In this 2009 file photo, Denton shortstop Hunter Dozier (11) throws out a runner at first base in a game against Wichita Falls. Now, he's a highly-rated MLB draft prospect. (DRC File Photo)

Hunter Dozier had a bit of a rough high school athletic career for Denton as one of a few standout players on both the football field, as the Broncos quarterback, and on the baseball diamond on an average Broncos team. But he always excelled, and it earned him a scholarship to play baseball at Stephen F. Austin.

A few years later, all that hard work is set to pay off in a big way with the MLB First Year Player draft approaching next month. Dozier is set to be a very high pick in the draft after putting a great three years as a Lumberjack with his junior season nearing an end.

Dozier recently checked in at No. 39 on Baseball America’s list of 2013 MLB draft prospects and is the fourth-rated shortstop after putting up solid numbers for SFA. This seaosn, he’s hitting .398 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles, 47 RBIs and 44 runs scored, showing the potential to be a plus-offensive shortstop in the bigs.

Dozier is ranked No. 54 on the same type list by ESPN draft guru Keith Law and is on the watchlist for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate shortstop.

It’s unknown whether Dozier will leave school if drafted, but it’s hard to imagine him staying at SFA if he’s picked anywhere around where he’s slotted — anywhere from a late first-rounder to a second-rounder.

It would mark the second straight year an area shortstop has been drafted high in the MLB draft, as Argyle’s Austin Aune was a second-round selection by the New York Yankees in 2012, forgoing a chance to go play both baseball and football at TCU.

Josh Stewart, pictured here in December 2010, is now the leading returning receiver in the Big 12. His touching story will be featured on Fox Sports Southwest. (David Minton/Denton Record-Chronicle)

In this job, there is the occasional story you write that sticks with you for a long time, and to this day, the story of Josh Stewart, the former Guyer standout and current Oklahoma State wide receiver, is one of the highlights of my near-decade long career in sports journalism (wow, I’m really aging myself).

It’s the ultimate story of rising out of what could have been a pretty horrible situation and making the most of what you’re given, and ultimately succeeding in a big way.*

*Excuse some of the weird formatting on The Dallas Morning News version, I can’t find ours anywhere.

As it stands, Stewart is the leading returning receiver in the Big 12 after a breakout sophomore season last year, and there’s a pretty solid chance he’ll become the first Guyer athlete to go big-time at the professional level as some NFL team is going to be very lucky to have him in a year or two.

Anyway, Stewart’s story is being re-told in the current running of the Oklahoma State preview show, which begins running on Fox Sports Southwest Thursday at 10 p.m. with subsequent showings scheduled later in the week. But if you’re a fan of good stories and a good kid, set your DVR and plan to watch it.

In the jumbled mess that is District 5-4A baseball, there’s one thing we know — well, two things. One, Wichita Falls Rider, at 10-3 in district play, has clinched the district title as the regular season wraps up today. Two, that’s all we know and the rest of the district is completely up in the air.

So sit back, put on your thinking cap, and let’s break down what could happen with the remaining three playoff spots that are up for grabs between Guyer, Trophy Club Nelson, Azle and Lake Dallas, with Fort Worth Brewer, Denton and Wichita Falls all eliminated.

Heading into Friday’s finales, Guyer, Nelson and Azle are all tied at 8-5 in district play. Guyer has the best cumulative record against the other two schools having swept Nelson and split with Azle. Lake Dallas, at 7-6, is alone in fifth place.

Tonight’s games that have a bearing on this: Nelson-Denton, Guyer-Brewer, Lake Dallas-Azle.

Read on to see what all could happen pending the results of said games.

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Former Guyer standout, and current Oklahoma State defensive end, Jimmy Bean sacks Mesquite Horn quarterback Collin Strahan during their game at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex in 2010. (Al Key/Denton Record-Chronicle)

Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh won Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors last season. His teammate, wide receiver Josh Stewart, prepares to enter the 2013 college football season as the leading returning receiver in the Big 12 after topping 1,000 yards last year for the Cowboys with seven touchdown catches and 101 grabs on the season.

