High school boys basketball teams in the city and area annually compete for district championships and playoff berths. A-J Photo/Chase Perry

High school teams enjoy their share of success

Success is never far away when it comes to high school sports in Lubbock and in the surrounding areas.

Ther are six teams within the city limits: Coronado, Estacado, Lubbock High Monterey, Lubbock Christian and Trinity Christian. Eight other schools of varying sizes are located in Lubbock County: Frenship, Cooper, Roosevelt, Shallowater, Slaton, Idalou, New Deal and Abernathy.

Like most of Texas, high school football is king at most schools. Autumn Friday nights in the fall are spent at football fields across the area. The season begins in late August and runs through mid-November, with the state playoffs running through December.

Locally, Coronado, Estacado and Frenship can boast of the steepest traditions. All three schools have been to the playoffs throughout the last few decades. Shallowater, Idalou, New Deal and Abernathy have also made their marks in the lower classifications.

a-j photo / Jim Watkins A-J photo/Jim Watkins

When fall gives way to winter, high school basketball competition heats up around Lubbock County for boys and girls.

West Texas girls basketball is among the best in the state, and Lubbock County is no exception. Coronado and Monterey are perennial powers in Class 5A, while Shallowater, Slaton and Abernathy are among the more revered girls programs in the state.

The Lubbock Christian girls team won a state championship in 1999, as did the Trinity Christian boys team, giving Lubbock two of the premier Christian programs in the state.

Once spring arrives, high school baseball, softball and track and field take center stage.

There is never a shortage of Lubbock County athletes at the annual state track meet. Frenship pole vaulter Sage Thames is the two-time defending champion in the pole vault and has established Class 4A state records en route to those two titles.

In softball, Coronado and Frenship have established themselves as up-and-coming powers in their respective classes. Both won district championships in 2000 and advanced to the regional semifinals.

High school baseball in Lubbock County is as strong year in and year out and as steeped in tradition as any other area in the state. In Class 5A, Coronado and Monterey have dominated play over the last four decades, but Lubbock High has returned to prominence recently with consecutive playoff appearances Ð the Westerners' first since 1976.

Frenship is an established 4A power, with five playoff appearances in the last seven seasons. Estacado has been at that same level in several seasons.

Over the last two seasons, Cooper has blossomed into a regional Class 3A force with back-to-back district championships.

In TAPPS, both Lubbock Christian and Trinity Christian advanced to the state semifinals last season.

In addition to the five major sports, several other sports are sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League: volleyball, cross country, golf, wrestling, swimming, gymnastics and tennis.