Sports

The Terrell Lady Tigers are hopeful at the beginning of the 2023 season as they attempt to end their lengthy playoff drought. The last time Terrell tasted the postseason in volleyball was the 2009 season, when many of their underclassmen weren’t even born yet.

Experience and motivation are two big motivating factors for the Terrell Tigers cross country program entering the 2023 season. Under the veteran coaching leadership of Joe Stephens, the Tigers look to return to their championship pedigree after a down year in 2022.

You probably don’t need this outdoor scribe to tell you its summertime in Texas and its HOT! What do we outdoor types do when mid day temperatures are hot enough to blacken a striper fillet on the sidewalk or cook a berry cobbler in a Dutch oven without any coals! I take a cue from wildlife and move early and late and do my best to seek shade during the middle of the day! Thankfully I’m an early riser. I’m usually up well before sunup and if I have anything outdoor related on the agenda I make sure I am on the water at first light or in the woods during the ‘cool’ part of the morning. By 10 a.m. I can be found in my truck heading home with the ac on high or in a cool café with my buddies discussing the big bass we lost that morning or possibly how we’re going to cook that fresh pork that is chilling in the cooler in the truck. I save my ‘work’ for mid day when I can often be found inside hammering out a magazine article or possibly recording segments for the current radio show.

When someone has a true passion for any endeavor, it’s next to impossible to restrain the desire to become actively involved in whatever it is that fuels the passion. Take my friend David Hanson for instance. For over a quarter century David made his living putting clients on the great catfishing at Lake Tawakoni then, a couple years ago, he began a business venture that took him off the water and consumed all his time.

The Terrell track team hit the road April 28-29, sending athletes to Maverick Stadium at the University of Texas in Arlington to compete in this year’s Class 5A Region II Meet against more than 40 schools.

The Terrell Tigers experienced an up-and-down season on the diamond in 2023, showing flashes of growth and development while also falling victim to several strong performances from opposing pitchers. The rollercoaster season would ultimately draw to a close last week as Terrell dropped its final regular season game of the year by an 8-1 score to Corsicana.

This past week while fishing a secluded little private lake for bass, I think I know exactly what a red fox feels like while he is raiding a hen house. I’m not a ‘big fish’ angler. I used to be but I’ve caught plenty of big fish in my career. I like to eat fish and these days much prefer action fishing and keeping a few tasty fish fillets rather than catching one whopper. When fishing a trophy catfish lake such as Tawakoni in the winter when most are targeting the catfish of a lifetime, I often ask my guide if, after catching a big ‘picture fish’, if we can we go after eater catfish weighing between 2 and 10 pounds! Last summer while fishing the remote fly in Tazin Lake in Saskatchewan, well known for lake trout weighing in excess of 40 pounds, I asked if I could target those ‘little’ 10 pound trout. I wanted to expose them to some Alder wood in the old wooden smoker behind camp.

The Terrell Tigers embarked on their final road game of the season this week, traveling to Corsicana April 24 to take on a team that has been steady since opening day. Four errors in the field by Terrell and a strong pitching performance from Corsicana would prove to be the difference in the contest as the home team scored an easy 10-0 win.

The Terrell track and field program hit the road April 20, traveling to Princeton High School to compete in this year’s District 13/14-5A Area Meet against competing athletes from Corsicana, Crandall, Dension, Ennis, Forney, Greenville, Lancaster, Lucas Lovejoy, McKinney North, Melissa, Princeton, Red Oak and Sherman.

The Terrell Tigers continued their march through District 14-5A play last week, clashing with Red Oak and Ennis with the postseason looming just over the horizon. Terrell would first hit the field April 14, taking on a Red Oak squad that they had played just three nights prior.