he guys it's Vince deliso from The Varsity Sports show I wanted to take a moment to actually welcome our brand new intern team for the fall of 2024 we have nearly 70 broadcast journalism interns from across the country joining us and you're going to hear some great content that spans the country plus we're going to cover a lot of local things I think we're off to a good start we've got a great team today our co-hosts are jir Johnson out of Indianapolis Indiana who's a virtual uh broadcast student from Arizona State University's kronite School of mass communications and our very own anahid kusian Enriquez from the University of Houston also want to thank from the bottom of my heart some great partners that have uh really been proactive in helping us establish the internship here in in the Houston area and out of Texas Southern University Dr Clyde Duncan Jr and out of the University of Houston Christina Warner thank you so much for your help in helping provide opportunities to students and we want to do more keep an eye out we are going to be live streaming some football games this fall giving our broadcast team even more experience out there in calling games and be put in real life situations uh during broadcast so it's going to be a lot of fun and we really appreciate you our listening audience the interns that join us and ESPN 975 925 Houston enjoy the [Music] show this is the Varsity Sports show on ESPN 975 and 925 your home for youth High school college sports and you empowering education and enabling dreams Welcome to The Varsity Sports show on ESPN 975 925 Houston I'm jir Johnson from Arizona State University I'm excited to be one of your hosts today on today's show we will start with Julia coin on the University of Houston men's football with a season recap Adrian Carmona with a Florida Gator men's football report in Roberto isoro with a Houston cross country preview but first I want to tell you about this amazing opportunity that I have received which is an internship with the Varsity Sports show I applied then received an opportunity to be an intern at the Varsity Sports show based out of Arizona I live in Indiana and I am from Indianapolis and I am able to participate with the Varsity Sports show remotely currently I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Mass Communications and media studies which is a part of the Walter kronite School of Journalism and mass communications however I was admitted into ASU through the Uber Eats and Starbucks program working with either Uber Uber eat or Starbucks provides individuals with an opportunity to go to Arizona State University as a benefit of their programs if you are a student interested interested in the internship with this amazing company from The Varsity Sports show follow our social media on X formerly Twitter at Varsity show and check out our website at Varsity Sports show.com hi everyone this is Roberto storo for the Varsity Sports show cross country is a sport that takes guts and stamina Runners Sprint Jog and even in some special occasions crawl to the Finish Line they do this for their personal times and for their teams this is no different in Houston Texas in November which is coming sooner rather than later the university inter Scholastic league in Texas will have its Championship races 1A 3A and 5A schools will race on the first while 2A 4 a and 6A schools will race on the second there's still some time between them and students and coaches are giving their awe to be there qualifiers District meets Regional meets and even team practices give students an opportunity to reach and be competitive in the championship run Runners can be in 5K and 3,200 M races because it is the fourth largest city in the US popul population wise Houston has high schools competing in 3A 4A 5A and 6A they also have multiple regions in those divisions Houston high schools like Clear Lake and Cyprus Springs in 6A had strong Runners last year finishing with top 50 times in the state specifically in district 14 and 6A MacArthur High School has continued their domination from last year with multiple Runners having top five times MacArthur like many more schools in Houston will look to continue their dominance in their districts while pushing to become State powerhouses reporting for the Varsity Sports show Roberto AA hello I'm maor Carmona from the University of Florida for the Varsity Sports show Billy Napier and the Florida Gator will enter what most analysts believe to be a Mak Or Break season in 2024 and their work is cut off for them after two straight losing seasons in the first two years of neighbors's tenure the gator will have to face their hardest schedule under Napier and will many believe to be the toughest schedule with all of college football Florida is the only School this year to face 11 power Conference teams this fall to kick off the year they face number 19 Miami in the swamp the schedule was not too tough to round out October with games against Samford Texas A&M Mississippi State UCF Tennessee and Kentucky however they face a gauntlet in November which includes five top 25 teams the stretch begins with their annual Meetup with Georgia in Jacksonville they then travel to Texas to take on the newest SEC Edition they will face LSU and Old Miss at home and then finish off 2024 in Tallahassee to take on FSU with the hardest schedule in college football the Gators face a tall task in 2024 from The Varsity Sports show I'm Adrian Carmona I'm Julia coin at Arizona State University for the Varsity Sports show the University of Houston Cougars had a rough year last year with an overall record of 4-8 and going second to last in the Big 12 quarterback Donovan Smith will be entering his senior year as a couger after transferring from Texas Tech after his sophomore year at a solid 65 and 235 lb Donovan threw for 2800 total yards in the 2023 season while also facing a shoulder injury he received surgery after the season and is supposed to be back at 100% for this 2024 season a new head coaching era arises with head coach Willie Fritz from Tain Tain went 23 and 4 in the past 