The Ryan Raiders knew they’d have a competitive team this season. They just didn’t know how it would all come together.

The Raiders came into the year with very few familiar faces as the majority of the team that won back-to-back district titles graduated, but with a small foundation of returners and an influx of new talent, Ryan finds itself in first place again with just two games left in the regular season.

“I’m not so much surprised,” said Ryan senior Will Klausing. “I thought we could come together because no one hates anybody on our team. We all love each other. We’re just not a fighting team. We don’t have any negative attitudes. It’s great to play with all of them.”

The only thing Ryan had coming in were returning starters Klausing, Scotty Young and Ryan Salter and a bunch of unproven talent. With numerous holes to fill out its roster, Ryan became the beneficiary of Denton Calvary Academy’s decision to eliminate its boys athletics programs.

That led William Orr, Tom Elsom and Richard Tomlinson to transfer to Ryan, along with former Lake Dallas player Konner Malcom.

Those four players have emerged as regular contributors for the Raiders. Tomlinson has started at second base from the beginning after a stellar fall. Malcom is among Ryan’s batting leaders. Elsom is playing himself into Ryan’s closer role after another strong outing in the team’s win over Wichita Falls on Tuesday.

“Those kids have come into our programs and fit in great,” said Ryan head coach Bret Warnack. “We’ve mixed them in. They’ve done a great job and become a big part of our program. I think they’ve fit in well.”

Adam Choplick’s sudden emergence dramatically changed Ryan’s team. The sophomore lefty is 8-0 this year with 0.29 ERA and 64 strikeouts, including seven wins in district play.

That allowed Klausing, originally penciled in to be the No. 2 starter behind Young, to stay in the outfield to concentrate on his hitting. It also allowed the Raiders to keep their best defensive lineup in tact.

“Choplick, I don’t think he broke 80 his freshman year,” Klausing said. “All the sudden he’s at 88. I don’t know what happened. Overnight he just became a stud.”

Others emerged for the Raiders that were already on the roster. Sophomore Nash Knight has taken over at shortstop and excelled. Ross McCarty emerged as a solid designated hitter. He’s batting .346 in district play -- third on the team.

First baseman Tyler Sain, coming off of Tommy John surgery in the summer, recovered enough to get in the lineup again and has had a big impact. He’s hitting .343 with 16 RBIs this season.

“It’s great,” Sain said. “I didn’t really think I’d be able to play in the field. I knew I could hit. It was tough watching through the fall and not do anything. I’ve never played first before. I played third and outfield.”

As expected, Klausing and Salter have been catalysts. Salter is having another stellar year as Ryan’s leadoff hitter. He’s batting .417 in district play with 12 stolen bases and 10 runs.

Klausing has struggled at times this year after battling through a back injury and an illness originally thought to be meningitis, but Warnack believes he is working through his early-season problems.

“Everything is coming together,” Klausing said. “I’m struggling a little bit, but my teammates pick me up. Once we get everybody going consistently, it’s going to be hard to beat us.”

Softball

Lady Raiders ready for rematch

Ryan’s defense was exposed a bit during the Lady Raiders’ 7-5 loss to Guyer on March 25.

The Lady Raiders out-hit Guyer, 13-7, but two costly errors and two Lady Wildcat home runs put an end to Ryan’s 30-game district winning streak and put it behind in the race for a third straight 5-4A title.

But Ryan head coach Aimee Foutch believes her team has worked through those defensive issues and is ready for the rematch on Friday at Guyer.

“We maybe learned that we were a little bit challenged defensively,” Foutch said. “We had a couple of errors. We’ve worked on that since then, so I’m confident it is taken care of.”

The results since the loss certainly suggest Foutch is right. The Lady Raiders haven’t lost since and have shut out four straight opponents.

The only game that was close was against Little Elm, and Ryan’s consistency at the plate and defense were the difference in that game, something that wasn’t the case against Guyer.

“I feel very confident in what they’ve been doing,” Foutch said. “The last couple weeks they’ve come out and played well together. They’ve executed with their bats. We’re raising the level at a good time.”

Despite out-hitting Guyer, Ryan wasn’t able to match Guyer on the scoreboard. The Lady Wildcats’ power put them ahead, while Ryan stranded numerous runners. Taking advantage of the opportunities it gets is a key for Ryan, Foutch said.

If Ryan beats Guyer on Friday, the two will be tied for first in District 5-4A. Foutch said the tiebreaker has not been decided.

