Liberty MO Press
Jacket wrestlers rout Irving
Dec 30, 2018Rockwall hit the road to Keller on Saturday for the Keller Wrestling Quad.
The Jackets opened with a 54-18 dual win over Liberty Christian, then rolled over Keller 65-12 and closed out with a tough 33-27 loss to Lake Highlands.
RHS had six varsity wrestlers go undefeated for the day, including Tirevold (138), who won all of his matches by fall. Senior captain Smith (120) won all of his matches, defeating two returning state placers to remain undefeated for the season.
Howerton (113) went 3-0, Carson Lipsey (126) went 3-0, Taylor (152) was 3-0 and Gray (170) was 3-0.
Flowers (106) posted a 2-1 record, Jonas (145) went 2-1 and McMahon (160) went 2-1.
In JV action, Rockwall had 11 advance to the finals, with eight winning weight class championships.
Rockwall will next take the mats at the Grapevine Duals on January 1st and 2nd.
Terry Cookston may be reached at cookston@tx.rr.com.
http://www.rockwallheraldbanner.com/sports/local_sports/jacket-wrestlers-rout-irving/article_8e511892-a9cb-11e5-9368-371352327b40.html
For USF QB Flowers, two worlds converge during Miami homecoming
Dec 30, 2018Tuttle Causeway, you will find the section of Miami known as Allapattah, an area they don’t include in travel brochures, bordered by places such as Liberty City and Overtown.
When Flowers was 7, his father was fatally shot in the neck by a stray bullet as he relaxed in the family’s front yard while grilling hamburgers and watching a Miami Dolphins game. Just before Flowers’ senior year at Miami Jackson High, his mother died of cancer.
Last season, three days before his first start at USF, his step-brother was killed in a drive-by shooting after asking a motorist to slow down because children were playing nearby.
“For a long time, I always thought whenever something good happened to me, something bad automatically followed,’’ Flowers said. “I remember being in my room crying about it.
“I know you’re not supposed to ask God for things, but I would say, ‘Why is this happening to me? Why do the people I love get taken from me? I don’t hurt anybody or cause trouble. Where is the sense in all of this?’ ”
Such tragedies would destroy some people.
Flowers, 21, has grown stronger.
“Quinton has so much built up inside of him,’’ said Flowers’ older brother, Nathaniel. “He has lost so many people in his life. We both have. It has been hard.
“Football is easy. He doesn’t fear anything or anyone. When he’s on that field, he’s free.’’
v v v
When Flowers was unleashed, everything changed for USF. In early October, with the Bulls at 1-3, Flowers begged coach Willie Taggart to let him play his game. Taggart, with nothing to lose, chucked his conservatism.
Flowers was incandescent in a 45-24 stomping of Syracuse.
“We all just started playing, using our skills, and not being so much like robots,’’ Bulls junior wide receiver Rodney Adams said.
USF won seven of its last eight games, earning the program’s first bowl bid since 2010.
At USF’s football banquet, Flowers was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. He completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,023 yards, a USF-record 21 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He rushed for 833 yards, the most ever by a USF quarterback, while setting the American A... http://www.tbo.com/sports/colleges/usf-bulls/two-worlds-of-usfs-flowers-converge-during-miami-homecoming-20151219/
Deaths of Chuck Bednarik and Darryl Dawkins left a void in the Lehigh Valley
Dec 30, 2018Just strong, smart. What else can you say?"
Bednarik was a hero long before he became an Eagle.
He left Liberty High School to go overseas and fight in World War II before returning home and resuming his football career at the University of Pennsylvania.
"A lot of people don't even make reference to that," said Eagles' director of ticket service Leo Carlin. "They don't know it, they don't remember it. I remember it. I applaud him for it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for that part of his life. And I do for the football too. But he was willing to fight for his country."
Like Bednarik, Dawkins came from a humble background, jumping straight into the NBA from Maynard Evans High School in Orlando.
Dawkins, like Bednarik, was quite accessible and loved being around kids and making everyone — young and old — laugh at his stories, which were told with his special flair.
Even though he towered above everyone else, no one was afraid to approach him as he worked various camps and clinics throughout the area and made himself at home..
"He never really forgot where he came from, how he was able to ascend to where he is now, was willing to interact with people from all walks of life," Philly radio personality Sonny Hill said. "I had people call me up and say they met him at the mall, they met him over here, they met him there and it was always a genuine, good feeling when they came in contact with him. He made them feel good."
... http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-countdown-story-bednarik-dawkins-deaths-1229-20151229-story.html