HUBBARD DETERMINED TO FINISH VOLLEYBALL CAREER WITH PASSION

For a moment, all is quiet. For a moment, only one
thing matters. For a moment, the world stands still.
The silence is broken by the blowing of the whistle
and the start of the rally, then noise fills the gym: the
chanting of the crowd, the thunder of the ball and the
voice of Lauren Hubbard echoing off the walls. These
are the sounds of a Friendswood High School volleyball
match.
Lauren Hubbard is a senior captain of the FHS volleyball
team. She has been playing on varsity for two
years and is known for her compelling leadership,
outgoing personality and positive attitude that never
seems to dwindle, no matter the circumstances.
“She’s a great leader,” Sarah Paulk, FHS head volleyball
coach, said of Hubbard. “She’s basically a
coach on the court: she does everything she’s supposed
to do, she’s always where she’s supposed to
be, she gets excited, she’s loud and she’s everything
you want out of a kid.”
Hubbard said being positive is a huge part of her
identity.
“Staying positive is a big thing for me,” she said.
“I always say volleyball is a super mental game. We
have a talented team, but if you’re not there mentally,
you fall because it’s all about who has the energy.
One thing I always try to do is emphasize yelling and
getting excited, even for the little points.”
Because it is her last season of volleyball, Hubbard
stated she is not taking anything for granted.
“Everything we do is my last thing and so it makes
me sad, but at the same time, it makes me excited because
it’s my last year and I want to make it the best
year,”Hubbard said. “I want to make every practice
count. I don’t have very many of these left, so I just
want to make the most of every single thing we do.”
Getting those last experiences almost did not happen
for Hubbard after an ankle injury forced her to
face having surgery and enduring a long recovery.
She was released to play again during the
second day of her senior tryouts after she
begged her doctor to release her a week and
a half early. This time away from the game
made for a more challenging return to the
season.
“She’s had to do way more than anyone
else because she was at such a disadvantage
because she wasn’t running or jumping
all summer,” Paulk said.
Hubbard said the setback did not discourage
her.
“It was hard to accept I was going to be behind
for a little while, but it was also really motivating
because it made me want to work so
much harder off the court,” she said. “Every
single night I went to the track and ran because
I wanted to be better.”
Hubbard said she gets her leadership from
her mother.
“My mom is my hero. She’s the most genuine, selfless
person I’ve ever met,” Hubbard said. “Since I
was little, she’s shown me what it looks like to be dependable
and to be a leader. She is the rock of our
family. Seeing her lead us makes me want to lead in
everything else I do.”
For now, Hubbard’s focus is on leading her team to
an undefeated season in District 23-5A.
“I want to go out with a bang,” she said. “Whenever
I’m on the court, that’s where I am and nothing else
matters. I know what I’m doing in that moment is making
a difference for the team.”
HUBBARD DETERMINED TO FINISH VOLLEYBALL CAREER WITH PASSION
THREE WEEKS into the high school football season doesn’t always provide a
clear picture as to where a team is heading. However, it does offer enough of a
glimpse to allow fans to wonder whether looking forward to watching their team
play on Thanksgiving weekend or quietly counting down to the start of boys and
girls basketball season.
With district play beginning next week for most teams, the latest area rankings
from The Post Newspaper delivers with a host of surprises from top to bottom.
1. Dickinson (3-0 overall, vs. Katy Taylor, Friday): Life is good when your
average margin of victory is 35 points. The Gators are averaging over 400 yards
per game on offense and may have unearthed the program’s next gem in junior
receiver Darryl Harris, who has 15 catches for 224 yards and two scores.
2. Friendswood (3-0, open week): Defense has anchored a strong start that
has seen the Mustangs allow just 13 points in their last eight quarters of play.
Sophomore quarterback Luke Grden is already on the radar of major college
programs while seniors Colton Halata and Luke Revere give the O a pair of backs
that have combined for six rushing touchdowns.
3. Galveston Ball (2-0, open week): Mother Nature has been the only thing
that slowed down a Tors offense that is averaging 47 points per game. Coach
Kimble Anders is using a power running game and a rock solid defense — two
longtime foundations of Ball football — to keep Ball focused on another playoff bid.
4. Clear Creek (2-1, vs. Katy Tomkins, Friday): The Wildcats have shown
they can score points at a blistering pace, but until their defense can stop doing
the same, Creek’s fan base will run out of nails to bite at the end of shootouts.
5. Hitchcock (2-1, at Scarborough, Friday): The lasting impression from last
Friday’s win over La Marque is that the Bulldogs have developed a passing game
that can punish opponents who stack the line while trying to slow down coach
Craig Smith’s methodical Slot-T offense.
6. Clear Springs (1-2, vs. Katy, Saturday): A rugged nondistrict schedule
comes to a conclusion against national powerhouse Katy on Saturday night. Even
if the Chargers go into district play with a 1-3 mark, coach Craig Dailey should still
feel good about his team’s chances to make the postseason for a 10th straight
year.
7. Clear Falls (2-1, at Bellaire, Friday): The Knights are averaging 42 points
per game and a road win over the Cardinals would give this young team a dynamic
confidence boost going into their District 24-6A opener against Clear Springs
next Friday.
8. Clear Brook (1-2, vs. CE King, Friday): Losses to Friendswood and Angleton
have stymied the good vibes of the season-opening win over La Porte. For the
Wolverines to compete in 24-6A play, consistency on offense (29 points the last
two weeks) has to be priority number one.
9. Santa Fe (1-2, open week): The Indians are 2-3 plays away from being
3-0. A road win over 6A Brazoswood last week is the kind of victory coach Mark
Kanipes’ squad needs before embarking into a tough 12-5A-2 schedule.
10. Texas City (1-2, open week): Coach Leland Surovik has to feel optimistic
about his team after they dismantled a Clear Lake team regarded as a possible
24-6A contender. Next week’s District 10-5A-1 opener against Friendswood will
give him a more clear vision of where the Stingarees stand.
11. La Marque (0-3, at Columbia, Friday): Cougars fans who have come to
believe state title trips are a birthright had better embrace the reality that coach
Shone Evans and his staff will need time to develop the program. Those jumping
off the bandwagon now will be the same ones back when Evans does turn things
around.
GATORS PACK PLENTY OF BITE ATOP AREA
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RANKINGS
THE POST w