SportzBuzz - February 2024 | The Buzz Magazines

By Todd Freed, Staff writer | January 27, 2024

Click the Buzz Me button to receive email notifications when this writer publishes a new article or a new article in this column is published.

PRIDE OF LAMAR Former Lamar Texans defensive star Jaivion Green returned home to Houston to play in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. The Washington Huskies sophomore is pictured here in an earlier season victory over California. (Photo: Spencer Klein, UW)

Just two years removed from his playing days for the Lamar Texans football team, defensive back Jaivion Green returned home to a much grander stage on the gridiron, where he suited up for the Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Michigan Wolverines. “This is really special to me,” said Green, who was the only Houston-area player on the Washington or Michigan roster. “I never dreamed I’d be in this kind of spotlight. I traveled a long way to play college football and I’m just grateful to be back home to play for the national championship.”

“Jaivion was everything you’d want in a student athlete,” said Lamar Texans head football coach Mike Lindsey. “He had offers to play at Ivy League schools such as Yale and Dartmouth. He’s a fierce and passionate competitor and also a great human being on and off the field. To watch him play an important role in Washington’s national semifinal win over Texas and then return home for the national championship final at NRG Stadium is just an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Lamar. It’s just been a lot of fun to text him after games and watch him excel at the next level.”

In his first season with the Huskies last year, Green received the Travis Spring Most Outstanding Freshman Award. His emergence as a standout defensive back continues a rich tradition of great defensive backs to come out of the Lamar Texans football program over the years including current NFL player D’Shawn Jamison and NFL alumnus Holton Hill. “Two seasons ago we had 12 defensive backs playing college football and over 30 collegiate players overall,” said Lindsey. “Our defensive coordinator Ernie Saldivar and defensive backs coach Gerrick Green have done a tremendous job.”

“We definitely had great coaches at Lamar,” said Green, who prior to going to Lamar attended and played football at Pershing Middle School. “I think we just work harder than everyone else and our coaches have done a really good job of helping produce talented defensive backs.”

The national championship game also afforded the Huskies sophomore his first opportunity to play a football game at NRG Stadium. “We played a lot of playoff games when I was at Lamar but didn’t make it deep enough in the playoffs to get a shot at one of the NRG Stadium playoff games. I went to a lot of Houston Texans games growing up so to play here is really a dream come true.”

DUAL SPORT STAR A state track and field qualifier in the long jump, Memorial senior forward Indya Dotson (#16) is also a powerful force on the soccer pitch for the Mustangs.

The girls’ soccer season kicked off with high expectations for the Memorial Mustangs. “We’re excited about the season ahead,” said Mustangs head coach Lindley Amarantos. “We have a real good mix of players from all four grades including some talented young players with three freshmen on varsity. I believe we’re sounder defensively than we’ve been in recent years. We also have some real good athletes with lots of speed and great work ethic.”

Those athletes include three-year senior captain Cara Chaffin. “Cara tore her ACL as a sophomore and we’re excited to have her back for a full season,” said Amarantos. “She’s a super smart defender who provides great leadership for our team.” Another senior leader and captain for the Mustangs is Molly Oldham. “Molly orchestrates great things on the field for us,” said Amarantos. “She’s been on the back line for us for three years and brings a lot of experience and positivity to the lineup.”

Offensively, the Mustangs welcomed the return of senior forward Indya Dotson. “Indya is also a track star who competed at the state track and field meet in the long jump. She has explosive speed and an amazing work ethic.” In addition, Amarantos had high praise for sophomore midfielder Talia Camin and freshman forward Bella Youssef. “Talia is an extremely creative midfielder. She played virtually every minute of every game last season and does a great job for us. As for Bella, she’s an amazing technical player with awesome footwork and speed. Bella is a great addition to our lineup, and I am excited to see what she can accomplish on offense.”

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email [email protected].