Published: September 09, 2008 10:51 pm      

SLC Notebook: Kats to play as scheduled

SHSU, Prairie View game to take place Saturday night

It’s still up in the air as to where Hurricane Ike is going to make landfall this weekend. Talk this week had the hurricane headed toward Houston at one point, putting the Sam Houston State football game against Prairie View A&M on Saturday at Bowers Stadium in jeopardy.

Sam Houston State athletic director Bobby Williams said Tuesday afternoon there was talk about possibly moving the game to Friday or pushing the start time up earlier on Saturday, but with the hurricane now projected to head further south toward the Corpus Christi area, the contest is scheduled to go on as usual at 6 p.m.

Williams said they had talked with Huntsville High School athletic director and head football coach Mitchell Coey about moving the Hornets’ game against St. Pius to Thursday so the Bearkats could play Friday, if necessary.

“We explored several options, but right now we plan to play the game as it was originally scheduled,” Williams said. “We didn’t talk with Prairie View, but we did bring up the possibility of playing on Friday with coach Coey and moving the Hornets’ game to Thursday, but that’s about it.

“We are going to keep an eye on things and if we need to we will make any necessary adjustments. We are still playing on Saturday.”

The Bearkats (1-0) have gone about business as usual this week and haven’t let the hurricane become a distraction. The players and coaches have been focusing on the matchup with the Panthers, who will bring a 2-0 record to Bowers Stadium on Saturday after blowing out Texas Southern 34-14 on Aug. 30 and blanking Texas College 53-0 over the weekend.

The good news for Sam Houston, if the weather is sloppy Saturday, the Bearkats have a talented backfield that takes care of the ball and can move the chains. In the 58-14 season-opening victory over East Central Oklahoma, SHSU rushed for 264 yards.

“We are just preparing each day and dealing with everything one day at a time. In a situation like this, that is about all you can do,” SHSU head coach Todd Whitten said on Tuesday. “The great thing about football is that you have to adjust to conditions. It could be rainy this weekend but we have played and practiced in that before.

“We will be ready, and the main thing is that we just need to take care of the football and that can be hard in the driving rain.”



Another week without football

Nicholls State announced Tuesday it will not play its home game against Bowie State on Saturday. The Colonels’ John Guidry Stadium suffered lighting damage from Hurricane Gustav last week, forcing officials to cancel the game.

It is the second weekend in a row Nicholls State will not be playing. The Colonels were supposed to play their season opener at New Mexico State this past Saturday, but the game was called off so players could be with their families as Hurricane Gustav headed toward the Louisiana coast.

“I have decided that the safety of the players, coaches, fans and officials is of utmost importance,” Nicholls State President Stephen Hulbert said in a release. “Bowie State officials were also concerned about the unpredictability of Hurricane Ike and its impact on their travel plans.”

Hulbert also said that if the stadium lighting can’t be fixed this season, the Colonels will play their home games during the day.



SHSU soccer on a roll

The Sam Houston State soccer team is tearing things up right now. After the Bearkats polished off South Alabama 3-0 on Sunday, it marked the first time in the programs’ six-year history that Sam Houston had won three games in a row.

The Kats (3-2) dropped their first two games of the season to Rice and Houston, but bounced back with consecutive victories over Prairie View A&M and Colorado State-Pueblo before Sunday’s win.

Goalkeeper Jenny Pence has been lights out in the net for Sam Houston State. During the winning streak, Pence hasn’t allowed a goal in 225 minutes (she only played one half against Prairie View) and was named the Southland Conference Goalie of the Week on Tuesday.

Luana Miessa leads the Bearkats with four goals this season, while Britni Martin, Nereyda Garcia, Alison Oakland, Natalie Pantel, Raquel Bueno and Brittnay Foerstner have all scored one.

Sam Houston has some time off before trying to make it four wins in a row when Houston Baptist comes to Pritchett Field on Sept. 19.