SETCA names five locals coaches of year
Published 4:56 pm Saturday, December 16, 2017
Scott Carter has just won another title.
The Southeast Texas Coaches Association named the Port Neches-Groves skipper its baseball coach of the year, six months after leading the Indians to their first state baseball title in 5A. Carter received a similar honor from the Texas Sports Writers Association in August and is the District 22-5A coach of the year.
“It’s been a real good honor to represent this area,” Carter said. “With the competition level, the coaches are so good. It’s really an honor to be recognized.”
Carter won his first Texas state title in four seasons at PNG after moving from Sweeny. The 27-year head coaching veteran won two state championships in Louisiana at Sacred Heart High School in Ville Platte in the 1990s.
“Moving to Southeast Texas, with the high competition level and the number of quality coaches, it’s where you want to be,” Carter said.
Under Carter, PNG finished 34-8-2, won the District 22-5A championship for the third year in a row and defeated defending champion Grapevine in the June 10 title game in Round Rock. Carter also mentors the writers’ 5A player of the year, Josh Hranicky.
Port Arthur Memorial’s Darrell Granger was rewarded for the Titans’ postseason excellence with his third SETCA coach of the year honor in boys track and field. Granger’s 4×200-meter relay team set a national record and the 4×100 team came within 0.04 second of taking down another national mark in May’s 5A state meet, where Kary Vincent Jr. won his second 200-meter championship for the Titans. Memorial finished second overall to Manvel for the second time in three years.
“I’m honored to be able to get that award again because of the success in the program and how we’ve grown the last three years,” Granger said. “It’s just a testament to the success of the kids at Port Arthur Memorial.”
The Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association gave Granger a similar award in July.
Two more PNG coaches, Barbara Comeaux in girls golf and Chad Luttrull in boys soccer, received SETCA’s honors, as well, as did Nederland girls tennis coach Jorge Lopez.
Comeaux, also known as the winningest volleyball coach in Texas history (1,239 wins), guided the Indians to the District 22-5A championship, making it a school sweep with the boys team achieving the honor. Karlei Hemler, now a McNeese State freshman, won the individual title for the third year in a row and qualified for the 5A state tournament.
Although not honored for volleyball this year, Comeaux’s PNG team finished 29-6 and 14-0 in 22-5A, having won 17 straight before losing its 5A area round match to Santa Fe.
Luttrull gave PNG another unbeaten district run in boys soccer, where the Indians reached the area round before falling to Houston Furr in an 11-10 shootout.
Lopez, Nederland’s tennis coach since the 1990-91 school year, guided the Bulldogs to the 22-5A team tennis championship and the Region III quarterfinal round, its highest finish since 1993. He also coaches two-time defending district singles champion Jayci Wong.
Other notable SETCA coaches of the year include: W.T. Johnston, Newton football; Dena Adkins, Little Cypress-Mauriceville boys cross country; Stephanie Williams, Orangefield girls cross country; Joe Sigler, Silsbee boys basketball; and Patrick Thomas, West Brook boys tennis.
Ricky Prine and Terry Falgout were named Referees of the Year, and VYPE Southeast Texas editor and former KBMT-TV sportscaster Ashly Elam was named media person of the year.
The honorees will be honored in a ceremony at noon Jan. 27 at the MCM Elegante hotel in Beaumont.
•
I.C. Murrell: 549-8541. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews