Sports

Madisonville basketball players (from left) James Whaley, Aiden Juarez, Wayne Roundtree, Jeramiah Burns and Xzavier Whaley pose with the Gold Bracket trophy after winning their own tournament at MHS Saturday. (Right) Second year head coach Brad Taylor led the Mustangs to the storied tournament’s crown for the first time since 1994 during his first season coaching in the Invitational (the tournament was canceled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic). See News for more CAMPBELL ATKINS

After qualifying for the 4A state playoffs for the first time in four seasons, the Madisonville football team garnered a number of All-District awards last week for their performance in 2021. Running back Blessing Ngene earned First Team All-District honors on the offensive side of the ball for his breakout season, which included 798 yards on 96 attempts (8.3 yards per carry) as well as a team-leading 11 touchdowns.

Kendel and Kanin Cleere traveled to Louisville, Kentucky in November to compete at the North American International Livestock Exposition, which is one of the largest beef cattle shows in the U.S. Kanin Cleere exhibited the Reserve Division Champion Shorthorn Heifer and Kendel was second in his class. Kanin is the son of Jason and Kristi Cleere, a member of Madison County 4H and attends Madisonville Jr. High School. COURTESY PHOTO

The North Zulch women’s basketball team is 1-1 to start their new season with a loss to Aggieland Homeschool Nov. 19 and a victory over Snook Nov. 22. The Lady Bulldogs got off to a later start than many teams due to their volleyball squad advancing to the Regional Tournament once again.

The Madisonville men’s basketball team improved to 3-0 to start the young season with a 75-46 win over Teague Nov. 23 before the Thanksgiving break. The Mustangs returned to the court in Livingston Tuesday and will host the Madisonville Classic Tournament Thursday through Saturday at MHS.

It’s a busy week for past Madisonville Mustangs as Chris Scott (Sam Houston State University) and Tyrese Brown (Incarnate Word University) are poised to matchup in round two of the FCS Championship playoff bracket Saturday at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville. On the basketball court, Tra’Dayja Smith of Longwood University competed in Beaumont Sunday and at Sam Houston State University Tuesday.

The accolades keep coming for the Madisonville tennis team after their run to the Regional Quarterfinals this fall season, the deepest run in the young program’s history. This time, the honor went to Catherine Sedlacek, the architect of the MHS tennis team’s rise since its inception.

The Madisonville football team concluded their 2021 season with a loss to top-ranked China Spring in the Bi-District round after qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in four years. A number of Mustangs turned in impressive statistical campaigns that helped the team make history.