Pflag Correspondent

The 2007 NFL rookie draft was headlined by the likes of Calvin Johnson, who has emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the league playing for the Detroit Lions; and quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who famously fell on his face as an Oakland Raider, was arrested earlier this summer for possession of codeine syrup without a prescription, and is currently unemployed.

But look past those first two picks. Look way past those first two picks, all the way down to the seventh and final round, all the way to pick No. 224. That’s where you’ll find the named Michael Johnson, selected by the New York Giants.

Pflugerville High School’s very own Michael Johnson.

How does a person go from being the 224th pick in the NFL to a Super Bowl winning safety for the New York Giants?

Simple, hard work.

“You’re fighting for a spot, trying to get a lot of reps,” said Johnson, 26, during a phone interview before practice at the Giants training camp at the University of Albany. “You do things the right way. You have to be ready.”

And ready Johnson was, coming out of the University of Arizona. He played in all 16 regular season games for the Giants in 2007, starting five; and played in all four post season contests. That first season culminated in February of 2008 with a 17-14 Super Bowl XLII victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots.

Yep, after just one year in The League, Johnson had a Super Bowl ring. And had earned it.

“It was a dream come true,” Johnson said. “It was one dream after another. You didn’t know how to feel about it.”

Johnson graduated from Pflugerville High in 2002, and attended Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, excelling for two years before transferring to the University of Arizona and then being drafted by the Giants.

Looking again at the Giants’ draft class of 2007, one recognizes that the organization set itself up for years to come without the flash of a Russell or Calvin Johnson. Michael Johnson isn’t even the team’s biggest steal. That would have to be Ahmad Bradshaw, taken 26 picks after Johnson, and now vying for the starting running back job and expected to have a huge 2010. Other picks made by the Giants in 2007 include play makers such as receiver Steve Smith and tightend Kevin Boss.

Johnson says the group of 2007 is close both on and off the field.

“We have a unique relationship,” he said of a bunch of young men that was drafted together, contributed their rookie season, and all won a Super Bowl title together. “It’s taking pride and being productive on the field.”

After that championship-winning rookie campaign, Johnson finished second on the team with 77 tackles and two interceptions in 2008. In 2009, he battled a groin injury but still finished with 59 tackles.

So far in training camp, the injury bug lurks once again, as back spasms kept Johnson out of practice last Thursday and was likely to keep him from playing in a preseason game against the Jets on Monday.

“It’s feeling better with treatment,” said Johnson, who lives in Austin in the offseason and makes his way to Pflugerville on occasion. “It’s a lot of steps to let my back loosened up.”

Entering the 2010 season, Johnson is looking for a big year. The Giants have a new defensive coordinator in former Bills coordinator and interim head coach Perry Fewell, of whose schemes Johnson says “It’s a good system.”

Success this season is simple to Johnson – he’ll define it by the number of wins the Giants earn (they went 8-8 last year). And as a player entering his fourth season – and with a Super Bowl ring – Johnson knows those wins can start on his side of the ball.

“As a defense, we had communication problems and didn’t play as well as we could have,” Johnson said of last season. “With all the talent we have, it was inexcusable.”

Micah Gibbs is getting old. Heck, he’s even playing baseball for money now.

You know, has a job and all.

In June, the Chicago Cubs selected Gibbs with the 97th overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The former LSU star and Pflugerville High School graduate, who turned 22 earlier this month, is now with the Cubs short-season class A Minor League affiliate Boise Hawks.

“It’s awesome, but it makes me feel like I’m getting old,” said Gibbs during a recent phone interview. “Playing every day makes you feel like you’re getting older. It’s weird knowing you’re working now.”

When Gibbs’ name was announced in the third round of the draft, he wasn’t even the first in his circle to know. With some friends over to watch the draft take place online, Gibbs had stepped out of the room to make a phone call. That’s when he heard one of his friends yell in excitement.

Gibbs was to become a Cub.

“I was very excited,” Gibbs said.

While at LSU, Gibbs was a member of the 2009 team that won the College World Series. In 2010, the starting catcher finished the season batting .388 with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs in 245 at bats. The team lost in the NCAA Regionals.

