Pirate Zach Perez plays offense against the Mustangs and Pirate Diego Reyna goes up for a basket against Jourdanton.
Pirates shoot past Natalia, Jourdanton
Staff writer The Lytle Pirate hoops team is hitting on all cylinders at the right time of the season as they continue to roll past opponents with what looks like relative ease. The Pirates took down defending district champion Crystal City 76-63 prior to defeating their friendly Natalia neighbors 82-46. Lytle played winless Dilley on January 14. According to Head Coach Jacob Hernandez, “The Pirates have been led in district play by junior Chase Guevara. He has been an absolute nightmare for district 28-3A opponents. Chase scored 37 points in the big win over Crystal City then put in 27 points against the Mustangs to go along with his 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Senior Zach Perez had 21 points and 5 assists in the Pirates win over Natalia. Finally, ‘Big Man’ Seth Pierce has been…
Devine High School Senior Donavan Dixon and Sophomore Rowdy Esparza participated in Texas HS Indoor Championship.
Senior Donavan Dixon and Sophomore Rowdy Esparza qualified for and participated in the prestigious Texas High School Indoor Championship track meet held on January 11th at Texas A&M University in College Station. This elite event showcases the top high school athletes from across Texas, all of whom have demonstrated outstanding performances in their qualifying events. Dixon showcased his talent in the 800-meter race, while Esparza competed in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump events. Their hard work and dedication have earned them a spot among the best in the state, making Devine High School proud.
Arabian Yaya Rodriguez sinks another basket. Photo by J DuBose.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer Talk about going from one extreme to the other. Devine defeated Pearsall easily 54-15 January 7 then had a 57-56 overtime thriller versus Floresville January 10 to keep their District 27-4A spotless at 6-0 prior to their January 14 tilt against Uvalde on Sessions Court inside the DSAC. vs Pearsall Um, this one was never close. Devine put away the Lady Mavericks early and often as the Arabians bolted out to an 18-2 lead after one and 32-7 at the break in their decisive 54-15 thumping in Pearsall on January 7. Devine did not shoot the ball particularly well from the floor, but it did not matter. The Arabians 31% more than doubled the Lady Mavs 14% output as it appeared the nets did not warm up until the varsity boys put on their 98-90 offensive display. The Arabian defense was…
Pirate team photo from left to right: Rosendo Gonzalez, Jonah Ortiz Albarenga, Princeton Menchaca, Roel Cardenas, Jayden Motes, Jonathan Massiate, Christopher Garza, Andres Rodriguez, and Joshua Tschetter.
Massiate 1st in 165lb division
Jerel Beaty Staff writer Pirate Powerlifting was in their second meet of 2025, but with a completely new bunch of lifters in Natalia on January 7. Lytle placed 3rd overall with 30 points. Dilley won the invitational by the slimmest of margins over host Natalia 53 to 52 in the final standings. “Coach Armentrout and I took a group of brand-new powerlifters to Natalia to compete in their first meet of the season,” stated Head Coach Melissa Gomez. “A few had a rough start with commands/rules, controlling the bar, and nerves, but with guidance and support, they were able to overcome those challenges by their second lifts!” Six of 9 lifters…
Lady Pirate Luna Reyes goes up for a basket. Photo by Mayor Gonzalez.
Must-win games on the horizon
Jerel Beaty Staff writer The Lady Pirates hopefully found the win-column at home on January 14 against the visiting Dilley Lady Wolves. There is still an outside shot that Lytle can reach the postseason, but Round Two of District 28-3A must duplicate Round One victories they achieved against Dilley and Cotulla, plus pick up a couple of others along the way primarily against Poteet and Natalia in order to leapfrog those above them in the standings. Healthy bodies and heating up from the floor and free throw line could be what gets Lytle into the postseason where they have become a staple in recent years. vs Natalia Shorthanded Lytle took one on the chin in Natalia as they lost 41-27 with only seven players dressed in uniform. Even with low number of varsity-ready players the Lady Pirates had several chances to close the gap, but their great…
8th Fillys Tournament Champions: Hali Carroll, Jessa Mata, Amy Outlaw, Dresden Talamantes, Prezley Freeburn, Kalli Bedford, Olivia Taylor, Megan Miles, Emma McIver, and Karsyn Mann are pictured with their championship plaque.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer It is understandable that a middle school basketball team would come out just a tad rusty after a long break off the court. That is what Coach Leigh Anne McIver experienced with her 8th grade Fillys as they took on Uvalde January 9, which was her team’s first games since mid-December. However, both the A team and the B team came away victorious in their initial games of 2025. “It was great to get two wins even though we all could definitely tell it was first game back from a break!” a relieved McIver stated. Ah, but those games against Uvalde set the stage for Devine to hoist the team championship in their own tournament two days later, defeating Hondo in Game One and then ousting Lytle in Game Two to end the Fillys perfect 3-0 week. A team In what looked like might be a battle to the end after Devine held a slim 7-6 lead after the first quarter, quickly turned into a blowout as the Fillys ran away with the 26-7 win. Devine allowed only a single free throw to Uvalde the rest of the way in their 19-point win. “We struggled with playing against a zone in the first half and making shots, but were able to make adjustments at halftime,” commented McIver. Hali Carroll scored…
Medina County dispatch received a call for a welfare check for a Devine resident on Sunday, January 12 around 11:14 pm. Devine PD responded to the residence in the 1300 block of Windy Knoll in Devine where they sadly found 78-year-old Lloyd Fowler deceased.
“The man had a single gun shot wound,” said Lieutenant Chris Andrews. “Any questionable death is investigated as a homicide. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.”
Devine PD added that “the anonymous caller refused to identify their names upon first contact with dispatch.”
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While the exact location is unknown to us. The 440-acre property under development has two water wells owned by the company. Data centers use large amounts of water to operate cooling systems needed to protect sensitive equipment. Although two water wells exist on site, Rowan is working with East Medina County Special Utility District and the City of Lytle to provide water and sewer service.
Negotiations also call for the site to maintain 40 full-time jobs at 120 percent of the county’s average wage which is $32,091 according to the latest Census.
Build-to-suit data center gets $17 million tax break
By Anton Riecher Medina County commissioners have unanimously approved an 80 percent property tax break covering the initial 10 years of Project Cinco, a proposed $2.1 billion data center campus west of Lytle that developers hope to have annexed into the city. County Judge Keith Lutz extended warm greetings to officials with Colorado-based Rowan Digital Infrastructure following the Dec. 30 vote to designate the project a reinvestment zone under chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code. “Welcome officially to Medina County,” Lutz said. Aaron Henry, Rowan’s director of economic development, said the company intends to request annexation by the city of Lytle upon completion of first phase construction at the site. The final decision will rest with city officials. “If that doesn’t happen we will still follow the city of Lytle ordinances so we are governed by a project standpoint and do have oversight from the city of Lytle, no matter what happens, annexation or not,” he said. Henry said the company plans to partner with the county and city in an “open house” presentation to the community in January, most likely at the Lytle Community Center, to share information about the project. “We do it with little…
