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2011-2012 YEAR IN REVIEW: Surprise teams highlight athletic year for Mesquite

By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com

Published: Saturday, June 30, 2012 11:33 PM CDT

It is always satisfying for a team when it meets expectations.

But it is always a little sweeter when a squad can exceed what others believed were possible.

While several Mesquite teams delivered strong performances this year, including five that went to the playoffs, it was the football and girls basketball teams who provided the biggest highlights, as both advanced three rounds deep in the playoffs.

The Skeeter football team started the year having not only not made the playoffs since 2007, but was coming off back-to-back 1-9 seasons.

Despite the recent woes, the team believed it had the ability to reverse the recent trend.

That progress did not always show in the results early on, as Mesquite put together some quality games but were still lacking the victories to show for it.

Then in a two-week span, the Skeeters delivered a pair of statement victories, posting a 34-7 win over North Mesquite and a 38-7 decision over Tyler Lee to clinch a playoff spot.

Mesquite head coach Robbie Robinson said at the time that the main goal for his young bunch was to make it to the playoffs and that anything more was just a bonus.

The Skeeters nearly delivered three of those bonuses.

Mesquite started the playoffs by holding off Belton in a 35-28 decision. They then went to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington to take on longtime rival Garland.

Although the Owls scored on the final play of the game to force overtime, the Skeeters quickly regrouped, using an interception by Anthony Canady and a game-winning field goal by Jose Salas to pull out a 24-21 win.

While the playoff run came to an end the following week with a 28-6 loss to The Woodlands, the foundation was set for this year's team that will include several key returning contributors, including first-team all-district performers on offense in quarterback Alex Cooper, running back Junior Session, wide receiver Rashard Higgins and lineman Daniel Mafileo, and defenders Charles Grant, Traa Strong and Canady.

"I absolutely believe that the playoff experience will help these guys next year," Robinson said. "You can't teach experience and these guys were able to get a little of that this year. Hopefully, getting that taste will make them work that much harder to get back next year."

While the football team was surging forward in the fall, the volleyball team was unable to match those achievements. Despite a nice contribution from sophomore newcomer of the year Peyton Belt, the Skeeters were unable to make the playoffs.

Mesquite's boys and girls cross country teams each finished fifth in their respective races. The boys got an 18th-place finish from Alfonso Hernandez to lead the way while Viershanie Latham and Andrea Willis each finished in the top 25 for the girls.

The Skeeter girls basketball team got off to a modest start in November but began to pick up steam as non-district play came to an end. That did not translate into victories over DeSoto or Horn, but it did against the rest of the 11-5A competition, as they went 6-4 to take third place.

The third seed in the playoffs is normally going to be the underdog in every contest, but Mesquite ignored that thought.

Behind the penetrating drives of Cemetra Jenkins, the outside shooting of Briana Caro and versatile players like Viershanie Latham and Michelle Espinoza, the Skeeters eked out a 51-50 win over A&M Consolidated and followed that up with a 33-26 victory over Skyline.

That set the stage for a rematch with district rival DeSoto, which had easily won the two meetings during 11-5A play.

This was a completely different game, with Mesquite grabbing the lead in the final minute, but it was not to be as the Eagles escaped with a 58-57 win.

The boys basketball team has a history of long playoff runs, but was not able to capture the same magic this year. With 11-5A most valuable player Eric Reed leading the way, the Skeeters put together a solid regular season, but were dropped in the bi-district round of the playoffs in a 53-51 loss to Killeen Shoemaker.

Mesquite's girls and boys soccer teams had some standout individual performances, including Mara McGee and Jennifer Olguin for the girls and Jose Salas and Taylor Christian for the boys, but neither was able to make the playoffs.

The girls track and field team put together several second and third-place finishes at the 11-5A meet to take third place overall. The boys were only fifth, but did get a pair of individual district championships as Jordan Bracy won the 110 hurdles and Roderick McGruder took the 300 hurdles.

It was the beginning of a month-long journey for Bracy, who advanced all the way to the state track and field meet where he placed eighth.

The softball and baseball teams allowed Mesquite's athletic program to close the year on a high note.

A year after winning the district championship, the Skeeters had to settle for second this season, but still made the playoffs.

Mesquite staged a memorable opening-round series against A&M Consolidated. The Skeeters fell, 4-1, in the opener and were down to their final at-bat down 4-0 in game two.

But Mesquite refused to quit, storming back to post a 5-4 victory. That carried over into the series finale, as it picked up a 2-1 win to advance to the area finals.

The Skeeters had the tables turned on them in the next round against McKinney Boyd. After claiming a 2-0 victory in the opener, the Broncos rallied for wins of 4-3 and 7-3 to win the series.

Mesquite will have a tough chore replacing seniors Halee Pryor, Bailey Stokes and Tori Hunter, but should be solid with defensive player of the year and pitcher Tori Bice and Kelsi Coleman.

The Skeeter baseball team put together one of its best regular seasons in recent years. Mesquite rolled through 11-5A play, suffering only one hiccup on its way to the district championship.

As the top seed in the playoffs, the Skeeters seemed poised to make a run, starting with fourth-seeded Temple, but the Tem-Kats had other ideas, stunning them in the opener in a 3-2 win and then putting it away with authority in a 13-2 series-ending victory.

As is the case with the youth on the football team, the baseball team should also be well-armed next year, with 11-5A most valuable player Daniel Ferra, offensive player of the year Carlos Chavez and first-team all-district selection at catcher Julian Rios.

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