After the Watauga Harvest softball team lost in last season's TAPPS 3A semifinals to eventual state champion Katy Faith West, Harvest softball coach Tim Jessop stayed and watched the TAPPS 2A state title game between Hallettsville Sacred Heart and Wichita Falls Notre Dame.
Hallettsville ended up as the TAPPS state runner-up for the third consecutive season, but Jessop had a hunch Watauga Harvest could possibly see the perennial powerhouse, which moved up to TAPPS 3A this season, in a state title game.
His hunch came to fruition.
With the Lady Saints' 10-4 win against Bullard Brook Hill in a TAPPS 3A semifinal game in Waco, Watauga Harvest advanced to play Hallettsville Sacred Heart at 1 p.m. today in the program's first state title game in its six-year history. The game will be played at Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, and Jessop doesn't mind being labeled an underdog. Hallettsville Sacred Heart defeated Bryan St. Joseph's 10-1 in the other semifinal Thursday.
"Everybody thinks Hallettsville is going to win except for us," Jessop said. "This is our year. We got the game we want to play. They're the team to beat in the state. We're finally the underdog. I like being the underdog. You have nothing to lose."
The Lady Saints (20-14) advanced to their first state semifinal game last year with seven juniors.
One win away from Waco
The second round of the TAPPS softball and baseball playoffs ended up being the playoff exit for many area teams and left them one win away from a state tournament berth in Waco.
In TAPPS 6A, the Fort Worth Nolan Catholic softball and baseball teams were looking for their second consecutive semifinal appearances but both lost in regional games.
The Grapevine Faith baseball and softball teams lost to the same teams that eliminated them last year in the playoffs. The softball team lost to Katy Faith West 2-0 in this year's regional game in a rematch of last season's TAPPS 3A state title game.
The baseball team lost to Baytown Christian in this year's regional game and last year's semifinal game. The Lions trailed 11-5 going into their final at-bat. They strung six hits together in the seventh, including Josh O'Neal's two-strike grand slam, but left the potential game-tying runner on third base.
The baseball teams from Colleyville Covenant (TAPPS 3A) and Arlington Grace Prep (TAPPS 5A) ended their seasons last week as well, as did the softball teams from Fort Worth Bethesda (TAPPS 3A), Pantego Christian (TAPPS 4A) and Fort Worth Southwest Christian (TAPPS 5A).
By the numbers
3 Consecutive TAPPS state titles for the Colleyville Covenant girls track and field team. The boys team has won two consecutive titles.
1 Title the Grapevine Faith boys track and field team has won. The Lions won the state title last weekend in Waco and the girls team finished second.
