Johnson Rain Out

Johnson’s Game-1 Regional Semifinal game that was scheduled to be played in Eagle Pass Tonight at 7pm was moved to Blossom due to Eagle Pass Field receiving too much rain and was deemed unplayable by the Eagle Pass coaching staff. Per the Contract between the two schools the contingency plan was to flip flop and have the Friday single game at Blossom and the Saturday Double Header in Eagle Pass.

But the same rain storm that went through Eagle Pass is now in San Antonio and the fear is Blossom will soon be unplayable tonight as well. So the Coaching staffs from both schools quickly secured an alternate site for all three Playoff games to be played Friday and Saturday. Both team will now travel to Alice Texas and play tonight at 8:00pm. Saturday’s games will also be played at the same site in Alice and the double header will start at 2pm Saturday afternoon. This is still a best of three series and the first team to win two games moves on to the Regional Finals to face either San Antonio O’Connor or Laredo United next weekend.

For further updates and changes follow jjnation on twitter
Map to AliceGo Jags!!!



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Johnson pinch runner Ryan Matson (14) is congratulated by teammate Connor Gesell (7) as he scores the go ahead run in the seventh inning during a UIL 5A regional quarterfinal playoff baseball game between the Johnson Jaguars and the Churchill Chargers

There is no denying that Churchill has had Johnson’s number on the baseball field for the past five years. Before Thursday the Chargers had defeated the Jags in 9 of the 10 meetings. But the two teams had never met in the playoffs, that was until this weekend.

Churchill swept the Jags during the regular season this year including a 15-3 5-inning run rule game just a little over a month ago. Going into the Regional Quarterfinals series not many could see how Johnson could get past the high powered Chargers, but the Jaguars believed!

Churchill entered Thursday’s game 1 if the best of three game series with 30 wins and just 3 losses. The Chargers were riding a five game win streak and had not lost in the playoffs. Thursday the Chargers sent their ace to the mound with a perfect 11-0 record.

But the Jags also sent their ace Jerod Vick to the mound for a pitchers duel. We may never know if it was just luck, a case of nerves, the pressure or the baseball gods looking down from above and favoring the Jags but the usually steady Churchill group was anything but.

Churchill committed four errors in the game and all of them proved costly as the Jaguars took advantage of the mistakes to score runs in 5 of the 6 innings. Johnson scratched out 6 runs on 8 hits, but it was Vick on the mound that made the difference.

Vick, short of one inning, kept the Chargers from crossing home plate with some timely strikeouts and keeping the Chargers from being able to hit the ball with runners on base. The Johnson junior scattered 7 hits over 7 innings and threw well over 110 pitches for the win.

In the end Johnson walked away with a game 1 6-3 victory over a team that was “suppose-to” walk all over the Jags and as the two teams went home for the night it was Johnson that needed just one more win to move on to the Regional Semifinals. The win handed the Chargers their first loss of the playoffs and their ace his first loss this season.

Game 2 the Chargers would bring their left hander to the mound, the same pitcher that had pitched Churchill to a run rule win over Johnson just a month prior. Johnson brought back senior Tate Huebner to pitch, fresh off his one-day two win performance vs Steele last weekend.

The night of rest did not cure the problems that Churchill had in the field after game one. Seven errors by Churchill was way to much to try and overcome but it was also the Jaguars timely hitting and agresive base-running that proved the difference.

In game 2 on Friday Johnson got on the board first again with 2 in the 3rd inning. Churchill would answer right back with 2 of their own in the bottom of the inning tying the game back up.

Johnson would add two more in the 4th and the Chargers would score one in the 5th and one in the 6th again to square the game even at 4-4. The top of the 7th was led off by Alex Hernandez sending a deep line drive over the left fielders head for a stand up double.

Nick Mireles would slap one just past the shortstop and score pitch runner Ryan Matson on a throwing error. The Jags would get one more to hold a 6-4 lead with just three outs to play.

