“We had a good turnout,” race director LeeAnn Resendez said. “Things ran very smoothly.”

Hendrickson High cross country star Aaron Betschart was the winner of the event. The Hawk finished the race in 17 minutes and 7 seconds, edging Geoffrey Whitfield who placed second in 17:16. The winner of the women’s division was Meredith Johnson who finished in 20:14, just beating Christina Artega (20:17).

The other age group winners were:

Women: 1-9 Makeyla Wilford; 10-14 Artega; 15-19 Allison Varney; 20-24 Bailey Leigh; 25-29 Kimberly Palmer-Contreras; 30-34 Amanda Mills; 35-39 Johnson; 40-44 Judy Taveira; 45-49 Julie Messer; 50-54 Becky Montgomery; 55-59 Joanne Dixon; 60-99 Melodye Evans.

The men’s winners were: 1-9 Gabe Graf; 10-14 Ritik Goyal; 15-19 Betschart; 20-24 Adam Cain; 25-29 Aaron Contreras; 30-34 Whitfield; 35-39 Tony Rivas; 40-44 Denc William; 45-49 Kenneth McCoy; 50-54 Felix Rippy; 55-59 Jeff Erb; 60-99 Henry Fluck.

If you’ve been following along the past few weeks then you know I’ve kind of been doing a countdown of how many local sports teams we have left to cover and last week we were down to two-the Hawk softball team and two kids at the state track meet. We knew going in the track guys were done no matter what, but I still held out hope that the softball team, despite the fact they were playing the No. 1 team in the state, could move on for one more weekend. Alas, it was not to be.

That does not mean the Hawks didn’t give it their best shot. Thanks to Alexa Cunningham’s no-hitter the Hawks handed Ennis their first loss in 25 games and set themselves up in a position that a split over the next two games would earn them the right to move on. Unfortunately they could not get the win they needed and we are left where we are today, at the end of the line.

The end of the Hawks season also means the end of the high school careers of a lot of players we have had the pleasure of watching for close almost their entire careers. Ashley Elicerio, Cunningham and CoCo McCoy have been a part of the Hendrickson varsity for a long time and, as is always the case, it will be strange to watch the team play in the future without them. They are not the only seniors Hendrickson will lose. Saturday’s game was also the last for Brooke Bishop and Jayme Prinz, both big-time contributors to the Hawk squad. The good news, however, for coach Douglas Harrigan and the Hendrickson program is that the list of players lost to graduation ends there. The remainder of the roster will return next spring, although it will be difficult for him to replace the one-two punch of Cunningham and Elicerio on the bump.

As for yours’ truly, well I think I’ll be okay. We’ve got the Deutschen Pfest fun run this weekend and my kid is officially entered in the 1K race. So, expect lots of coverage of that (okay, so I kid … a little). Next week will be Pflugerville High’s spring football game and a few weeks after that the annual Connally High summer basketball league begins and this year the Cougars will be joined by a team from Hendrickson which should make for some interesting action in the wonderfully air conditioned gyms.

But, for now, I guess it’s time to put a wrap on the 2011-12 school year. All in all I’d have to say it was a good one. Perhaps no team got quite as far as we thought they would, but some great things happened along the way. The Pflugerville girls’ basketball team won almost 40 consecutive games, the Connally High boys’ basketball team got back to the playoffs as did every football squad and we also had a couple track athletes get back to the state meet. See what I mean? It might not have been the greatest year athletically in my tenure at the Pflag but it certainly wasn’t the worst either and there were certainly enough new faces on the scene to leave me looking forward to what we might see this fall.

“I felt like we had unfinished business,” Cunnigham said. “Everyone knows what happened last year and it was weighing on us. We wanted to prove everyone wrong and exceed our own expectations.”

So far things have gone well for the Hawks. After a strong showing in district they earned wins in both the bi-district and area rounds of the playoffs, qualifying for the regional quarterfinals in the process. The playoff wins included a 10-0 thrashing of Marshall last week in a game that, because of inclement weather, spanned almost six hours and two different fields before finally concluding.

