Between the baby and possible state title, it's a busy week for Thrall basketball | Cantu

THRALL — On and off the court, Charles Tindol's final week as a high school basketball coach includes some bucket-list items.

For starters, Tindol and his wife, Nicole, who happens to be the principal at Thrall High School, welcomed their fourth grandchild into the world Monday night. Gracie Encalade checked in at 6 pounds, 4 ounces nearly four weeks before her due date, but she's thriving. The Tindols made the 229-mile drive to Abilene on Tuesday night to see their family's newest member.

Tindol, who is also the school's golf coach, was also fired up after his Tigers won the team championship Monday at the nearby Taylor Invitational.

One more thing. Thrall, a town of 859 residents surrounded by cornfields some 45 miles northeast of Austin, is celebrating the school's first-ever appearance at the UIL state basketball tournament this weekend in San Antonio. The Tigers will face off against Shelbyville in a Class 2A state semifinal Friday morning at the Alamodome. If they prevail, they'll play for the state title Saturday.

Starting the season with a bang

For good reason, not much was expected this season from the Thrall basketball program. The Tigers were 11-14 last year and were bounced out of the state playoffs in the first round by Flatonia. They lost by 33 points.

Tindol, 65, is retiring after 34 years as a basketball coach — the past six in Thrall — following the state tournament. He predicted before the season that Thrall would have a successful year, but no one wearing purple and white believed their journey would end with an opportunity to win a state crown.

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"We opened the year by winning our first 19 games, and then hit a lull," Tindol said during a practice break Monday. "I thought we had peaked too soon."

'Man, we've got something special here'

Indeed, the Tigers lost five times during a 10-game stretch in the middle of the season, but they enter state riding a seven-game winning streak. That includes a pair of blowout victories — 64-43 over Kenedy and 66-45 over Santa Maria — in last week's regional tournament.

Thrall has some talented pieces on its roster, but experience has played a bigger factor this year. The Tigers have six seniors, many who have played together since the seventh grade. And curiously, senior guard Breken Proctor believes the team's finest hour came in a losing cause: when Thrall lost 53-51 at Thorndale on Jan. 19, the players started to believe they would play with anybody.

"If we play a team like Thorndale — the No. 5 team in the state at the time — and lose by only two points at their place, man, we've got something special here," Proctor said.

Three weeks later, Thrall defeated Thorndale 59-43 at home.

No stars, just several bright lights for Thrall

Thrall has been winning with a balanced attack that does not rely on any stars. Forward Steven Walker leads the team with an average of 14.2 points a game. Proctor averages 13.6 points, forward Ethan Dahl 10.5 and center Dawson Meiske 10.4. They're all seniors.

Walker, who has not had any college offers in this country, plans to travel abroad and play next season at Rome City Institute, a few miles from the Colosseum. The 6-foot-3 forward said he discovered the school on Instagram and started a dialogue with the coaching staff.

"It would be a nice move to expose myself to something new and get a different perspective of life," said Walker, whose mother, Katina, is the girls basketball coach at Thrall.

Thrall has 'sneaky talent' heading to state

As for his current team, Walker said the Tigers have a lot of "sneaky talent" that wants to become Thrall's first state champion in a boys sport since the baseball team won it all in 1998. Walker is a rare high school athlete who competes in five varsity sports — basketball, football, cross-country, track and field and tennis.

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Walker and Proctor said the bus ride from Johnson High after winning the regional championship last week was lively. Players took turns hugging the trophy and posing for photos. Senior forward Darius Johnson was in charge of the music, playing a blend of country and hip-hop.

Meiske, though, said he was exhausted after the game and elected to take a nap. Most of the players and their families celebrated at Second Street Station on North Main for the best pizza in Thrall.

Perhaps Meiske was fatigued because he has the busiest schedule. He wakes up at 6:30 every morning, Monday through Friday, and spends the first three hours of his day working on a farm for class credit. Two Thrall students and three full-time workers are in charge of handling 150 head of Black Angus cattle. He plans to study agricultural business at Blinn College in Brenham this fall.

Meiske, who plays on the offensive and defensive lines for the football team, said he did not know what to expect from this team just one year after having a losing record. He spoke about senior leadership and how the players "came together as a team" this year. Still, who expected state?

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"I'm very surprised to make it here," Meiske said. "I knew we were good, but I didn't know we were this good. I'm beyond surprised. I don't know what to feel."

If the Tigers win it all, chances are good that he will be tired again. While his teammates are expected to have a rowdy bus trip home on Saturday, Meiske will spend a few hours sleeping in the back of the bus. He needs to regain his energy.

After all, he has livestock to feed Monday morning.

UIL state tournament

Thursday-Saturday, Alamodome in San Antonio

Thursday's semifinals: Class 1A — Benjamin (23-1) vs. Gordon (21-6), 8:30 a.m.; Jayton (36-3) vs. Fayetteville (32-5), 10 a.m.; Class 3A — Holliday (34-2) vs. Ponder (36-6), 1:30 p.m.; Hitchcock (32-3) vs. San Antonio Cole (32-9), 3 p.m.; Class 5A — San Antonio Veterans Memorial (40-1) vs. Killeen Ellison (34-5), 7 p.m.; Amarillo (34-4) vs. Dallas Lancaster (28-5), 8:30 p.m.

Friday's semifinals: Class 2A — Lipan (34-4) vs. New Home (31-7), 8:30 a.m.; Thrall (30-5) vs. Shelbyville (28-7), 10 a.m.; Class 4A — Canyon Randall (34-3) vs. Silsbee (28-9), 1:30 p.m.; Stafford (35-6) vs. Oak Cliff Faith Family (23-11), 3 p.m.; Class 6A — Plano East (38-0) vs. Mansfield Lake Ridge (32-6), 7 p.m.; Stony Point (37-1) vs. Beaumont United (34-3), 8:30 p.m.

Saturday's finals: Class 1A, 8:30 a.m.; Class 3A, 10 a.m.; Class 2A, 1:30 p.m.; Class 5A, 3 p.m.; Class 4A, 7 p.m.; Class 6A, 8:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: One year a 11-14 season, Thrall basketball is in the state tournament