2025-2026 Sports Schedules
Cross Country - Center (JH), Center (HS), Joaquin, Timpson
Football - Center, Joaquin (V), Joaquin (JH,JV), Shelbyville, Tenaha, Timpson,
Tennis - Center,
Volleyball - Center, Center Christian Academy, Shelbyville (JV,V), Shelbyville (JH), Timpson (HS), Timpson (JH),
July 16, 2017 – All five Shelby County varsity football programs will be able to start preparing with non-contact practices on August 7. The first day contact will be allowed during practices is August 11.
The Center Roughriders will be trying to improve on a 6-5 season in 2016. The ‘Riders reached the bi-district round of the playoffs last season and were 4-2 in district competition. District 9-4A predictions have Center picked to place fifth, with Carthage, Henderson, Kilgore, and Palestine leading the way. Chapel Hill and Bullard are picked to finish behind Center, according to Dave Campbell’s Football Magazine. Center is shown to have six returning starters returning on offense and four returning defensive players.
Coach Barry Bowman has had his teams humble the projection authorities before, including his first year at CHS in 2015 when the ‘Riders were predicted to finish out of playoff contention. Center posted an impressive 10-3 season before being eliminated by Gilmer in the 2015 Regional playoffs.
The Joaquin Rams are picked to place fourth in District 11-2A Division I. San Augustine, Alto, and Price Carlisle are projected to finish in the first three spots. Shelbyville and Cushing are picked to finish behind the Rams. The Rams have six offensive, and six defensive, starters returning this season.
Joaquin finished with a 7-4 season mark and reached the bi-district round of the playoffs after going 4-2 in conference action. Coach Wade Lawson will do his best to surprise the projectionist and make a run at the conference title.
The Shelbyville Dragons, also in District 11-2A Division I, are picked to place in fifth position. The team has eight returning starters on each side of the line of scrimmage. With 17 returning veterans, the Dragons have the potential to surprise the teams picked to beat them. The Dragons were 2-8 last season and posted a 1-4 district mark.
The Tenaha Tigers went 13-1 last season, had a 5-0 conference mark, and went to the Division II Class 2A Regional Finals last season. Tenaha is picked to place first in District 11 2A Division II. Projected next are Overton, Timpson, Grapeland, Wortham, and Mount Enterprise.
The Tigers will return 23 lettermen. Coach Craig Horn will have ten starters return on offense and eight will be back defensively. One of Coach Horn’s returning starters is his son CJ who was Dave Campell’s TexasFootball.com’s preseason Player of the Year for Class 2A.
Timpson will return eight offensive starters and nine defensively. Coach Kerry Therwanger and the Bears went 5-5 in the regular season, and were 3-2 in conference play. They were bi-district playoff finalist.
Saturday, July 8, 2017. Center Dixie League Ballpark –
Saturday afternoon saw the Center Majors Dixie League baseball team start their Majors State Elimination Tournament play off with a convincing 15-4 win over Athens. They now will move on to face the winner of a later game between Huntington and Henderson in a second round matchup at 11 a.m. this Sunday.
There was no score in Saturday’s contest until Athens jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Athens loaded the bases on two walks and an error. A hit batter, and hits by Kole Ward and Jaycob Mingus, helped drive the runs home.
Center fought back in a big fourth inning rally. They used four walks, and a 2 runs-batted-in double by Danny Gonzales, a double by Lance Wilburn, and base hits by Kedrin Hinson and Ethan Lee to take a 9-4 lead.
Center added the final six runs of the game in the top of the fifth inning and Center pitching ace Kaleb Rawlinson struck out five, of the final six Athens batters, to help seal the enforcement of the 10-run Dixie Mercy Rule win.
Monday, July 3, 2017. Center Lion’s Ballpark –
After four days of Dixie League baseball activities, including competition and ceremonies, the 2017 T-Ball and Coach Pitch Champions have been named.
The hometown Center Division I T-Ball team won their South Regional Title by defeating Willis, Hudson and Athens.
Shelbyville won their Coach Pitch Division II title by beating Arp (twice), Malakoff and Fairfield.
Nacogdoches won their Division I Coach Pitch title by beating Cleveland, Van, Bullard, and Hudson (twice).
Malakoff won a T-Ball South Division I title by defeating Central, Fairfield, West Rusk (twice), and Trinity.
Central, Splendora, Center and Malakoff were among teams winning sportsmanship recognition awards.
Center Dixie League will host one more tournament this summer, a State Majors and 9-years-and-Under, on July 8 – 10 at Lion's Ballpark in Center.
July 1, 2017. Center Lion’s Ballpark – Three local teams played Saturday in Dixie Baseball League Tournament games in Center.
Center’s 6-and-under Division I T-ball team was tied 13-13 with Athens midway through their opening game of the tournament, but later blew the game wide open by scoring five runs off of a Cooper Crawford triple, and base hits by teammates Shade McDonald and Joseph Mitchell. This gave Center a 18-13 advantage at the end of the third inning.
Athens scored three runs of their own to pull to within two points at 16-18 going into the bottom of the fourth inning.