Huebner would get the first Charger batter in the 7th to ground out back to mound unassisted. A pop fly by the second batter would leave Churchill with just one out. The Chargers would reach first on a throwing error on what looked to be the game ender, but the error (only Johnson’s second of the game) would bring the tying run to the plate.

What happened next is something of legend or a scene from a movie. The next Churchill batter (the pitcher) would hit a hard line drive to right field. What looked to be a sure fire single and would have put runners on first and second or at worst the corners quickly changed.

Because the ball was hit sharply right fielder Nick Mireles charged the ball and after one hop caught and threw a laser back to first where Randy Stuart was there with his foot on the bag ready to receive the offering.

The perfect throw just beat the Churchill batter who went head first into the bag in desperation to be safe but it was the improbable 9-3 ground out play that ended the game.

Johnson had swept the Chargers. Beating two of the best pitchers in the district and city. Beating Churchill in back-to-back games for the first time in the history of Johnson and advancing the Jags to the Regional Semifinals for the first time as well.

While Johnson was upsetting the district 26-5A champs across town another game was going on. The Jags finishing off Churchill advances Johnson to the next round of the playoffs where they would face the winner of the Sharyland vs Eagle Pass game.

Sharyland and Eagle Pass were playing a one game winner take all contest on the south side of San Antonio Friday night and as Johnson celebrated their sweep of Churchill the Rattlers and Eagles were still playing late into the night.

Sharryland, ranked #2 in the State, #6 in the nation and with a 30-1 overall record found themselves tied 9-9 with Eagle Pass, the runner up from 29-5A after 7 innings. It would be Eagle pass completing the upset in the 8th inning when the Sharyland pitcher, with the bases loaded and two outs, balked the game winning run home.

Johnson and Eagle Pass will face each other in the Regional Quarterfinals this coming weekend for a chance to play in the Region IV championship.

Photos from Game 2 will be posted to the Jaguar Pride Photography Website.

Go Jags!!!



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Johnson's Randy Stuart (8) is congratulated by Ryan Matson (14) and Mark Whitehead (11) after Stewart hit a three run home run in the 7th inning of Game 3 vs Steele last week

Johnson baseball advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals round of the 5A State UIL playoffs by defeating Steele last week in the Area playoffs. The Jags needed all 3 games and a full 7 innings in game 3 to defeat the district 28-5A champion Knights.

Friday night the Jags lost game 1 to Steele 0-1 after waiting on a rain and lighting storm that rolled through Boerne. At one point the coaches disused moving the Friday night game south but eventually they rode out the rain and got the game started at 9pm.

While junior Jerod Vick pitched a great game the Johnson bats could not touch up the Steele ace for any runs on Friday. The two teams returned on Saturday with Johnson needing to sweep the Saturday double header.

Senior Tate Huebner pitched a gem as well and earned the win holding Steele to just one run for the second game in a row. The Johnson offense got on track scoring 7 runs to put away the Knights 7-1 and forcing a game three.

In game three Johnson sent junior Tanner Wall to the mound in the winner-take-all contest. Wall struggled early giving up three runs in the first and the second inning to put Johnson in a hole 0-6. Wall settled down and held the Knights scoreless through the next 3 and 2/3 innings before being lifted in the sixth inning.

Johnson’s offense chipped away at the Steele lead with runs in the 4th, 5th and 6th inning and when Wall was pulled the jags had moved to just one run down at 5-6. It was Huebner returning to the mound and with a runner on second the senior got out of the 6th inning with the score 5-6.

With three outs left the Jags completed the comeback in the top of the 7th inning in dramatic fashion. Mark Whitehead and Tanner Wall both singled to lead off the inning to give senior Randy Stuart a chance to at least tie the game. Stuart the night before had just missed a home run by just feet as the wind took a well hit ball over the fence but foul. On Saturday Stewart straighten his swing out and launched a three run homerun over the left field wall to give the Jags the lead.

