A look at the top sports stories in 2023
January 10, 2024
1. Pearland Lady Oilers win 2023 Class 6A state softball championship.
For the third time in Pearland girls' softball history, the Lady Oilers captured the 2023 Class 6A state crown with a 4-2 win over Denton Guyer. The Lady Oilers also won the District 23-6A title and the Class 6A Region III championship.
Pearland has won the state title in 1996, 2010, and 2023. The Lady Oilers finished the season with a 41-3 record.
Pearland was led by a senior class that had the drive and talent to set the pace with some talented underclassmen who were willing to follow the leadership of the seniors and make the Lady Oilers a complete squad that had a "never say die" mentality.
For the seventh time in school history, Pearland advanced to the state tournament (1995, 2009, 2011, 2016) with three state titles (1996, 2010, 2023).
The No. 3 state-ranked Lady Oilers (39-3) entered the state tournament having to face the No. 2 state-ranked San Benito Lady Greyhounds (40-5) in the 6A semifinals and the No. 1 state-ranked Denton Guyer Lady Wildcats (37-1) in the finals.
The Lady Oilers beat San Benito 3-2 in the semifinals before knocking off No. 1 state-ranked Denton Guyer 4-2 in the state title game.
Texas A&M commit Hailey Golden was named the game's Most Valuable Player after going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. It was a meaningful honor for the senior, who fought through an early season injury to help her team get back to state.
2. Laneigh Clark named TSWA "Coach of the Year" and retires.
Laneigh Clark was named Class 6A "Coach of the Year" by the Texas Sports Writers Association after the Lady O's posted a 41-3 season record while claiming the 6A state title with a 4-2 win over Denton Guyer.
Clark is the winningest 6A coach in Texas and the second winningest softball coach of any class in the Lone Star State. Clark has a career record of 794-461-8 while posting a 688-227-5 mark at Pearland from 1999 to 2023.
The veteran Hall-of-Fame coach was also named the 2023 Texas High School Coaches Association "Coach of the Year." Clark was recognized for her outstanding coaching career when she was inducted into the Texas Girls Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021.
After 25 years at PHS -- Clark announced her retirement from coaching after a remarkable career.
Coach Clark guided the Lady Oilers to 10 district titles and has been district runner-up another 10 times. She has been named District "Coach of the Year" 10 times and the Texas High School Girls Coaches Association "Coach of the Year" in 2009, 2011, 2016, and 2023.
3. Pearland Lady Oilers advance to state basketball tournament.
For the first time in 43 years, the Pearland Lady Oilers found themselves playing in the Class 6A state semifinal basketball tournament against the two-time defending state champion Desoto Lady Eagles.
Pearland beat the Summer Creek Lady Bulldogs for the 6A Region III crown to avenge a loss to the Lady Bulldogs last season in the region finals. The win this year sent the Lady Oilers to the Alamodome in San Antonio to the 6A state tournament.
Second-year coach Jere' Adams saw her girls win 35 of 39 games this season while going undefeated in district action at 12-0 to claim the league crown. Pearland is 63-14 over the past two seasons as they were 28-10 in 2021-2022.
No matter the outcome of the game -- coach Adams, her coaching staff, and her girls have much to be proud of on this historical season as they have accomplished something that hasn't been done in 43 years when the Pearland girls advanced to the state basketball tournament in 1980.
Desoto took control of the fourth quarter to outscore Pearland 20-9 to make the final score 56-35. The Lady Eagles fell short in the state finals.
4. Pearland diamondmen advance to state baseball title game
Getting to the Class 6A state baseball tournament is no easy task and the Pearland Oilers certainly proved they belonged there.
It has been 42 years since the Oilers last played for a state championship (1981) while they were crowned state champions in 1980.
The Oilers came into the state tournament ranked No. 1 in the state to face the nationally-ranked Austin Westlake Chaparrals (40-5) in the 6A state semifinal contest at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Pearland used the combination of great pitching from sophomore Nico Partida and an explosive offensive barrage that run-ruled the Chaps 11-1 after six frames to advance to the state finals against Lewisville Flower Mound.
The Oilers came up short 6-4 in the state title game and closed out the season with a 38-7-1 record. Pearland was making its sixth appearance at state. Pearland won the District 23-6A title and the 6A Region III crown to advance to the state tournament. The Oilers have advanced to the playoffs every year since 2012.
5. Jordan Johnson named Friendswood head football coach
Jordan Johnson is no stranger to Friendswood or Friendswood High School as the 2009 FHS graduate was named as the new athletic director/head football coach for the Friendswood Mustangs replacing veteran Robert Koopmann who recently retired after 29-years at FHS with 11-years as the head coach.
Koopmann served as the offensive coordinator under former head coach Steve Van Meter and then stepped up in place of Van Meter in 2012 where he fashioned a 79-46 record as the head coach.
Johnson was the wide receiver coach for Rockwall High School for six years and then was the offensive coordinator for state-power Denton Guyer for the last three years.
