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Lady Mustangs battle Lady Pirates and Owls

Varsity Lady Mustang #2 Leyla Saenz lets it fly from three as varsity Lady Pirate Aliana Cardenas closes out. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Natalia Lady Mustangs fell to the Lytle Lady Pirates after a heated rivalry matchup, 47-31 then dropped the game to the Hondo Owls 53-26. The Mustangs are 1-6 in the district and have an overall record of 9-20.
Vs Lytle
No matter the sport, Lytle versus Natalia is always going to be an entertaining matchup. In the first half, both teams displayed hard-nosed defense and fought for every point on the other end. After closing the first half 15-16, Lytle would pull away in the second to secure the win over the Lady Mustangs.
Head coach Steven Splangler felt their match up with the Lady Pirates left a lot to be desired but knew a loss like this would invigorate the team and spark a renewed sense of purpose.
“I felt like we had a good heart to heart the next day at practice and worked out a lot of our issues,” Spangler said. “I think it showed in our next outing versus the #10 ranked Hondo Owls.”
Stats:
Scoring: #0 Jade Mata- 6 pts, #1 Aryanna Ramirez- 8 pts, #2 Leyla Saenz- 10 pts, #3 Ashley Lopez- 1 pt, #22 Alexys Rodriguez- 6 pts
Rebounding: #0 Mata- 5 rebs, #1 Ramirez- 2 rebs, #2 Saenz- 6 rebs, #3 Lopez- 3 rebs (all offensive), #10 Keyla Velasquez- 3 rebs, #12 Kaylee Uviedo- 6 rebs, #15 Lilliana Vasquez- 1 reb, #20 Selyene Gallegos- 1 reb, #22 Rodriguez- 4 rebs
Assists: #0 Mata- 1 ast, #10 Velasquez- 1 ast, #22 Rodriguez- 1 ast
Steals: #0 Mata- 1 stl, #1 Ramirez- 1 stl, #2 Saenz- 2 stls, #15 Velasquez- 2 stls, #22 Rodriguez- 1 stl

Vs Hondo
Spangler was extremely proud of the way his team performed against the Owls. Despite the score, Spangler said this felt like a bounce back game.
“We played hard the entire game no matter what the score was or if our shots were falling or not,” Spangler said. “We didn’t give up at any point and got back to playing hard defense which is what we have become known for.”
Spangler highlighted how keen the team was on the finer details of the game. Spangler noted that the Lady Mustangs offense flowed better than it had in previous games as they looked to share the ball and set up their teammates in a merit of ways. Spangler hopes this game can catalyze a strong finish to the season.
“The Girls focused more on the things that they could control and looked for each other offensively more than in previous games,” Spangler said. “We are going to continue to work at finding different ways to score as…”…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Freshman Horses hoops recap

Freshman Warhorses #24 Bryan Martinez and #15 Phoenix Snider guard the two-man action during their game against Davenport. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
A sick and injured Devine freshman team dropped both of their recent games as the Horses took losses in Uvalde on January 9 and at home against Carrizo Springs on January 16.
vs Uvalde
Uvalde defeated Devine 60-51 despite three players hitting the double figure mark for the Warhorses. The Horses trailed by 17 points going into the final quarter but kept competing all the way to the final whistle (most of which went against Devine).
CesarTroy Vidaurri scored 11 points in the loss followed by 10-point outings by both Collier Paige and Kash Esparza.
Brian Martinez had a monster night on the boards as he grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with his 8 points. Joe Balderrama was next with 4 rebounds.
Paige and Esparza each had a team-high tying 2 steals while Vidaurri was the team leader with 4 assists.
Stats vs Uvalde
CesarTroy Vidaurri 11 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists; Collier Paige 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; Kash Esparza 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals; Brian Martinez 8 points, 1 rebounds; 1 steal; Charlie Stricker 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists; Steven Caballero 4 points, 1 rebound; Phoenix Snider 2 points, 1 rebound; Joe Balderrama 1 point; 4 rebounds; Thomas Steffens 1 steal.
vs Carrizo Springs
An early 17-15 first period lead…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Pirates prevail over Natalia and Jourdanton

