C LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL lubbockonline.com SUNDAY MaY 11, 2014 Texas Tech softball finds out PORTSget all your Texas Tech recruiting Lubbock Christian High won the In Sports Monday: if they make the NCSaas. On the Web: news at www.wreckem247.com Inside Sports: TappS state title in softball. Page C2 Idalou’s Hayden Darey pitches against Muleshoe Smith gets dream call from Dallas on Saturday in Levelland. NFl DRAFT/Cowboys pick 2014 draft class Dallas Cowboys — Zach Martin, OT, Notre Dame; Tech LB in seventh round Demarcus Lawrence, OLB, Boise State; anthony Hitchens, OLB, Iowa; Devin Street, WR, pitts- BY DON WILLIAMS burgh; Ben gardner, DE, Stanford; Will Smith, a-J MEDIa ILB, Texas Tech; ahmad Dixon, DB, Baylor; Ken Bishop, DT, Northern Illinois; Will Smith was starting to feel up- Terrance Mitchell, DB, Oregon SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2014 C1 2014 11, MAY SUNDAY, set and downcast as the three-day Houston Texans — Jadeveon Clowney, DE, NFL draft wound toward a conclu- South Carolina; Xavier Su’a-Filo, Og, UCLa; C.J. TORI EICHBERgER a-J MEDIa sion Saturday. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa; Louis Nix III, DT, Notre The Texas Tech linebacker didn’t Dame; Tom Savage, QB, pittsburgh; Jeoffrey Playoffs scores know he was about to receive the phone pagan, DE alabama; alfred Blue, RB, LSU; Jay HiGH school Cyan prosch, FB, auburn; Dre Hal, CB, Vanderbilt; call of his dreams. The Dallas Cowboys baseball Lonnie Ballentine, DB, Memphis chose Smith in the seventh round and, Monterey 14, El Paso irvin 4; even growing up in California, the Cow- Denver Broncos — Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State; Monterey wins series 2-0 Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana; Michael Schofield, lubbock High 10, Eastlake 6; Magenta boys were his favorite team. STEpHEN SpILLMaN a-J MEDIa OT Michigan; Lamin Barrow, OLB, LSU; Matt LHS 4, Eastlake 3; LHS wins “All I had was Emmitt Smith jer- paradis, C, Boise State; Corey Nelson, OLB, Former texas tech linebacker Will series 2-1 llow seys, Roy Williams jerseys, the Trip- Oklahoma Frenship 10, Hanks 2; Frenship Ye lets (Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Smith has been drafted by the 10, Hanks 0; Frenship wins Big 12 recruits: Baylor 5), Oklahoma (4), WVU Irvin) posters,” Smith said. series 2-0 Dallas Cowboys. For more on the (2), Texas Tech (2), TCU (1), OSU (1), Kansas Coo- SEE , pagE C6 NFl draft, see Pages C3 and C6. State (1), Iowa State (1), Texas (0), Kansas (0) Cooper 4, Sweetwater 3; Black DRAFT EXCLUSIVE per wins series 2-0 Shallowater 4, Presidio 0; presidio 3, Shallowater 2; Analysis presidio wins series 2-1 littlefield 12, Slaton 7; series tied 1-1 idalou 4, Muleshoe 0; Idalou For Tech, wins series 2-0 HiGH school home-run Softball Coronado 11, Keller 0; Coro- nado 4, Keller 3, Coronado wins series season not Pampa 10, Cooper 0, pampa wins series TAPPS SoFTBAll a surprise lubbock Christian High 10, Bay area League City Christian 0; LCHS wins 3a state title EXCLUSIVE Want More? PLAYOFFS coverage BY GeOrGe watson inside on PAGES C2, C4 a-J MEDIa Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part series ana- lyzing the turnaround of the Texas Tech baseball program QB Giles commits to in the second year under Tech for 2015 class head coach Tim Tadlock. Monday’s second part will ZaCH LONg a-J MEDIa Sugar Land Elkins athlete Jonathan giles has been a look at how it affects Tech Coronado’s tre Culver captured the bronze medal in the Class 5A high jump during the UIL State track long-time follower of Texas both financially and in re- Meet on Saturday in Austin. Tech football and after getting cruiting. a scholarship offer to play for the Red Raiders on Thursday, it Getting Texas Tech head HiGH SCHoolS/Coronado’s Culver didn’t take long for him to make baseball coach Tim Tad- a decision. On Saturday the 84 lock to look down the road matches personal best for bronze; overall three star became the or examine the big picture Red Raiders seventh commit for is kind of like getting a tur- Estacado’s Freeman earns silver the 2015 recruiting class. tle to pick up the pace. It’s “I’ve watched them a lot Making growing up and over time I not going to happen. just fell more and more in love Why should it? His team with it,” giles said. “I used to has taken hold of his con- watch them even back when stant message of winning EXCLUSIVE (Kliff) Kingsbury played there, the day, getting better that then when (Michael) Crabtree day, whether it’s a game or the most of it came along. It’s been my a practice, and playing the BY DON WILLIAMS dream school for awhile.” game the right way, and it’s AND NICHOLAS tALBOt giles plays quarterback for worked so far. In fact, it’s Elkins, where he threw for a-J MEDIa more than 3,000 yards and 25 worked much better than touchdowns — completing 62 most outside the Red Raid- AUSTIN — Lauren Landry’s percent of his passes — and er program expected. surprising second-place fin- rushed for 1,149 yards and 19 At 37-13 overall and 11- ish in the Class 4A 800 meters more scores in 2013. 10 in the Big 12, Tadlock Friday got the Lubbock ISD “I feel like they’re building has already established onto the medal stand at the UIL something special over there the watermark for the big- state track and field meet. and I want to be a part of it,” gest single-season turn- Then a good day for the LISD giles said. “Something very special.” around in league history turned into a productive week- by a Big 12 coach from year The Red Raiders beat out end On Saturday, Coronado se- Missouri, Maryland, Colorado, one to year two. Tech’s 37 nior Tre Culver got third in the Fresno State, Houston, Indiana, wins are already 11 more Class 5A high jump and Estacado North Texas and SMU for the than all of last season senior Sahari Freeman took sec- 5-foot-11, 174-pounder, who will with three regular-season ond in the Class 3A 400 meters. get looked at as a receiver for games, at least two Big 12 “I gave it all I had, and I thank the scarlet and black. tournament contests and God that I am here and got a “They love how I make plays likely a couple of games good place,” said Culver, who on the field,” giles said. “I cre- in an NCAA regional still matched his personal record by ate plays with the ball, they remaining. said they like the stuff I do clearing 6 feet, 9 inches. with the ball. They said they “I thought we would be Two weeks ago, going 6-9 net- like what I bring to the table a consistent team,” Tad- ted Culver only third place in ZaCH LONg a-J MEDIa and that I can be a leader on lock said as the Red Raid- the Region I-5A meet at Texas estacado’s Sahari Freeman comes in second overall in the Class 3A 400 meter and off the field.” ers began final exams SEE TRACK, pagE C7 run during the UIL State track Meet on Saturday in Austin. The newest commit is this week. “Looking back already familiar with one of his through, the season could future teammates. “I know the running back from be a lot better but it could be a lot worse. It’s always Want More? Video, slideshows and more at lubbockonline.com Stories, photos inside on C5-7 port arthur, Corey Dauphine,” that way. We’ve taken some giles said. “He told me that I’m games we needed to take, the truth and he knows be- cause he’s played against me.” but also you can look back Landon Wright, and go, ‘Man, if we’d have wreckem247 editor gotten that one, or gotten Athletes show spirit, overcome the odds that one, think where we’d AUSTIN — Dustin Strelsky can’t — especially at the high school lev- Want More? be now?’ Fortunately we’re remember two weeks of his life. el — has become about overcoming PLEASE VISIT our texas in a pretty good spot.” After a car accident that stretched the odds. tech college recruiting the Rockdale sophomore’s spine and Athletes from across the state NICHOLAS website wreckem247. Making the leap paralyzed him from the waist down, pushed back against adversity this there was about 12 hours when he TALBOT week. Tech is in that spot with Late Games Online was not even supposed to survive. They overcame. many of the same players MY VIEW He had six operations, including Amarillo River Road junior Emilee This event ended after who struggled for the ma- two rods placed in his neck and two UIL state track and field Champi- Hilbish was born with spina bifida. presstime. Results can be jority of the 2014 season. found at lubbockonline.com. more in his back. onships on Saturday at Mike A. My- She won a bronze medal. But most of those players n NBa playoffs: Spurs vs. He had to relearn daily tasks. ers Stadium. Grant McLain attends to a school, were freshmen and sopho- Trail Blazers, game 3 And yet, he found a way. His spirit defined the meet. Channing, without a track. mores who now are taking Pushing as hard as his arms would But, Strelsky wasn’t alone.