2 years and participated in a bow game the past five out of his six seasons one of his most impressive wins was in 2022 when Tain beat Caleb Williams and USC in the Cotton Bowl this is what coach Fritz has to say about his plans for this upcoming season as University of Houston's new head coach just want to go one and0 every week and you know when the game's over you press that reset button and you you go after the next opponent to the best of your ability and I really think it's you know it's so important to not waste these days of preparation coming up you know I it's uh we work year round for these 12 opportunities and there's going to be 11 of them at you know 9:30 on you know Saturday night so we want to we want to do prepare and play the very best we possibly can and see where that takes us University of Houston is hoping for a new era with Varsity Sports show I'm Julia Co good afternoon my fellow Varsity Sports fans this is s Shahid from Tempa University with your Philadelphia and PA high school football report where we dive into the action and the excitement of the local grd iron today we'll highlight a key player that we will keep our eyes on for this upcoming football season right here in PA we have quarterback from Roman Catholic samaj bills last year samaj and the Roman Catholics were 9 and3 in their football season quotes such as he is not human go to show the influence Z has on his team and on his fans within the Roman Catholic fan base and environment we are so excited to see match ups such as Cardinal O'Hare and L sou college versus samach bill and the Roman Catholics we will have to see how Cardinal O'Hare performs against the Roman Catholic team the o'hare's own running back Deshawn Foster as he enters last season we'll see how he performs with O'Hare and a game against Roman Catholics that's all for this week's Philadelphia High School football report thank you so much for tuning in and be sure to to join us next week for more updates and highlights until next time this is s Shahed signing off this is Nick Ferman from Arizona State University reporting for the Varsity Sports show well it's that time of year for the Texas Southern Tigers to strap on the helmets and Lace the cleats up for the 2024 football season Tigers come into the season with a new head coach with 13 years of NFL playing experience and 19 years of coaching experience Chris Dishman was named to be the 18th head coach in Texas Southern University history Dishman played for the Houston Oilers the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL dishman's coaching experience was on display in the NFL NFL Europe CFL XFL usfl college football and a stop in at IMG Academy Dishman comes to this historic HBCU in Texas Southern with an abundance of coaching experience with his last coaching stop in XFL with the Las Vegas vipers as our defensive coordinator Dishman says that he is a technique driven coach and wants his players to be productive on and off the field for their communities and their families Dishman believes his recruiting skills are one of the best things about him as a coach the Tigers should be excited for the future of their football program with disman at the Reigns of it Tigers wenton 3 and8 last season in the southwestern Athletic Conference Tigers haven't had a winning season in the last several years will Dishman be able to change the culture and bring an expect to win attitude to Texas Southern this season and Beyond Varsity Sports I'm ni Ferman reporting stick around because we will be right back with the Varsity Sports show on ESN 975 925 Houston don't move one muscle we will hurry and continue with the show after the break ESPN 975 hello everyone my name is Adrien Carona at I am very excited to be joining The Varsity Sports show team as their gamesville correspondent I am a third-year sports media major at the University of Florida and my dream is to become a sports broadcaster and radio host I can't wait to provide you all with the best content and news surrounding Gainesville Sports can you Houston get ready to rumble with the Hall of Fame on ESPN Radio that's right Booker we're bringing the heat Tuesday through Friday right here on the Houston Airways on 975 and 925 we've got the exclusive scoop on Wrestling Boxing and everything in between join us for the smackdown of Sports Talk and don't miss a moment of the action the Hall of Fame now can you dig that suck research shows that highquality teachers have the greatest impact on Student Success during the school day by shaping their students they are shaping the future yet while actors have Oscars musici have Grammys and athletes have gold medals exemplary Educators who prepare every profession are just not recognized enough the milk and educator Awards set out to change that by surprising outstanding Educators Across the Nation with $25,000 prizes and providing a platform to celebrate Elevate and activate the profession Erica Steven the awards were created by L milin of the national nonprofit mil Family Foundation the journey to surprising the 3,000th milen educator is in full swing who will be next honey they choose me celebrate teachers value teachers thank teachers innovation has always been the Hallmark of pro dunk basketball goals their latest invention is a game changer Jeremy brandom here produnk goals have been adjustable for years allowing you to raise and lower the height of your goal but now now you can use their patent pending lightning adjust feature to change the height 10 times faster it's so easy and fun to do check out the new lightning adjust feature at prod dunk. comom the best basketball goals on the planet prod dunk. comom Houston get ready because Red Bull is bringing an action-packed Formula 1 exhibition to Houston's Discovery Green September 7 Paul Gant here the Red Bull showrun will offer fans of all ages access to a massive outdoor popup exhibition featuring two championship winning F1 cars that will take over the streets of downtown htown to pull off Flawless donuts and roaring burnouts the event is free for the general public no ticket