The Statebound Lytle Lady Pirates Cross Country team runners are: Samantha Mujica, Frances Scotello, Klayre Cook, Marissa Lopez, Moriah Gomez, Dezmarie Ortega, and Eisabel Guerrero. Lopez (4th) and Gomez (5th) also qualified as individuals. The team finished only 10 points from #2 Poth. Below, the Regional Championship Lytle Pirate teammates are: Johnny Alvarez, Robert Wagner (Holding trophy), Tristan Lopez, Yandel Esquivez, Abel Sanchez, Brandon Obando, Luke Estrada. Alvarez (5th), Obando (6th), and Wagner (9th) also qualified as individuals. All six placed in the top 28. The team is UNDEFEATED.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer The Lady Pirate Cross Country team continued its fabulous 2022 season capturing the TAMU-CC Islander Splash Saturday in Corpus Christi. Lytle held off a valiant challenge from runner-up Sinton as the Lady Pirates scored 93 points to their Lady Pirate counterpart 101 points. There were 33 complete teams in the varsity girls’ race with 260 competitors. Marissa Lopez, Moriah Gomez, and Samantha Mujica all came in the top 11 as Lopez placed 6th, Gomez 8th, and Mujica 11th. Frances Scotello was barely out of the top 25 coming in at 26th place. Dezmarie Ortega came in 46th and Klaryre Cook was 77th. “These are a great group of kids who are very coachable, “ said Head Coach Gilbert Ruiz. “They never take anything personally and always seem to rise to the occasion.” The Lady Pirates had to run in some of the more uncomfortable situations as far as the hottest and most humid part of the day according to Ruiz. Congratulations to the TAMU-CC Islander Splash Team Champion Lady Pirates. Team ranking 1st Lytle 93, 2nd Sinton 101, 3rd CC Tuloso-Midway 125, 4th Beeville Jones 133, 5th Pleasanton 157, 6th Pharr IDEA 180, 7th Devine 209, 8th La Vernia 236, 9th Robstown 246, 10th, Carrizo Springs 367. Lady Pirates 6th Marissa Lopez 12:48, 8th Moriah Gomez 12:54, 11th Samantha Mujica 13:01, 26th Frances Scotello 13:37, 46th Dezmarie Ortega 14:15, 77th Klayre Cook 14:51. Up next The Lady Pirates travel to Round Rock Friday to compete in the State venue of Old Settlers Park.
Pirate XC dominates TAMU-CC Islander Splash
1st place Pirates- 3rd Abel Sanchez 17:47, 6th Johnny Rey ALvarez 18:08, 10th Brandon Obando 18:21, 11th Yandel Esquivez 18:31, 13th Luke Estrada 18:41, 70th Robert Wagner 20:52.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Wow! Abel Sanchez, Johnny Rey Alvarez, Branson Obando, Yandel Esquivez, Luke Estrada, and Robert Wagner had quite the day in Corpus Christi last Saturday as they crushed their competition winning the TAMU-CC Islander Splash Invitational scoring 38 points in the process. Runner up La Vernia tallied 104 points. Sanchez, Alvarez, Obando, Esquivez, and Estrada all crossed the finish line in the top 15 in securing the 38 points. Sanchez was 3rd, only five seconds behind the individual runner up from Sinton. Alvarez came in 6th, Obando was 10th, Esquivez finished 11th, and Estrada in 13th place. Wagner came in 70th place. Lytle Head Coach Gilbert Ruiz was obviously extremely satisfied with what his crew was able to accomplish saying, “I was so proud of their effort after having to wake up early in the morning after a football game against our rivals. A lot of them are in band, dance, cheer or even played in the football game (Luke Estrada). Then, we had to run in one of the last races of the day, which is the hottest, most humid time. They are a great group of kids that are very coachable. They never take anything personal and always seem to understand and rise to the occasion. