ESPN

HornsNation's Max Olson did a Q&A with Plano West DE Bryce Cottrell, who switched his commitment from Oregon after being offered by Texas. He'll be a freshman for the Longhorns in the fall.

Here's an excerpt:

HornsNation: How did you end up a Longhorn?

Bryce Cottrell: Well, I've always wanted to play for the Longhorns since I was a little kid. My mom and my grandma and all them were Texas Longhorns, so it was kind of meant to be. I remember getting a phone call from Mack Brown a week and a half before signing day and they told me they were offering a scholarship. It was one of the happiest days of my life. That's a dream come true.

Read the entire interview here.

Highland Park junior goalkeeper Sarah Howley was almost perfect throughout the UIL Class 4A girls soccer playoffs.

Highland Park allowed just one goal in the postseason, capped by a 1-0 shootout victory Saturday over Trophy Club Byron Nelson in the state championship game in Georgetown, Texas.

The Lady Scots secured the championship with a 4-3 advantage in the shootout after Howley and Byron Nelson keeper Ariana Morrison registered shutouts through regulation and both overtime periods.

It's the first girls soccer state title since 2002 for Highland Park, which also reached the state tournament in 2003, '05 and '06.

It was the first trip to the state tournament for Byron Nelson, which opened only three years ago.

For her efforts, Howley was named the championship game MVP and heads up the 4A girls all-state tournament team. Morrison also made the team.

Here are the complete all-state tournament teams, as selected by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches:

Another girls soccer state title is coming to the Metroplex, and for the second straight year it was won by a first-year coach.

Plano West picked up its state-record fifth state championship Saturday, defeating Katy Seven Lakes 1-0 in Georgetown, Texas.

Hours after the game, coach Carley Phillips still had a hard time describing her feelings, having won a state title for West as a player in 2002 and now as a coach in 2012.

“There’s so much tradition and legacy behind the Plano West name through soccer,” Phillips said. “Just to be a part of that now as a coach is really cool, and it’s an elite group of people so it’s pretty nice to be a part of it.”

West junior forward Brooke Ramsier put the title winning strike on a ball just inside the box halfway through the first half for the only goal of the game.

The ball found its way to Ramsier off a deflected pass from twin sister Casie Ramsier -- a connection that West players have said can be borderline telepathic -- on the right side of the goal.

“I love playing with her because I always can count on her to know where I’m going to play the ball or know what I’m going to do,” Brooke said before the state tournament. “She’s always there for me.”

Casie echoed her sister.

“We’re just so used to playing with each other,” she said. “Our playing style is kind of the same, and we just know where each other is going to be. I always know where to play the ball.”

Brooke earned 5A state championship game MVP honors, but the game would not have been won without the athletic effort of junior goalkeeper and team captain Claire Wheatley.

Just minutes after Ramsier scored, Seven Lakes created its best offensive rush of the game, hitting a streaking forward on a breakaway. Wheatley left her line and charged the attacker, knocking aside a potential game-tying shot.

“Claire is a very talented keeper,” Phillips said. “She just really came up today and made some big saves and really just stepped up in a huge way for us.”

Phillips follows Frisco Wakeland coach Meagan Wilson as the second Dallas-area coach to win a state title in her first year of coaching, adding that it sets quite a standard for next season.

“Setting the bar high,” she said. “That’s where we like it.”

Plano West's girls soccer team will head to the Class 5A state final after knocking off Klein Oak in a dominant 2-0 victory Friday in Georgetown, Texas.

The Lady Wolves jumped into the lead 20 minutes in on a penalty kick off the boot of senior Karson Keogh that just found the inside of the frame. The kick was awarded after Casie Ramsier was taken down in the box.

"She hit it well but it went just on the inside of the post," West coach Carley Phillips said. "It was a little bit stressful."

West netted the other goal with 27 seconds left in the first half.

"Their keeper was very aggressive and came out for a ball and we got past her," Phillips said. "There was an open net and Ashley Smith gave a nice little pass to Tori Gates, who put it in."

The team is excited to remain in Georgetown through the weekend, but the semifinal win was just another step closer to the ultimate goal, Philips said.

"It was just a win for them," she said. "We're just kind of at the point where we're looking for that end result, which is to be state champions.They're excited and happy about the win but the focus is on the finals now."

Plano West will take on Katy Seven Lakes at 11 a.m. Saturday for the 5A championship

Hat trick effort puts Highland Park in title bout

Junior Katie Martin beat the keeper three times in Highland Park's 5-2 victory over Waco Midway to punch the Lady Scots' ticket into the 4A state final.

Martin netted the first goal of the game, heading in a corner kick cross in the first half. The goal ended a 19 game shutout streak Midway carried into the 4A semifinal match.

The junior tallied her second just before halftime, firing a rocket from the top of the penalty box into the back corner of the net.

Martin finished her barrage in the second half, hitting from 22 yards after cutting past an oncoming Midway defender.

Highland Park will face the winner of Friday's semifinal between Trophy Club Byron Nelson and Cedar Park at 4 p.m. Saturday for the 4A crown.

THURSDAY'S CLASS 5A SEMIFINALS

Girls

• Plano West 2, Klein Oak 0
• Katy Seven Lakes 2, San Antonio Churchill 1 (3-2, SO)

Boys

• 4 p.m. -- Mission Sharyland 3, Mansfield 1
• 6 p.m. -- Katy Morton Ranch 4, Austin Westlake 1

FRIDAY'S CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS

Girls

• Highland Park 5, Waco Midway 2
• Trophy Club Byron Nelson 1, Cedar Park 0

Boys

• Wichita Falls Rider 1 vs. Mount Pleasant 0
• San Antonio Alamo Heights 1 vs. Friendswood 0

SATURDAY'S STATE FINALS

• Girls Class 5A: Plano West 1, Katy Seven Lakes 0
• Boys Class 5A: Mission Sharyland 3, Katy Morton Ranch 2
• Highland Park 1, Trophy Club Byron Nelson 0 (4-3 SO)
• San Antonio Alamo Heights 3, Wichita Falls Rider 2 (3-2 SO)

The Plano West girls soccer team’s final training session before the state tournament moved at a lively pace, focusing primarily on basic touch drills to sharpen key fundamentals.

The transfers between drills Tuesday worked seamlessly as players followed a routine that has helped earned them the No. 3 national rank according to ESPNHS going into the Class 5A state tournament.

But before the players could move on to a free-for-all, scrimmage-like scoring drill known as World Cup with the most serious weekend of their careers upon them, they all had to line up with hands over hearts and sing an ear-splitting, downright silly rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” directed with conductor-like movements from coach Carley Phillips.

“We were playing World Cup and talking about wanting it and who wants it more and so we decided to have a national anthem and an international walkout like in the World Cup,” Phillips said.

No, this Plano West team isn’t one to spend days leading up to big games in solemn meditation and reflective silence. The Lady Wolves screamed the lyrics to the Spice Girls' song “Wannabe” right before hitting the field for the region final, which, frankly, is a testament to the players' natural ability to operate well beyond their years.

Most of the team was a year old when the song was first released.

Last year, the Lady Wolves were led by a talented but inexperienced group of sophomores who saw their season earlier than expected in the bi-district round.

While still considered a young team with its core of juniors, goofy antics and all, mature play inside the touchlines has Plano West on the verge of a 5A state title.

“I feel like we have a different atmosphere around our team and going into [the playoffs] we had a different mindset,” junior goalie Clair Wheatley said. “It feels completely different to me.”

Credit that new vibe to Phillips, in her first year as the Lady Wolves' head coach, and her ability to relate to her players. As a Plano West soccer alumnus -- playing varsity from 2002-05 and going to state in '02 and '04 -- she's gone through all the same experiences her team faces.

“She knows where we’re coming from,” junior Taylor Jackson said. “She’s been through all this and she connects with us like that. She doesn’t have to say much to get us motivated, just her being here and being an example to us.”

A win against semifinal opponent Klein Oak (25-1-1) Thursday at 11 a.m. would put the Lady Wolves (21-3-4) one step closer to ending their season like Phillips did in 2002 – hoisting a state championship trophy.

Two teams make first tournament appearance

Mansfield's boys and Trophy Club Byron Nelson’s girls are making their schools' first trip to Georgetown for the state soccer tournament.

Mansfield (21-5-4) is the only boys squad representing the Metroplex this weekend, facing Mission Sharyland (15-3) in the 5A semifinal Thursday at 4 p.m.

Three years after the school opened, Byron Nelson’s girls are already within two wins a state championship. After storming through the playoffs, outscoring opponents 27-3, the Bobcats (23-2-4) will try their skill against tournament hometown Cedar Park (21-3-3) Friday at 1 p.m. in a 4A semifinal.

Highland Park girls return to state

The Lady Scots return to the state tournament for the eighth time, the first since 2006, in hopes of continuing the tradition of a girls title returning to the Metroplex.

Highland Park (26-1-2) will face Waco Midway (21-4-4) in the 4A semifinal Friday at 11 a.m.

The Lady Scots have allowed just one goal throughout their playoff run.

Find the full state tournament schedule here.

The UIL released its state soccer tournament pairings, with the Class 5A semifinals scheduled for Thursday and the 4A semis Friday. All games are at the Georgetown ISD Athletic Complex.

The Mansfield boys and Plano West, Highland Park and Trophy Club Byron Nelson girls are representing the Dallas-Fort Worth area at state

Here's the schedule:

THURSDAY'S CLASS 5A SEMIFINALS

Girls

• 11 a.m. -- Klein Oak (25-1-1) vs. Plano West (21-3-4)
• 1 p.m. -- Katy Seven Lakes (22-3-3) vs. San Antonio Churchill (19-6-1)

Boys

• 4 p.m. -- Mission Sharyland (15-3) vs. Mansfield (21-5-4)
• 6 p.m. -- Austin Westlake (25-1-1) vs. Katy Morton Ranch (19-3-6)

FRIDAY'S CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS

Girls

• 11 a.m. -- Highland Park (26-1-2) vs. Waco Midway (21-4-4)
• 1 p.m. -- Trophy Club Byron Nelson (23-2-4) vs. Cedar Park (21-3-3)

Boys

• 4 p.m. -- Wichita Falls Rider (27-2) vs. Mount Pleasant (20-2-6)
• 6 p.m. -- San Antonio Alamo Heights (28-2-1) vs. Friendswood (26-1-5)

SATURDAY'S STATE FINALS

• 11 a.m. -- Girls Class 5A
• 1 p.m. -- Boys Class 5A
• 4 p.m. -- Girls Class 4A
• 6 p.m. -- Boys Class 4A

Not much was guaranteed to Dallas Jesuit head coach Charles DeLong before the 2012 season.

Two seasons removed from a 5A state title, he faced the dread of losing some of his players to Academy soccer and then, at times, had to put five sophomores on the field.

Looking back, it worked out pretty well for DeLong.

He tallied his 500^th career win in district play, separating him as a Dallas coaching legend. Those five sophomores held their own, along with the majority of veteran players returning from last season, to put Jesuit back in the regional tournament this weekend.

Working on Jesuit’s side is decent continuity from the previous two years, but that doesn’t grant DeLong any more confidence in a return to the state tournament with the parity that exists now that Academy players no longer play.

“I’m not downplaying anybody, but I don’t think there is a super-powerhouse team,” DeLong said. “I think every team out there, on any given day, could beat each other.”

Jesuit is the lone area team playing in the 5A Region II tournament at Round Rock’s Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex, paired against The Woodlands in Friday’s semifinal match. The winner of that game will play either Midland Lee or Austin Westlake in the region final.

Two teams represent the area in the Region I tournament -- Plano and Mansfield. Plano’s chance at a berth in the state tournament last season was crushed by Southlake Carroll, who would go on to claim the 5A title.

Mansfield was also knocked out by Carroll in the area round of the playoffs last season and has not advanced past the area round since 2007.

GIRLS

Plano West began its 2010-2011 campaign as the top team nationally out of the DFW area.

That momentum slowed through district play and came to a screeching halt when West saw its season end in bi-district to Coppell.

This year, West enters the regional tournament as one of the most battle-tested teams in the state, surviving playoff matches against nationally ranked Grapevine and Flower Mound.

West’s path to Georgetown in 2012 must go through El Paso Montwood in the regional semifinals. West would then face the winner of Arlington and Flower Mound Marcus.

Marcus is the highest nationally ranked team still alive in the playoffs, sitting at No. 3 in the Week 19 poll, but West isn’t too far behind at No. 6.

The only area team in the Region II tournament is Sachse, who has gradually improved its playoff run every season since 2008-2009 and would continue the trend with a regional semifinal win over Georgetown on Friday.

With the rich talent pool of boys soccer in the area traditionally on teams like Southlake Carroll, Coppell and the Plano schools, who would have thought District 9-5A would have two of the best teams, not only the area but in the country?

As expected, one team is 2010 5A state champion Dallas Jesuit, which enters the 5A playoffs as the ESPNHS Fab 50 No. 9 team in the nation with an 18-2 regular season record.

The other took many by surprise.

Richardson Berkner won the District 9-5A title and finished the regular season 18-1 and is ranked No. 3 in the nation, the highest of any Texas team.

“I didn’t see that they had that from the JV team last year,” Jesuit coach Charles DeLong said. "They kind of came out of nowhere.”

It’s Berkner’s first trip to the playoffs in six years with coach Juan Beracochea at the helm.

Knocking off defending 5A state champion Southlake Carroll in the fourth game of the season gave Berkner the confidence to claim that playoff berth and garner national attention during the journey.

Credit a large portion of the success to senior Jack Wolf, who leads Berkner in all-around scoring with 25 goals and six assists. His effort stuck out to DeLong and has been adopted by the rest of his teammates. Wolf, a National Honor Society member and Division I prospect, single-handedly won Berkner’s second game against Jesuit, scoring both of his team’s goals in the 2-0 win.

“He’s very athletic. Very determined and he’s got decent skills,” DeLong said. “He plays on a team that gives him appropriate service. It’s hard to score that many goals unless you have players around you that can pass you the ball at the right time and the right place and you can’t score that many goals unless you have something going for you as an individual. He’s a handful.”

Going from zero to the top could easily go to the heads of most high school players, but that’s not the nature of this blue-collar squad which enters the postseason as even-keeled as possible, Beracochea said.

“We have never been in this position, so we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves,” Beracochea said. “We’re a very humble team.”

The 5A girls bracket has seven UIL teams in the top 16, most of which will face each other in the first three rounds. Two out of the seven are guaranteed to see their season come to an abrupt halt after the second round.

The most intriguing of these future pairings is the potential second-round match between No. 6 Flower Mound and No. 5 Mansfield in the area round. The winner of that area Super Bowl could then face No. 7 Plano West before reaching the regional tournament.

Saved from that mess is No. 2 McKinney Boyd, which returns to the postseason trying to repeat as 5A state champions.

Texas' basketball season is over, but parts of the country are still playing and ESPNHS is still updating the POWERADE FAB 50 national rankings.

The Flower Mound Marcus boys maintained their No. 5 position after winning their second consecutive state title. Only two teams ahead of Marcus, No. 2 Findlay Prep (Nev.) and No. 4 Chester (Pa.), haven't completed their seasons. Findlay Prep beat Marcus earlier in the year.

Prestonwood Christian remained at No. 12 and fellow TAPPS power Arlington Grace Prep moved up two spots to No. 22.

South Grand Prairie, which lost to Marcus in a regional final, bounced up three spots to No. 46.

In the girls FAB 50, Class 5A champion Duncanville moved up four spots to No. 7 two weeks after completing its season. Irving MacArthur held the No. 18 spot, Dallas Lincoln dropped two spots to No. 42 and Plano West slipped a spot to No. 44.

UIL Class 5A champion Duncanville edged up a spot to No. 11 in the latest ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 girls basketball rankings.

