Junior Varsity Natalia Mustang’s #17 and #18 set up a block.
By Noah Gilkey The Lady Mustangs Junior Varsity volleyball team played D’Hanis high school in Natalia on Tuesday, September 13th, and played hard in front of their energizing home crowd. Starting the game off with the first set the girls unfortunately couldn’t get enough points going and fell 15-25. The second set was then much too similar to the first, ending again in 15-25 to leave the Junior Varsity Ladies with a 0-2 loss. Highlighting the game was Abigail Firgueroa with 2 kills, Makayla Rodriguez with 2 assists and 1 ace, Aryana Ramirez with 6 digs, and Aracely Segovia with 5 digs. The ladies take a chip on their shoulder and will be back on Tuesday, September 20th to play Cotulla. Complete Stats: Kills: Abigail Figueroa 2 Assists: Makayla Rodriguez 2 Aces: Makayla Rodriguez 1 Digs: Aryanna Ramirez 6 and Araceley Segovia 5
Varsity Natalia Mustang #9 sets the ball outside Also pictured is #8.
By Noah Gilkey The Natalia Varsity Lady Mustangs volleyball team stayed at home for the second consecutive week and welcomed D’Hanis high school to their home court last week on Tuesday, September 13th to compete against a strong varsity squad. Starting the game off with a 16-25 first set, the girls kept their hopes up moving in to the rest of the game. Another tough set of 14-25 put the Ladies down 0-2. With one more chance to keep the game going and potentially come back from their deficit the Ladies unfortunately couldn’t pull together enough points to keep the D’Hanis squad at bay. With a score in the final set of 7-25 the game finished on a hard note for the Ladies. Leading their varsity squad throughout it all this game was Anaya Jones with 4 kills and 3 digs, Angelina Solis with 2 kills and 3 digs, Tommie Gunn with 7 assists Abigail Fulton with 2 aces and 3 Digs, and Angelina Duenes with 3 digs. The Lady Mustangs continue to work hard and look forward to playing Cotulla on Tuesday, September 20th. Complete Stats: Kills: Anaya Jones with 4 and Angelina Solis with 2 Assists: Tommie Gunn with 7 Aces: Abigail Fulton with 2 Digs: Anaya Jones, Angelina Duenes, Abigail Fulton, and Angelina Solis with 3
Lylte Pirate #4 Connor Martin soars up to try and secure a catch as Natalia’s #9 Paul Zapata closes in. Photos courtesy of Mike Quintero/Texas Sport Shots, www.texassportshots.
Eric Smith Staff Writer The Lytle Pirate offense came out and looked sharp in their opening drive last Friday night vs. rival Natalia. They used a 10 play, 70 yard drive before settling for a field-goal. Natalia made adjustments defensively, and this would be the only three points for the Black and Gold. Natalia on the other hand reeled off 47 points en route to a 47-3 win. “I felt like we finally got into a rhythm for the first time all year and we didn’t put ourselves in bad situations,” Natalia Head Coach Ilyan Martinez said when asked about his team’s first win of the season. The Pirates received to start the game and got the ball at their own 30 yard line. Lytle used a nice mix of runs by Connor Martin and passes by Freshman QB Toby Davila to players like Darren Martinez and Rudy Cepeda to get down to the Natalia 11 yard line. Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, they had to settle for a 28 yard field goal by Marcos Alvarado with 8:15 to go in the 1st quarter. Natalia got the ball at their own 42 yard line and went to work quickly. Jaieden Burford came out with a nice pass to Josh San Miguel for a 33 yard gain to set the tone. Two runs in a row by Luis Buentello was capped off with two runs by QB Burford and a Natalia touchdown with 6:38 to go in the 1st quarter. This capped off a 5-play 58 yard drive. The PAT by Miguel Sanchez was good, as Natalia led 7-3. Lytle came out with their second drive of the evening, but unfortunately could not get anything going as the Natalia defense rose to the occasion forcing a 3 and out punt. Natalia got the ball at the 50-yard line with 5:58 to go in the 1st quarter and went to work. Natalia used 15-plays of a good pass and run mix to score as Burford found Elijah Banda to score his first of four touchdowns on the night on a 23 yard receiving touchdown. The PAT by Sanchez was good, as Natalia extended their lead to 14-3. Things only got worse for Lytle in their opening quarter, as their third drive of the game went south quickly. Freshman Davila, who had shown lots of positives early with his arm and mobility, threw up a long ball for a receiver over the middle, but Natalia’s Paul Zapata soared into the air and intercepted it. Natalia got the ball at the Lytle 14 and needed one play to strike. Burford found