Rice alum Clinton Welch was just named the new baseball coach at Ridge Point (my neighborhood high school). RPHS is a fairly new school out in Fort Bend ISD - they are graduating just their second senior class this week - but it's a great recruiting area (and also home to a number of Rice coaches and administrators including Coach Bailiff).

Dulles' loss is our gain. Nice move by Ridge Point (which will be loaded by the way in football next year).

http://ridgepoinths.com/news/2014/06/04/...announced/

Hopefully he'll deep six the purple camo baseball unis.

This guy is a GREAT coach. I am stunned and saddened (as a Dulles alum) to see he is leaving. He was the coach at Dulles when I was in HS in the early 90's and I think he is the winningest baseball coach in the area. Anyone know why the Ridgepoint coach got dismissed? They went to the playoffs this year without having any seniors.

RPHS has had seniors for at least 2 years.

(06-05-2014 11:11 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  RPHS has had seniors for at least 2 years.

My bad. I didn't think that HS had been around that long. Even still, they were definitely in the playoffs this year. Odd that the coach would get dismissed.

(06-05-2014 12:52 PM)Mademen Wrote:  My bad. I didn't think that HS had been around that long. Even still, they were definitely in the playoffs this year. Odd that the coach would get dismissed.

There are lots of theories as to why the Ridge Point coach was dismissed, but most are speculation and need to be ignored. I will say however that the recent Ridge Point graduates that I know were all very disappointed in his dismissal.

As far as why Welch would move, I suspect one reason would have to do with baseball prospects for the next few years. After playing in the state finals a year ago, Dulles lost pretty much all of its talent and were facing a long rebuild process. Ridge Point may not have done as well this year as they did in 2013 but they have a boatload of players coming on board so with the right coaching they should do well.

With the redistricting, Ridge Point is back up in 5A and will be competing once again with Elkins which is a great rivalry. The coach that came to Elkins last year has proven to be someone who develops talent so I suspect some good players will come out of both schools over the next few years.

(06-05-2014 12:52 PM)Mademen Wrote:  

(06-05-2014 11:11 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  RPHS has had seniors for at least 2 years.

My bad. I didn't think that HS had been around that long. Even still, they were definitely in the playoffs this year. Odd that the coach would get dismissed.

Well, if an entire class of players failed at the same time, that may look suspicious and cause the coach to be dismissed.







what's that? not the same seniors for two years? .... nevermind...

Most of the neighborhoods that feed into Dulles are much older than Ridgepoint. Many of the upper middle class and wealthy families that lived in Sugar Creek, Quail Valley, Sugar Lakes (that fed into Dulles) just don't have as many kids in those areas or have been zoned elsewhere. Ridgepoint is basically all of Sienna and maybe Fresno as well. They are going to dominate in every sport IMO.

(06-05-2014 08:36 AM)Mademen Wrote:  This guy is a GREAT coach. I am stunned and saddened (as a Dulles alum) to see he is leaving. He was the coach at Dulles when I was in HS in the early 90's and I think he is the winningest baseball coach in the area. Anyone know why the Ridgepoint coach got dismissed? They went to the playoffs this year without having any seniors.

Previous baseball coach and the football coach (campus AD) didn't see eye to eye. FB coach said program needed to go in another direction. Welch is a very good baseball coach and runs a great program. Like another user alluded to, the Dulles feeder area is getting little older and replenishing the talent every year is getting difficult. Similar to Quail Valley & Elkins. Dulles is pretty landlocked w/ no real new neighborhoods growing and feeding into the school. Welch is a smart guy, probably saw the writing on the wall. The talent coming out of Sienna is very young but those that are familiar with the area know it comes with it's own issues. Very similar to Clements in the sense that the area has money and thus opinions. The Ridge Point issues will be off the field and not on the field. Welch is a no-nonsense guy and if anybody can reel that in, he is the guy.