As they hoisted the program’s first-ever district championship in the air, members of the Houston High School softball team were overcome with emotion.
They embraced.
They jumped around in joy.
They cried. And cried. And cried more.
“I could not stop the tears,” sophomore catcher Olivia Woosley said, “but they are the happiest tears I’ve ever had.”
It was a historical year for the sports landscape at Houston High School. Under the leadership of coach Brent Hall, the Lady Tigers brought HHS its first district softball title as they throttled Willow Springs 17-6 in five innings in early October.
Houston lost its next game in the sectional round, but it didn’t take away from a memorable moment. The district championship was the first at Houston High School since Hall guided the baseball team to the 2007 title and eventual second-place finish in the state.
“I want them to enjoy the moment,” Hall said. “This doesn’t happen very often.”
The HHS football team enjoyed a special victory of its own in early September when the Tigers topped Cuba 6-0 to snap the program’s 22-game losing skid. Houston beat rival Cabool 27-12 the next week for consecutive victories and the first conference win since 2008.
The homecoming victory over the Bulldogs won’t soon be forgotten. With 6 minutes, 35 seconds remaining, the lights abruptly went off at Tiger Stadium. The scoreboard, press box and emergency lights from an ambulance and fire truck at the south end of the field were the lone light sources remaining. After 50 minutes, electricians broke the circuit to allow the east side of the stadium lights to come on. The west stayed off. But with the help of one portable system placed on the track, there was enough light to complete the game.
The football team returned to the win column and finished 2-8 under the direction of first-year coach Billy O’Neil. The JV team also snapped a long skid by winning its first game since 2007.
Also joining the district as new coaches last year were Richard Rose, who took over the boys’ basketball team, and Hall, a longtime HHS baseball coach who became head softball coach for the first time.
Houston athletes broke several records in 2012. The 4×200 meter relay team of Kayla Herndon, Taylor Harrison, Taylor Korte and Lauren Hoover ran the race in 1 minute, 55 seconds to eclipse a record set in 1986 at the Willow Springs Relay. At the middle school level, track members Abby Casper (100 and 400 meters), Jaydin Ramsey (triple jump), Skylar Malam (high jump) and Caleb Adkison (100 hurdlers) all established new school marks during the season.
The year began with district-opening losses for both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. The Lady Tigers finished with a 9-15 mark under coach Brent Kell and the Tigers were 4-19 under Tom Brown, who later resigned.
The HHS baseball team was also bounced from districts in the first round and finished 6-15. The Tigers, who had 13 straight winning seasons under Hall, finished under .500 for the second straight year.
Skye Carrasquillo led the Lady Tigers volleyball team to a district-opening victory against Willow Springs before losing in the semifinals. Houston finished with a 12-17-2 mark.
The softball team’s 11-7 record was the first winning mark in program history. It included a historic district championship.