Center’s Easton Jones led off, what would prove to be the fourth and final inning, with a double. Jaylen Henderson scored Jones with a single to left field. Teammates Canon Dixon, Kason Radney, Jakobe Evans, Collin Chandler, Braylon Williams, and Cooper Crawford all added hits in a rally which forced officials to enforce the leagues mercy rule and end the contest. The team will move on to face the winner of a later contest at 1 pm Sunday.
Shelbyville’s Coach Pitch Division II team faced Fairfield on Saturday. Shelbyville gained an early 7-0 lead with first inning scores from Gavin McDonald, Jackson Holloway, Bryant Scarborough, Dallas Murry, Jerrick Hargrove, Carson Copeland, and Jenson Raymond.
Things only got worse for Fairfield as they only managed one run and three hits, in what would prove to be 12-1win for the Shelbyville team. Shelbyville plays the winner of the Corrigan-Arp contest at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Center’s Coach Pitch Division I tried to complete the “Shelby County Sweep” by being the final area team to play for the day. Center led 4-3 in the fifth inning but Bullard came back late to steal a 6-5 win, and caused Center to play a second game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
June 30, 2017 - Center High School hosted their first inaugural Summer Tennis Tournament at the Leon Dykes Tennis Center Friday, June 30. Center is the newest stop for the Northeast Texas Tennis circuit which also includes stops in Longview, Tyler, Kilgore, Mesquite, and Forney.
The following are the results of the tournament:
Boys Singles 7th - 9th Grade
1st Place - Alex Hassell (jacksonville)
2nd Place - Ian Williams (center)
3rd Place - Jack Callen Watlington (center)
4th Place - Zac Denby (center)
Consolation - Lance Holloway (center)
Girls Singles 7th - 9th Grade
1st Place - Sarah Teves (whitehouse)
2nd Place - Lanie Hooks (center)
3rd Place - Sarah Scull (center)
4th Place - Emilee Elliott (center)
Consolation - Alyssa White (center)
Boys Singles 10th-12th Grade
1st Place - Kavin Patel (spring Hill)
2nd Place - Mauricio Rojas-solis (center)
3rd Place - Keaton Watlington (center)
4th Place - Alec Dykes (center)
Consolation - Joel Martinez (center)
Girls Singles 10th-12th Grade
1st Place - Megan Dunn (center)
2nd Place - Keelan Williams (center)
3rd Place - Mackenzie Dykes (center)
4th Place - Caroline Scull (center)
Consolation - Maddie Russell (center)
Great day under steamy conditions. A big thank you to all who participated and played through the heat of the day!
June 26, 2017 - Center HS will be hosting a summer singles tournament this Friday, June 30th. The tournament is part of the East Texas Summer Circuit and it will be Center HS first opportunity to host an event on the circuit.
Events held:
Boys singles 7th-9th grade
Boys singles 10th-12th grade
Girls singles 7th-9th grade
Girls singles 10th-12th grade
For more information on how to enter, please contact Leon Dykes at leon.dykes@centerisd.org
Friday, June 23, 2017, Killeen, Texas - The Bandits 14 and under (14U) Girl's Softball Team have checked off many of their 2017 goals but none as exciting as their most recent accomplishment of qualifying for the ASA Nationals, in Johnson City,Tennessee, on the weekend of June 16-18. They face some very tough competition against both first and second year 14U teams in Killeen but were able to secure the birth thus accomplishing its top 2017 goal, a ticket to ASA Nationals. Facing teams like the Firecrackers, Bombers, Glory Teams and Velocity, will certainly continue to push this ladies team to new levels of competition.
The Texas Bandits softball team was started in 2012 by Jay Stone and Jason Stanley out of Joaquin. The team mainly consists of local area talent. Over the last several years there have been many accomplishments and the Bandit’s name has become well known in the East Texas area.
The Lady Bandits first year 14 and under team was formed in August of 2017. The team includes many new players from around the area as well as some additions to the coaching staff. The teams focus for this season is Commitment, Respect & Teamwork. The Bandits coaching staff quickly established its goals for the upcoming season and shared with all players & family.
Goals set by the team were to develop top notch team chemistry, compete at the highest levels successfully, win and lose as a team with class, qualify for 14U American Softball Association Nationals this summer at Johnson City Tennessee, and to keep a team grade average of 80+ is also a minimum expectation.
In October of 2016 the Bandits began the journey of competing at a higher level by participating in the Ronald McDonald College Showcase in Woodlands, Texas in the 14U division despite being eligible to compete in the 12U division based on age. Throughout the fall of 2016 the Bandits played all of their tournaments in 14U age group to better prepare for the level of competition they would face in 2017.
Competing at this level requires a lot of hard work and dedication from the Bandit ladies as well as their families. The Bandits will travel over 50% of the time leading up to Nationals to compete in some of the highest levels of competition in both Texas and Louisiana. The Bandits have begun the journey of trying to raise funds to attend the Nationals in Tennessee with an estimated budget to attend of $16,000. The Bandits will host several fundraisers over the next month and welcome any assistance from local area businesses. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Team Manager Jason Stanley at jstanleytbsoftball@yahoo.com or call at 903-754-9213. Any donations are appreciated by the coaching staff, ladies & parents.