Gibbs is now going through an adjustment period at the next level.

“It’s tough getting use to wood bats and playing every day,” he said. “I’m getting use to it, getting into the swing of things. With wood bats, you don’t have much room for error.”

In short-season Single A ball, Gibbs says that most of his teammates are similar to him in that they’re also recently out of college. Though he admits that some of his new teammates give him a ribbing about being an NCAA champion.

The Cubs are familiar with LSU talent. Last year, the team selected shortstop DJ LeMahieu with the 79th overall pick. LeMahieu and Gibbs were roommates in college and are still good friends.

“We look forward to getting together in the offseason and getting ready for spring training,” said Gibbs of LeMahieu, who has progressed to high Single A.

Growing up, Gibbs was a fan of the Texas Rangers. But when he entered his teenage years, he became a fan of baseball in general and didn’t have a favorite team. Now, he’s most definitely a Cubs fan, and appreciates the history of the franchise.

But before he gets to Wrigley Field, Gibbs knows there’s a lot of work to be done.

“Hopefully I’ll make my way up the system,” said Gibbs of where he wants to be in a year. “Catcher is definitely a position where you can move up.”

Karo and Fejiro Okiomah are more than a thousand miles from home. But they are playing soccer. And they are together.

The two graduates of local Hendrickson High School have teamed to play soccer at High Point University in North Carolina. This summer, the pair has also spent their time playing for the Carolina Dynamo.

Karo, 20, was impressed with High Point, a small liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students situated between Winston-Salem and Greensboro on the Western side of North Carolina, when coaches recruited him out of high school. The campus features lush, green grass, impressive water fountains and ornate buildings in a classic Southern style.

“It’s beautiful,” said Karo, entering his junior year this fall. “I fell in love with it when I got here. It’s a sight to be seen.”

With his older brother in North Carlina, it wasn’t long until Fejiro joined him at High Point. The younger brother graduated from high school a semester early in December of 2008 to get a kick-start on the next stage of his life.

Fejiro likes the campus, class sizes and the Divsion I High Point soccer program which competes in the Big South Conference, but the opportunity to play with Karo was the main draw.

“I thought it would be nice to play with my brother,” said Fejiro, 19 and entering his sophomore year. “It’s a good feeling. We know how each other plays. We have a connection on the field. Sometimes I can play a ball and know he’s going to get there.”

The brothers did not form that bond overnight. It came from years playing you soccer, club ball with the Lonestars and high school soccer competition.

“It’s one of the best parts,” Karo said. “He knows exactly what I think. It’s awesome playing with him.”

Both brothers say that being far from home was not a big adjustment, but each cite the weather as a big difference.

Fejiro is pre-med at High Point, studying biochemistry in school. Balancing such a rigorous academic program and playing soccer is a challenge, splitting time between the field and the classroom.

“You have to make sure you have good time management,” he said.

This summer, the pair played for the Carolina Dynamo, in the USL Premier Developmental League. Karo sees his play with the Dynamo as a key step to his dream of turning pro.

“It was an honor when they picked me up,” said Karo, who is studying management info systems and minoring business at High Point. He plans to graduate early so he can be available to play when the MLS season starts the following spring.

“Just working hard to make it,” Karo said.

Heading into the 2010 college baseball season, University of Missouri freshman Eric Garcia was just looking for a spot on the roster. A shot to prove himself, like any youngster would desire.

Prove himself, he did.

The Hendrickson High School graduate not only made the Tigers’ roster, he was their starting second baseman. In 46 games – 42 of them starts – Garcia batted .288 with six home runs and 31 RBIs. Not bad for a player just coming into his own.

“I just came into the season knowing it was open,” said 19-year-old Garcia during a recent phone conversation. He described how he saw an opportunity, and took it. “I tried to get a spot.”

This summer, Garcia is playing ball for the Texas Collegiate League, a seven-team outfit featuring prime collegiate talent. Garcia is a member of the Texas Tomcats, based right down the road in Weimar. Through 10 games this season, he was batting.423 with seven RBIs.