David Silva for a 14 yard play to give the Stangs a 21-3 lead with 11:32 to go in the 2nd quarter following a Sanchez PAT. On the ensuing drive, Lytle began to find success as they started at their own 34 yard line. Lytle used eight plays to march down field to their own 48 yard line before the Natalia defense ended the threat again, this time with a David Silva interception. Natalia got the ball at their own 42 yard line with 7:31 to go in the 1st half and went back to work. Natalia needed just eight plays to march down field and score on a nice hard run by Elijah Banda. The PAT by Sanchez was blocked, but Natalia’s lead was now 27-3 with 4:36 to go in the 1st half. This is how the score would stand at the half. Natalia scored their first touchdown in the second half with 4:20 to go in the 3rd quarter, as Banda capped off a six-play 40 yard drive with a 3-yard run. The PAT was blocked again by Lytle, but Natalia’s lead was now 33-3. The Mustangs went on to score two final touchdowns in the game. One came as Burford found Justin Curiel on an 11 yard strike and the final touchdown was on a 37 yard run by Banda giving Natalia a solid 47-3 victory. “Everything we do starts up front and offensively we were physical and sound in our assignments,” Martinez said. “This allowed our RBs to have a big game on the ground and allowed for our QB to have time to make some plays downfield.” Coach Adrian Trevino was asked his thoughts on the loss vs. Natalia and had the following to say: “We felt that there were some things offensively and defensively that our team did well,” Trevino said. “There were also some things we didn’t do well enough to keep us in the game. Our kids continued to play hard and if we capitalized on some of the opportunities given, we feel we could have possibly changed the momentum of the game.” Final Team Stats: Natalia led offensively as they used 62 plays to account for 413 yards of offense which included 162 passing and 251 rushing. Lytle used 51 plays to account for 240 yards of offense which included 164 passing and 76 rushing. Rushing wise, Natalia ran 44 times for 251 yards for an average of 5.7. Lytle rushed 26 times for 76 yards for an average of 2.9. Receiving Natalia had 13 for 162 for an average of 12.5 as Lytle had 9 for 164 for an average of 18.2. Penalties- Both teams had too many as Natalia had 12-107 and Lytle 13-105. Lytle had 4 turnovers and Natalia had 2. Natalia dominated the 1st down mark with 21 compared to 11 by Lytle. Neither team was great on 3rd down, as Natalia was 4-11 and Lytle 3-12. Individual Stat Leaders: Burford led Natalia at QB and was 12-17-141-3TDs-1INT. Toby Davila was 9-25-164-4INTs. Rushing: Banda was 9-94-3TDs as Buentello was 18-94 and Burford was 14-90. Davila led on the ground for Lytle as he was 13-56 as Martin was 2-14. Receiving: San Miguel led Natalia was he was 3-71 as Silva was 7-55-1TD. Cepeda led Lytle with 4-112 as Martin was 2-32. Defensive Stat Leaders: Natalia: Assists: Simon Garcia 6, Austin Sutton 3, Luis Buentello 3, AZ Zapata 3. Solo Tackles- Sutton 6, Garcia 5, RJ Velasquez 3. Pass break-ups: Silva 1, Gerardo Colchado 1, Zapata 1, David Rodriguez 1. Interceptions: Silva, Zapata, San Miguel 1 each. Lytle: Albert Aguilar- 12 solo tackles/4 assists/1 forced fumble; Anthony Perdomo 7 solo tackles/4 assists; Roland Cordova 3 solo tackles/2 assists; Drew Gonzales- 4 solo tackles/1 assists/1 tackle for a loss/1 QB Sack; Luke Estrada- 3 solo tackles/ 1 assist; Jake Guevarea- 3 solo tackles/2 assists/1 QB sack. Coachs final comments “We need to continue to work on being consistent in all phases of the game,” Trevino said. “We feel if we could have executed better in the red-zone and in the goal-line areas, it would have given us more momentum early.” Martinez was asked his thoughts on winning 8 straight vs. Lytle. “We feel fortunate to be a part of that, but I am really proud of our player’s approach to the tradition that was built here and the importance of the game to the alumni and community,” Martinez said. “Our guys understand the significance of the game and we were focused on the task at hand. We enjoyed and are happy with the outcome, but we need to re-focus and get ready for a tough district.” Upcoming Games Natalia will have the week off as they enter the open week 1-3 in a tough four slate of contests ion non-district. Natalia opens district play on Friday, September 30th on their brand new turf field vs. the Comfort Bobcats. Lytle will prepare for their final non-district game at home Friday vs. Pearsall. See the preview story for further details.
Varsity Natalia Mustang #5 Angelina Duenes puts the ball into play.