As you all know, the two were a potent pass-catch combination in high school at Guyer and now they’ll be joined by another Guyer teammate as key contributors for the Cowboys in 2013 as defensive end Jimmy Bean is listed as a starter on the team’s post-spring depth chart, which was released Tuesday morning.

Bean graduated in 2010 with Walsh and Stewart and played in three games as a true freshman before redshirting last season after an August injury slowed his progress. Now a redshirt sophomore, like Walsh, he’s finally ready to make an impact for the Cowboys after a great spring game over the weekend which saw him record five sacks.

As a senior at Guyer, Bean had 78 tackles, including 19 behind the line of scrimmage as the Wildcats fell to Cibolo Steele in the Class 5A Division II state championship game.

Stewart, obviously, was listed as a starter on the preliminary depth chart while head coach Mike Gundy continued his quarterback mystery as all three of Oklahoma State’s 1,000-yard passers from last season are listed as equals on the depth chart with the keyword “or” between their names.

FINAL: Guyer holds on for the 2-1 victory over Highland Park, giving the school its first state championship in a girls sport. Hannah Alspach was awarded the state tournament MVP award.

Two minutes left. HP fans getting very frustrated at the lack of calls against Guyer, and they have a good case.

Alspach’s free kick from 23 yards out sails wide of anybody. Guyer has to hold on for six minutes.

Kate Summers tries to curl in a free kick from 27 yards out but it curves away form the post. 2-1 Guyer, 72nd minute.

Guyer’s defense is scrambling right now. Lady Wildcats have been on their heels for much of the second half. 2-1 Guyer, 69th.

It’s Peyton Bucklew. She walks off the field only to come back on a few seconds later. 67th minute.

A Guyer player is down on the field on the edge of the 18-yard box. Trainers quickly run out to check on here. Can’t see the number right now.

Kate Summers just kept Highland Park in it. She clears a corner kick by Kaitlyn Caro off the goal line in the 64th.

Crabtree almost scored there again on a ball that got behind the Highland Park defense. She couldn’t get a good shot off and Guyer has a corner kick. 2-1, 64th.

After a stoppage in play, we’re back at it in the 62nd.

Sarah Summers is the one who’s down. She’s sitting up now as a cart is taken onto the field with HP head coach Stewart Brown standing over his injured player.

Crabtree gets away from a defender on the left side and fires a shot just over the crossbar from just inside the penalty box. 2-1 Guyer, 61st.

Martin knocks a shot wide of the left post and smacks her hands together in frustration. Some last-ditch defending by Guyer.

HP’s Hope Hyde blasts a shot over the crossbar in the 58th. Good scoring chance for HP.

Ref is definitely letting things go here. Martin just got shoved to the ground and there was no call there.

Still 2-1 Guyer in the 53rd minute.

Alspach almost connected with a Guyer attacker on a good through ball. Just got swept up there by HP goalie Sarah Howley.

Let’s see if Guyer drops players back and protects the lead or if it keeps pushing. HP scored its goal on the counter attack.

It looked like a harmless shot until it ended up in the back of the net. Guyer has a corner here. 2-1 Guyer, 45th.

Goal! HP’s Katie Martin lofts a shot into the right corner in the 44th, gives Lady Scots some life. Guyer leads 2-1.

Guyer is still pressing at the start of the second half. Looks like they’re still pushing for one more to seal it.

The second half is underway. Guyer is going with the wind in this half.

HP walks out of the locker room as their fans cheer them on from a few feet away. Guyer jogs back onto the field for the final 40 minutes.

Halftime. Guyer leads HP 2-0. Highland Park came into today’s game having only allowed two goals all postseason. HP’s 50-game win streak is on the line.

