HOUSTON PROUD: ASTROS, TEXANS MAKE FOR A BIG SUNDAY FOR AREA FANS

SUNDAY IS A big day for Houston sports fans as the Astros look to defend their American League championship banner and the Texans bidding for a third straight win. The beginning of the week will see the home stretch for high school volleyball regular season play along with a host of junior high football and volleyball. SUNDAY: Gerrit Cole (15-7, 2.88 ERA in the regular season) takes the mound for the Astros in Game Two of the American League Championship Series at the Red Sox, who will counter with David Price, who finished the regular season with a 16-7 record and a 3.58 ERA. TBS will have the broadcast with first pitch slated for 6:09pm. Houston’s day of sports begins earlier when the Texans look to even their record to 3-3 against the visiting Bills, who also seek to improve on their current 2-3 mark. The teams have split the previous eight meetings, with Buffalo taking a 30-21 decision over Houston on December 6, 2015, the last time they faced off. KHOU-11 will have the game at noon. Cowboys fans watching the Texans won’t have to change the channel as Dallas (2-3) hosts Jacksonville (3-2) beginning at 3:25pm. The series is tied at 3-3 between the teams, with the Cowboys winning the last time they met, a 31-17 decision on November 9, 2014. MONDAY: Texas City Blocker Junior High and Santa Fe Junior High School face off in both football and volleyball, with Blocker’s seventh grade football team playing at Santa Fe with games starting at 5:30 and 6:45pm. The Blocker seventh grade volleyball team is also at Santa Fe with matches starting at 5:00pm and 6:00pm, while the eighth graders of Santa Fe head to Blocker for volleyball matches also beginning at 5:00pm and 6:00pm. TUESDAY: The next to last week of the regular season begins with Boling at Hitchcock at 5:00pm. Dickinson at Clear Brook, The Woodlands at Clear Creek, Clear Falls at Clear Lake and Brazosport at La Marque each begin their matches at 6:00pm. Friendswood at Crosby, Baytown Lee at Galveston Ball and Texas City at Santa Fe conclude the evening’s action when they each start at 6:30pm. The ALCS moves to Minute Maid Park for Game Three. As of press time, neither team had played their hand as to who would start. TBS will have the broadcast starting at 4:09pm. La Marque’s eighth grade football team hosts Wharton at the LMHS Auxillary Field at 5:30pm, while the seventh grade team travels to Wharton for a contest that also kicks off at 5:30pm. Texas City Blocker’s eighth grade football team is at home for a contest against Santa Fe for games starting at 5:30pm and 6:45pm.