Garcia is playing shortstop for the Tomcats. It’s his natural position. He played some second at Hendrickson High and was happy to play the position his freshman year at Missouri, but shortstop is where he’d like to ultimately end up at. In the TCL, he’s looking to improve both his defense and his offense, while getting stronger and faster.

“Just trying to get better,” he said. “Work on some things.”

Playing for the Tomcats was also appealing because it’s close to the Pflugerville area, where he still has family.

“I wanted to be close to home,” he said. “I like my family. I don’t get to see them too much. Being close helps.”

Speaking of close to home, Garcia kept tabs on his former high school squad. Hendrickson High had its best season yet in its young experience. The team, which plays in District 25-4A, reached the region semifinals this season, one round from the state tournament. At one point, the squad was ranked as one of the top-50 baseball teams in the country, and finished the year 33-5.

“I was excited to keep see them go deep into it,” said Garcia, adding that he likes to think he played a small part in this team’s success. “It’s pretty exciting.”

Garcia chose to attend Missouri because he got a good feeling about the place after a visit. He’s since declared physical therapy as is major.

“It just felt right,” Garcia said. “The coaches, the players, the campus. It felt comfortable. It’s different, too. Something I wanted to experience.”

The Tigers finished with a 29-26 record, and 10-16 in Big 12 play. The team didn’t qualify for the College World Series. Garcia says he was happy with his individual performance, and that the team “had a great year chemistry-wise.” However, he’d like to have seen a few more Ws, but isn’t dwelling on the past.

“You can’t do much about it now,” he said.

Heading into next season, Garcia will push for the starting shortstop position. He has high expectations and is upbeat about his sophomore campaign.

“I feel like next year we’ll be a lot better team,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes.”

To throw a shot put, or, technically speaking, to put the shot, takes more than just brute strength. Technique is just as important. The setting of the ball at the top of the palm. The positioning of the throwing arm. The placement of the feet. A twisting motion. Only if each step is done with mechanical precision will an athlete achieve ultimate success in hurling a heavy sphere dozens of feet.

University of Texas shotputter Amanda Van Dyke has all of these steps down, if results from the recent 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships are any indication. The sophomore finished sixth in the event with a throw of 49-feet, 8.5-inches. The result earned her All-Big 12 honors as well as a berth in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds this past weekend in Austin.

“I was satisfied,” said Van Dyke, a Pflugerville Connally High School product. She added that the wet, windswept weather in Columbia, Mo. were not ideal throwing conditions. “I wish the weather was better. It didn’t feel like May at all. It was bad. It’s a very big factor.”

The throw at the Big 12 event was Van Dyke’s personal best this season, eclipsing her 49-7.25 from the Texas Invite on May 1. However, leading up to the most recent event, she says she had been throwing 51 feet consistently in practice, and approached 52 feet.

To get to this point this season was not without adversity for Van Dyke. After a solid freshman season, she developed a cyst on one of her feet. She had surgery in November, and the three months she was out led her to miss the indoor season.

After working to get back into shape, she threw 48-.75 her first event back at the USC Trojan Invitational on March 20.

“I was satisfied, and I was healthy,” said Van Dyke, 20.

That time on the sidelines because of injury, as well as a year of college athletics under her belt, taught Van Dyke some valuable lessons. Most notably, a good throw is more than just muscle and prowess.

“I learned it’s not just about strength,” she said. “You have to learn technique too. You have to use what the coaches teach you. It’s all mental.”

As a whole, the University of Texas womens track and field team finished third at the Big 12 Championships.

“We did really good,” Van Dyke said. “We weren’t suppose to get in the top six. We proved a lot of people wrong.”

While at Connally, Van Dyke also played basketball and volleyball, and she throws discuss as well at UT. Though it’s the shot put that is her specialty.

Van Dyke is looking to make her mark heading into the NCAAs this weekend. And maybe she can eclipse 50 feet for the first time in competition.

“I feel really confident,” she said.

Kevin Keyes and his University of Texas baseball teammates don’t need to be reminded of how the 2009 season ended. It’s something that has driven the Longhorns well into 2010.