Varsity Pirate Diego Reyna sets up for three during Lytle’s dominant win over Natalia. Reyna finished the game with eight points but played incredible defense. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle Pirates had an excellent week on the court, taking down their local rival the Natalia Mustangs, 81-30 and then outlasted Jourdanton in an overtime thriller, 77-75. The Pirates advance to 4-1 in district play, holding firmly onto the second seed.
Vs. Natalia
A rivalry that spans generations, Pirates vs Mustangs always brings a packed house and an entertaining game. However, the Pirates had no interest in making things “interesting”, they came to handle business. After out-scoring Natalia, 28-7 in the first quarter, Lytle never looked back.
“Our defensive pressure was full throttle from everyone who stepped on the court, making it tough on the Mustangs all over the floor,” Head coach Arturo Vela said. 
Vela credited the dominant win to the Pirates executing on both ends of the court. Vela said they came out with strong defensive pressure and knocked down early shots, which helped them take control of the pace. 
“Diego Reyna knocked down a few early three-pointers that got us going, and the pace set by Chase [Guevara], Weston [Jackson], and Seth [Pierce] pushed the tempo and helped us score over 80 points,” Vela said. “The defensive effort from everyone who stepped on the court, especially Lee Mills, Ethan [Elizondo], Jalen Roudriguez and Clayton Jopling, turned the game into a track meet that the Mustangs couldn’t keep up with.”
Available stats:
Scoring: #1 Darius Garcia- 14 pts, #2 Chase Guevara- 21 pts, #3 Weston Jackson- 7 pts, #4 Jalen Rodriguez- 7 pts, #5 Lee Mills- 4 pts, #12 Seth Pierce- 14 pts, #14 Ethan Elizondo- 6 pts, #21 Diego Reyna- 8 pts
Rebounding: #1 Garcia- 3 reb, #2 Guevara- 1 reb, #3 Jackson- 3 reb, #4 Rodriguez- 2 reb, #5 Mills- 3 reb, #12 Pierce- 12 reb (five offensive), #14 Elizondo- 4 reb, #21 Reyna- 8 reb
Assists: #1 Garcia- 1 ast, #2 Guevara- 1 ast, #3 Jackson- 3 ast, #4 Rodriguez- 1 ast, #11 Clayton Jopling- 2 ast, #12 Pierce- 1 ast, #14 Elizondo- 1 ast, #21 Reyna- 1 ast
Steals: #1 Garcia- 4 stl, #2 Guevara- 5 stl, #3 Jackson- 3 stl, #4 Rodriguez- 3 stl, #5 Mills- 3 stl, #11 Jopling- 1 stl, #12 Pierce- 2 stl, #21 Reyna- 3 stl

Vs. Jourdanton
One of the most entertaining games of the season came in the form of the matchup of Lytle and Jourdanton. The whole town seemed to slip away and the only thing that ever existed was the game on Friday night. 
“Although we struggled shooting the ball on Friday, we showed a lot of effort and toughness to stay in the game,” Vela said. “It was a game of runs, and neither team was able to truly separate. Our guys never gave up, continued to defend and stayed committed to the game plan.”
As the game came winding down, Guevara, Pierce and Reyna each…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Little Mr. 2026

Brittany Rodriguez and Ruben Ray Contreras welcomed their son, Kaleb Ray Contreras on January 5, 2026 at 8:34 am weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long. He is the first baby born in the new year at Medina Regional Hospital. Supplies and goodies were donated by Restore Reproductive Health and the Wesley Nurse for the New Year’s baby.

Viera’s 440-acre subdivision

Medina County Judge Keith Lutz, left, pinpoints County Road 260W in Precinct 1 during a public hearing Monday on a proposal to reduce the speed limit from 60 mph to 30 mph.
On a motion by Precinct 1 Commissioners Jessica Castiglione, seconded by Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve the reduced speed limit. (Photo by Anton Riecher)

