys out. They just killed us all week. Our kids just hung tough.”

Legacy added four more in the fifth and three in the sixth against an Irving team that struggled on defense, finishing with six errors.

Legacy first baseman Tejay Antone had a team-leading four hits with singles in the second, fourth and fifth. He capped off his day at the plate with a triple in the sixth, driving in two. He would finish with four RBIs.

“Last year I hit pretty well against Lake Dallas and Birdville, but this is by far my best at-bats here today,” Antone said. “Coach Walden talked to me today about relaxing and playing my game the best I know how.”

On the mound, Legacy pitcher Kyle Stricklin earned a complete-game victory, allowing five runs on eight hits and recording three strikeouts.

Stricklin said he had command of his curveball throughout the game and found his fastball in the later innings.

All of Irving’s run production came from the top of the order, including a one-run homer by designated hitter Ryan Garza in the top of the fifth. Irving scored two in the second and two in the third off Frankie Fuentes' single and a double by Jeff Stovall.

Legacy had taken Thursday's Game 1, 4-2. Irving followed with an 8-7 win Friday.

Legacy advances to the area round of the 5A state playoffs to face area powerhouse Southlake Carroll.

“It feels amazing,” Antone said. “I’m so glad we didn’t end today.”

SOFTBALL: Hebron 6, Mansfield Legacy 4

Hebron took the third game of its area-round pairing with Mansfield Legacy on a two-run homer by Jasmine Parker in the bottom of the sixth.

Hebron led 4-1 until the top of the sixth, when Legacy rallied and eventually tied the score on Kendall Potts' seeing-eye single through the middle.

Hebron pitcher Heather Streans picked up the win.

“It’s good for our confidence. ... Somebody each game, somebody different, has stepped up and pulled through for us,” Hebron coach Sue Dunn said.

ESPN.com's On The Trail recruiting update has news on two area football players who changed their choice of colleges.

Mansfield Legacy four-star cornerback Tevin Mitchel decommitted from Nebraska and accepted an offer from Arkansas. Mitchel also considered Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Virginia and Arizona.

Hurst L.D. Bell three-star running back Kenneth Farrow had to find a new school when new Colorado coach John Embree withdrew an offer from the Buffs. Farrow wound up taking an offer from Houston, which he picked over Utah and Tulsa.

Allen doesn’t rebuild. It reloads.

Losing all but two starters? No problem for Allen, which is off to a 3-0 start thanks to nail-biting wins over Class 5A power Cedar Hill and 4A finalist Longview.

The only question is how well Allen has reloaded for 2010. Its district-opening tilt against Plano on Friday at Eagles Stadium will go a long way toward answering that.

“We have a pretty good rivalry against them,” Allen coach Tom Westerberg said of Plano. “You know what you’re going to get. They’re going to play very solid defense.”

Westerberg credits his program’s ability to reload to simple numbers – the program has outstanding participation with 200 players on two junior varsity teams and about 215 players combined on three freshman teams.

“With the numbers that we have, we’re going to be able to find 22 kids that can play,” Westerberg said.

Allen High School’s extracurricular actives all have high participation. The school’s band is one of the largest in the state with more than 600 members. It can be an intimidating presence for the opposition at football games.

“They’ve got a one-school town,” Plano coach Jaydon McCullough said. “Their band -- man, I’m glad we’re not playing their band. Their band is awesome. You have to be concerned about hearing the snap count.”

The new-look Eagles haven’t skipped a beat offensively. New QB Alec Morris thrown for 663 yards and five touchdowns in three games. He’s yet to throw an interception and he’s completing close to 70 percent of his passes.

Junior RB Jonathan Williams might be a star-in-waiting. He’s averaging well over 8 yards per carry with 401 yards and four touchdowns on the season.

Allen’s offense will likely get all it can handle against a Plano defense that’s not only talented, but seasoned. It held Mansfield Legacy to less than 200 total yards and shut down Irving MacArthur’s talented running backs.

In a deep and talented District 8-5A, every game will have playoff implications. But with Allen and Plano widely considered the favorites in the district, the opening tilt could prove the difference come November.

“If I was looking around at high school games to go see and I wasn’t a football coach, this would be the one I’d probably go watch,” McCullough said.

KEY MATCHUPS

Plano’s experience vs. Allen’s inexperience
Allen closed the gap with clutch wins over Cedar Hill and Longview, but nothing compares to staring down Euless Trinity in the playoffs like Plano did.

Allen WR Jonathan Lee vs. Plano CB Blair Burns
Burns has the potential to clip one of Allen’s many wings in a battle between two Division I prospects.

Plano’s defensive front vs. Allen RB Jonathan Williams
Allen must establish the run, but Plano is second in the area in run defense, giving up just 77.7 rushing yards per game.

Many of the state’s top high school football skill players will descend on College Station, Texas, for the Fox Sports Southwest 7-on-7 State Championship presented by adidas and Academy Sports & Outdoors.

The tournament consists of two 64-team divisions based on the school’s UIL classification.

Within each division, teams are divided into 16 pools of four. The top two finishers in each pool advance to championship single-elimination and the bottom two finishers are placed in consolation single-elimination.

Pool play in Division II (Class 3A, 2A, 1A) begins at 1 p.m. Thursday and culminates in the state title game at 5 p.m. Friday at Kyle Field.

Area teams that have qualified in Division II include defending champion Celina, Aubrey, Godley, Kaufman, Lovejoy, Melissa, Prosper, Sanger and Wills Point.