The other area girls teams in the FAB 50, none of which reached the state tournament, held their ground from last week: No. 18 Irving MacArthur, No. 40 Dallas Lincoln and No. 43 Plano West.

In the boys FAB 50, two area teams gained ground after winning TAPPS championships. Prestonwood Christian moved up a spot to No. 12 after winning the TAPPS 5A title. TAPPS 4A champion Arlington Grace Prep gained four spots to reach No. 24.

Flower Mound Marcus, which reached this weekend's UIL Class 5A state tournament, stood firm at No. 5. South Grand Prairie slipped from No. 41 to No. 49 after losing to Marcus by one point in a regional final.

Duncanville vaulted eight spots to No. 12 in the latest ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 girls basketball national rankings after Saturday's victory over previous No. 12 Irving MacArthur in the Class 5A Region 1 championship game.

MacArthur slipped six spots to No. 18 after being denied a chance to defend its state championship.

UIL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Boys brackets: 5A »   4A » Girls brackets: 5A »   4A » State tournament: Girls » Boys »

Defending 4A state champion Dallas Lincoln fell from No. 22 to No. 40 after losing to Rockwall in the 4A Region 2 quarterfinals. Plano West dropped from No. 28 to No. 43 after MacArthur ended the Wolves' season in the regional quarterfinals.

In the boys ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50, defending Class 5A state champion Flower Mound Marcus maintained its position at No. 5. No. 13 Prestonwood Christian also held its position.

Arlington Grace Prep, which has reached the TAPPS 4A state semifinals, moved up three spots to No. 28. South Grand Prairie also moved up three spots and sits at No. 41.

Richland, which had been No. 46, tumbled out of the rankings after its bi-district loss to Mansfield Timberview.

American Airlines Center will host an all-day boys basketball playoff extravaganza Saturday, with four area-round games on the schedule.

Of the eight teams who will be in action, five were ranked in ESPN Dallas' final 4A and 5A area top 10s. Here are the matchups:

• 1 p.m.: 4A No. 2 South Oak Cliff vs. McKinney
• 3 p.m.: 5A No. 5 DeSoto vs. Rowlett
• 5 p.m.: 4A No. 8 Arlington Seguin vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights
• 7 p.m.: 5A No. 2 South Grand Prairie vs. No. 8 Plano West

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster for $25 courtside, $15 lower level and $10 upper level. Parking will be available in all American Airlines Center parking lots for $10.

CARROLLTON, Texas -- Irving MacArthur coach Suzie Oelschlegel went bouncing through the gym, hugging every well wisher and even dancing with a few before finally plopping down in one of the seats on Irving MacArthur's bench.

"I'm really about to pass out," she said.

UIL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Boys brackets: 5A »   4A » Girls brackets: 5A »   4A » State tournament: Girls » Boys »

Having a state title under your belt apparently doesn't make winning a third-round playoff game any less sweet.

And why should it? Players like Alexis Jones don't come around too often, and the defending champion Lady Cardinals got one step closer to a second consecutive title with a 67-60 win over Plano West at Hebron High School on Tuesday.

MacArthur advances to the Class 5A Region I semifinals against Lubbock Coronado.

"Our program is so blessed to have this kid," Oelschlegel said of Jones. "She is a fun, fun kid to watch. She's such a humble young lady. She is truly something special."

Plano West (34-3), which lost to MacArthur in the third round last year, had no answer for Jones. She finished with 35 points and eight rebounds as the crowd held its breath every time she touched the ball.

She was especially strong in the fourth quarter where she scored 14 points, which included the necessary free throws to ice the game.

"They were trying to trap me," Jones said of Plano West's defense. "Every time I got the ball, they were just trying to trap the ball and try to see if the other girls could do something with the ball."

But despite Jones' performance, Plano West hung in the game thanks to Brea Mitchell (20 points), Tyara Warren-Cox (13 points) and Devri Owens (9 points), who ignited the Lady Wolves' typically balanced scoring attack.