Up 8-6 the Johnson flood gates opened and the Jags put on a hitting showcase scoring two more runs to lead Steele 10-6 going to the bottom of the seventh inning. Huebner would retake the mound and pick up his second win of the day by striking out the side in the 7th and advancing Johnson to the Regional Quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

Waiting for Johnson is a familiar district foe in Churchill. The chargers swept Corpus Christi Carroll in the Area round and will bring a 30-3 record to face Johnson this weekend. Churchill won the 26-5A district title this year as the past two district champs will face off this weekend in a three day, three game series at the Blossom Athletic Center Baseball Field.

Thursday the Jags will have a send off at school at 5:30pm and then everyone is asked to get to Blossom early to welcome the Jags at 6:00pm. Game 1 game time is 7:30pm.

Friday the Jags again will play at 7:30pm and Saturday’s game (if necessary) will be held at 1:00pm again at BAC-Baseball field.

Photos from all three games against Steele are on the Jaguar Pride Photography website.

Go Jags!!



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Johnson Jaguars

Johnson Baseball entered the 2013 playoffs as the #3 seed from 26-5A. Last week the Jags swept the San Marcos Rattlers in two convincing games to move on the to AREA playoff round. Steele, the district 28-5A champions, took on Brandeis and after playing three games the Knights came out on top of that series setting up a showdown between the two schools.

The Area round of the UIL 5A playoffs will be played this weekend with the Jags and Knights facing off in a best of three series. All three games are scheduled to be played in Boerne Texas at Champion High School as the two teams worked out a deal to play a neutral site for the series. Friday’s game 1 is scheduled for this evening at 7:00pm.

Game 2 is scheduled for noon on Saturday with game three 30 min after game 2 if necessary. All of this is contingent on the weather.

Steele and Johnson met once this season during the NISD tournament with Johnson taking a 6-1 lead late into that contest. Steele would mount a come back but their bid would fall short with the Jags hanging on for the 6-5 win. But that was during the first week of baseball and a lot has changed for both teams.

Steele enters with a 20-13-0 record, while the Jags hold a 19-11-1 mark. Steele is 4-3 over it’s last 7 games. This is the first time Steele has been been to the second round of the playoffs in the past 5 years.

You can keep up with weather updates and changes via the Jaguar Pride Twitter feed. Tonight’s Game will also be broadcast on TSRN

Go Jags!!



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Johnson freshman Chuyang Guan will play in the State Tournament in Girls Singles

Before this season the Johnson Tennis program had been taking baby steps over the past four years, that was until this Spring when Johnson broke through in a big way by sending three players to the State Tournament and winning it’s first Region IV Individual title.

Johnson Freshman Chuyang Guan as been virtually unstoppable this spring playing in a limited amount of tournaments. Guan easy won the district 26-5A title and advanced through the Region IV field and won Johnson’s first Regional Tennis Title with out dropping a set.

Guan will make the trip to Austin on Monday and will play in the 5A Girls Singles. He opening round opponent will be Sofia Guerra from Katy Taylor. Her opening round match will be at 9:00am Monday.

Johnson Girls Doubles team of Paula Gutierrez-Rodriguez and Flo Bigatti also will participate in the State Tournament in Austin this week. Paula and Flo took the unlikely route of winning a play-back match after finishing third at the Region IV tournament.

The Jaguars double team avenged their district championship loss to Reagan’s doubles team by defeating the Rattlers in the play-back. The win gave the Jags the State Tournament ticket and sent the Rattler pair home.

Paula played in the Regional Tournament last year in Girls Singles and placed 4th overall.

Paula and Flo will also make their State debut on Monday at 11:30am at the University of Texas Penick-Allison Tennis Center and will face Lubbock Coronado’s Alderson / Garland.

Siminfinals are also scheduled for Tuesday with the State Finals scheduled on Tuesday morning. We will have updates through out the day on Monday and Tuesday from Austin.

Go Jags!!



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