Crabtree’s speed is unreal. HP defender Gould kicks the ball out of bounds, stopping Crabtree’s impressive run down the field. 2-0, 40th.

Megan Stokes clears the ball off the line after Martin almost headed a goal into the net off a corner kick.

That goal was definitely against the run of play. Big goal by Alspach gives Guyer some cushion against the defending state champs.

Guyer’s Hannah Alspach puts the Lady Wildcats up 2-0 in the 33rd. She sprinted down the field and fired a strong shot from 25 yards out and into the right side of the net.

Alspach comes back into the contest at the 32nd minute. Guyer still leading 1-0.

It feels like HP is bound to tie this game up in a matter of time.

Renfroe punches it away and they clear it away. 1-0 Guyer, 30th.

HP with some sustained possession. They’ll have another free kick from 16 yards out. Martin to kick it.

Guyer doesn’t defend a corner kick well but it gets away with it. Martin hits a shot right of the goal. 1-0 Guyer, 28th.

Guyer’s doing a good job of maintaining possession here. Lady Wildcats also very aggressive here. They’ve picked up a good number of fouls early on.

Good save by Mikayla Renfroe off a free kick from 42 yards out by HP’s Kate Summers. Renfroe dived to her left and she punched it out of play. 1-0 Guyer, 20th.

Guyer defense clears the ball off the feet of Martin. Good defending there.

Goal! Brittany Crabtree puts Guyer ahead 1-0 in the 14th minute.  Alspach lobbed a ball toward the HP defense, and Crabtree won the ball away from HP’s Caroline Gould and put it away. 1-0 Guyer, 14th.

Guyer’s Hannah Alspach hits a free kick over the cross bar from about 40 yards out. A little too ambitious there. 0-0, 14th.

Guyer defender Megan Stokes looks like she’s marking HP’s Katie Martin. That’ll be a tough matchup for Stokes. 0-0, 12th.

The pace of this game is far from lethargic. It’s a very free-flowing game so far, with both teams scrambling up and down the field.

HP forward Katie Martin with a beautiful back-heel pass to Hope Hyde, who fires a shot directly at Guyer goalie Mikayla Renfroe. Best chance of the game so far. 0-0, 7th.

Brittany Crabtree runs down the left wing and lofts a shot over the bar. Decent effort there. 0-0, 3rd minute.

Hey everybody. I’m in Georgetown for today’s 4A girls soccer state final between Guyer and Highland Park. HP is looking for back-to-back state titles and its 50th straight win. Guyer looking for first state title in its first state championship appearance. We’re about ready to kickoff here.

Guyer sophomore Hannah Hodapp battles Lake Dallas pitcher Chrisa Head on Thursday in Corinth. Hodapp, Guyer's No. 9 hitter, hit a two-run homer off Head to help lead Guyer to a 9-1 victory over Lake Dallas. (David Minton/Denton Record-Chronicle)

Since District 5-4A began competition in its current state back in the fall, it’s been a top-heavy district in just about everything.

Now that we’re into the most wonderful time of the year and diamond sports, we’re seeing that’s not necessarily the case, and especially in softball.

It sounds cliche to say, but with the exception of teams playing Wichita Falls (winless in district play), there really, truly isn’t an easy out in district play.

Fort Worth Brewer, which no one really put into the list of teams expected to make it out of the district into the postseason, is the only undefeated team in district play and beat state-ranked Wichita Falls Rider last week, all behind its star pitcher.

After that there’s a gaggle of 3-1 teams: Guyer, Trophy Club Nelson and Rider. Nelson beat Guyer. Rider beat Nelson. One team that was expected to emerge this season was Lake Dallas, which is loaded with young star players, and after Thursday’s 9-1 loss to Guyer, the Lady Falcons have dropped three straight — to Guyer, Nelson and Rider. Continue reading →

It’s a final. Mexia knocks out Krum with a 50-41 victory and advances to the Class 3A state final.

