Alumni report: Davis adjusting to life as Bulldog

Major college football now has 35 bowl games.

And freshman Brandon Davis isn’t playing in any of them.

The former Granbury High standout, who was a backup running back for Louisiana Tech this season, still doesn’t understand why his 9-3 team (4-2 in the Western Athletic Conference) is watching at home. Meanwhile, teams such as 6-6 Rice and 6-6 Air Force are playing (against each other, no less).

“It’s sad. We know we can beat a lot of those teams,” said Davis.

“We had a good team that deserved to play in a bowl game.”

The Bulldogs were actually offered a spot in the Independence Bowl. However, then coach Sonny Dykes said he’d rather wait on a bid to a bigger bowl before accepting.

The Independence Bowl folks, as might be expected, said no and issued their invite to someone else. The bid to a larger bowl never came, Dykes left to become the head coach at Cal, and Davis and his teammates became probably the best team in the country not to be in the postseason.

“All of the seniors really took it hard,” said Davis. “Everybody knew coach Dykes was leaving.”

Davis had a flash of success this season, rushing for 85 yards on 14 carries in a 70-28 win over Idaho. Overall, he carried 21 times for 112 yards, but did not reach the end zone, one of his top goals next season.

“Oh yeah,” he said with a grin.

Davis now has a new head coach to impress, Skip Holtz, son of legendary coach Lou Holtz.

“It’s a fresh start for everybody. Coach Holtz doesn’t know anyone else any more than he knows me,” said Davis.

“I’m excited about playing for him.”

With a player ahead of him on the depth chart graduating, Davis is hoping to see even more playing time as a sophomore.

Davis is also excited about moving into a new league, Conference USA. The Bulldogs defeated two members of that conference this season, Houston (56-49) and Rice (56-37).

“It’ll be fun going into a new league, and there’s some good teams there,” he said. “I think adding us will only make it even better.”

VOLLEYBALL

Madison Martin, Louisiana-Monroe, fr. – After a sterling career as a Granbury Lady Pirate, she made an immediate impact in college. She played in 16 matches for the 5-18 Lady Warhawks (1-13 in the Sun Belt Conference), posting 41 kills, 18 blocks and 63 defensive digs.

Madisson Martin, Lamar, soph. – Also a former Lady Pirate, and former teammate of the other Martin, she played in 26 matches for the 10-22 Lady Cardinals (2-16 in the Southland Conference). She was second on the team with 423 assists, third in blocks (51) and fourth in aces served (12). She also had 72 kills.

Stacy Wilson, University of Texas at Tyler, soph. – Another former member of the coach Tammy Clark’s Lady Pirates, Wilson played in a dozen matches for the Lady Patriots (13-17, 5-11 in American Southwest Conference). She was fifth on the team with 76 kills and also had 13 blocks.

Krystal Wunderlich, Dallas Baptist, jr. – A standout her first two seasons, including an All-American as a sophomore, the former Lady Pirate took a medical redshirt this season with an injury.

SOCCER

Dylan Slaughter, UT-Permian Basin, jr. – The former Granbury Pirate started all 18 games for the 6-12 Falcons (4-6 in the Heartland Conference) as a defender. He helped them to three shutouts late in the season, and he scored a goal while taking just shots on goal.

Katie Knapp, Northwood, soph. – The former Granbury Lady Pirate helped the Lady Knights to an 11-4-2 record (7-1-2 in the Heart of Texas Conference). They posted six shutouts, including three straight in a late-season stretch run, and outscored their opponents 32-5 over the final 10 games.

Lori Horn, Howard Payne, sr. – The midfielder and former Lady Pirate played in 12 games, starting one, as the Lady Jackets finished 6-9 (6-6 in the American Southwest Conference). She posted one assist.

FOOTBALL

Tyler Wright, Tarleton, fr. – While he has been at the school two years, Wright is still technically a freshman in terms of eligibility. The wide receiver who led the charge in helping the Granbury Pirates end a drought of more than three decades without a bidistrict appearance has redshirted each of the past two seasons for the Texans. However, he is excited about finally playing in a college game next season.

“I can’t wait,” said Wright, who was in Granbury for a late season Pirate game. “It’s been tough not being able to play, but I know when I get out there I’m going to be healthy and ready to go.

“I know I can make a difference, and I’m ready to show it.”

Clayton Adams, Angelo State, fr. – In his first season after helping the Granbury Pirates return to the playoffs, Adams posted no stats as the Rams finished 5-6.

CROSS COUNTRY

Baillee Trumble, Howard Payne, soph. – Better known for her pitching success in softball, Trumble joined the cross country squad this season. She proved herself to be a solid addition to the team, finishing second among HPU runners in two meets, Hardin-Simmons (19th overall) and McMurry (43rd overall).

Trumble is also the Lady Jackets’ top pitcher. She was 9-7 last season, leading the team in wins, games started (20), and was second in innings pitched (104.2), shutouts (2) and complete games (5). She also struck out 31, walked 21 and had a 3.41 ERA.

Brady Timmons, Howard Payne, fr. – The former Granbury Pirate football player opted to become a distance runner in college, and it appears to be a good choice. He was third on the team in the American Southwest Conference Meet (66th overall). In other meets, he was 42nd overall at Hardin-Simmons, 53rd at McMurry, and 58th in San Antonio.

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Category: Sports Archived