By Noah Gilkey The Natalia Lady Mustangs kicked off their season last Tuesday, the 16th at home against Sabinal High school. The Ladies played a tough three round series against Sabinal, and while unfortunately fell 0-3, showed potential for a promising season ahead. Sophomore Lady Mustang Tommie Gunn led the team in assists, earning 18 assists throughout all three matches against Sabinal. Sophomore Abigail Fulton made a showing as well, earning 18 digs, 2 aces, and 8 kills. With a 3 day turnaround the Varsity Lady Mustangs travelled to Devine high school on Saturday, the 19th to take part in the Devine Varsity Tournament. Slated for 3 games, the Varsity Lady Mustangs competed first against Three Rivers High School and played hard before falling in two games. Sophomore Anaya Jones led the team with an impressive 9 kills and 7 aces. Sophomore Tommie Gunn again led in assists with 10 from her hand, and Abigail Fulton had 8 digs.
Varsity Natalia Mustang #2 Anaya Jones receives a tough serve from middle back.
A few hours later the Lady Mustangs were up again against the Devine Arabians. The Lady Mustangs fought hard but fell just short against the Arabians on their home court. Sophomore Anaya Jones again led the Lady Mustangs across notable stats with 7 kills and 1 block, Angelina Solis made her presence known with 5 digs, and Tommie Gunn did what she does best and put the ball up for 11 assists. Moving to their last game of the day the Lady Mustangs played a hard fought game against Fox Tech High School but again fell just short of the win. Anaya Jones and Angelina Solis led in kills with 6 to each of them, Angelina led in digs with 8, and Angelina Duenes earned 3 aces. Day two of the tourney began for the Lady Mustangs against Somerset High School, with sophomore Tommie Gunn leading across stats for the Lady Mustangs with 3 kills and 3 aces. The Lady Mustangs played a tough game before falling to Somerset. Moving to their next game the Lady Mustangs were hungry for a win and earned themselves one against Ingleside High School. Angelina Solis put up an impressive 8 kills and 2 blocks, and Anaya Jones led in digs with 6. The Lady Mustangs closed out the tournament competing well against Crystal City High School, unfortunately falling short of the win in the end. Sophomore Anaya Jones led no matter which direction the ball was being sent with 5 kills and 9 digs by the end of the game. Sophomore Abigail Thompson put up 2 blocks, Sophomore Angelina Solis put down 4 kills, and Sophomore Abigail Fulton earned 7 digs. Overall a great two days of competition and learning for the Lady Mustangs, they are more ready and hungry for the rest of their season and eager to improve as it moves along.
Complete stats: At Sabinal Kills: Anaya Jones and Abigail Fulton with 8 Assists: Tommie Gunn with 18 Aces: Abigail Fulton with 2 Blocks: Abigail Thompson with 1 Digs: Abigail Fulton with our 18 and Anaya Jones with 8
Devine Tourney Game 1 against Three Rivers Kills: Anaya Jones with 9 and Angelina Solis with 2 Assists: Tommie Gunn with 10 Aces: Angelina Solis and Valerie Saenz with 2 Blocks: Digs: Abigail Fulton with 8 and Anaya Jones with 7
Game 2 against Devine Kills: Anaya Jones with 7 and Angelina Solis with 3 Assists: Tommie Gunn with 11 Aces: Abigail Fulton with 2 Blocks: Anaya Jones with 1 Digs: Angelina Solis with 5
Game 3 against Fox Tech Kills: Anaya Jones and Angelina Solis with 6 Assists: Tommie Gunn with 17 Aces: Angelina Duenes with 3 Digs: Angelina Duenes with 8, Anaya Jones and Abigail Fulton with 6
Game 4 against Somerset Kills: Tommie Gunn and Abigail Fulton with 3 Assists: Anaya Jones with 6 Aces: Tommie Gunn with 3 Digs: Marissa Castro and Valerie Saenz with 3
Game 5 against Ingleside Kills: Angelina Solis with 8 and Anaya Jones with 7 Assists: Tommie Gunn with 15 Aces: Valerie Saenz with 5 Blocks: Abigail Thompson and Angelina Solis with 2 Digs: Anaya Jones with 6
Game 6 against Crystal City Kills: Anaya Jones with 5 and Angelina Solis with 4 Assists: Tommie Gunn with 9 Aces: Abigail Fulton with 3 Blocks: Abigail Thompson with 2 Digs: Anaya Jones with 9 and Abigail Fulton with 7
The Natalia Cross Country team opened their season in Pearsall on Saturday the 20th.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Head Coach Kendra Spangler and her Natalia Cross Country teams opened their 2022 season last Saturday in Pearsall. This weekend has that Lady Mustangs and Mustangs running in the Panther Invitational at Medina Valley. Collin Corker led the Mustangs at the Maverick Invitational with his 9th place finish. Corker came in with a 5K time of 20.11. Yahdi Lujan impressed with a top five finish, placing third overall in the varsity girl division. Lujan ran 13.57. McKyenzie Flores was just out of the top 10 with an 11th place time of 15.20. Yadi Mendez ran 16.52, Jasmine Riso finished with 17.01, and Tyli Ventimiglia was soon thereafter at 17.35.