Division I (Class 5A, 4A) pool play begins at 1 p.m. Friday and concludes with the championship game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field.

Local qualifiers include: Arlington Bowie, Arlington Lamar, Coppell, DeSoto, Grand Prairie, Hebron, Irving Nimitz, Lewisville, Mansfield Legacy, Mesquite, Plano, Plano West, Richland, Rockwall, Saginaw Boswell, Dallas Skyline, Southlake Carroll, West Mesquite and Wylie.

Lamar is the state's only DI team to qualify for all 13 state tournaments. Nimitz, Lewisville and Skyline will be playing in the state tournament for the first time.

Three 7-on-7 state champions have gone on to win UIL state titles the following fall: Celina, twice, in 2000 and 2007, and Tyler Lee in 2004.

Here’s a list of the tournament’s past DI champions:
2009: Round Rock Stony Point
2008: Richland
2007: Georgetown
2006: Colleyville Heritage
2005: Baytown Lee
2004: Tyler Lee
2003: Odessa Permian
2002: Katy Cinco Ranch
2001: Baytown Lee
2000: Celina
1999: North Mesquite
1998: Southlake Carroll

The DII champions:
2009: Celina
2008: Crane
2007: Celina

Hebron earned its first trip to the softball state tournament with a 6-2 win over Plano in the third game of a best-of-3 Class 5A Region I series Saturday in Frisco.

A two-run home run by Morgan Butler in the seventh inning snapped a 2-2 tie and helped Hebron (27-12), fourth-place finisher in District 6-5A, continue its best playoff run.

Hebron won Game 1, 4-1, on Wednesday. Plano (28-13-1) forced Saturday’s game with a 1-0 victory on Friday.

Sophomore Heather Stearns was the winning pitcher.

Hebron will play Pearland (35-6-1) at 5p.m. Friday at the University of Texas’ McCombs Field.

Rowlett’s bid for its first state tournament appearance ended in a 1-0, nine-inning Game 3 loss to Tomball for the 5A Region II title.

Rowlett (30-7), ranked No. 16 nationally by ESPN RISE, opened the series played in Waco with a 5-2 win, then lost 5-0 in Game 2.

Denton Guyer, (34-5-2) will be in the 4A state semifinals Friday after sweeping Mansfield Legacy (29-13) in the Region I series, 1-0 and 4-3. Guyer faces Waco Midway (34-5-1) at 11:30 a.m. Friday at McCombs.

Waco Midway ended the season for Frisco Wakeland (34-3-1) in the 4A Region II final series with consecutive wins of 2-1 and 3-2. Wakeland was ranked No. 5 nationally, best of any Texas team, by ESPN RISE.

Mansfield Legacy cornerback Tevin Mitchel has added scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, coach Chris Melson told ESPN affiliate Web site IrishSportsDaily.com.

Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Nebraska, Purdue, Wake Forest, Washington State and Tulsa had already offered scholarships to the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder. Melson believes that Notre Dame and Texas could also offer.

"This was his first year playing corner, and all of a sudden he just blossomed," Melson said. "I kept kicking the secondary coach in the tail, 'why isn't Mitchell starting, why isn't Mitchell starting', and he said he's still struggling to get all the zone concepts and reads down. Finally, our starting cornerback got beat one too many times and Tevin stepped in and did a great job."

Said Tevin: "I've just been working hard. This summer I'm trying to get to as many camps and campuses as I can. I'm looking for a place that is great academic wise, has a great atmosphere, and a place I have a good relationship with the coaches and players."

Four area soccer teams earned berths in the UIL State Final Four with regional championship victories Saturday.

Georgetown-bound next week will be:

*Jesuit in Class 5A boys

*McKinney Boyd in 5A girls

*Frisco Wakeland in 4A boys

*Richardson Pearce in 4A girls

State tournament semifinals will be on Thursday for Class 5A and Friday for 4A at Georgetown’s Birkelbach Field. State championship games will be on Saturday.

Pearce (22-4-2) will have an opportunity to defend its 2009 title, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Longview in the Region II title game Saturday at Carrollton’s Standridge Stadium. Kathryn Watson supplied the goal, assisted by Gayle Ziegler, for the Mustangs’ 13th straight playoff victory.

Afterward, Pearce coach Oscar Borgarello credited the leadership of team captains Watson and Taylor Mathews for keeping the team focused throughout the season.

"I don't want to celebrate yet, though, because we don't want to stop now,'' Borgarello said.

Jesuit, ranked No. 1 nationally by ESPN RISE, needed a shootout to edge El Paso Bel Air, 2-1, in the 5A Region I final in Midland. Jesuit (23-0-0) is bidding to win the school’s first UIL state title in a team sport. It marked the third straight year that Bel Air (26-2) met playoff elimination at the hands of the Rangers.

Boyd’s girls kept an unbeaten season going with a 4-0 win over fellow District 8-5A foe Plano West in Midland. Boyd (27-0-3), the Class 4A state champion in 2008, is ranked No. 2 nationally by ESPN RISE. All-time Boyd leading scorer Kelley Monogue had a goal.

Wakeland's boys team has yet to allow a goal in the playoffs. It recorded its sixth straight shutout, defeating Kilgore, 2-0, in the Class 4A Region II title game in Carrollton. Wakeland (26-2-3) got goals from Casey Cantor and Deven Carrillo.

In Wichita Falls, Mansfield Legacy boys lost to El Paso, 1-0, in the 4A boys Region I championship game, and Denton Guyer was defeated by Canyon Randall in the 4A girls final.