“We were definitely pumped up,” Cunnigham said. “We had the one-game series so we felt the pressure, but we weren’t really worried. We wanted to prove their coach wrong and I think we did.”

While Cunningham is an ace on the mound for the Hawks she also plays first base for the team. While she enjoys her time at first, she says her heart lies on the mound.

“I like pitching better,” she said. “That’s my job. First base is fun but I’m a pitcher. That’s who I am.”

Cunningham began playing softball when she was four-years old when her father signed her up. She says her love for the game was not instant.

“My dad wanted me to do it,” she said. “I didn’t really like it but after a while I fell in love with it and I’ve been playing ever since.”

She says her favorite thing about playing is the bonds she forms with her teammates.

“I love being on a team,” she said. “The team becomes a family. That’s the best way to describe it.”

Cunningham recently announced she would continue her softball career at the University of Texas at Tyler, signing a letter of intent a few weeks ago. She explained her decision to go to Tyler came about after a chance meeting with the team’s coach.

“I was playing with my select team and their coach saw me play,” she said. “He talked to me and I fell in love with everything the school had to offer. It’s a great program, a top-notch program, and I wanted to play for a top team. He told me they needed a freshman pitcher and I’m going to be that pitcher.”

If Cunningham’s high school career is to continue past this weekend then the Hawks will have to get past the No. 1 team in the state, Ennis. The team’s ace believes her squad has what it takes to do just that.

“We have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” she said. “We can’t over-do anything. I believe we have the talent and if we utilize that talent we don’t have to worry about anything else.”

Editor’s note: Cunningham no-hit Ennis to lead the Hawks to victory in the first game of their series. However, Hendrickson was unable to win either of the next two games and their season ended Saturday.

Hendrickson High’s Datrick Edwards finished fifth in the discus at last weekend’s state meet. Edwards best throw on the day was 165-feet-2-inches. The winner of the event, Cypress-Mauriceville’s Hayden Reed finished with a throw of 196-02. Kirby’s time in the final was 49.07 seconds. The winner of the event, Willis’ Chris Platt, finished in 47.06.

The series started on a high note for the Hawks. Senior ace Alexa Cunningham no-hit the Lions, propelling Hendrickson to a 4-0 victory Friday night. The loss was the first loss in 25 games for Ennis. However, Hendrickson could not keep the momentum and they dropped the second game of Friday’s double-header 3-1 forcing the winner-take-all showdown on Saturday afternoon.

“It was a great series, to no-hit the No. 1 team in the state in game and to be in a position to win game number two says a lot about the heart of our team,” Hawk coach Douglas Harrigan said. “In that game two we had bases loaded on one occasion and numerous runners on base but just couldn’t get the big hit like we were able to in the first game. Just a good piece of pitching by the Ennis pitcher. Proud of the girls for being able to stand toe-to-toe with the number one team in state and who knows if a break that went Ennis way would have actually come ours, maybe we make a run at Austin.”

The Lions got to Cunnigham first in the finale. Julia Hollingsworth led off the third inning with a slap single to right field. She came around to score thanks to two Hawk throwing errors on a bloop single by Courtlyn Benitez. Cunningham reached down and stopped the rally before any more damage was done thanks in part to a great play by left fielder Jordan Banta who caught a fly ball then fired a strike to catcher Cierra Davis to double up Benitez at home plate.

The Hawks finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Davis led the inning off with a double then moved to third on a base hit by Ashley Elicerio. Ennis pitcher Taylor Maliska hit the next pitcher she face, Courtney McCoy with a pitch, loading the bases. Taylor Rivera followed McCoy to the plate and had an epic battle with Maliska, running the count to 3-2, then fouling off four pitches before finally getting the pitch she wanted to hit and singling to score Davis to tie the game. But, just when it seemed the Hawks were going to break the game open, Maliska settled down. She retired the next two Hawk hitters on fielder’s choices that saw Elicerio and McCoy thrown out at home.