Ethan Santos runs the ball up the middle and down the right side.
The Devine Warhorses will host their first football game at home this Friday, August 26, kickoff is 7:00 pm against SA Memorial in a non-district game. JV does not have a game on the schedule for this week. Natalia Mustangs will travel to Jourdanton to take on the Indians; kickoff is 7:00 p.m. in a non-district game. The JV will host Jourdanton on Thursday at 5:30 at home in Natalia. The Lytle Pirates will travel to Jefferson; kickoff is 7:30 p.m. in a non-district game. The JV will play at Jefferson on Thursday at 5:0 0 p.m.
Lady Mustang #8 Anaya Jones awaits the bat at second.
The Natalia Lady Mustangs gave the Poth Pirettes all they wanted on April 5th in Natalia, as they took the Wilson County squad 8-innings. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the extra inning as Poth out-scored Natalia 8-1 en route to a 13-6 victory over the girls in blue. Natalia scored their first run of the game in the 1st inning and it all began with a Taty Alvaradon single. She was eventually able to score, thanks to an Aracely Segovia error put into play and an error put into play by Sky Gallegos. This lead stood, until the top of the 3rd inning when Poth was able to produce a two-run inning. The Pirettes did so thanks to a George single, a Castro double, an error put into play by Svoboda and an error put into play by Garcia to produce the offensive effort. Natalia was able to charge back ahead in the bottom of the 5th inning with a nice two out rally. Segovia was hit by a pitch to start things off. Gallegos was then walked, as Laque got on thanks to putting a ball into play that Poth was unable to handle, resulting in the girls in blue scoring in two to give them a 3-2 lead.
Lady Mustang Valarie Saenz gets ready to throw another one across the plate.
Poth was able to regain the lead in the top of the 7th inning with three runs scored. These came courtesy of a Castro single, a Svoboda single, a Garcia double, a Hopkins SAC fly, a Garcia error put into play into the outfield and a fielder’s choice allowing Poth to take a 5-3 lead into the final at bat in regular innings. Billalobos began the bottom of the 7th with a base on balls. Segovia then sacrificed to move Segovia over. Gallegos was then able to reach on an error by the Poth short-stop, as Laque singled to center field as Gallegos and Billalobos were able to score on a throwing error to tie the game 5-5. This one went to one extra inning, but as mentioned the wheels fell off. Poth out-scored Natalia 8-1 to pick up the 13-6 victory. Billalobos took the loss on the mound for Natalia as she pitched 8.0, allowed seventeen hits, thirteen runs in which only five were earned, struck out one and walked two. Alvarado and Laque led the offense with two hits each, as Billalobos, Gallegos added one each.
Adrian Vasquez placed 2nd in the 165 lb. weight class at the State Powerlifting Meet.
Natalia Mustang Seniors Adrian Vasquez and Gaylen Garcia competed at the Texas High School Powerlifting Meet last Saturday at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene. Vasquez was able to claim a 2nd place finish in his 165 lb. weight class as Garcia was able to finish in 8th place in the 198 lb. weight class. “Both of these young men did a great job of going out and competing against some tough competition,” Natalia Head Boys Coach Tyler Seiler said. “They both showed determination and mental toughness when facing these competitors as well as long wait time in between lifting attempts. We will greatly miss their leadership and experience moving forward. Senior Adrian Vasquez- 2nd Place 165 lb. weight class Vasquez was able to advance to the state lift meet for a 3rd straight year and he did not go down quietly. “Adrian came out and had a great meet going 9-9 closing out his senior year with a 2nd place finish,” Seiler said. Vasquez was able to account for a 1,460 lb. total which included a 600 lb. squat, a 300 lb. bench press and a 560 lb. deadlift. “He started the day strong by getting a PR in the squat with a lift of 600 lbs,” Seiler said. “He followed that up with a 300 lb. bench press putting him in 4th place going into the deadlift. He also achieved a PR on deadlift on his final lift to lock in the 2nd place finish.” Senior Gaylen Garcia- 8th Place 198 lb. weight class Garcia qualified for the state meet for the first time and he had a good showing last Saturday. “Gaylen had a good meet placing 8th in one of the toughest weight classes in the state,” Seiler said. “He started off the day going 3-3 on squat and he was able to PR in squat.” Garcia finished the day with a 1,530 lb. total which included a 630 lb. squat, a 360 lb. bench press and a 540 lb. dead lift.
Gaylen Garcia placed 8th in the 198 lb. weight class at the State Powerlifting Meet.
“He followed up his PR in squat going 3-3 on bench press with another PR,” Seiler said. “He battled it out with some tough competition and went 2-3 in deadlift to finish in 8th.” We would like to congratulate both Natalia Mustangs on a great season and a great finish at state!
