As Carson Country athletes prepare for graduating from high school, a select few have already solidified college plans or are still in the process of doing so.
Douglas High basketball coach Werner Christen said guard Andrea Honer will play for Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs couldn't offer Honer a scholarship but told her there is a good possibility she can earn one after her freshman year. Honer, 5-foot-8 guard, also considered Kansas, Xavier and Santa Clara.
"She just decided after visiting all the schools that TCU is where she wanted to be," Christen said.
Last season, TCU went 24-7 and lost to Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils advanced the national semifinals before losing to Oklahoma.
Fernley football and baseball star Matt Lambeth will play for Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz., according to Vaquero athletic director Dave Hart. Lambeth will only play baseball for the Thunderbirds, who went 42-13 this past season and won the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference regular season title. Central Arizona College won the region championship and advanced to the NJCAA National Championship. Lambeth was three-year starter at quarterback for Fernley and many thought his future was in that sport. But that changed when the scholarship offers didn't come.
"I think when he didn't get the scholarships offers he thought he would for football, he went with baseball," Hart said. "I think baseball is his favorite sport. He's had his sights on baseball for awhile."
Maricopa County (the Phoenix metro area) Community Colleges can't offer athletic scholarships for out-of-county residents. The school's athletic programs, however, have excellent work study programs for those athletes. Mesa has sent nine players to division I schools over the past two years and has 10 conference titles since 1969. Churchill County's AJ Lister was a freshman this past season at Mesa and earned second team all conference honors as an infielder.
In boys basketball, Carson coach Bruce Barnes said Vince Inglima, the Sierra League's player of the year this past season, will attend Cabrillo College in Aptos, Calif. The Seahawks are a member of the Coast Conference (South) and are coached by Tony Marcopulos. The 6-foot-4 Inglima, who was primarily used as a post player at Carson, plans on developing his guard skills before hopefully moving onto a division I school.
Carson guards Ryan Buttner and Adam McKenzie are deciding between a pair of community programs in Butte College and Feather River, Barnes said. The Golden Eagles, Barnes said, are extremely interested in Buttner, one of the Northern 4A's best shooters last season. In 2002, Feather River went 14-12 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. In 2001, it went 23-11. Three players on the Golden Eagles' roster are from Nevada, including Las Vegas' Wendell West, who scored 14 points in the Western's 64-61 upset of nationally ranked Gorman in the 2001 4A championship game.
Galena shooting guard Joe Heaton is still awaiting his ACT scores, according to coach Tom Maurer. If his scores are sufficient, Heaton will most likely sign with Northern Colorado, a division II school in Greeley, Colo. If not, a slew of junior colleges are courting the 6-foot-4 guard. At the top of Heaton's list, Maurer said, is Southern Nevada Community College in Henderson, Nev., which beings its inaugural season next year.
All four players will be playing in tonight's 2nd annual Optimist Northern Nevada all-star game at Churchill County High.
In baseball, Carson coach Ron McNutt said senior shortstop Carl Winter will attend Modesto Junior College in Modesto, Calif., and ace pitcher Tim Priess will attend Feather River. Douglas' Cal Lewis, Tommy Hoyle and Matt Jacobsen will also attend Feather River, Tiger coach Hal Wheeler said. Of the 41 players on Feather River's roster, 26 are from Nevada. The Golden Eagles went 33-12 last season and finished the season ranked No. 7 in Northern California.
Douglas pitcher Darren Muren, Wheeler said, will play for Grossmont, a community college located in El Cajon, Calif. Grossmont went 29-16-1 last season and won its second consecutive Pacific Coast Championship.
In football, Carson coach Shane Quilling said kicker Chris Barredo will try and walk on at the University of Nevada. Barredo had one of the strongest kickers in the Northern 4A last season. Current Wolf Pack kicker, sophomore to be Damon Fine, is Nevada's No. 1 kicker. Last season, Fine tied the school record with a 58-yard field goal.