While the district title will give the victor bragging rights over its rivals, it may not mean much as far as the playoffs go as the paths for 5-4A’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams are both difficult.

District 5 is matched with a very competitive District 6 in the first round, and Joshua, which knocked both Ryan and Guyer out last year, loom for both teams.

“There are positives and negatives with both positions of the bracket,” Foutch said. “Obviously you want to stay away from teams like Joshua. Either way, you’re going to have some battles to fight from the very beginning.”

Youth has Ryan set for years

The Ryan Lady Raiders will say goodbye to senior catcher Sonia Foutch after this season, but with a strong sophomore class, Ryan is set for the foreseeable future.

That class includes reigning 5-4A co-MVP Misty Dooley, Sawyer Gillingham, Micah Foutch, Taryn Chupp, Sara Quintanar and Samantha Bridges.

That group has become the core of the team, but Aimee Foutch said most don’t realize it because they play beyond their years, and she likes it that way.

“The majority of those kids that play are sophomores,” she said. “I don’t think anyone notices. I think that’s a positive. We do have a lot of youth on this team but nobody notices. They just blend together.”

That doesn’t mean Sonia Foutch won’t be missed. She has been a leader for the Lady Raiders on and off field during her career, and she’s the last player remaining from Ryan’s run to the state tournament in 2007.

She will attend Paris Junior College next year. Head coach and mother Aimee Foutch said she is soaking up Sonia’s remaining time with her team, but trying not to get sentimental just yet as she hopes a playoff run is still in their future.

“I’ve just been appreciating it every day,” she said. “I haven’t gotten to the point with that because we’re still moving on, but I’ve tried to appreciate it every day and not let any time go by that I haven’t said, ‘This has been an amazing experience.’”

Track and field

Ryan sending handful to regionals

The Ryan Raiders got strong results at the District 5-4A meet last week as Ryan will send three relay teams and five individuals to regionals on May 1 in San Angelo.

As a team, Ryan finished second only to a strong Guyer squad, and the Raiders’ junior varsity team finished first, which bodes well for the team’s future.

“We did pretty well,” said Ryan head coach Janson Head. “I was happy. Guyer is obviously very talented. They have a good chance to continue to do well. For us to get second was good. The JV got first. First and second, I was pretty pleased.”

Senior Maurice Young highlighted the individuals for Ryan as he won the 100 dash with a time of 11.07. Young won the 100 on the JV level as a sophomore and qualified for regionals last year.

“He’s a really good kid,” Head said of Young. “Track is something that’s real important to him. He’s a really, really good kid, so it’s good to see him win.”

Michael McLeod won his third district title in the pole vault with a vault of 15-6. He bested Guyer’s Garrett Montgomery by six inches despite being beaten by his rival earlier in the year.

McLeod qualified for state last year.

“Michael’s always beat him [Montgomery], but this year, Garrett’s been better all year,” Head said. “For Michael to come out in district and beat him, he was pretty excited. They have a good friendly rivalry among each other.”

Ryan had three relay teams make regionals. The 4x100 team of Young, Peyton Whitlock, Angel Paz and Yahshua Williams finished third at 43.08, one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Denton.

The 4x200 team finished second at 1:29.63. The 4x400 team of Williams, Martin, Barry Hearvey and Jackson finished third at 3:26.96.

Cooper Jackson is making a return trip to regionals after finishing third in the 400 at 50.88. He got second in the event as a sophomore and made regionals last year in the 800.

Ismail Evans and Daniel Martin both qualified in the 110 hurdles as Evans finished second at 15.73 and Martin finished third at 15.93.

Head said the Region I meet will be tough for Ryan. Guyer has a chance to make noise at state, and the region gained track powerhouses Mansfield Timberview and Arlington Seguin in realignment.

“Our region has gotten tougher,” Head said. “If we run well, you always have a chance. I think we have a good chance to make finals in all three, and once you do that anything can happen.”

On the girls side, Paulette Parker won the triple jump at 37-01.50 and finished second in the 200 at 26.21. Lindsey Hinton won the mile at 5:35.40.

Player of the Week

Ryan pitcher Tara Tague got it done on the mound and at the plate against The Colony on Tuesday.

The junior hit a grand slam to go with six RBIs, and she got the win on the mound in Ryan’s 16-0, four-inning win.

For her efforts, Tague is the Denton Record-Chronicle Ryan Player of the Week.

JEFF ANDREWS can be reached at 940-566-6873. His e-mail address is jandrews@dentonrc.com.