“I didn’t think Cunningham got tired, more that Ennis adjusted to her timing,” Harrigan said. “We were only down one run when the Ennis player, Ashley Deutsch, hit the grand slam on a pitch that just didn’t break. Still felt Alexa pitched a good game.” Jayme Prinz finally put Hendrickson ahead with a base hit to plate Rivera, but the 2-1 lead was all the Hawks could get out of the inning.

Hendrickson’s lead was shortlived as the Lion hitters went to work in the top of the fifth. Cunningham walked the first hitter she faced, then gave up back-to-back singles to Hollingsworth and Benitez to load the bases. Cunningham walked Riley Fira, forcing in a run and tying the game at 2-2. After recording the first out of the inning, Cunningham made a mistake to Ashley Deutsch who made her pay, crushing one of her offerings over the left field scoreboard for a grand slam, putting Ennis up 6-2. Cunningham was able to get out of the inning without giving up another run, but the damage was done.

Elicerio replaced Cunningham on the mound to start the sixth inning and gave up two more runs on a two-run single by Deutsch which pushed Hendrickson’s deficit to 8-2.

The Hawks tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth. Base hits by Rivera and Kennedy Coffin put runners on the corners with two outs, but Maliska retired Prinz on a comebacker to end what would be the final Hawk rally of the season.

“We still had our chances, had runners in scoring position a couple of times but Ennis just played good defense,” Harrigan concluded.

The loss marks the end of the line for the Hendrickson seniors. Cunnigham, Elicerio, McCoy and the rest of the Hawks who are graduating saw their careers come to an end with the loss. Harrigan says they will be missed.

“Losing the seniors will be big” he said. “Alexa and Ashley Elicerio, replacing their pitching is going to be a tall task but I have already put the challenge to my sophomore Taylor Rivera to get to work on her pitching (which she is doing by going to an instructor). Losing my left side in shortstop Brooke Bishop and third baseman CoCo McCoy is also going to be a challenge, that was a very solid left side and now its up to transfer Sami Williams (from Pflugerville High) and Julianna Valdez (freshman who will move up to varsity) to fill those shoes.”

While the Hawks do lose some talented seniors, they will have plenty to build around next season.

“I still have a good core to in Kennedy Coffin, returning at second, Cierra Davis, returning at catcher, and Jordan Banta, returning in the OF, along with Rivera, Williams, and Valdez so it won’t be a total rebuilding year, just going to take a lot of hard work,” Harrigan said. Plus we had a very successful JV squad and there are some kids I think can step up from that squad and keep what we have going here at Hendrickson going so to speak. Will it be easy moving to 5A after losing this group of seniors? No, but are we up to the challenge, yes.”

Alexa Cunningham pitched a no-hitter to lead the Hawks to victory over the state’s top 4A team in the series opener. It was Ennis’ first loss in 25 games but Hendrickson could not keep the momentum and dropped the nightcap to the Lions.

The series will resume Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to the region semi-finals.

Hendrickson High’s Datrick Edwards will be competing in the discus while teammate D.J. Kirby will be running in the 400-meter dash.

“It feels great,” Edwards said of his trip to the biggest track meet of the year for high school athletes. “It’s wonderful, one of the best feelings in the world.”

Kirby echoed his sentiments, “I’ve been working for this for a long time, it feels great.”

After winning the district title in the discus, Edwards had an equally strong showing at the region meet, winning the event there as well with a throw of 172-feet-11-inches.

“I knew I was one of the best throwers in the competition,” Edwards said of the region field. “I just want to thank God for everything. He is a big factor.”

Also a district champion in his event, Kirby took second at region with a time of 48.77 seconds. He felt his finish at region was the result of a steady progression this season.

“In the beginning of the year I was still getting into shape,” Kirby said. “My coach and my dad were helping me and by my second meet my times started to drop which was really good. It got my confidence up all the way to regionals.”

Both seniors, the pair of Hawks plan on competing in track in college. Edwards has already signed with Huston-Tillotson while Kirby has yet to decide where he will continue his track career. However, one thing is certain for both of them, this weekend’s meet will be the last one of their high school careers.

“It’s bittersweet,” Edwards said. “I will miss waking up on meet days. I know I’m going to the next level but I will miss this.”

