Photo by Victor Tapia
Panther Noel Nevarez was selected as the District 13-3A
Most Valuable Player.

Nevarez, Molina earn superlatives for 2010 season

By David Jenkins
Staff Writer

The Panthers were rewarded for their on-field success this past season with multiple District 13-3A awards.

“I believe that the team was well represented in the district awards,” head coach Richard Boring said.  “The two awards that stand out are District MVP to Noel Nevarez and (Top) Newcomer to Marcos Molina. Those two deserve every award they get. I thought that the district coaches rewarded our players for all of their hard work.”

Topping the list were Nevarez and  Molina, who shared the award with Emory Rains freshman Kolby Godwin.

This was the second time in 13-3A that a Panther was selected as a co-Newcomer of the Year. 

A year ago, Tyler Lewis shared the honor with Farmersville’s Colton Monk.

Collecting the remaining superlatives in 13-3A were Lovejoy’s Jace Melby (Offensive Player of the Year), Farmersville’s Austin Brooks (Defensive Player of the Year), Lovejoy’s Ross Vance (Pitcher of  the Year) and Lovejoy’s Brett Emery (Coaching Staff of the Year).

Panthers tapped for the first team in the infield were Matt Wingo and Josh Molina, while Lewis was tabbed for the outfield.

Named to the second team at pitcher was Jake Gildner, Danny Hill in the outfield and Bert Wilson as an infielder.

The Panthers made a third consecutive appearance in the Class 3A Region II playoffs.

They captured the bi-district title (won 2-1 over 14-3A’s No. 2 seed Wills Point) and area round (bye since there was no 15-3A).

Their season was cut short in the following round with consecutive losses (5-3 and 10-4) to district foe Lovejoy in the quarterfinals.

During the regular season, the Panthers tied for second in district play with Farmersville at 7-3. They finished the year 20-12 overall.

The Farmers took the No. 2 seed in the playoffs after winning the coin flip.

“We improved over last year in district, and if you look at our (overall) record, it can be kind of deceiving,” Boring said in a earlier interview. “We lost to some good opponents that were ranked in state.”

Taking the district’s top spot was Lovejoy (10-0). After Farmersville and Princeton were Emory Rains (3-7), Community (2-8) and Quinlan Ford (1-9).

The Panthers lose just two players to graduation in Wingo (outfielder, infielder and pitcher) and Gildner (outfielder and pitcher).

Expected to return off the pre-playoff roster are Colton Boddy, Johnny Nickel, Riley Lowrance, Jacob York, Logan Henager, Lewis, Hill, Wilson, (Marcos) Molina, Nevarez and (Josh) Molina.

“Things look good for us next year,” Boring said earlier. “The players we have coming back for next season who are going to be seniors, it’s going to be our shot. Then you also can look around and see what other teams are losing. I feel good about the future and what it holds for us.”

In addition, players will come up from the junior varsity Maroon and Black teams, the incoming freshman class.

The Panthers make the switch to 11-3A next season after spending the previous two in 13-3A.

Also making the move to the new district are Lovejoy, Community and Farmersville.

New to the mix are Prosper (an old 9-3A foe) and first-year program Frisco Lone Star.

Gone are Quinlan Ford and Emory Rains, which switched to 14-3A, which also consists of Canton, Lindale, Van and Wills Point.