Last June, Texas fell in a three-game series to LSU to lose the College World Series. Knotted at one game a piece, the Tigers exploded with an 11-4 victory to deny Texas a seventh national championship.

“It showed me a lot of things to work on in the offseason,” said Keyes, a junior, and a product of local Connally High School. “We were that close to winning a national championships. It made us hungrier.”

Not that Keyes didn’t step up last June. The outfielder had three RBIs and two home runs in the three-game series against LSU. He also finished last season with a .305 average, nine homens, 46 RBIs, and 46 runs scored.

Keyes said that practices last Fall were intense, and that intensity has carried over into the regular season. After a recent victory against Louisiana Tech, the Longhorns now sit at 43-8 with a three game-series at Missouri remaining this weekend to wrap up the regular season. The Big 12 Championship starts May 26.

“It’s a complete team effort,” said Keyes, 21. “Get out, work hard, it will take care of itself. Have fun, but work hard between the lines. It’s one of the things we preach.”

The top-ranked Longhorns have been blistering this season. The team won 21-straight games at one point, and has come out ahead in 25 of the last 26.

“It’s all about doing to the small things, doing the fundamentals,” Keyes said. “We practice game experience in practice. That why we practice so hard.”

Keyes has been stellar this season. He’s batting .318 with 13 Hrs and 50 RBIs through 51 games.

“I think it’s gone alright,” said Keyes. “I think I’ve done well. I feel I’ve helped the team.”

Keyes was a four-year varsity letter winner at Connally, and the Texas Rangers drafted him in the 26th round of the 2007 MLB draft. Keyes instead elected to attend Texas, where he has excelled, consistently batting over .300 with a combination of speed and power.

Last summer, Keyes participated in the Cape Cod League, arguably the best summer league in the country. Other locals such as Pflugerville High grad and current University of Houston standout Blake Kelso also participated in the Cape Cod League last year.

“The Cape Cod league is one of the best leagues in the country,” said Keyes. “You see where you stand. There’s good competition every night. A lot of players make a name for themselves.”

Keyes has attributed this season’s success to a steady approach at the plate.

“It’s one of those things,” he said. “The difference between a major league and a minor leaguer is consistency.”

That difference between minor and major may be realized sooner than later for Keyes. He’s eligible for the draft again this year, and with the season he’s having, there’s no doubt he’ll draw quite a lot of attention from the pros. Not that he’s concerned about that. He’s focused on making up for last year.

“I don’t know how that’s going to go,” Keyes said. “I’m not concerned with the future. I’m taking it day by day and trying to win a national championship.”

Last year, former Pflugerville High School star Blake Kelso played in the Cape Cod Baseball league, arguably the best summer baseball league in the country. With him were four of his University of Houston teammates, and the lessons learned promise to influence Kelso for years to come.

“It was really fun,” said Kelso, 21, during a recent phone interview. “It’s the premier summer league. You play with the best. I did pretty well for myself. It was a good experience.”

Kelso said he made a tweak to his swing and worked on the transition to a wooden bat from the standard aluminum ones used at the colleigate level. He also worked on the little things that can decide tight baseball games.

“I learned a lot,” said Kelso, who also noted he preferred the New England summer over that of the sweltering Texas heat. “You have to play small ball. You learn the small things.”

According to Kelso, he started the 2010 season off playing well for Houston, but has slumped recently.

“I’m doing OK,” said Kelso, who is batting .317 with 21 RBIs this season. “I’ve had some ups and downs, but I’m doing alright. You know how baseball is. It’s a tough sport to be consistent in.”

The college junior has done some extra work in the batting cage, but understands that anything as simple as a flair in the outfield could get him rolling again.

“I’m starting to see the ball again,” he said. “I’ll stick with what I do.”

The Houston team itself has seen it’s ups and downs this season. The squad won seven of eight during a span in March, lost five straight in April, and recently won four out of five before losing two games to Tulane at home. The team now stands at 20-26.

“We just have to put everything together,” Kelso said, noting that pitching, defense and offense all have to click at the same time. “You want to be good, you have to do it all at once. We have to be consistent with it.”

