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Seniors Debut ~District Golf-Boys Results/Girls Region Bound~District Tennis~Baseball/Softball Round-Up

Seniors Debut at McLennan College
By Vanessa Weidner

Seniors Jake Laughlin and Meagan McCann will be traveling to McLennan Community College in Waco on April 13, for what may be the audition of their life.

After competing in the district One Act Play competition at Princeton High School, the judge, Mr. Kelly Parker, pulled the two seniors aside and spoke to them about a scholarship to his school.

“This is crazy because neither I nor Meagan had any intentions of receiving a scholarship at this performance,” Laughlin said

Although they have been offered the scholarship, they still have a lot of pressure to perform well. The audition will be for a full-ride scholarship to the school. But because it is a junior college, there is no on-campus living.

“We have to go to the school and audition just like any other student would,” Laughlin said.

But these aspiring actors are not worried about the possibility that they may not receive it. The director has instilled confidence in the two of them.

“He knows what we’re capable of and isn’t worried. We have to go to the school and audition because he can’t just randomly hand out scholarships, without the others being informed of his actions,” Laughlin said.

McCann and Laughlin are really excited about this opportunity that has been handed to them. Both have wanted to pursue acting in college but never thought they would actually be able to follow their dreams.

Seniors Meagan McCann and
Jake Laughlin

Sophomore Colton Ream - 3rd Place Medalist in Singles

Tennis Competes at District
By Keegan Farley

The Ponder Tennis Team took competed at this years district tennis meet, hosted by Ponder, last week.

After a long year of practice, hard work and dedication, four tennis teammates were able to place at the meet, yet none were able to qualify for the regional meet.

Yvonne Michaud and Ellysia Dierker were able to capture fourth place in the women’s doubles competitive event. Carlee Garza also took in fourth place, after a very competitive match in the women’s singles event. Colton Ream was the only Ponder boy to place; he took home third place in the men’s singles event.

“I am happy with the place I received but hope to do better next year,” said Colton Ream. “All I can do is practice harder and try to compete next year.”

This year’s team shows a lot of promise for a shining future. The Ponder Tennis Teams are relatively young, and with athletes such as these, they have a chance to mature in the game even more.

Girls’ Golf Place 2nd in District & Advance to Regional By Katelyn Woods

The Lady Lions Golf Team made history on April 2. While individuals have advanced in the past, for the first time ever, an entire Ponder girls’ golf team qualified for the regional golf meet.

At the District 13-2A meet, hosted by Oak Hollow Golf Course in McKinney, the Ponder girls placed 2nd, giving them a berth to the regional meet.

Junior Charlotte Gooch led the Lady Lions on the green shooting a score of 99, which earned her 2nd place and a silver medal. Senior Heather Bartek was close behind her with a 5th place finish and a score of 107. Also contributing to the triumph were senior Kristina Garza, with a score of 122, freshman Kayla Darnell, with a 127, and freshman Vanessa DeLira, with a 135. Also competing were Provedence Betterton and Dominique Lord.

The regional meet will be held on April 23-26 at Legends Country Club in Stephenville.

2007 PHS Girls' Golf Team
Vanessa DeLira, Charlotte Gooch, Kayla Darnell, Kristina Garza, Heather Bartek, Dominque Lord and Provedence Betterton shown with District Runner-Up Plaque.

Junior Charlotte Gooch
District 13AA Silver Medalist

District Meet Photo Gallery

Baseball / Softball Round-up
Varsity Baseball - Lions Win Two in a Row
by Lindsey Allen

On April 6, the varsity baseball team defeated Anna with a score of 13-9. This is a consecutive win for the Lions, after beating Krum, 5-3, on April 3. Anna came ready to play. The first inning consisted of four runs by the Lions, but the Coyotes managed to score six runs in the following inning. After that, the winner could not be determined in the close game, until the end, when Ponder pulled through.