needed bring your family bring your friends come on out learn more at Red bull.com showon Houston we're going abroad for the first time in years to Spain but we don't speak Spanish so we started using Babel and started learning Spanish fast with Babel you can start having conversations in another language in just 3 weeks Babel's conversational method teaches you real life words and phrases and with Babel's interactive bite-sized lessons you'll remember what you learned when you learn a language you want to actually use it Babel is designed with that goal in mind in just 3 weeks we're starting to have conversations in Spanish a he just said I'm very excited to go to Spain with you and that means we're going to have a lot lot of fun gracias Babel Babel language for Life celebrating 10 million subscriptions sold now try Babel for free at babel.com just go to babel.com and start learning a new language today that's babel.com b a BB [Music] l.com you're listening to The Varsity Sports show on ESPN 975 and 925 welcome back to The Varsity Sports show on espn975 925 Houston I'm jir Johnson from Indianapolis Indiana and student at Arizona State University this segment we will feature Jesse Davis with a Houston Texans season preview tomasa Perez with the University of Texas football preview Riley Garcia with Houston Feelgood news florencio de la Toro with a Texas High School tennis report and Nick Ferman with a Texas Southern University football preview although first we will get into our interview with a powerlifter from South Bend Indiana Who Am I who am I here with today laasia puit laaser puit and where is laasia puit from I am from South Bend Indiana what is your current involvement with sports my current involvement in sports I'm a powerlifter I've been powerlifting since 2017 and then I began competing an actual powerlifting competitions in 2019 can you tell me two important and pivotal moments that happened in your life that confirmed that this was the path for you yeah absolutely so one important thing is that I always wanted to be in sports with people who look like me and so it's important for me to not only see representation but also be representation from other people I have two younger sisters who are brown and I I think it's important for for brown women especially and then for other brown people to see people doing things in sports that may not necessarily be um populated by you know black and brown people so that's one of the things that um confirm that this was the path for me and the other thing is I just love being active I love movement I love sports and when you powerlift it's pretty much just you versus you I am in a pretty low weight class so a lot of the times I'm just competing against myself so I get to just see how far I come each time I compete who are a few people that help you get to this point and how were these people able to help you succeed yeah so there's been so many people actually that have helped me get to this point so many people that I can't necessarily pinpoint you know one two or three but a lot of different coaches a lot of people who have spoken life into me and who believed in me and who kind of seen the Vision before I did that I could even power lift that I am as strong as I am so just to kind of sum it up multiple different coaches and mentors and my family have all been pretty helpful in helping me and continuing to help me succeed that's great that they can speak life to um help you succeed that is that's a good thing all right so the next question is what are any accolades or rewards that you have received in this field yeah so I have received U multiple Indiana State records for powerlifting I received um let me take a look here so I can pull them up so I can make sure I am giving you the most accurate information in regards to this but I've received a ton of well I won't say a ton but I've received a few Indi Indiana State records so one that I'm looking at now is I received the raw record for the highest bench press at my weight class um for one of the competitions that I competed in back in 2022 yeah okay okay thank you and that that's that's great you like are teaching me things every day about you that's new okay so how did receiving these Awards make you feel and what were the people's responses to you winning these Awards like friends family um haters anybody that you compete against just anybody in general what were their reactions when you won this or just somebody that stands out when you um received your accolades yeah so the first question question you asked was how did I receive or how did I feel when I received the awards um I felt really grateful and just really happy and it allowed me to see that I am actually working towards something and I am actually good at a thing and it's more than just a hobby but it's something that makes me feel fulfilled so I'm just very grateful and glad that I was able to succeed in something that I put a lot of effort into and then what were the people's responses to me when I won um so the people that support me they were just really continuously supportive of me um they were happy to be a part of the moment of me you know lifting the weight and then winning the award so just a lot of support and continuous support that I'm grateful for as well what is the best part of your current sports related career yeah so the best part of this I would say is the opportunity to really just continuously see how far I can go and how far I can grow when you're passionate about a thing you do it what are your plans for your sports related career in the near future my plans are to make it to the National stage and maybe even the world stage right now I just do it for like you know Indiana so it's pretty much just specific to the state but I haven't gotten any big big stages I haven't gotten any big stages just yet so I hope that I can be be healthy and all of my limbs and whatnot work well so that way I can I can get there this is Jesse Davis from the Walter kronite School of Journalism and mass communication at Arizona State University reporting for the