A DREAM BECAME REALITY FOR Dickinson High School’s boys’ basketball team on Saturday as the Gators advanced to the Class 6A state semifinals after topping Houston Bellaire 70-61 in the Region III final at Cypress’ Berry Center.
Ranked second in state entering the playoffs, the Gators (32-5 overall) will get their chance to play for the state title at San Antonio’s Alamodome on Friday night when they meet Wylie (32-7) in the last game of the day beginning at 8:30pm. A win on Friday places Dickinson in Saturday’s championship game where they will meet the winners of Northside Brandeis (33-3) and Duncanville (29-5) at 8:30pm.
The Gators will be making their first trip to the state semifinals since 1955 when Dickinson advanced to the Class 1A championship game where they lost to Buna in a 58-54 nail biter.
Saturday was indeed to be a great day to be a Dickinson resident or Gators alum. While the basketball team was cutting down the nets, the Dickinson powerlifting team put on a massive display of strength on their way to capturing the Region 4, Division 1 championship.
Senior Marcus White was the highlight of the meet as the Dickinson strongman established new records in both the squat (805 pounds) and total weight (1,870) in the superheavyweight division.
White will be one of five Gators who will be advancing to the state championships, which will be held in Abilene on March 28. Dickinson powerlifting coach Earl Ricicar will also have Jeremiah Coleman (132-pound class), Derrick Cobbs, Robert Galindo (both 165-pound class) and Markale White (superheavyweight class).
The Gators will be bidding for a second state powerlifting championship, having won the title in 2015. Saturday’s regional victory is the seventh Ricicar-coached powerlifting teams have captured since 2011.