June 20. 2017, Tenaha Special Events Center –
Area teams such as Tenaha, Joaquin, Chireno, Woden and Nacogdoches, enjoyed summer basketball league action, last Monday, at Tenaha High School. The Monday Basketball Summer League started weeks ago and will continue until late summer and include other teams such as Timpson High School as well.
This week’s action saw cross-county rivals Tenaha and Joaquin battle it out in a close game which saw the game tied at 29-29 until Lady Ram Erica Davis gave Joaquin a two-point lead (31-29) with five and a half minutes left in the contest.
Tenaha briefly gained a 32-31 advantage but a Lady Rams’ put-back shot, and a Day’za Lane hook, in the final two minutes left in the contest, gave Joaquin the chance to stall the remaining time off the clock and win by a 35-32 margin.
The Chireno Lady Owls took on the West Sabine Lady Tigers next. The Lady Owls took a commanding 32-6 lead into the midway break. They went on to win the contest by over thirty points.
Joaquins’ second game saw them trail Woden 30-16 at the midway point of the contest. Woden held on to beat the Lady Rams 57-28.
Tenaha played the Nacogdoches Lady Dragons in the night’s final game. Nacogdoches held a narrow 13-12 lead at halftime and went on to win 33-30.
Tenaha will again host league play on Monday next week starting at 5 p.m.
June 12, 2017 - Dwight Preston hosted his annual mentoring program and football camp on Friday and Saturday, June 2-3. There were about 10 kids in attendance for the mentoring program plus guests.
The mentoring program, "My Brother's Keeper," was held in the conference room of the Best Western Plus in Center and featured a host of mentoring participants. They included: Center Fire Chief Keith Byndom; John Brooks, Founder of MBK Mentor; Noel Cotton, Sid Roberts Funeral Home Director; Lt. Jeremy Bittick, with Center Police Department (accompanied by Sgt. Ricky King and Officer Kenneth King); Todd Bailey, Professional Body Builder; and Dwight Preston himself.
"They talked to them about being positive, about attitude. Mr. Cotton talked a lot about them putting in the work. If you want to have something, you're going to have to put the work in to get it," said Preston.
A lot of the kids attending the program, Preston works with during the school year. He said some of the kids attending the program have trust issues and need nurturing.
"One of the kids really, really came out and Mr. Cotton really helped him out," said Preston. "One thing with kids with trust issues you cannot do is tell them something and don't do it, because, they expect you not to do it all the time."
Although some of the kids have had to face negative situations in their lives, Preston wants to help break the cycle and help them to realize everything in the world is not that way, not everyone is bad, and some days are just bad days.
Preston said during the program the kids were provided with a continental breakfast, pizza, gifts and MBK bags provided by John Brooks.
Following the mentoring program on Friday, the Preston Football Camp was held on Saturday. Several people contributed time to the camp to help educate the children on different football skills.
Those individuals included: Ronnie Williams, Elliott Edwards, Jeremy Smith, Desmond Hillard, John Brooks, Jeremy Small, David Harris, John Preston, Jhimon Preston, Jerrett Preston and Stephen Preston.
Preston had some additional news about Jeremy Small, "He has graduated from graduate school. He graduated from college and he went to grad school, he has his Masters and he is going to be working in Nacogdoches over at their high school."
The camp was a success, and plans for next year are in the making.
First place team members with Lorei Choate with Shelby Savings Bank (left) and Deborah Chadwick with the Chamber of Commerce (right)
June 9, 2017 (More photos) - The 2nd Annual Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic was held recently at the Center Country Club with presenting sponsor, Shelby Savings Bank. Gold Sponsors for the Event were High Roller Wells and Texas Quick Care. The participating golfers were served lunch and had a 12:30 p.m. tee time with the opportunity to win an ATV with a hole in one shot contest.
At the end of the day the teams turned in their scorecards and the results were announced. In First Place was the Center Country Club team with Joe Whittlesy, Austin Craig, Billy Thompson and Roy Peace.
Second place team (from left) Bobby Pigg, Charles Rushing, Howell Howard, and John Howard.
Second place was awarded to the East Texas Poultry Team comprised of Howell Howard, John Howard, Bobby Pigg and Charles Rushing. Coming in third place was the Farmers State Bank team with Scott Stanfield, Ryan Pinkston, Shane Ray and Roy Blake.
Third place team (from left) Shane Ray, Ryan Pinkston, and Scott Stanfield.
Leon Dykes, a member of the Center ISD team, won the longest drive. Howell Howard had the shortest drive.
From left: Howell Howard won shortest drive and Leon Dykes won longest drive.
The Chamber's 2nd Annual Golf Classic was an opportunity to network with Chamber members and potential business associates. The Shelby County Chamber of Commerce is organized to promote and advance economic enrichment and development, tourism and the social and civic interest of Shelby County and adjoining areas.
Thank you to all our sponsors and participants! See you next year!
Thank you to Center Motor for allowing the use of 2 ATVs; to Bobby Daw for cooking a delicious lunch and to the staff at the Center Country Club.