“Anna was fired up for the game, and we made mistakes; but we fought hard the whole time and came out on top,” junior first baseman Dylan Barber said.

Although the Anna game was exciting, the Krum competition was by far the most intense due to a balanced scoreboard and long-time rivalry.

“We had good defense, put the ball in play and made them make errors,” senior second baseman Anthony Gallegos said.

Ponder is currently tied for third in the district standings, along with Melissa. Next up for the boys is Blue Ridge, in Blue Ridge, on April 10 at 7:00. And on April 13, Ponder will face Aubrey in Aubrey at 5:00.

Varsity Softball - Lady Lions Crush Lady Coyotes
By Krissy Boxell

Despite the abnormally cold weather conditions, the softball girls took on the Anna Lady Coyotes on April 6 in Ponder. The Lady Lions played one and a half games: the first game was a continuation of one that was postponed due to rain on March 13, and the second game was regularly scheduled in district play.

The first game started at the top of the fourth inning with a score of 6-0. The girls easily made it through the rest of the game to win with a score of 7-1.

In the second game of the day, the teams played all 7 innings, as usual. In the end, Ponder defeated Anna, 3-2.

Coming up this week, the Lady Lions are looking to overcome two of the tougher teams in district. They will take on Blue Ridge on Tuesday and finish the week playing Aubrey on Friday. Both games will be more difficult for the Lady Lions after having previously defeated Blue Ridge and Aubrey by only one run. So far, the girls stand with a district record of 11-0 and are hoping to come out victorious this week with a dominating record of 13-0 and a third-consecutive District Championship.

Boys’ Golf Place 4th at District Meet
By Katelyn Woods

After the girls’ golf team qualified for regional on Monday, the varsity boys’ golf team tried to follow their example when they traveled to Oak Hollow Mills Golf Course in McKinney on Wednesday for their district meet. Unfortunately, they came up a little short. With an overall score of 378, the varsity boys placed 4th at the meet, missing the regional qualification by two spots.

Senior Rasmus Larsen had the best score for the Lions at the meet, shooting an 83, which earned him 3rd place. He also just missed the regional cut, this time by one place. Larsen, however, will represent Ponder as the regional alternate. Others who contributed were Glenn McBride, with a score of 93; Dakota Dixon, 101; Lucas Boudreaux, 101; and Calvin Redfearn, 107.

Ponder’s JV golf boys also competed in the district contest, placing 8th overall. Competitors were Keegan Farley, who shot a 94; Cole Spann, 101; Ryan Lyles; 106, and Patrick Stanton, 113.

It was a successful season for the Lions, and with only one senior graduating, the years ahead look promising for the boys’ golf teams.

Senior Rasmus Larsen - 3rd Place
Finisher in District 13AA Meet

District Meet Photo Gallery

JV Softball Ends Season with Win
By Katelyn Woods

The JV softball team wrapped up their season last week with two district games. They played one game on April 5 against Krum and another against Anna on April 6. The Lady Lions ended up tying with the Lady Bobcats, who they beat 3-2 in March, with a score 5-5 on Thursday in a close game and then hammered the Lady Coyotes, 8-2, the next day. Sophomore Aspen Parker was on the mound for the Lady Lions and pitched two fine games.

With only two district teams having a junior varsity team, the JV Lady Lions did not have a lot of opportunity to play this year. The girls finished their season with a district record of 2-0-1 and an overall record of 2-1-1.

JV Baseball District Duel
By Vanessa Weidner

The JV baseball team traveled to Aubrey, on April 5 th, for a face off against Krum and Aubrey in the district tournament.

The team started off great in their game against Krum, leading most of the game with a one point lead. Krum later found their zone in the final two innings and got on a ten point roll. They ended the game with a score of 10-2, Krum.

The Lions played hard against Aubrey in Thursday’s game. They had a close game for most of the innings, until again, the final two, where Aubrey got on a roll and finished off the game. The final score was 10-6.

The JV boys play again this afternoon, April 9, at Krum.