Varsity Sports show today I will be doing a season preview of the Houston Texans the Houston Texans are coming off an amazing season and one that saw their star rookie quarterback CJ stoud win offensive Rookie of the Year as he led the team to a record of 10- s and their first division title since 2019 this included a wild card win against the Browns before losing in the divisional round 34-10 against the Ravens stoud carried the team on his back posting a 63.9% completion rate passing for over 4,000 yards with 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions holding a 100.8 quarterback rating the Texans have had some massive offseason acquisitions on both sides of the ball and including signing veteran Edge rusher denil Hunter to a 2-year $49 million deal hunter had 16 12 sacks with the Vikings last season the Texans also traded for two-time allp pro wide receiver Stefan Diggs who had over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns with the bills the only challenge the Texans face is if CJ stoud can continue to find success and build off of his rookie campaign strength of schedule could also be an issue for the Texans as they go up against the likes of the bills Packers Jets Cowboys Lions Dolphins Chiefs and Ravens the NFL network has a Texas ceiling at 125 and the floor at 10 and 7 from The Varsity Sports show I'm Jesse Davis hello I'm Riley Garcia with Arizona State University reporting for the Varsity Sports show despite being booed everywhere he goes as the 2017 science de Scandal is still fresh in everyone's mind in the Baseball World outside of Houston the baseball world got the watch Jose altu create another Unforgettable memory for an 11-year-old kid during the Astros visit in Baltimore that played the Orioles last Friday a young kid was wearing an Orioles hat was calling out to the all-star second basem to give him his Bat if he hit a home run well Altuve would go on to hit a two-run home run to give his team the lead in the third inning which started a four-run inning for the Astros though they later lost 7 to5 after getting back to the Dugout from hitting his home run Altuve had called the kid over where he would hand him his Bat the kid whose name is Chris told Astros onfield reporter Julia Morales that Altuve is his Idol later continuing that it was the best moment of his life and this isn't just a onetime exception either throughout his career Jose altu has had many acts of kindness including different Charity donations these include Lily's Toy Box kids meals Incorporated Kines for warriors and the sunshine kids and in spring training of this year he gave a fan his cleats after the game also in 2022 he was nominated for the Roberto Clemente award which is awarded to the player who best represents the game their extraordinary character and community involvement for the Varsity Sports show I'm Riley [Music] Garcia hey everyone this is florencio delator from the Sydney patier New American Film School at ASU reporting for the Varsity Sports show in light of the start of the US Open this past Monday Let's Talk Tennis the ttca or Texas tennis coaches association has released their 2024 2025 preseason rank ings for UIL 4A 5A and 6A division tennis the Texas tennis coaches association has been recognized by the UIL as the official voice of Texas High School tennis since 1967 we'll take a quick look at the top rated schools in each division the full rankings can be found on the ttca website in 4A the top five schools to watch this season will be number five Will's Point number four Canyon number three Pleasant Grove number two Canyon Randall and number one Wimberly in division 5A the top five schools to watch this season will be number five Highland Park number four Frisco REI number three Frisco Wakeland number two Frisco Independence and number one Frisco Centennial in division 6A the top five schools to watch this season will be number five the wood number four KD7 Lakes number three Plano West number two Clemens and number one Westwood thanks for listening this has been florencio delator with the Varsity Sports show it was nice talking to everyone but my time on air is up however when we come back from our commercial break we will have more segments from our amazing student interns at the Varsity Sports show I am glad to bring you Houston news as one of the Varsity Sports Show's student interns stay here and stick around because one of my team members from the University of Houston in henriquez another great and talented individual on our team will guide you through the second half of the show enjoy stay put ESPN 975 hello everyone my name is Jesse Davis I'm a junior majoring in sports journalism at Arizona State University and I cannot wait to get things rolling with the Varsity Sports show this fall semester really working on broadcasting and producing and just gaining as much experience as I can donors choose support a classroom build a future did you know that every year Public School teachers spend nearly $500 of their own money for student supplies let's do the maap that comes out to over $1.2 billion a year and that's just not right at donor's choose we want students and teachers to have the tools they need for a great education and now more than ever they need your help here's what you can do go to donorschoose.org and choose from teachers requests that support reading math science history and more once a request is funded we'll take care of shipping everything directly to the teacher it's that easy you'll receive thank you letters and photos from students and teachers and a report of how every dollar was spent teachers needs have never been greater learn more at donors choose.org donors choose support a classroom for the future hey listeners The Varsity Sports show is on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10: on ESPN 975 and 925 join us as we feature all Houston All hour we'll talk to coaches players journalists and featuring Vite media's Matt Malatesta to bring you the VIP Sports report start your Sunday off with a smile with the Varsity Sports show 9: to 10: a.m. on