Cove athletes get set for next week’s FCA Victory Bowl

By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press

Eight Copperas Cove graduating student-athletes, along with Lady Dawgs head volleyball coach Cari Lowery, will represent their city next weekend in the annual Super Centex FCA Victory Bowl, hosted by the Heart of Texas branch of the Fellowship of Christians Athletes.
Not only do they get to play with and against familiar players and new ones alike, the students get one last opportunity to represent their school as a student-athlete and a Christian with community service projects and fellowship highlighted the week leading up to next weekend’s contest. 
Seniors Michael Goudeau and Colby Jost will represent the Bulldawgs’ baseball team in Friday night’s Red vs Blue baseball game at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor’s Red Murff Baseball Field set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
Jost will be continuing his academic and baseball career at the Division I University of the Incarnate Word after concluding his Copperas Cove career on Friday.
Jost was selected to the 12-6A All-Disrict First Team at 2nd Base and Goudeau was named a First Team Catcher.
Both guys will be suiting up for coaches Kyle Crawford of Abbot, Randy Smith of Crawford and Cody Brown of Axtell on the Red team.
The sole Lady Dawg softballer selected was Jayda Carter, who will continue her academic and athletic career at Angelina College.
Carter will be playing for coaches Jessie Thompson of Hamilton, Sarah Cruddas od 12-6A rival Harker Heights and Jessica Harbroth – also from District 12-6A. The softball game will also begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at UMHB’s Dee Dillon Field.
Beginning Saturday’s action will be Cove head volleyball coach Cari Lowery, leading the Red team into battle at 12:30 p.m. at University High School in Waco.
Joining Lowery on the Red Team are Aidan Chace and Kamryn Ash.
Chace will continue her career at the Division II Angelo State University while Ash will play for Div. III Schreiner University. Coach Hadley Joiner of Bruceville-Eddy will coach alongside Lowery. 
A trio of Bulldawgs will represent Cove in the Saturday evening football clash. Cornerback Tommy Connell and defensive end Jaylen Brown will man the Red team defense while tight end Trevor Troy will help the Red offense.
Troy and Brown will continue their football and academic careers at Division II Angelo State University while Connell is going to Howard Payne University to continue his career.
Delbert Kelm of Crawford, Ronnie Striplin-Dawson, Jarrett Sipp of Gholson, Charles Steele of Covington and Josh Conner of Bynum will coach the Red football team.
Last, but not least, University of Texas at San Antonio-bound cheerleader Mikayla Devins will represent Copperas Cove on the Red cheer team under the direction of Tammy Bush of Riesel and Patricia Leach of Hamilton. 
Other area athletes representing their cities are: 
RED TEAMS
Baseball – Preston Mills (Ellison); Softball – Avery Drake (Belton), Madison Ward (Belton), Sophie Young (Harker Heights), Victoria Castor (Temple) and Alexis Lewis (Temple); Volleyball – Kelsey Surovik (Belton), Maci Matthews (Gatesville) and Autumn Dowell (Temple); and Football – Denver Holman (Belton), Anthony Brown (Belton), Wyatt Tackett (Gatesville), Jim Hitchcock (Gatesville), Nehemiah Brown (Shoemaker), Mark Walker (Shoemaker), Zion Carter-Bryant (Shoemaker), Chris Hopper (Temple) and Isaiah Robledo (Temple). 
BLUE TEAMS
Baseball – Dylan Blomquist (Belton) and Jackson Taylor (Killeen); Cheer – McKenzie McLendon (Lampasas); and Football – Timothy Twilley (Killeen), Adam Murphy (Lampasas), David Denis (Lampasas) and Mason Moresco (Lometa).