Archive : May 2005

May 28, 2005

Green To Represent Texas

Sweetwater High School athlete Skye Green has been chosen to represent Texas at the 2005 Great Southwest Track and Field Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., which is scheduled for June 2-4.

Green, who placed second in the Class 3A 100-meter dash at the 2005 state track meet, will compete in the 100 and 200 dash and also run the third leg on the 4 x 100-meter relay. The other members of the relay are Class 5A 100 dash champion Matthew Harding of South Garland; Dominique Stafford of Crowley, the 100 dash champion in Class 4A; and Brandon James of Cuero, the Class 3A 200 dash champion.

The meet features three relay events (4 x 800, 4 x 400 and 4 x 100).

The Great Southwest Classic is recognized as one of the top four postseason regional or national track and field invitational meets in the nation, and provides outstanding boys and girls athletes in each state an opportunity to compete in a regional invitational meet. For the past 29 years, many of the athletes have received scholarships to college as a result of their performance at the meet, in addition to being invited to national invitational meets.

Many of the athletes competing at the Southwest Classic have gone on to compete in the Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic Trials and the NCAA Championships

May 25, 2005

Copeland to play at ACU

By RON HOWELL/Reporter Sports Editor
Alan Copeland's lack of size didn't keep him from becoming an all-district fullback as well as a solid linebacker at Sweetwater High School for the past two seasons.

Now the 5-7, 190-pounder is continuing his football career at NCAA Division II Abilene Christian University, where he will also be used at fullback and linebacker for the Wildcats.

Copeland's decision was announced by SHS football coach and athletic director Kent Jackson at a ceremony held Monday at the school library.

Copeland has also played basketball and competed in track during his high school career, and was recently an alternate at the state track meet in Austin. He becomes the seventh SHS athlete this spring to continue his athletic career in college.

Copeland rushed for 785 yards and 11 touchdowns, while averaging 7.4 yards per carry, this past season in helping the Mustangs finish 11-3 and advance to the Class 3A quarterfinals. He was second only to quarterback Jeremy Thompson on the team in rushing.

Copeland and Thompson will play together again a final time in less than two weeks, at the Myrle Greathouse Fellowship of Christian Athletes Classic in Abilene, before going their separate ways. However, they will face each other in college on op-posite sides because Thompson has signed to play with Eastern New Mexico Universi-ty, which is in ACU's conference.

"We're excited about it," Copeland said. "We plan to remain friends, but it will be fun to see him on the other side."

Jackson credited Copeland's success at SHS not only to his athletic ability but also his work ethic and unselfish attitude, adding, "I think that's the reason he will make it over there (at ACU). I think he's got a tremendous chance to do well."

Copeland said that because ACU is a Christian school it would challenge him in the spiritual realm as well as in athletics and academics. "I wanted to find something that would make me a better person, and I felt at ACU I would have a chance to do that," he said. "I give it all to God and I want to thank my coaches here for all of their support."

Copeland said he was "really excited" that his grandmother, Jimmie Smith, was at Monday's ceremony. He also said that red has always been his favorite color, but that will change now that he will be playing at ACU. "I'll have to get used to purple."

But his fondest memory here is seeing the sea of Red at Sweetwater's games, plus "the tradition and pride we take in suiting up in red each week."

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