ESPN Radio 975 and 925 Houston draft ging Sportsbook at the Golden Nugget Lake Charles is your best bet this football season catch all the action and immerse yourself in over 3200 ft of LED screens wager Watch and Win in the Sleek is setting with the best odds order some of your favorite bites and sip on an award-winning cocktail at your game Day headquarters only at the draftking sports book Louisiana's largest Sportsbook at the Golden Nugget Casino Lake Charles A 2-hour drive from Houston must be 21 years or older gambling problem please call 877770 stop God your home for the Sugarland Space Cowboys is ESPN 925 listen to every hit pitch and big play of the 2024 season right here on ESPN 925 13 years ago veritex Community Bank opened its doors with the intention to serve others and grow the community over 40,000 customers choose the bank with truth in its name wouldn't you like to experience truth in Texas banking join team veritex today member FDIC most people are tired and warn down by the time they get to the mortgage part of a home purchase so they don't properly shop their mortgage that's when you should call Kent Jones at dream rate mortgage his mission is simple educate and help borrowers save money with 29 years of experience Kent can get you a quick quote without an application or credit pull call or text Kent at dream rate at 713520 loan that's 713520 5626 or visit 9 75 loan.com dream rate mortgage LLC nmls number 2482 2473 jken Jones NLS number 35618 Equal Housing [Music] lender you're listening to The Varsity Sports show on ESN 975 and 925 thank you jir for reporting for the first half and welcome back to The Varsity Sports show I'm your host anah henriquez from the University of Houston gok cou it's great to have you with us here this morning and coming up we have Christopher zalos from Arizona State University covering Texas Tech football so stay tuned on ESPN 975 and 925 Houston hello world this is Chris Ras with the Varsity Sports show and the weight is finally over as this weekend marks the first full weekend of college football and I'm here to talk about the Texas Tech Red Raiders who have found a new Swagger going into this 2024 season third-year head coach Joey Maguire looks to improve off a 7- six record in 2023 that was capped off by a 3414 victory over California in the Independence Bowl Texas Techni and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes donated $5 million to the program to renovate the South End Zone of the school's Jones AT&T Stadium Texas Tech also struck a sweet new 10-year partnership deal with with Adidas to become the official merchandise partner of the University meaning the team will get revamped uniforms this season in addition Mahomes and Adidas launched an nil program called team momes where six Texas Tech athletes were selected as inaugural members of the team momes class including freshman wide receiver Micah Hudson who is a Texas native these athletes will showcase Adas branded products including Mahomes shoe brand Texas Tex offense is anchored by by senior running back Taj Brooks and he is one of the top returning players for the Red Raiders this season Brooks has the opportunity to become the all-time leading rusher for Texas Tech where he will need just a little bit over a thousand yards to complete Junior quarterback Baron Morton is also returning to lead the Red Raiders offense and although Morton missed spring with with a shoulder injury he is set to capitalize off a stellar sophomore season Texas T's defense is anchored by red shirt Jr Jacob Rodriguez and he will also be returning after battling a leg injury in 2023 which only allowed him to play in four games including Texas X bulll game against Cal he will play in front of a young secondary led by brillan Lux and CJ Baskerville Texas Tech will have to face the task of maintaining its established identity in the Big 12 with numerous new programs joining the conference this is Chris Ros from The Varsity Sports show good morning my name is Alexander Medina and I am an ASU cross bite Sports journalism student from the moment football athletes lace up for the first time there is just one goal in mind to suit up for an NFL team the saying everything is bigger in Texas has existed for quite some time and due to the competitive nature of the game at just the high school level many young athletes will go on to play at the highest level Danny amandola and Antoine Winfield Jr both Super Bowl champions are not the only NFL players to have walked the Halls at The Woodlands high school Ethan boner a cornerback for the Miami Dolphins graduated from The Woodlands during the year of 2018 while many athletes that have walked the halls of the woodlands have gone on to play at the highest level they will not be the last the Highlanders are preparing to face off against CA Ranch High School on August 31st while the program prepares for its first game of the season this will not be the only preparation taking place The Woodlands will have a new name in The Circle Payton Dell a junior quarterback Dell will be tossing the ball all season long after mabery matow went on to play at the University of Wisconsin though Texas is one of the most competitive States when it comes to high school football The Woodlands program has proven that it can compete over the last decade The Woodlands have been ranked within the top teams throughout the nation heading into the 2024 2025 season there is just one site in mind for the Highlanders to stand underneath the confetti at the end of the season for ESPN Houston radio I am Alexandra Medina hello I'm Janice Reyes reporting to you from Varsity Sports today I will be giving you a preview on the Houston University swimming and Diving team Alandra Ortiz and Elizabeth y menz qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics ortis finished 18th Place in the 200 butterfly so she is definitely a swimmer to look out for this season another swimmer to look out for is Ethan Humphrey he set two new program records early this year he completed the 1,000 yard freestyle in minutes and 55 seconds and the 