SPORTS SHORTS

PN-G graduate declares for 2023 NFL Draft

Texas senior running back and former PN-G standout Roschon Johnson announced on his Instagram account that he was skipping the Alamo Bowl and will declare for the NFL Draft.

Johnson, who graduated from PN-G in 2019, played four years at the University of Texas (47 games, five starts) and ranks 18th on Texas’ all-time rushing list with 2,190 yards on 392 carries. His 23 career rushing touchdowns and 26 total touchdowns are tied for 17th in program history.

Academic All-State

Several student-athletes and trainers from Southeast Texas were named to the Texas High School Coaches Association’s 2022 Academic All-State Football Team. Listed are those players by schools:

Bridge City: J.S. Bearden, Keaton Watts, Matt Livingston (all second team); Noah Broussard and Shaun Hallman (honorable mention).

Hamshire-Fannett: Caydon Ferrell, Caleb Villarreal, J.D. Sewell and Holden Hatcher (second team); John Sanderson, Easton Parsley, Talon Clark, Gavin De Ranieri and Jake Speyer (honorable mention); and Gage Tulley, trainer (second team).

Hardin-Jefferson: Williams Benoit and Logan Hodges (second team); and C.J. Demas (honorable mention).

Little Cypress-Mauriceville: Dean Reynolds (second team); Lucas Wright, Isaiah Picard and Benner Portie (honorable mention).

Lumberton: Kolby Barnhard and Chance Adams (second team); Nicholas Woodland, Michael Tate, Jared Morgan, Brady Fuseiler, Triston Johnson, Roberto Suarez, Gabe Hernandez and Therin Lewallen (honorable mention); Audrie Staudenmier, trainer (second team).

Port Arthur Memorial: Jacori Smith-Jackson (second team); Jordan Linton, Davion Wilson, Cayden Bowie and Jayce Robertson (honorable mention).

Orangefield: Brayden Parker (first team); Cameron Dischler, Koen Maddox, Leyton Loft and Morgan Sampson (honorable mention).

Silsbee: Luke Watters (first team), Xiaoxuan Tu (second team) and Eric Williamson and Emillie Auer (honorable mention), all trainers; Mason Brisbane (honorable mention).

Vidor: Caleb Dean, Wyatt Flores and Landon Wilcoxson (second team); Jarrett Odom, Jessie Myers, Josh McCord, Lane Leviness, Cruz Lozano and A.J. Tatum (honorable mention).

West Brook: Danzel Chukwuemeka and Jared Harrell (second team); Carter Holmes, Ryan Babino, Christian Spencer, Bradlee Koba, Blane Fans, Marcus Jefferson Jr. and Braxton Chambers (honorable mention).

SETX teams ranked in regional soccer polls

The Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Organization (TASCO) recently released their 2023 Region 3 Preseason rankings with multiple local teams scoring early accolades.

On the boys’ side, East Chambers is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A.

The West Brook Lady Bruins are No. 7 in Class 6A; PN-G girls No. 6 in Class 5A; and three teams from the same district are ranked in 4A – Lumberton No. 2, Little Cypress-Mauriceville No. 3 and Hardin-Jefferson No. 9.

Other local teams receiving preseason status in the Lethal Enforcer Regional Rankings are PN-G girls (No. 2), Nederland girls (No. 3), Vidor girls (No. 17), PN-G boys (No. 12), West Brook boys (No. 12), Lumberton (No. 19) and Jasper (No. 20).

Vikings sign Silsbee native to 53-man roster

Former Silsbee High School and Baylor football player Kalon Barnes signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings and was added to their 53-man roster Dec. 14. He will wear No. 27.

Barnes was the 242nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers and was waived by Carolina on Aug. 30 before signing with Miami’s practice squad Sept. 1.

Barnes is currently third on the Vikings’ depth chart behind starting cornerback Patrick Peterson and Chandler Sullivan.

The 12-2 Vikings, who clinched the NFC North Division title, will play the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 1 and close out the regular season against the Chicago Bears on Jan. 8, before the playoffs begin.

Coaches to be honored

The Southeast Texas Coaches Association will honor four coaches at their annual meeting on Saturday, Jan. 28. The four coaches are Terrance Robert Culley and Patrick “Pat” Day, both of Silsbee, Cornell Thompson, formerly of West Orange-Stark, and Randy Crouch, formerly of Little Cypress-Mauriceville. The coaches will be inducted into the association’s Hall of Honor.

The event will be held at the MCM Eleganté Hotel in Beaumont and starts at noon. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $20.

Lamar Cardinals

Less than two weeks after his hiring, new Lamar University head football coach Pete Rossomando announced his first crop of new signees.

The signing class, which marks the sixth year that programs can sign players during an early signing period, consists of five high school standouts and one junior college transfer.

The recruiting effort for the early class of recruits was focused within the Lone Star State as all six signees hail from Texas. The class also includes two athletes from the Golden Triangle in West Brook receiver Carter Holmes and Silsbee defensive star Jayron Williams.

Holmes (6-0, 190, WR) caught 37 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns this season for West Brook.

A former Willie Ray Smith Award finalist, Williams (6-2, 230, LB) was a defensive stalwart for the Tigers during his career at Silsbee. He recorded nearly 350 total tackles (56 for a loss, 12 sacks) during his time in high school.

Iyioluwa Adekoya (6-3, 215, TE/DE) was a two-sport start for Cedar Ridge High School and can play both offense and defense.

Koda Canady (6-3, 210, LB) is a two-time all-district player from Jacksonville High School where he recorded 70 tackles during his senior season. He also led the district with three interceptions.

Jamarion Evans (6-0, 170, DB) is a speedy defensive back from Center High School. He totaled 70 tackles and picked off seven passes during his senior season for the Roughriders. As a receiver on the offensive side of the ball, Evans hauled in 53 passes for 1,021 yards and 13 scores in 2022. A former all-state selection, Evans recorded 157 receptions for 2,426 yards and 28 scores during his career, and 149 tackles with 12 interceptions.

Koronje Gilbert (5-10, 170, DB) is the most veteran of the group after spending time playing high-level junior college football for Trinity Valley Community College. Gilbert helped lead TVCC to a No. 10 NJCAA national ranking and a berth in the Game One Bowl.

“It’s really important that we do a great job of evaluating local players and getting to know them, and know they are the right fits for us before we sign them,” said Rossomando. “We want to take local guys as much as we can, but they have to fit what we’re looking for on offense, defense and special teams, and they have to fit our culture and play at our level. You can’t take Division II guys and play at our level.”