MacArthur (34-2) opened up an early 10-2 lead behind a scoring barrage by Jones, but the Lady Cardinals spent the rest of the half trying to fight off a pesky Plano West offense that blew through Cedar Hill's man defense last week but had a tough time getting to the net against MacArthur's 2-3 zone.

Shot selection was also an issue for the Lady Cardinals. While they were taking wild 3-point attempts, Plano West was connecting on high-percentage shots.

The result was a couple of blown leads for MacArthur and a 33-33 tie at halftime following a Paige Womack free throw in the final seconds of the second quarter.

"Coach O told us to stop settling for 3s and start taking it to the basket," Jones said. "They couldn't really guard us taking it to the basket."

MacArthur made better decisions in the second half though. Off-balance 3-point attempts were replaced with drives to the hoop and short jumpers.

After an Owens 3-pointer to open the second half gave Plano West its only lead of the game, Jones scored six straight points and got a block that set up another duece, helping turn a three-point deficit into a seven-point lead in a little less than three minutes.

"They came out of that third quarter determined," Oelschlegel said.

Owens finished the third quarter with another 3-pointer that got Plano West within five, but a Jones 3-point play shortly after seemed to break Plano West's will and the Lady Cardinals cruised from there.

"We knew it was going to be a hard one," Jones said. "It was a good game."

FLOWER MOUND, Texas -- Plano West has speed, Cedar Hill has size, and whichever team got the most out of its advantage was likely to win their area-round matchup on Friday at Flower Mound High School.

About halfway through the first quarter, it was clear Plano West's speed was too much for the Lady Longhorns.

UIL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Boys brackets: 5A »   4A » Girls brackets: 5A »   4A » State tournament: Girls » Boys »

The Lady Wolves ran Cedar Hill's man defense ragged en route to a comfortable 65-51 win, striking the latest blow in what's become an annual date in the playoffs between the two teams.

Plano West (34-2) advances to face defending champion Irving MacArthur.

"We knew we couldn't matchup with them man-on-man inside," said Plano West head coach Don Patterson. "We've played them enough this year to know what to do. We got out running a little bit."

Cedar Hill (28-7) had a clear size advantage over a slightly small Plano West team, but with the Lady Longhorns playing man defense, Plano West ran them all over the court.

Forwards LaBrittney Jones and Jada Terry would have been terrific defenders if they could have stayed in and around the paint, but instead they were dragged out beyond the arc while chasing Plano West, which allowed the Lady Wolves' guards free passage to the rim.

"Luckily our team has so many strong players that can all get to the bucket," said Plano West guard Devri Owens. "They had to guard all of us instead of just one person, and that helped us spread them out."

Plano West's focus defensively was also Jones and Terry. The Lady Wolves deviated from their typical base defense in favor of a 2-3 zone, hoping to deny Jones and Terry the ball inside.

It worked. Cedar Hill spent most of its possessions meandering around the perimeter, not finding any good shots from the outside and unable to get the ball inside for a better look.

With Cedar Hill's size advantage neutralized on both ends of the court, Plano West coasted to the win.

"We were just squeezing in a bit to make sure their bigs didn't kill us inside," Patterson said. "Thankfully they weren't hitting shots from the outside."

Owens got things started for Plano West in the first quarter, scoring her team's first eight points, including two 3-pointers from well behind the arc. She finished with 14 points, tied for the team high with Brea Mitchell.

"I was feeling good," Owens said. "Our team was really excited and I just wanted to come out and play as hard as I could."

Owens' sharp shooting helped the Lady Wolves jump out to a 21-6 lead in the first, and they led 38-23 by halftime.

Cedar Hill finally got some momentum late in the third quarter when Candice Adams and Alecia Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark an 8-0 that cut Plano West's lead to eight.

But it was merely a lull in Plano West's dominating performance. The Lady Wolves recommitted to spreading out Cedar Hill's defense in the fourth and never looked back.

"The biggest thing is that we were just making silly turnovers," Patterson said. "We'd get a rebound and then give it right back to them. It was just a matter of getting things under control. Catch the ball with two hands. Do what we do in practice."