1,650 yard freestyle in 16 minutes and 29 seconds and lastly Henryetta fangle also set a program record at 58.9 seconds in the 100 yard backstroke so make sure to stay updated with Houston swimming and Diving once again I'm Janice Reyes reporting to you from the Varsity Sports show this is Marco s The Varsity Sports show with the report on Westfield High School in Houston Texas home of the Mustangs the Mustangs have lost longtime coach Matt means over the offseason who's retiring after nine Seasons he finished his tenure with a 99 and 19 record and in his final season finished 11 and3 means LED Westfield to the regional finals three times in the state semi-finals once taking over for means is desmar black black was formerly the assistant head coach co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach there has to be a level of expectations and pressure placed on black and the Mustangs as this is a successful Westfield program year in and year out that standard has to remain and I'm sure black has a team instilling that mindset day in and day out they've also lost taji Atkins who's leaving for Rice University he led the teams in touchdown last year and accounted for 46% of offensive snaps according to the Houston Chronicle there are nine returning starters for Westfield which includes senior quarterback ma Dent who in his Junior season had 1,914 pass yards and 23 touchdowns DST is one of the leaders of this mustang team and surely there is expectation on him to operate the offense after losing one of his best weapons Westfield will certainly be a team to watch in class 6A in 2024 which is nothing short of typical for a program of their caliber for Varsity live this was Marco until next time hey listeners you're tuning in to ESPN on 975 and 9 25 Houston we're taking a quick break but make sure to stick around I'm your host anahita Enriquez from the University of Houston and we'll be right back after this with more sports updates ESPN 97 I'm Alexandra Medina with the Varsity Sports show and I am proud to tell the stories of players coaches and even fans make sure to tune in to The Varsity Sports show to hear me cover Arizona's local Sports I want you to imagine for a moment you're in a hospital you are the patient connected to an IV bag there's a constant parade of serious doctors countless tests endless pokes and a serious diagnosis scary surgeries are followed by painful recoveries you're in the hospital for days weeks months now imagine experiencing all of these things and you're only a child this is why Starlight exists to bring happiness to hospitalize Children through programs that help kids cope build resilience bolster confidence and change their Outlook programs like gaming virtual reality headsets toy deliveries Radio Flyer wagons and cozy hospital gowns are just a few of the ways Starlight eases a child's hospital stay because happiness matters visit starlight.org work to learn more get the inside scoop on the Houston Texans 2024 season each week with ESPN Texans reporter DJ bnim just because you're going against a great defense doesn't mean the offense can't be effective like that's not how the NFL works every Tuesday at 2: and every Friday at 5: DJ joins ESPN 975 to give his analysis and break down the latest news from the Texas CJ told us he's trying to have more command 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cc.com brought to you by give me the VIN the best to K Market has expanded to Katie no more trips to Scott Louisiana for down home Cajun inspired groceries and takeout eats including Budan and pork rinds we brought it to you right at our 10 just west of 99 whether you want some crackling or budam for your Labor Day road trip or some specialty Cajun Meats like cajun stuffed pork chops for your next tailgate the best stop has you covered stop by today the best stop at it 1099 [Music] [Music] now back to The Varsity Sports show with Vince deliso on ESPN 975 and 925 time now for I want winners coaching news welcome back and this is your host anahita TZ from the University of Houston and you're listening to the second half of the varsity sport show live on ESPN 975 and 925 Houston if you're just tuning in we've been talking about the latest news in Houston sports and I'm here with richond high school's head football coach Richard LEF favers thank you for taking the time to join us today how are you doing doing good thank you for having me what led you to become a high school football coach well um I coached uh for 14 years in college and um bounced around a little bit uh from TCU to uh Alabama to A&M Texas State and then ended up in at Rice University in Houston and so that's how I got to Houston and then um we got let go at at rice and um you know I had four boys that were kind of coming into the middle school Age and and uh I just didn't want to move I I enjoyed Houston and wanted um you know the rat race of college coaching can be be tough and so I just decid you know we decide as a family to to stay here in Houston so I got into to high school coaching and started at U Lamar Consolidated High School and then um which eventually LED you know to an opportunity to be here at rido that's great I'm glad to hear that so what are some goals you've set for the team and is there anything specific you would like to accomplish this season uh I mean just we want to always play you know play our best um I think each week is a new week and um I try not to get too ahead of ourselves obviously the ultimate goal is to get to to AT&T but we understand there's a process to get there and just trying to stay focused um you know we have a chance to be uh pretty good this year and and um just you know got to stay healthy and keep improving and you know like we talk about keep stacking bricks and making deposits and and uh you know try to try to make a long run in the playoffs so are there any strategies you use to build like positive teamwork amongst your team I think it happens organic a little bit um I look for opportunities to allow the young men to to show their their leadership and and uh their ability you know