After a great senior season that included All-State Second Team and District 14-5A honors at Pflugerville High, Kelso chose Houston for the opportunity to start.

“I wanted to get on the field right away,” said Kelso, who gets back to Pflugerville on occasion to visit family and hunt.

As a freshman, he paid immediate dividends in college, and was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. Last season as a sophomore, he earned both All-Conference USA Second Team and Conference USA All-Academic team honors.

Coming up is a make or break time for the Houston baseball season. They have eight games left to qualify for the Conference USA championship tournament. Houston is hosting, so if the squad makes the cut, the team could use the home crowd and friendly confines to its advantage.

“We just have to play together,” said Kelso, an economics major. “We have to put it all together.”

As far as this summer, Kelso doesn’t know what he’ll be doing. He qualifies for the draft this year, and a strong finish could influence his stock.

“I’m not sure yet,” said Kelso of this summer. “It depends on how the season unfolds.”

Coming into the 2009-2010 baseball season, LSU baseball star Micah Gibbs was considered one of the top college catchers in the country. And for good reason. Last year as a sophomore, he batted .294 with 42 RBIs and 58 runs scored while anchoring a team that won its sixth national championship. He was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team and the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team as well.

However, those numbers were down from his freshman year, when Gibbs batted .322 and played in far fewer games and earned freshman All-SEC honors.

So Gibbs got to work last fall. He showed up to the stadium to work on his swing at 7:30 a.m. His weight dropped from 225 pounds to a more svelte 205. And he has refocused himself mentally, to let the game come to him.

“The biggest thing for me, last year I was trying to do too much,” said Gibbs, 21, during a recent phone interview. “I keep it simple and not try to hit it out of the park. That’s the good thing. When I do get under the ball, it goes out of the park.”

All of Gibbs’ hard work has paid off. Through 40 games this season, he is leading his team with a .413 batting average. He’s driven in 40 runs, scored 29 runs and has hit five home runs.

“The thing that helped me was the season I had last year,” Gibbs added. “I was taking a bad approach.”

Also a big difference was shaving 20 pounds off his frame, through diet and exercise. Gibbs said he felt lethargic by the end of last season and wanted to be in better shape. This year, he’s even added some speed to his game with seven steals.

At press time, LSU was 32-9, coming off three consecutive losses on the road to Ole Miss. Having won the College World Series last year, the Tigers don’t feel as much pressure to win it all. Gibbs believes that the pressure is now on Texas, who LSU defeated in the finals last season, and also thinks this year’s Tigers team is better than last year’s.

“We got off to a good start,” said Gibbs. “A lot better than last year. We have a lot better team overall. It’s a lot more well-rounded.”

Gibbs attended Pflugerville High his senior year, but was ineligible to play because of transfer rules. He was all-state as a sophomore and junior at Leander High.

At LSU, he’s majoring in sports administration.

“When I’m done with baseball, I want to stay with baseball,” he said. “I can’t see doing anything else.”

While Gibbs’ goal of making the Major Leagues is shared by thousands like him, if he continues the way he has this season, a professional career is not out of the question.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen after this year,” Gibbs said.

Not a lot of people in the mainstream know about the baseball program at Dallas Baptist University.

But Pflugerville High School graduate Jason Krizan did. And that’s why he decided to attend the school of 5,000 students back in 2007.

“I chose DBU because I heard good things about the coaching,” said Krizan, now a junior. “It’s a really good school.”

One thing that appealed to Krizan is the school’s track record of winning ways. The program has 31 consecutive winning seasons entering the 2009-2010 school year. While the rest of the school’s athletic department plays a Division II schedule, the baseball team is Division I, and enjoyed its first-ever trip to NCAA tournament in 2008. Budding Major League star Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays played his senior year at DBU, and Krizan hopes to one day follow in his footsteps.

Last season, Krizan batted .389 and led the team with 74 RBIs to go with 16 home runs. This season the outfielder is hitting .372 through 32 games. He again leads the team in RBIs with 35, to go with seven home runs. His biggest game this year came April 2 against South Dakota State when he went 4-for-4 with two homers and seven RBIs.