County commissioners discuss precinct 1 subdivision development

By Anton Riecher
Held on Monday, the first Medina County Commissioners Court hearing for 2026 focused on subdivision development in precinct 1, primarily the 472 acre Viera subdivision located near the intersection of Potranco Road and County Road 381.
By a unanimous vote the commissioners approved a preliminary service and assessment plan governing the next 30 years for the Viera Public Improvement District, a special area created to fund extra infrastructure and amenities such as parks, landscaping and water lines. These improvements are funded through a homeowners association (HOA) rather than by tax dollars.
Approving the service and assessment plan is the first step in levying assessments on the property involved, a spokesman for McCall, Parkhurst & Horton, the county’s special counsel on subdivision matters, noted.
The subdivision, created in February 2025, consists of 1,047 lots of sizes varying from 80 foot wide to 50 foot wide. Prices range from $675,000 for 80-foot-wide lots to $450,000 for 50-foot-wide lots.
The Viera PID includes 114 acres of the planned subdivision with 281 single family homes planned. Construction began in December and is expected to be completed within 12 months.
“This is going to be a beautifully laid out subdivision,” Sittre said.
On a motion by Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, seconded by Precinct 1 Commissioner Jessica Castiglione, the commissioners voted to approve the assessment plan. Commissioners also voted unanimously to approve a final plat establishing another Precinct 1 development, Woodlands at Medina Hills unit 1B, located on FM 1283.
The court also voted to approve a final plat for a single 12-lot unit of the Legacy Hills subdivision pending final okay by Castiglione who raised concerns about drainage. Approval of two other units was tabled pending action by the city of San Antonio on performance bonds for the development.
In other action, the commissioners approved

Students to bring heifers and ranch colts for sale Jan. 23rd

These are some of the many heifers that will be for sale.

Anyone is welcome to come out and check out some great heifers and ranch yearling colts who have been raised by local 4-H students. More like a traditional auction, bidders will go home with the animals they win from these events and support a great cause at the same time. Here are the details on these two auctions:
Commercial Heiefer Sale:
The sale will be held January 23 at 5pm. Local kiddos will have about 116 head of cattle which will be split into pens of 2-3 animals. Bidders will bid per head, but they will be sold as a lot of 2 or 3 (depending on how many are in that pen).
There will be various breeds. You can register and bid online as well. Or you can just walk up and register the day of. You can view the cattle that will be for sale online.
Colt Sale:
This sale will also be January 23rd and will kick off at 2 pm. Local kiddos expect to bring about 19 yearling ranch colts to the sale. These colts will be around 2 years old, and students will have started on ground work and saddling, but not all will be ridden down. You can register and bid online as well. Or you can just walk up and register the day of.

Local businessman, Robert Brown, passes away at age of 70

Robert David Brown passed away on January 7, 2026, at the age of 70.
Robert was born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 26, 1955, to Robert (Bob) Brown and Ruth Hernandez Brown.
He moved to Devine at age 10 after his father, Mr. Brown Sr., had the opportunity to open a Chevrolet dealership in town. It was then that Robert discovered his first passion—the auto industry.
He began with humble beginnings at the dealership; his first assignment was washing cars for years.
Robert graduated from Devine High School, Class of ’74, and went on to college with all his Beatles albums—music being another of his passions.
He attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in the Class of ’78 with a degree in Business Administration.
One of his proudest memories from this time was driving from Austin to Devine almost every weekend to sell cars and continue learning about the auto industry.
Along his college journey was his high school sweetheart, Connie, whom he married on July 8, 1978. They shared…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Devine man sentenced to 80 years in prison

By Medina County District Attorney’s Office:
The Medina County Criminal District Attorney’s Office concluded its year with guilty verdicts on all charges against Don William Dubose following a jury trial in the 454th Judicial District Court, presided over by Judge Daniel J. Kindred.
Jury selection in the case began on December 8, 2025. After hearing the evidence and testimony presented, the jury found Dubose guilty on all counts, including:

  • Count One: Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of Six
  • Count Two: Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of Six
  • Count Three: Indecency with a Child
    Following the jury’s verdict, Judge Daniel J. Kindred assessed punishment at:
  • 35 years’ imprisonment for Count One
  • 35 years’ imprisonment for Count Two
  • 10 years’ imprisonment for Count Three
    The Court ordered that all sentences run consecutively. Dubose will be required to complete the first 35-year sentence before the sentence in Count Two begins to run, followed by the sentence for Count Three.
    The case was prosecuted by…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!