we put them through stress and put them through adversity um and see how they respond and and then you reward them and and you know it's very much you know obviously dial back but very similar to like how a military you know boot camp you kind of get them going and kind of break them down and then and then you you you build them back up to to the the culture and expectations and the standards that you have for your your program and so do you have any favorite moments as a high school coach yes you know I think anytime you've you and this is human nature anytime you worked really hard on something and then you're able to achieve it whether it's you know beating an opponent you know in the weight room when someone you know is Lifting and they do a new Max and you know maybe you didn't think they were going to get it or maybe they almost didn't think they would get it but they do and just those that kind of moment you see in their eyes and the joy and the team and um it's it's hard to put into words to be honest with you the feeling you get but it's it's very rewarding and that's a wrap on our interview with Coach Le favers from richond high school is there anything else you'd like to share maybe on how like people listening can support the team or any upcoming games we should know about we uh have our first home opener the following week on Thursday night I believe it's going to be a TV game versus uh fuler that'll be at Mercer stadium in in Sugarland uh also at 7 o'clock so then we head on in to bridgelin on the road after that and that ends our non-conference and then we begin our our district play so I'd love for anybody to C you know get the schedule on online and come out and catch a game very exciting uh Team to watch all right and be sure to catch Rich Bo's football team in action this season and don't forget forg get to follow them on Instagram and X for more updates at rphs FB thanks again for joining us today and to all of our listeners stay tuned on ESPN 975 and 925 Houston this is kavish sartha from the kronite school of Journalism at ASU with Varsity Sports I'm going to be discussing a high school football preview in Houston Texas focusing on the top private schools going into the 2024 football season among the best private football programs in Houston St Thomas Catholic leads the way the Eagles finished their 2324 season with a 12-1 overall record the team won its first 12 games of the Season before losing their final game to Parish Episcopal they're surely one of the best private football programs in the state and are forced to be reckoned with heading into this year their first game of the season is this Friday against St John's another threat in the mix of Houston schools is Second Baptist who finished their 23 24 season with a record of 8 and5 after starting the season last last year against some tough competition going 1 and four in their first five games Second Baptist turned their season around winning seven straight games and finishing first in their district one final team that has been ranked in the top 25 private school rankings prior to the new season is Cypress chrisan they finished their last year 8 and4 and picked up some steam heading into the new season the competition and skill level for high school football in Houston is high but we'll definitely make for an exciting and captivating season thanks for tuning in to my a private school football preview in Houston with Varsity Sports this is kavisha dartha reporting joining us on the line is Ty ducher he is the water polo coach for Grand Canyon University has quite the storied history uh and uh while we moved out west uh for our show this week uh in covering focusing on Grand Canyon and uh coach Dutcher coming from the Central Valley of California coach thanks for joining us here on the Varsity Sports show and I want to dig right in first of all and ask you you were a par Olympian gosh 8 years ago in Brazil what was that experience like yeah Vince thank you so much for having me on the show uh I'm really grateful this for this opportunity to just share my story and and what's going on currently in my life uh eight years ago I was 19 years old in the Rio 2016 par Olympic Games an absolute Whirlwind of an experience um I'm just filled with gratitude that I got to represent my country you know I I I lost my foot when I was 11 years old in a lawn mower accident I was sneaking up behind my dad with a rubber band gun he was on a riding lawn mower didn't know I was there I wanted to shoot him because I thought it'd be funny and he reached edge of the lawn and put it in reverse I stumbled to the ground the back right tire went over my right foot as he backed it up and the blade completely got my foot uh was airlifted to a medical center in Sacramento California underwent four surgeries within 11 days and they amputated 2 Ines above my ankle uh but the first words I said to my mom out of my first surgery I said Mom I know this happened for a reason um so I've lived my life with purpose since then and I've always been in the pool I have four older siblings that were in the military um I couldn't unfortunately join the military because I'm I was I'm an UT and they don't allow UTS to join uh even though I tried look uh talking to recruiters and everything so my way of serving and representing my country was to dig deep work hard and uh compete for Team USA to represent my country and by the grace of God I was able to do that uh in Rio so it was a amazing experience that's a heck of a way to serve your country is qualify for the Olympics for guys but well now talk about that that experience I mean you're 18 19 years old and you're on a worldwide stage I mean we're talking like a billion people tune into the Olympics and what was that like uh in R you don't really feel that until you actually get out on and get on the uh the block and um my main event was a h 100 back stroke so you jump into the pool and then you're just hanging on to the ledge basically um and you're just sitting there and you just have this moment of pause I remember this so specifically where you have a crowd of probably at least I think like 20 to 30,000 people in the stadium and it's just like your heart just like feels like it stops beating but as soon as they say take your mark you get up and it's let you go buzzer goes then you're off and you do what you're supposed to do but it's it was it's a dream to represent my country first off so I was able to accomplish and Achieve that dream by hard work and determination um at day in and day out six days a week pumping 12 to 13,000 meters a day uh where I was training at the Olympic Training Center in color springs at the time to make the games you're okay so you're coaching now this is uh your your second third year leading the Grand Canyon program let's say I'm one of your athletes and I come to you and I say hey coach you know what I I can't get in the pool today I got to headache what do you say to them I I'm sorry I got to loosen it up but I I got to ask you that question it's a it's a great question I can say look I've made that excuse before too and when I usually don't get into the pool and I just sit go back and sit at home and make an excuse up like that where your head is hurting is like is your head really hurting or you just not want to get in and put the work in but I've made that mistake before too where I've made that excuse and I've learned from it and I felt like crap for not getting in and putting in that work because when it comes time to to compete and and play for your team your team needs you you need you we need you all together so let's get yourself in the pool and I guarantee you're going to feel a lot better once you start training and practicing now obviously if they're deathly sick I'm going to be like go back and get your rest but come back into the pool and let me know when you're better but you better be being honest with me um because if if one fails we all fail and we're we're a team together so we need to continue to just eliminate these excuses and just and just work hard and have that determined determined attitude because you go into work saying you have a headache in the real world they're not going to let that fly you got to you got to get in there and do your job and they thick and thin unless you're thrown up or have a fever of 101 or something then then we have another situation but if you're not throwing up or have a fever that's kind of my rule basically yeah get in and do your and do the work because I need you here so that's what I would tell them so I'm I'm a spectator watching uh the grank university water polo team what what is what are going to be some descriptors that I throw out there when I watch you guys play uh in terms of what well in terms of uh effort what what are going to be some things that that when I see you I I I'll say wow these guys are good at blank uh these guys are good at showing heart these guys know who they're playing for um these guys are first off I want to make sure my team is playing for the glory of God ultimately um that's what I did when I was swimming I had a i a purpose and a reason um but when it comes to a team sport like water poloo when you watch my athletes play you're going to see a lot of camaraderie a lot of really good chemistry of guys that are best friends out of the water because that's it's all about the culture you look at some of the most successful teams in college uh basketball football whatever those most successful teams have solid chemistry and most of all really really good culture when the culture is set and they're going to play really well together when you uh are recruiting athletes and and you you get uh you know multiport athletes the the benefit of participating in water polo even as a Leisure activity it is an intense sport but what what what skills does it build in an athlete oh man I mean just physical you're getting every single muscle group you're hitting every single muscle group you're playing it's like playing soccer and rugby in the water essentially um so from a physical standpoint you are oh man it is incredibly exhausting but it's very rewarding at the end especially when you when you shoot a goal or get an assist or get a block whatever it may be on the mental standpoint though it it builds so much character because you have to really have a lot of self-control if you don't and get angry or slap the water try and hit somebody in the face or something you're getting a red card or you're getting rolled and you're out of there so you have to have a lot of self-control even when people aren't treating you fairly and the ref doesn't see it so you're building a lot of uh self-control and character that way but also you're building up um just H just just an attitude to to just get back up and you're going to be facing a lot of Tri inside the pool going back and forth you got to really have in your head I I can't give up I this is my team that I'm competing for that I'm that I'm swimming with and I need to continue to go back and forth in the pool and just and just not give up I mean so outside of the water with that mental aspect you're going to be able to be a little bit more successful in life because you were able to deal with something so hard and complicated in the water all right coach Ty ducher head coach of the Grand Canyon University water polo team coach thanks again for and a former Olympian par Olympian 2016 Rio de Janeiro coach thanks again for joining us here on the Varsity Sports show very inspiring story and uh good luck thank you very much I appreciate it this has been a great opportunity and that's all for today's show on ESPN 975 and 925 Houston and I want to give a huge thanks to our guests reporters and listeners for joining us this morning remember to tune in next Sunday from 9:00 to 10: a.m. and if you're interested in being a part of the Varsity Sports team we have an internship open to students so be sure to reach out to us on social media @ Varsity Sports show on Facebook Instagram and Tik Tok as well as X Varsity show this is your host anahita hriz from the University of 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