SoHo Culture
South Houston’s Lane has changed the culture
Matt Malatesta
Dec 28, 2017, 7:00 am
Originally appeared on Vype.com.
The definition of winning is different for every school in Houston.
For some it’s a state title or bust, and for others making the playoffs is monumental.
For the South Houston Trojans, it goes a little deeper.
Keep in mind; the Trojans have won two playoff games in school history dating back to 1957.
Think about that. That’s 60 years.
Coach Dwayne Lane took the head job at South Houston in 2013 after being a long-time assistant in Clear Creek ISD and Dickinson.
Lane has led his squad to back-to-back playoff appearances, falling in the first round to Kingwood both times.
“We are pleased with the progress that we have made, but we are past moral victories,” he said. “I can see in the kids’ eyes that they are expecting to win playoff games. It’s a complete change in mindset from where we were and that’s the toughest part in changing a culture.”
South Houston has a different set of challenges that the super-schools don’t encounter.
The power programs struggle with parental politics, booster clubs and balancing playing time with their large rosters.
“Our hardest part is actually getting our kids on the field,” Lane laughed. “Our kicker, who is a stud and could kick in college, started to miss a lot of practice before the playoffs. He quit the team to join the Marines, just a few weeks ago. We had a defensive back whose dad took him out of a game at halftime and never returned.”
That’s South Houston. And that’s getting to games, not practices.
“I love our kids and their families, but it’s just different here,” he said. “They will miss practice to watch their little brother and sisters when their parents go to work. A lot of times our kids miss because they are at work.”
It’s a different culture, but Lane is making it work.
“My biggest thing is building relationships with my players,” he said. “I live by the motto that kids don’t know how much you know until they know how much you care. I have to take the first step and these kids know that our coaches care about them. Then we develop them as football players.
“All we really preach is work ethic, accountability and commitment,” he said. “I wish we could teach more football schemes, but that’s what we install first and foremost.”
Lane also understands the importance of the big-men.
“You have to win at the Class 6A level in the trenches, so we love those guys up,” he said. “We don’t have ‘skill players’, we have ‘little skills’ and ‘big skills.’ When it’s time to eat pregame, we let the big guys go first. It starts up front and they have paid off huge for us.”
In the regular season, SOHO was the top offense in District 22-6A, averaging 380 yards per game. The offensive line was paramount in that success, but so were senior back Davion Williams and junior quarterback Torrence Stevens. Junior Ian Butler was the leading pass-catcher in the district as well.
Defensively, Sam Webb, linebacker Ethan Ponce and Everardo Martinez will be back in the mix in 2018.
“We are going to keep building off what we have done the past two seasons,” he said. “We have
a great nucleus coming back, who expects to win that playoff game.”
Football is a numbers game and the numbers are stacked against South Houston. But again it goes back to the definition of winning.
“It’s so rewarding so see these kids develop into something bigger than football,” Lane said. “Our trainer has been here for over
20 years, and when we had our awards ceremony last year for our football team and we recognized 24 seniors, she couldn’t believe it. It’s the most that she could ever remember. That’s how we are defining winning.”
This year the Trojans will recognize over 30 seniors and field two freshmen, two junior varsity teams, and a varsity team.
This article appeared in the December Issue of VYPE Magazine. Pick up your copy at any one of our locations today!
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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