“We played pretty well,” he said. “I felt really locked in for that game”

Krizan bats third for the Patriots, one of the fiercest offensive forces in all of college baseball. The team is ranked fifth nationally in home runs, home runs per game, and slugging percentage; seventh in doubles per game; eighth in hits; and ninth overall in doubles.

Impressive wins for DBU this year include 8-7 over then-fifth ranked TCU in late March and 7-6 over No. 25 Rice last week.

However, Krizan would like to see a better record than his team’s 17-12 mark.

“It’s not going the way we had hoped,” he said. “We have the talent. We just need to do it. We’re not clicking on all cylinders right now.”

Krizan doesn’t get back to the Pflugerville area too often since he’s been playing summer baseball the last two years. In 2008, he was in Massachusetts, and in 2009 found himself playing in Iowa.

He said the time in Massachusetts was eye-opening.

“I was a little skeptical,” he said. “It ended up being the best experience of my life. It was a lot of fun.”

Krizan is studying kinesiology with plans of one day coaching. He loves the game, and can’t really ever see himself not a part of it.

“I have a feeling when I get done with baseball, I’m not going to want to be away from the field,” he said.

However, with this his junior year, and considering the numbers he’s been putting up, maybe one day he’ll make it to the Big Leagues.

“I hope so,” he said, adding that to get there, he needs to “just do what I got to do on the field.”

Putting a freshman in the position of starting point guard for a Division I college basketball program is a risky move. Running the point takes skill, mental know-how and the respect of your teammates. And yet University of Evansville women’s basketball coach Misty Murphy didn’t hesitate when she gave the reigns of the team to freshman Kaylan Martin.

“It’s definitely a challenging situation,” the coach said during a recent phone interview. “They don’t have the experience at the Division I level. I have a lot of confidence in Kaylan that she can handle the role.”

In her first year at the collegiate level, Martin, a 2009 graduate of Pflugerville High, is doing well for herself. Through 23 games, she’s averaging 6.0 points and 1.7 assists in under 21 minutes per game. Not a scorching pace, but steady as she adapts to the next level.

“It’s challenging because it’s a lot faster,” said Martin, 18. “It’s been a big difference, but I’m getting used to it.” She added that defenses in college are so much better. “Everybody is a lot stronger.”

As a team leader, it’s Martin’s role to instruct and inspire her teammates.

“I have to get everybody set up, (and) pump them up,” she said. “It’s kind of nerve wracking. You’re new, (but) they all respect me. We know our roles.”

Martin has received some attention lately, including being named an UE Student-Athlete of the Week back in December. She had her best game of the season against Saint Louis on Dec. 6 when she scored 12 points, dished four assists and grabbed six rebounds during a 76-69 victory.

The freshman knows that with honors comes added expectations.

“I try to continue to play well,” Martin said. “When you start getting attention, people expect you to do certain things.”

That Martin isn’t blowing away the competition in scoring doesn’t concern Murphy.

“She handles the ball,” the coach said. “We aren’t look for her to be a scoring point guard.”

Coming out of high school, Martin was one of the nation’s top point guard prospects, ranked 24th at the position nationally by ESPN, and the 12th best recruit overall in Texas. The Austin-American Statesman named Martin the All-Centex Player of the Year her senior year after she led Pflugerville to the state final four.

But the difference between high school and college is stark.

“It’s pretty easy to lead your high school as a senior,” said Murphy, attributing the reason to both skill level and comfort level.

Martin was most attracted to the small university in Indiana because of it’s academic reputation and Exercise Science program.

“The main thing that I liked bout it is that it’s a small campus,” she said.

Last year, the Purple Aces qualified for the NCAA Tournament, but the squad has had a rough go of it so far this season. Heading into their game against Illinois State last week, the team was 4-20 overall and 1-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“We have to hold it together,” Martin said. “We play well, then let up in the intensity. We need to start winning. We definitely want a winning record in conference.”

However, this first year is a learning experience for Martin and her young team, with better things to come in the future.

“Is she getting better? Yes,” said Murphy. “By the time she’s a senior, there’s no question she’ll be one of the best point guards in our conference.”