Sports

The Stephenville Honeybees volleyball team is playing its final matches before the District 6-4A opener Sept. 27 at Mineral Wells.

STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State Football improved to 2-1 Sept. 7 in impressive fashion, cruising over Houston Christian on the road 35-18. Voters have taken notice, and elevated the Texans in both polls by several spots, nearing the top-15.

Texan football may have a bye week thanks to their Week 0 contest, but that doesn't mean the rest of Tarleton State sports get a break from the action.

HOUSTON — On their third starting quarterback in their third game, the Texans needed a quarter to get going offensively. When things started to click in the second quarter, paired with a strong defense, there was no stopping No. 20/21 ranked Tarleton State on Saturday night. The Texans (2-1) had five different players score a touchdown, including three in the second quarter, to knock off Houston Christian (0-2) at Husky Stadium in Houston 35-18. This was the first time Tarleton State played at HCU, and the Texans left their purple imprint, improving to 2-0 in the series with a total 84-25 margin of victory. Tarleton rushed for 267 yards on the night, led by the dynamic duo of Kayvon Britten and Derrel Kelley III. Britten raced for 152 yards on 26 carries (5.8 YPC) and his first touchdown of the season, while Kelley ran for 108 yards on 23 carries (4.7 YPC) and his second touchdown of the year.

STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State Men's Basketball will be competing internationally for the first time in its D1 era at the 2024 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship, Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center. The last time the Texans competed outside of the continental 48 states, the Texans embarked to the US Virgin Islands in 2022. Tarleton competed in the Paradise Jam, touting a 2-1 record and a trip to the Championship game. During the run, the Texans earned their first victory against a "Power Five Conference" opponent a 70-54 victory against Boston College. "The Baha Mar event is an extremely competitive event that we are looking forward to competing in," said head coach Billy Gillispie. "The teams are good and the venue is fantastic. It will be a great experience for our players to see new things in a different part of the world as we continue our quest to develop a top-level Division 1 basketball powerhouse." The Texans will play three games in the Nassau Championship. Tarleton will open the tournament with the first match-up against the Iona Gaels. Head coach Tobin Anderson leads the Gaels in his second season after arriving from 2023 NCAA Tournament Cinderella Farleigh Dickinson. The game will be slotted at 2 p.m. Tarleton will then play the Hofstra Pride on Friday afternoon after 4:30 p.m. Finally, the Texans will take on 2024 NIT runners-up Indiana State Sycamores. The game will close out the non-bracketed, three-game six-team event at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Past winners include Toledo (2021), UNC Wilmington (2022) and UNC Greensboro (2023). Toledo earned a bid to the NIT in the 2021-22 season after their championship in the Bahamas. The Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship (Nov. 29-Dec. 1) is one of three events that make up Baha Mar Hoops – the largest regular-season event in the sport of college basketball featuring nearly 20 NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball teams competing in 21 games over 11 days. The remarkable Baha Mar resort serves as the backdrop to this basketball showcase. Anchored by Grand Hyatt and featuring SLS Baha Mar and Rosewood Baha Mar, the resort is situated on 1,000 acres overlooking Nassau's famous turquoise ocean waters. The destination resort boasts more than 2,300 rooms, the largest casino in the Caribbean, a $200 million luxury water park, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, the Caribbean's first and only flagship ESPA Spa and a collection of more than 45 restaurants and lounges. Full Schedule

Football teams can’t look past their next opponent. That said, the top-ranked Stephenville Yellow Jackets hope the momentum from a dominating 38-3 rout of Class 5A Midlothian Heritage in the Aug. 30 opener sets the tone for the remainder of the 2024 season.

The Stephenville Honeybees volleyball team lost another starter during the Aug. 30-31 Stephenville Showcase as sophomore Hannah Stacy went down with an ankle injury.

Silver medalist honored

STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State guard Jakorie Smith joins Lue Williams and KiAndre Gaddy as the third player from the 2023-24 Texans to sign a professional basketball contract. Smith has signed to play professionally overseas with the K.B. Golden Eagle Ylli in the Kosovo-Superliga. Smith becomes the seventh Texan in the last two years to sign a pro contract joining Lue Williams, KiAndre Gaddy, Shakur Daniel, Tre Gipson, Tahj Small and Rod Brown in the professional ranks. Last season, Smith helped the Texans to a D1 era best 25-10 record, 16-4 WAC record, WAC semifinals appearance and a CIT semifinal appearance. At the end of the season, Smith was selected to the WAC First Team, the first Texan to receive the honor. He was named WAC Player of the Week and the SoCal Challenge Sand Division MVP for his 28-point scoring effort against Austin Peay. He earned Academic All-WAC honors after the season for his outstanding work in the classroom. Smith set five Texan D1 Era single season records. His 549 points is the most in D1 era and tied for the 14th most in program history. He averaged 15.7 points per game, sixth in the WAC and second most in Texan D1 era Smith made 194 field goals and attempted 480 and made 66 from three-point land while attempting 204, all four setting new Tarleton D1 records.

STEPHENVILLE — Former All-Big 12 first baseman and Weatherford native Dustin Williams joins Tarleton State Baseball's staff as an assistant coach.