High school roundup: Foreman steps down for new job

Pasadena Memorial softball coach Lindsay Foreman resigned last Thursday to take the first assistant's position at Division I Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Foreman said it wasn't easy to leave the Lady Mavericks, who she guided to the playoffs in all three of her seasons as head coach, but she couldn't pass up a golden opportunity to coach in college.

"(Memorial) is a great program that I built up and it's tough to walk away from my kids," Foreman said. "But on the other hand I have a great opportunity ahead of me.

"I've always wanted to coach at the college level."

Foreman is from Beaumont. She went to high school in Diboll, Texas, but returned to the Houston area more than a decade ago to attend the University of Houston, where she also played basketball.

After graduating from UH, she took an assistant's job at Memorial, where she eventually landed her first head coaching position.

"It's going to be majorly different," Foreman said. "I got an email (last Saturday) that starting my first day of work Wednesday it will be about 4 degrees, so it'll be a major change."

The 28-year-old Foreman applied for the job a couple months ago after seeing the opening on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association website, never really expecting to land such a gig so soon.

But last week she got a call from the Dartmouth coach Rachel Hanson, who said she wanted to make a decision quickly. Foreman flew up to interview and heard back from Hanson last Wednesday.

Foreman's goal is to be a Division I head softball coach, and this is a big first step.

"I thought, well, if it's mine it's mine," Foreman said. "If it's not, no big deal, I've got a great program here, I'm going to have my best year at Memorial. But needless to say I guess this is what I'm supposed to do."

The upcoming season would have been Foreman's fourth as Memorial's coach. She was anticipating her best year yet and still expects the Lady Mavericks to fare well without her in the dugout.

They return three college-bound seniors who've started since they were freshmen: pitchers Lauren McClary (Ohio) and Amy Smith (Eastern New Mexico State), and catcher Sydney Aguilar (Southern Miss).

Foreman said Memorial does not plan to hire a new head coach this season, instead naming her assistants, Christa Raley and Mark Chapa, as co-interim coaches.

"It's definitely a big void for my kids and my staff but they're going to all pull together and get it done," Foreman said.

"I trust that it's left in good hands."

Rayburn sets mark

The Sam Rayburn girls basketball team recently set a team record for points scored against rival Pasadena Memorial.

The Lady Texans won 73-55 in their best offensive output of the season, snapping a four-game losing streak to the Lady Mavericks in the process. Rayburn hadn't defeated Memorial since 2007-08.

The win kept Memorial from getting off to its best district start and boosted Rayburn's chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 1996-97. It already has more wins than it's had since then.

Aracely Gomez led the Lady Texans against Memorial with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Jenna Zayed added 12 points and Maeghan Scott had eight points, seven assists and nine steals.

Pasadena schools up for award

Pasadena ISD has four schools among the finalists at the 6th annual Sterling Bank Sportsmanship Luncheon, which starts at noon on Thursday at the JW Marriott in the Galleria.

Schools were selected by the referees who call Houston-area football games, all of whom are members of the Texas Association of Sports Officials, Houston chapter. Teams are judged on the actions of their players, coaches and support personnel, such as parents, bands and drill teams, and respect for the American flag.

"What we're trying to do is reward people who do things the right way," said Neal Farmer, the Touchdown Club of Houston's executive director. "So to me these are coaches who've taken their players, and asked the parents and support groups in the stands, like the bands, the drill team, etcetera, to act with class and character."

The 2011 Sportsmanship finalists are, in Class 5A, Channelview, Clear Brook, Clear Lake, Cypress Woods, Deer Park, Dickinson, Dobie, Eisenhower, Kingwood, Klein, Lamar, Mayde Creek, Memorial, Pasadena, Pasadena Memorial and South Houston, in Class 4A, Barbers Hill, Dayton, Furr, Galena Park, Humble, Jones, Kingwood Park, Magnolia, New Caney, Northbrook, Sharpstown, Spring Woods, Sterling, Terry and Washington, and, Class 3A/private schools, Concordia Lutheran, Cypress Christian, Houston Christian, St. John's and St. Thomas.

The TD Club will recognize first-, second- and third-place teams in 5A and 4A, and TASO referees will award one winner in the 3A/private school category, and each will receive a plaque and traveling trophy, to be handed off to next year's winners.