SportzBuzz - June 2014

Bellaire Cardinals pitcher Gabriela Alatorre was a driving force behind the state-ranked softball team this season. Alatorre is one of five seniors on the team who have signed to play college softball. (Photo: Kevin Long, www.gulfcoastshots.com)

As the Bellaire Cardinals softball team entered the post-season playoffs, they did so as District 20-5A Champions. So, what else is new? Bellaire has won its district title in 15 of the last 17 seasons, including the last eight years in a row.

“We end up with great kids year after year who have a passion for the sport,” said Cardinals head coach Brien Tuffly. “Plus, Bellaire is such a tremendous academic institution, and a lot of kids want to go school here. Fortunately for us, a lot of them can play great softball.” Bellaire closed out the regular season with a lofty 24-4 record and was ranked among the top 10 Class 5A teams in Texas. “There’s a lot of talented players in our lineup,” said Tuffly. “Many of these girls have been playing together since they were kids. We’re pretty strong in all facets of the game.” Leading the way for Bellaire is a five-some of seniors who will  play softball on the collegiate level. Pitcher Gabriela Alatorre, who’s been on the mound for every victory this season, will suit up for Rochester University, while third baseman Molly Oretsky has signed with Penn, shortstop Libby Brown is heading to Houston Baptist University, center fielder Jasmin Vasquez is going to Stetson, and left fielder Sara De La Cruz has signed with The University of Oklahoma City. In tennis, it was a magnificent season for the Memorial Mustangs, capped off by a state championship in boys doubles from the duo of senior Ciro Lampasas and junior Sam Giammalva. The Mustangs tandem also happen to be cousins. “Sam and Ciro were kind of the favorites going into the state tournament, but they had to play at an extremely high level to win it all,” said Mustangs tennis coach Budd Booth. “They played great, winning three tough matches in straight sets.” In addition, the Memorial girls doubles team of seniors Nousha Nowamooz and Courtney Wright finished second in the state, winning their state quarterfinal and semifinal matches before falling to Plano West in the state championship final.

The Memorial boys doubles team of Ciro Lampasas (far left) and Sam Giammalva (far right) won the 5A State Doubles Championship, while the Mustangs tandem of Courtney Wright (second from left) and Nousha Nowamooz finished second at state in girls doubles. Also pictured is Memorial tennis coach Budd Booth.

If all that weren’t enough, Memorial  juniors Tadhg Collins and Parker Siller advanced to the state quarterfinals in boys doubles, as did the Mustangs’ mixed-doubles duo of sophomore Max Palmer and junior Meredith Hughes. In all, eight of the 16 qualifiers at the state tennis tournament were from Memorial, which was more than any school in Texas. “It’s pretty amazing to not only have that many kids qualify for state but also do so well once they get there,” said Booth. “Our kids are very dedicated to the sport, and even though they play a lot of USTA tennis, they also really enjoying competing at the high school level.” It’s been a monumental season for the Lamar High School girls lacrosse team, which earned a No. 1 seeding entering the Texas Girls High School Lacrosse League State Championship Tournament. Lamar earned the top seed by virtue of a pair of major victories, including an 11-8 win over The Woodlands in the district championship, followed by a 9-5 victory over St. John’s to win the city championship. “This is my eighth year to be involved with Lamar lacrosse, and we had never defeated St. John’s,” said Bill Wade, president of Lamar Women’s Lacrosse. “It was really special to get that win. A lot of our girls and the St. John’s girls play together in the summer for the Texas Rangers club team, so it’s a pretty spirited rivalry.”

The Lamar High School girls lacrosse team was all smiles after defeating the St. John’s Mavericks for the first time to win the City of Houston Lacrosse Championship.

Lamar, who won a state championship in Division II lacrosse in 2012, has made a smooth transition into Division I play. “We’ve been able to get some consistent coaching, and we’re blessed with some really good talent,” said Wade. The talented lineup features five all-state selections, including goalie Katherine Farmer, midfielders Tobey Falk, Lyndsey Lafitte and McKinley Wade, and attacker Macy Moseley. Three of those five will play at the collegiate level, with Farmer going to Rhodes College, Lafitte committing to Northwestern and Wade heading to the College of William and Mary. “Lyndsey and McKinley are also first cousins, so it’s been really nice to have them on the same team. They’re very close friends,” said Wade. In addition, a trio of Lamar juniors were selected to the Texas High School Girls National Team. Hannah Gant, Aileen Qin and Mikayla Davis will compete in this summer’s Women’s Lacrosse National Team tournament. Editor’s Note: Todd Freed is the Emmy Award-winning co-host and producer of the KUBE SportsZone, which airs Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. on Channel 57-KUBE. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email [email protected].