Guyer's football team posted a 38-6 record during that stretch and reached the Class 6A state semifinals in all three of Johnson's seasons with a state championship appearance in 2021.
Friendswood has had some tough times in the past five years as they have missed the playoffs the last three out of five years after finishing 6-4 in 2018, 9-3 in 2019, 3-6 in 2020, 6-5 in 2021, and 4-6 in 2022. That's a 30-22 mark during that five-year stretch.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead for the young Johnson, he is excited to return to Friendswood to make an impact on the Mustangs football fortunes.
The Mustangs were much improved in Johnson's first season finishing at 5-5 though they weren't able to advance to the post-season as they play in one of the toughest leagues in the state. But the future is bright for the 'Stangs.
6. Steve Buckelew announces his retirement as PHS head basketball coach
Veteran Pearland basketball coach Steve Buckelew will be announced his retirement at the end of this year's basketball season after 28 years at the helm of the Oilers basketball fortunes. Buckelew finished with 830 career wins and 598 wins as the winningest PHS coach.
The 1997-1998 team won the 5A Region III title which sent the Oilers to the 5A state basketball tournament in Austin where Pearland faced Midland in the state semifinals.
7. Pearland's Maddie Peters wins bronze at state cross country meet
Maddie Peters has been so close to earning a state cross country medal over the past two years, but she somehow came up short.
However, Pearland senior Maddie Peters finally broke through with a stunning performance at the University Interscholastic League Class 6A 5K state cross country meet at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.
Considered to be one of the most decorated runners in Pearland High School history with over 40 medals, Peters added to her collection at the state meet with a third-place finish with a time of 17:03.3 which was good enough for a bronze medal.
She finished behind state champion Macy Wingard (16:57.1) of Denton Braswell and San Juanita Leal (16:57.7) of Edinburg North in a very close race.
Peters cruised to the Region III-6A title in 17:23.2 to comfortably win by 34 seconds over Rowan Saacke of Tompkins on October 24 to advance to the state meet.
8. Pearland roundballers in good hands under Delrick Brown
Replacing a coaching legend is never easy and that was certainly the task of replacing Pearland head basketball coach Steve Buckelew after 28 years at Pearland High School.
In this day and time, coaches never stay at one school for 28 years, but Buckelew found a home in Pearland and built a successful program that produced 598 wins, most in PHS history, and also gave him 830 career wins.
It didn't take long for a new coach to be selected which certainly met the approval of Buckelew when it was announced that Dawson varsity assistant Delrick Brown would be the next Oiler head coach.
Brown played basketball under coach Buckelew in high school, led the Oilers to the 1998 Class 5A Region III championship and the 1998 state basketball tournament his senior season.
After graduating from Pearland in 1998, Brown played at Centenary College in Shreveport. La., before transferring to St. Edward's University in Austin, where he graduated.
After spending five years at the junior high level, Brown transitioned to Dawson, coached three years at the junior varsity level before replacing David Koonsen on the Dawson varsity staff when Koonsen took the Angleton head coaching job.
Brown appreciates the impact that coach Buckelew had on his career choice and ultimately his coaching philosophy.
Brown has also had the influence of Dawson head coach Mark Barre who became the head coach when Dawson opened in 2007. Barre was an assistant under Buckelew at Pearland High School before moving to Dawson where he has set his own bar of success with the Eagles basketball fortunes.
Dawson has won or shared the district title the last 11 out of 12 years so Brown has played a strong role in the success of the Eagles basketball program.
There is no doubt that the Pearland basketball program is in good hands.
9. Friendswood swimmers shine at state swim meet
The Friendswood boys and girls had a strong showing at the2023 Class 5A state swim meet at the Lee & Joe Jamail Swim Center on the University of Texas campus in Austin.
Georgetown won the 5A boys state championship with 200 points while Frisco Wakeland finished in second place with 186 points and the Friendswood boys finished in third place with 159 points.
Cedar Park won the 5A girls state title with 194 points while the Friendswood girls finished in ninth place with 86 points.
Tony Laurito had a gold medal performance in the 200-yard Individual medley that included a new Class 5A state record 1:47.34. Laurito also won the 100-yard backstroke in 48.98 and he also swam a leg on the third place 200-yard medley relay team with Nick Hardt, Talon Welch, and Marshall Odom with a time of 1:34.45 for the bronze medal.
Marshall Odom won a gold medal in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 49.05 while winning a silver medal in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 20.60. Odom was also on the 200-yard medley relay team that finished in third place.
KK LeBlanc also won two medals for the girls team as she captured a gold medal in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 49.86 and a silver medal for her second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.09.
While Laurito set a new 5A state record in the 200-yard IM, five more FHS records were broken thanks to the efforts of LeBlanc (50-yard free; 100-yard free), Laurito (200-yard IM), Odom (100-yard free), and the boys 400-yard free relay team.
