WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[play4fun]

Have you seen the list of 14U attending the HOF in MAY? This thing is going to be enormous....40 teams so far and we still have 2 months to go. With all the top teams coming from all over Texas, this will be a tournament to WATCH!!!!! This will definatley be the battle of the best!!!!!

I hope Ft.Worth is ready for this!!!!!!

1. Hearts of Texas
2. McKinney Fireballs
3. 94 Fort Worth Batbusters 14U (Montoya)
4. 94 TEXAS XTREME
5. 94 Texas Elite (Floyd)
6. 95 High Voltage Cobras
7. Texas Glory (Elliott)
8. Flower Mound Rage
9. American Freedom
10. 93 Texas Travelers (splash)
11. Texas Fusion 14U (Poole)
12. Texas Glory (Houston)
13. San Antonio HITT 14U- Jaci
14. Texas Fusion (Sidwell)
15. Texas Glory 94
16. Texas Bombers 94
17. SK Tazers
18. STE08(ALICE)
19. 93 Austin Stars
20. 14U Texas Hawks
21. Texas Bombers 93
22. Texas Peppers 14U
23. SHADOWS
24. Texas Rapid Fire (Schroeder)
25. TEXAS SHA-BANG
26. Brownwood Heat
27. Texas Heat (Dozier)
28. Corps 14U (Thompson)
29. 94 High Voltage Cobras
30. Diamond Dusters
31. WEST TEXAS NV
32. Austin Storm 14U
33. ODESSA ANGELS
34. SC Mean Green
35. 93 Tomboys (Stech)
36. GT Shockers
37. Houston Power 14U
38. Round Rock Crush
39. Turn 2
40. Texas Pride (Velasquez)

[sportzjunky]

No kidding.. nice list. What ever happened to the Anderson Cats 94? did that team pool into some of these others? they are better then 1/3 of that field from my memory.

isnt Turn 2 an Oklahoma team? and is this the team that won AFA 12U last year? That team is also pretty good.

is Tomboys a Arkansas team?

[play4fun]

Turn 2 shows to be from Lubbock and Tomboys are from Mansfield. There is a team from Oklahoma named Turn 2 and they are good but this is a different team.

Not sure about the Anderson Cats

[sportzjunky]

Thanks, good luck to your daughters team!

[play4fun]

Thanks... are the two teams that made up the South Texas 8's on the abouve list?
Just trying to see who to look out for..... basically I know that it is just about EVERYONE!!!

[DonnieS]

>> are the two teams that made up the South Texas 8's on the abouve list? <<

Yes, South Texas HotStuff will be there in the 18u bracket but k is the only kid from HotStuff that plays with the 8's.

[3Bsnag]

I know we have a couple of months before it's set, but where are all the 16U teams for HOF & National Qualifiers? Is everyone busy with HS ball or do we have a gap between a very heavy & talented 12/14U pool and teams deciding to just move to Gold?
HOF qualifier
12U- 23 teams
14U- 40 teams
16U- 9 teams
18U- 6 teams

Just curious.

[play4fun]

I think maybe a little of both. On the same weekend I found that there are 42-18U teams signed up in McKinney; they are a mixture of 16U and 18U. There are also about 16 teams signed up in other various tournaments. I guess they are all either trying for gold or just don't find the HOF important. I will have to wait until my daughter reaches that age group to find out their reasoning.

14U is impressive!!!!! These teams want to face each other!!! Maybe the coaches have figured out what makes them better and this is why the 14U age group is getting stronger. Is this why some of the top 12U play 14U? Good job 14U....keep up the good work!

12U is trying to catch up but many teams still avoid each other at times. I found that there are 15 teams signed up in other tournaments that weekend. I know that Texas National Qualifier is also the same weekend but the competition is obviously going to be at the HOF.

[catdad]

This does shape up to be a best of the best tournament.

Sportzjunky, after a very successful 2 year run in 12u the Anderson Cats disbanded.
No meltdown or anything the team was just made up of players with a variety of interests.
Volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, etc...
Lots of good kids and good parents just not all on board for playing a 100 games a year.
1 now plays for 93 Travelers(Splash), 3 play for East Texas Force, 1 plays for 95 Sneaky Cleats,
2 play with local teams, and 2 play rec ball and pickup occasionally.
E.T. Force did make a nice showing in the recent Allen tournament, didn't win many games
but only lost by one to Glory(Elliot) and lost by one to Fusion(Sidwell) in their first major tournament after reforming.

Good luck to all, see you at the fields.

[Lori]

I know the 16u tourneys are really shallow this year...but it is still early.

As far as the qualifiers, look at all the traveling they have to do this year....

HOF in Midland
Nat. Qualifier in Katy(Houston)
Regionals in Houston
Nationals in Kentucky
So. Nationals in Florida

For any teams in DFW, that is a hell of a lot of travelling, so maybe they are picking and choosing what to play this year. I know a lot of true 16u teams have moved to 18u or 18u GOLD for the competition. Go look at most of the 16u tourneys set for this year and you will see them loaded with 14u teams playing up..primarily 93 teams, 94 teams and even some 95 teams playing.

This is basically forcing all of the better 16u teams to play 18u as it is so they don't have to face younger weaker teams. Keep in mind just becasue the younger teams can beat the older teams doesn't necessarily mean they are better...case in point---95 Glory last year winning a 16u tourney in Fort Worth...they had a pitcher throwing 35 mph on the outside corner, with umpires calling it every time. Only 1 team scored on them in bracket play, and they shut everyone else out..due to the slow slow pitching and generous strike zone. I will give kudos to the pitcher for being able to throw the ball where she needed to, and my hat is off...but noone can say the competition level was the same. Glory is a great team, for their age, don't get me wrong, but why seriously play a 16u tourney as a 1st yr 12u team?

Instances like this is what forces 16u teams to play 18u for 4 yrs and why you see so few 16u teams in championship play.