Sports shorts: week of July 28, 2022

Golf

The third annual Beaumont Emergency Hospital Babe Zaharias Open at the Beaumont Country Club was completed last weekend as Miranda Wang from Pebble Beach, California, won the tournament with an 11-under 277 and took home $15,000.

Former Lamar University standout Julie Aime, winner of the inaugural event, was second with a score of 8-under 211 and bagged $7,200.

The final STPGA Tournament of the summer was held July 18 at Sunset Grove Country Club in Orange. Winners included Grace Dai of Beaumont (Girls 13-14, 59 score), Grayson Fletcher of Vidor (Boys 11-12, 9-hole Red, 55), Maggie Stutz of Groves and Savanah Murdock of Orange tied for first in the Girls 11-12, 9-hole Red with a score of 53, Jaxon Wolf of Groves (Boys 15-18, 77), Erin Eaves of Beaumont (Girls 13-14, 94), Mattie Purgahn of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Girls 15-18, 78) and Foster Cecka of Port Neches (Boys 13-14, 98).

Lamar Cardinals

LU’s all-time saves and appearances leader, Jack Dallas, was signed to a free agent contract by the Philadelphia Phillies organization announced team officials July 21.  

After a fabled high school career at West Orange-Stark, Dallas originally signed to play both football and baseball with the Cardinals before eventually putting his full-time focus into baseball. He went on to set several school records including the school’s all-time mark for saves and appearances, as well as single-season record for saves (twice). Dallas also closed out his career by earning all-conference honors as a junior and senior (first team), and currently holds the unique distinction of being just one of two Cardinals to ever earn All-Southland and All-WAC honors.
During the 2022 regular season, Dallas made 25 appearances, posting a perfect 4-0 record with a league-leading 13 saves. He struck out 51 batters in 38.2 innings of work while posting a 1.86 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. His saves this past season set a new LU single-season record, breaking the mark he set in 2021.
Over the course of his career, Dallas made 96 appearances, recording nine wins, with 170 strikeouts in 166 innings pitched.

The Lamar football team was represented by head coach Blane Morgan and defensive lineman Jack McCarthy and receiver Jalen Dummett last week at the Southland Conference football media day event in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

“We are very excited to be back in the Southland Conference,” said Morgan. “We have established historical rivalries in the Southland, and our fans know these teams, and they enjoy these rivalries. In addition to that, our fans and our students now have the opportunity to travel to away games for all of our teams that they probably didn’t have last year. That is huge for our student-athletes.”

McCarthy earned a starting role during his first year on campus and has never looked back, while Dummett started at quarterback during his first year with the Cardinals (2020 season which was played during the 2021 spring semester) and has since moved to receiver due to position needs.
The day for the Cardinals started in the Southland Conference’s social media suite before the LU trio took to the ESPN stage for interviews, before breaking off into one-on-one interviews with the different media outlets.

The Cardinals are going to be young in 2022 with only 41 returning lettermen and 12 returning starters, with just four on those defensive side of the ball. The overall youth was reflected in the league’s recent preseason poll has Big Red picked seventh for the upcoming season.
LU enters 2022 looking to build from a 2-9 record last season. The Cardinals open the season Thursday, Sept. 1, when they travel to Abilene Christian. That will be the first of two road games to start the season (Sept. 10 at SMU) before LU opens the home slate against Northern Colorado Saturday, Sept. 17.

Lamar will report for preseason camp Tuesday, Aug. 2.

Wade Phillips

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach and Super Bowl winning coordinator Wade Phillips was announced as the new head coach of the XFL professional football franchise in Houston.

Scheduled to begin Feb. 18, 2023, the XFL will have three Texas teams in Houston, San Antonio and Arlington, as well as teams in Orlando, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, St. Louis, Missouri, and Washington D.C.

Phillips, who was born in Orange and graduated from Port Neches-Groves High School, spent many years in the NFL coaching for the Broncos, Rams and Cowboys.

Former Oklahoma Sooners coach Bob Stoops will coach the Arlington team; former 1992 NFL first-round draft pick Terrell Buckley will coach Orlando; NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson will head up Las Vegas; Pittsburg Steelers’ great Hines Ward will coach San Antonio; former NFL coach Jim Haslett will lead Seattle; Anthony Becht, who played in the NFL for over a decade, will coach St. Louis; and former NFL receiver Reggie Barlow will coach Washington D.C.

The XFL’s ownership group, led by Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners, is building a fan-first, fast-paced global professional football league with innovative rules and enhanced 360 game experience. Games will be shown on ESPN and ABC.