Fourth quarter:

Degelia calls a quick timeout after Rachel Wallace puts a bucket in with 1:47 left. May be too late for a comeback. Krum trails 46-41 and Mexia has the ball.

Mexia head coach Randy Barger calls a full timeout with the ball and his team up 42-37 with 3:20 left. Krum now with 27 turnovers.

Degelia calls a full timeout with Krum trailing 40-35 with 5:56 left. Krum’s opened the quarter with four turnovers and one field goal. It’s nearly impossible to overcome this many turnovers and win, but there’s a sliver of hope. Mexia’s only shooting 34 percent and their leading scorer, Brechelle Breachum, has four fouls.

Third quarter: 

Rachel Wallace drains a 3-pointer right before the buzzer, giving Krum something to cheer about in the 3rd. Mexia leads 36-33. Krum has committed 20 turnovers and still looks really tense.

Mexia leads 33-28 with 2:40 left. Krum’s Callie Craddock went sliding into the Mexia bench for a loose ball and she gingerly walked off the court holding her right abdomen.

Krum head coach Lana Degelia quickly calls timeout after a turnover that leads to a Mexia bucket to tie the game 24-24 with 6:20 left. Krum now with 14 turnovers and counting.

Second quarter: 

Halftime: Krum’s pulled ahead 24-22 behind Julia Schmaltz’s 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Mexia really struggled to score in the second quarter, and Krum used that to jump ahead. Rachell Wallace has six points on 2-of-6 shooting. Krum’s committed 12 turnovers in the first half and must cut down on those in the second half.

Mexia’s done a great job of running the floor and leaking people out on the fastbreak.

Mexia head coach Randy Barger calls timeout with 4:57 left in the first half and Krum ahead 14-13. Caylee Thomas snuck behind Mexia’s defense off an in-bounds play and banked in a short shot in the paint to put Krum ahead. Krum currently led by eight points by Julia Schmaltz.

First quarter:

Krum’s getting the benefit of a lot of calls here, but the Lady Cats have only hit two of six free throws while committing seven turnovers. Not a good recipe.

End of the 1st: Krum commits seven turnovers in 1st quarter, trail Mexia 13-10. Mexia already with 7 team fouls.

Krum’s got five turnovers so far and the Lady Cats trail 8-4 with 3:03 left. Krum making a conscious effort to get the ball inside to Julia Schmaltz against an undersized Mexia squad.

Pregame

We just finished the national anthem and the Krum was just introduced to a strong ovation. The Mexia Ladycats, in white jerseys with black lettering across the chest and red and black down the sides of the shorts, are being introduced.

Hey everybody, I’m here at Texas’ Frank Erwin Center for the Class 3A state semifinal between Krum (29-6) and Mexia (34-3). The winner moves on to face either Smithville or Kennedale. We’ve got about 10 minutes left before the game begins.

Both fan bases have traveled well, but Mexia, the closer school, seems to have brought the better crowd. The Krum fans and the Mexia fans are sitting diagonally across from each other in the middle tier of the building.

Potential requirements to buy state final tickets include having your skin or hair died your school’s color. Great idea, UIL.

The Krum Lady Cats and Liberty Christian boys and girls are just two victories away from reaching their ultimate goals – state championship – when they compete later this week in state tournaments.

Krum will be going after the Class 3A title at the UIL State Tournament in Austin, beginning Thursday, while Liberty Christian will be going after the 5A title at the TAPPS State Tournament in Mansfield, beginning Friday.

The Krum Lady Cats, making their first appearance at the state tournament since the early 1980s, will face Mexia in one of the Class 3A semifinal games Thursday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.

Krum (29-6) takes on Mexia (34-3) at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Kennedale (30-6) squares off against Smithville (29-7) in the other semifinal game at 3:30 p.m.

The semifinal winners will then meet in the Class 3A championship game at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The Liberty Christian girls (24-14) faces Houston St. Agnes at 6 p.m. Friday and Mansfield Timberview High School. The Liberty Christian boys (33-6) will face Fort Worth Nolan at 9 p.m., also at Mansfield Timberview.