After their strong showings at region, it seems the pair both have a decent chance to bring a medal back from state. However, they will be competing against the best of the best so a win will be tough to get. Still, that’s what both Hawks are shooting for.

“I’m going to try to win it,” Kirby said. “If I can get my time down to 47.6 seconds I will be close. It will be fun though.”

“I’m going to win,” Edwards added. “I’m not going just to look pretty. If I work hard, get better and stay in the word I think I can.”

The 4A discus competition begins at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Kirby will run at 7:55 p.m.

With the conclusion of action on Friday night we were left with just one local baseball team still playing. That team, the district champion Hendrickson Hawks, join the only softball team that qualified for the playoffs, who also hail from Hendrickson, as the only two local teams still playing in this the 2011-12 school year. On Saturday a couple of track kids (coincidentally also from Hendrickson) joined them in the rarified air of local athletes who will still be competing in the month of May and so they are all we’re left with.

After what was a pretty good year for the baseball/softball teams in 2011 I was kind of surprised by the down year this season turned out to be. Most of the squads brought back a decent number of veteran players and it seemed (at least when the season began) they all had good chances to get into the playoffs. Unfortunately that was not the case. Pflugerville and Connally were unable to extend their seasons in either sport and for all intents and purposes competitive athletics at both high schools (with the exception of spring football) concluded with the end of those baseball games on Friday.

On the other hand it’s been a banner spring for the Hawks. The baseball team won another district title, the softball team finished second and will get back to the playoffs after some off-field problems kept them out of the postseason a year ago. The boys track team won district as well and after sending a bunch of competitors to region, saw Datrick Edwards pick up a region title and qualified one other athlete for the state meet as well. It was good for me o see a couple local kids qualify for state after the disappointment of last year when not one local was able to earn a ticket downtown. In the first five or six years of my tenure at the Pflag our local track teams had been some of the most dominant teams in Central Texas, sending multiple competitors to the state meet on a yearly basis. However, once the UIL moved them into Region II that dominance seemed to subside and ultimately we ended up with what happened last year when we didn’t have an individual qualify at all. With the way Edwards has been throwing the discus it seems like we might have a good shot at getting another PISD state champion which is something we have not seen since Natasha Masterson won the pole vault in 2009.

If there is a silver lining to the lack of quantity in 2012’s spring postseason it is that I can devote my full attention to the teams that remain. I look forward to seeing if the Hawk baseball team can get out of the first round this year and possibly go on another run like the one they put together in 2010 or if the softball squad can get past a team in Marshall that has already knocked out one of the top 10 teams in the state. Ultimately there is no telling what will happen, but I, for one, am hopeful that whatever does happen will last for as long as possible.

In the eighth grade boys group, Kelly Lane finished with 186 points. Park Crest was second with 142, Pflugerville third with 99, Dessau fourth (69) and Westview fifth (67). Kelly Lane won the seventh grade girls division with 211 points. Park Crest was second (196), Pflugerville third (101), Dessau fourth (30) and Westview fifth (21). Kelly Lane’s eighth grade girls team finished with 192 points. Park Crest was second (159), Pflugerville third (142), Westview fourth (48) and Dessau fifth (13).

In the seventh-grade boys meet the winners were: 100-meter dash Malik Ishamil, Kelly Lane (12.13 seconds); 200 Roderick Howard, Park Crest (25.95); 400 Greg Bowers, Pflugerville, (57.31); 800 Daniel Viegra, Kelly Lane (2:23); 1600 Daniel Viegra, Kelly Lane (5:22.87); 2400 August Oden, Park Crest (8:44); 110 hurdles Devin Walton, Park Crest, (18.27); 300 hurdles Malik Ishmail, Kelly Lane (47.75); long jump Greg Bowens, Pflugerville, (17-feet-4-inches); shot put Nelson Mbansor, Park Crest, (37-8.25); discus Nelson Mbanasor, Park Crest (97-9); triple jump Bryce Box, Park Crest, (33-3); high jump Greg Bowens, Pflugerville, (5-4). Park Crest’s LaRoderick Scott, Roderick Scott, Markal Ellison and Eti Akpaitim won the 400 relay (48.07). Akpaitim, Christian Warren, Devin Walton and Elijah Evaro won the 800 relay (1:45.70) for Park Crest and Evaro, Warren, Scott and Michael Burrell won the 1600 relay (4:03) for Park Crest.

