Angelina College Athletics Weekly Update

Date:

This week saw the end of the Angelina College soccer season, as the Roadrunners were squeezed out in pool play at the national tournament. Both AC basketball teams were busy, and the AC baseball team has a big evaluation camp coming up in December.

Here’s how the week went, along with what to expect next week:

Roadrunner Soccer:

It’s hard imagining a more agonizing end to a season. The Roadrunners competed in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Melbourne, Florida starting last Sunday.

Competing in Pool C with No. 3 Monroe College and No. 6 Jefferson College, the 10th-seeded Roadrunners pushed Monroe to a scoreless draw after regulation and two overtime periods. In the shootout, the Roadrunners lost 3-2 on penalty kicks.

On Monday, AC used a goal from Shamour McLean and a stellar defensive effort to shut out Jefferson College 1-0, giving AC the lead in pool standings by virtue of a win and a goal scored.

Tuesday is when things got weird for the ‘Runners.

Monroe and Jefferson squared off in the final match of pool play, and there were a couple of scenarios that would have allowed the Roadrunners to advance to the semifinals: A Jefferson win by no more than one goal, or a Jefferson win in a shootout. A Monroe win would send both Jefferson and Angelina College packing.

The agonizing part came as the Roadrunners and supporters attended the Monroe/Jefferson match. Jefferson led by a single goal twice – the ideal situation for AC – before falling late, leaving Monroe as the pool winners and ending the ‘Runners’ incredible season.

Making the pill even harder to swallow? AC left the tournament as the only team of 12 to play two matches without conceding a single goal (penalty kicks don’t count toward official goals).

The ‘Runners finished with a program history-best 16 wins in 2022.

Lady Roadrunner Basketball:

AC’s ladies hosted the Angelina Classic starting this past Friday, with three other teams joining the Lady Roadrunners over two days of competition.

The Lady ‘Runners handled LSU-Eunice on Friday, winning 67-45 at Shands Gymnasium. Aaliyah Campbell led the team with 16 points, Shandbriah Rule added 13 and Marie Kenembeni finished with a double-double after scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Makenzie Paul also scored 11 points, and Matilda Gordon added 10 rebounds.


On Saturday against McLennan College, the Lady ‘Runners fell to a good Highlassie team, 79-60. Kenembeni led AC with 15 points; Rule added 10 points.

This week, the Lady Roadrunners will travel to LSU-Eunice for a 5:30 p.m. start. Then, starting Friday, AC’s ladies will participate in the TVCC Classic at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. The Lady ‘Runners face Northwest Florida State College at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Saturday’s (Nov. 26) game against Columbia State Community College will be televised nationally on ESPN+.

Roadrunner Basketball:

After last week’s busy travel schedule, the Roadrunner men finally returned home on Saturday to face Loyalty College Prep at Shands Gymnasium. AC rolled to a 70-49 win behind 13 points each from Braiden Wagner and Kanaan Holder and 11 more points from Hugi Hallgrimsson.

The team will take a few days off over the Thanksgiving Break before returning to Shands Gymnasium on Monday, Nov. 28 against Lonestar College-Tomball. Game time is 6 p.m.

Roadrunner Baseball:

The AC baseball team will hold an evaluation camp for prospective players ages 16 and older in December. The session will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11 at Poland Field on the Angelina College campus.

The fee for each camp is $40.00, and there is no requirement for pre-registration. Athletes may simply walk up and pay (via cash or check) at the gate starting at 9:15 on the morning of the camp.

The camps will focus on skill evaluation only; there will be no game. Staff will grade on running, arm strength, fielding, hitting and power. Pitchers will throw brief bullpens in order to grade pitches and velocity.

The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.

Gary Stallard
Sports Information Director Gary Stallard, who also serves as a Liberal Arts Instructor, begins his eleventh season with Angelina College. Following a career as a U.S. Marine, Stallard completed his bachelor’s degree at Stephen F. Austin University, where he majored in English and Journalism. For more than 16 years, he has worked as a sports writer/columnist/photographer for the Lufkin Daily News; he continues to contribute free-lance articles on occasion. Stallard has won several awards for writing, including the Golden Hoops Award for basketball writing in 2003, Regional Sports Writer of the Year in 2004, and the Texas Press Association’s first-place award for column writing in 2007 and in 2014. He has also done basketball, football and baseball radio and live streaming play-by- play and color commentary for an ESPN affiliate. Currently Stallard serves as play-by-play broadcaster for AC basketball, baseball and softball games. Prior to arriving at Angelina College, Stallard taught English at Lufkin High School for four years. He currently teaches Developmental Writing classes at AC. He and his wife Susan live in Lufkin.

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