Mineral Wells Area News

MINERAL WELLS, Texas — The Mineral Wells High School Athletic Hall of Fame will induct three new honorees during a ceremony on Saturday, June 7, at 9 a.m. in the Mineral Wells High School Auditorium.

This year’s inductees include longtime coach Pat Simmons, all-around athlete Brittany Sneed-Duckett, and the standout 2005–2006 Rams boys basketball team. The event is open to the public.

Pat Simmons: Coach and Educator

Coach Pat Simmons led multiple championship teams at Mineral Wells High School from 1956 to 1967, including five district title winners in basketball and baseball, and a regional finalist basketball team in 1965. He also served as an assistant football coach for the 1966 district champion team.

Simmons was later inducted into the Joshua Athletic Hall of Fame and is also a member of the 50-Year Club Teacher Hall of Fame.

He coached three Hall of Fame teams and remains the only individual inducted into both the school’s athletic and teacher halls of fame.

Brittany Sneed-Duckett: Record-Setting Athlete

A 2009 graduate of Mineral Wells High School, Brittany Sneed-Duckett was a four-year varsity letterman in basketball, volleyball, and track. She remains the school’s leading scorer in girls’ basketball history with 2,019 career points.

Sneed-Duckett was a three-time First Team All-District selection and earned Offensive MVP honors in 2007, 2008, and 2009, as well as District MVP in 2008 and 2009. She helped lead the Lady Rams to their first postseason appearance in 14 years.

In track, she earned a state silver medal in the 4×400-meter relay in 2006 with a time of 3:50.48—a school record that still stands. She was also a two-time all-district volleyball player.

Throughout high school, she was recognized as “Best All Around” each year and received the Big Red Award in 2009.

2005–2006 Rams Basketball Team: A Season to Remember

The 2005–2006 Rams finished the season with an impressive 31–3 record, earning the District 6-4A title and the Class 4A Region I Area Championship. The team advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals, where they fell to eventual state champions Fort Worth Dunbar.

At one point ranked ninth in the state, the team earned seven All-District honors, including:

District MVP: Michael Ball Offensive Player of the Year: Kevin Harvey Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Jones Coach of the Year: Pat Brown First Team All-District: Todd Ball, Caden Crawford Second Team All-District: Isaac Benavides

The Rams were known for their man-to-man defense, circle offense, and their strong bond on and off the court. A standout moment of the season was Kevin Harvey’s game-winning half-court buzzer-beater against Stephenville.

Many team members played basketball year-round, beginning in 2004, with summer and fall tournaments. Several players, including Todd Ball, Kevin Harvey, and Mark Jones, went on to play college basketball, with Jones later winning an NCAA Division III National Championship in 2010 with Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Today, the legacy continues. Michael Ball, Kevin Harvey, and Ben Jones now coach basketball. Caden Crawford coaches varsity baseball.