In the boys eighth grade division the winners were: 100 Jorian Hardaway, Park Crest, 11.27; 200 Jordan Williams, Park Crest, 23.94; 400 Jalen Broussard, Park Crest, 53.78; 800 Jacob Mangrum, Park Crest, 2:18.52; 1600 Ricardo Rodriguez, Kelly Lane, 5:20.54; 2400 David Torres, Westview (8:46); 110 hurdles Kyle Wyman, Kelly Lane, (17.54); 300 hurdles Kyle Wyman, Kelly Lane, (44.09); long jump Jordan Williams, Park Crest (18-7.25); shot put Anthony Parks, Westview, (45-5); discus, Austin Deshay-Scott, Kelly Lane, (102-4); triple jump, Jordan Williams, Park Crest, (38-5.5) and high jump, Anthony Parks, Westview, (5-4). Park Crest’s Jordan Williams, Jalen Broussard, Eric Marshall and Jorian Hardaway won the 400 relay (45.66). Kelly Lane’s Caleb Lewis, Marcus Belton, Carrington Kearney and Austin Deshay-Scott won the 800 relay (1:37.96). Park Crest’s Broussard, Hardaway, Aneas Jackson and Williams won the 1600 relay (3:44).

Editor’s note: Individual girls results were not available at press time.

The Hawks jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the finale of the series and it seemed like the runs would be enough for starter Eric Trevino who had pitched three shutout innings leading up to the fourth. However, Red Oak scratched out two runs in the bottom of the fourth, chasing Trevino from the game. Joe Eckelkamp stepped in and pitched well, but did give up one more run in the fifth that tied the game at 3-3 and ultimately forced extra innings. Eckelkamp remained on the mound for the rest of the game for Hendrickson and gave up the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Matt Mazoch led the Hawk offense with two hits, driving in two runs. Matt Porter had the team’s other RBI. Tyler Williams, Austin Farrow and Mazoch scored the Hawks’ three runs.

The second game was not nearly as close as the first. In the first inning of game two, which was played at Connally High due to issues with the Hawks’ field, Red Oak scored its first run of the game following a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the inning, Hendrickson loaded the bases and threatened to score. Nate Turner led off the inning with a single and stole second base. Dylan Morales, who was pitching for Red Oak walked Williams and Farrow to load the base with one out. However, Morales pitched his way out the jam by striking out a batter and getting the next one to hit a soft line drive to first base.

In the bottom of the second inning, Red Oak broke the game wide open. The visitors batted around and increased their lead to 9-0 with an eight-run inning. Wade Regas led off the inning with a double and later scored following an error by the Hendrickson catcher. Regas added to the scoreboard on his second bat of the inning with a two-run homer to left field which gave Red Oak a 9-0 lead.

Red Oak got their final three runs of the game in the top of the sixth inning, as Alberto Hernandez reached base on an error to lead off the inning. Hernandez then stole second and third base before scoring following a single by Regas which made the score 10-0. Regas scored following a triple by Nolan Smith to make score 11-0. Their final run of the night came off a double by Gabe Guzman that scored Smith.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Hendrickson threatened again, as Joe Garcia led off the inning with a walk and Williams singled. However, once again Morales shut the door on the Hendrickson batters and did not allow a run. Farrow was the losing pitcher for the Hendrickson.

The Hawks picked up their only win of the series with a 10-0 thrashing of Red Oak at Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton on Thursday. Eckelkamp pitched the complete five-inning, run-rule shortened game, allowing just two hits and striking out three.

Hendrickson jumped all over Red Oak starter Hayden Killebrew, scoring all 10 runs in the first two innings of the game. Turner led the Hawk offense with three hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Eckelkamp drove in two runs with a double. Mazoch had two hits, a double and a triple, driving in two runs and scoring another. Farrow also had two RBI’s and Garcia had two hits.