Sports

Bay City will welcome District 13-4A-1 newcomer Fulshear for the Blackcat Homecoming at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium.
   Fulshear (2-4, 0-2) enters the game following a 20-14 loss to El Campo last Friday.
   The Blackcats (2-4, 1-1) lost a high-scoring, 62-42 contest against host Needville last Friday.
   The Blackcats boasted 426 total yards, with senior quarterback Dylan Davidson posting an impressive 20 of 30 for 246 passing yards and three touchdowns.
   He also had two rushing touchdowns, including a dandy 85-yard TD (more on that later).
   Junior running back RJ Mitchell had 16 carries for 111 yards, four catches for 46 yards and a touchdown and 54 return yards.
   The Blackcats also had three fumbles, three interceptions and 77 yards in penalties. 
   Bay City began the scoring with a 22-yard touchdown pass connection between Davidson and Mitchell. 

   There are several variables going into Friday’s game between District 14-3A-2 and cross-county rivals Tidehaven and host Van Vleck.
   Halfway through the season, Van Vleck is 4-1, 0-1 and Tidehaven is 1-5, 1-1.
   While the Leopards are rolling along with an average of 185 yards passing and 209 yards rushing this season, Tidehaven has a district win against Danbury and is one game up in district standings over Van Vleck.
   That said, the cross-county rivalry also can play a role in a game between these two teams, since school pride always is a factor.
   Interesting that both teams’ most-recent losses came at the ends of East Bernard (5-1, 2-0).
   Tidehaven is coming off a home loss to East Bernard 24-14 last Friday, Oct. 5, and the Leps fell to the host Brahmas 18-13 Sept. 28.
   Van Vleck was idle last week, while Tidehaven continues to seek improvement.

   City Council members unanimously agreed for the City of Bay City to take the lead on guiding the indoor-outdoor, all-purpose aquatics center from design to completion for Bay City and Matagorda County at a council workshop meeting Thursday, Sept. 27.
   “What we need is somebody to step up and take the lead,” Wellness Matagorda Co-Director Loy Sneary told council before its vote last week on the proposed aquatics center that will incorporate competition and water therapy.
   Council’s vote means the city:

   Blackcat Coach Pat Matthews said his squad is looking forward to matching up with the Needville Bluejays in a District 13-4A-1 tilt Friday at Needville. 
   Both teams won their district openers, with Bay City (2-3, 1-0) defeating Columbia 10-3 in a low-scoring contest at Memorial Stadium. 
   “Any time you start off district with a win, it’s a good thing. The boys did a great job in focusing and getting the win,” the coach said. 
   By contrast, Needville (3-2, 1-0) won over El Campo in game with 105 total points, with the Bluejays on top 64-41. 
   “This is a good football team with a group of young men who’ve played together for quite some time,” Matthews said about the Bluejays. 
   “Their offense is hitting on all cylinders and their defense is very strong. 
   “This is a good matchup - we’re looking forward to it.” 

   All Texans born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, and will be hunting by themselves in Texas are required to have successfully completed the Texas Hunter Safety Education course prior to hunting.  
   Course information can be found under the education tab of the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.  
   Those interested in taking the course will have to select the course of their choosing and register online before taking the class. The successful completion of the course is required only once in a lifetime.  
   The fee for the course is $15.  
   Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Matagorda County will offer one final class in October.  
   Course information is provided on the TPWD website or call the Matagorda County Extension office at 245-4100 for information or registration questions.  
   The information and registration for the scheduled class is listed below. 
   October 13 

   The Bay City Blackcats will begin District 13-4A-1 play this Friday after a lopsided win over Houston Westbury last week.
   Bay City (1-3) will host longtime rival Columbia (3-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, at Memorial Stadium.
   The Blackcats routed Westbury 44-12 here last Friday, Sept. 21 – behind senior quarterback Dylan Davidson’s four-touchdown passes - while Columbia edged La Marque 10-7 at home.
   After four games, Columbia has shown a preference on the running game, totaling 655 yards on the ground, compared to 495 yards in the air.
   However, it’s noteworthy the Roughnecks average 19.8 yards per reception and 5.6 yards per carry rushing.
   Columbia junior quarterback Cameron Ward is 25-46 for 491 total passing yards – a 122.8-yard average – with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

   VAN VLECK – The Van Vleck Leopards celebrated Homecoming night with a convincing 48-18 victory over Second Baptist.
   With the win, Van Vleck moves to 4-0 on the season with a big district opener against East Bernard looming this Friday.
   Both teams found the going tough in the first quarter as the defenses set the tone early.  
   The Leopards scored on their opening series in every game this season, but saw that streak end against Second Baptist.  Van Vleck took the opening kickoff and moved down the field, but an Eagle interception stopped the Leopard threat.
   The Leopard defense was stout, stopping Second Baptist quarterback Josh Johnson and the Eagles throughout the first quarter.
   Van Vleck reached the end zone early in the second period.  
   After taking the ball from their own 40-yard line, the Leopards mixed runs and passes during the drive to drive deep into Eagle territory.