Should the Lady Warriors advance to the finals, they would face the winner between Plano John Paul II and Plano Prestonwood at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mansfield Legacy High School.

If the Liberty Christian boys advance to the Saturday finals at 6 p.m., also at Mansfield Legacy, the Warriors would face the winner between Plano John Paul II and Plano Prestonwood.

2013 UIL GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT

Feb. 28-March 2, 2013

Frank Erwin Center (Austin, TX)

Thursday, February 28

Conference 1A Division I Semifinals

8:30 a.m. Dallas Triple A Academy (28-5) vs. Smyer (32-6)

10:00 a.m. Martin’s Mill (32-5) vs. Snook (24-11)

Conference 3A Semifinals

1:30 p.m. Mexia (34-3) vs. Krum (29-6)

3:00 p.m. Kennedale (30-6) vs. Smithville (29-7)

Conference 4A Semifinals

7:00 p.m. Dallas Lincoln (35-4) vs. Aledo (30-7)

8:30 p.m. Georgetown (32-4) vs. Northside Brennan (30-8)

Friday, March 1

Conference 2A Semifinals

8:30 a.m. Brock (33-5) vs. Centerville (30-6)

10:00 a.m. Merkel (37-1) vs. Poth (28-5)

Conference 1A Division II Semifinals

1:30 p.m. Roscoe Highland (31-4) vs. Saltillo (31-5)

7:00 p.m. Whitharral (36-4) vs. Leakey (24-7)

Conference 5A Semifinals

3:00 p.m. Duncanville (40-0) vs. League City Clear Springs (38-2)

8:30 p.m. Pflugerville (38-0) vs. Cibolo Steele (32-5)

Saturday, March 2

8:30 a.m. Conference 1A Division I FINAL

10:00 a.m. Conference 3A FINAL

1:30 p.m. Conference 2A FINAL

3:00 p.m. Conference 4A FINAL

7:00 p.m. Conference 1A Division II FINAL

8:30 p.m. Conference 5A FINAL

TAPPS STATE TOURNAMENT

March 1-March 2, 2013

Mansfield ISD

Friday, March 1

Class 5A Semifinals

Girls

Plano John Paul II vs. Plano Prestonwood, 4:30 p.m., Mansfield Timberview HS

Houston St. Agnes vs. Liberty Christian, 6 p.m., Mansfield Tiumberview HS

Boys

Plano John Paul II vs. Plano Prestonwood, 7:30 p.m., Mansfield Timberview HS

Fort Worth Nolan vs. Liberty Christian, 9 p.m., Mansfield Timberview HS

Saturday. March 2

5A Girls FINAL, 4 p.m., Mansfield Legacy HS

5A Boys FINAL, 6 p.m., Mansfield Legacy HS

James Franklin (2010), left, Josh Stewart (2011) and Mario Edwards (2012) were top area recruits in previous years. This year, the number of top-level recruits has dropped. (DRC photo illustration)

Tomorrow is one of the bigger days every year around these parts as high school athletes from across the area will sign their national letters of intent to play college athletics.

In recent years, the Denton area has been rich in big-time talent in all sports, most specifically on the gridiron. It all started back in 2010 with what is still arguably the best class, top-to-bottom, to ever come out of this area. It included Ryan’s record-setting QB Scotty Young (Texas Tech, transferred to Louisiana Tech), Lake Dallas QB James Franklin (starting at Missouri) and Guyer defensive tackle Taylor Bible (no longer at Texas, playing JUCO). Young and Bible were both Parade All-Americans.

The following year featured guys like J.W. Walsh and Josh Stewart, who both signed with Oklahoma State and are now both playing significant roles in the Cowboys’ program. Then, of course, came 2012 when Ryan had the nation’s top recruit, according to ESPN, in defensive end Mario Edwards, who started as a true freshman for Florida State.

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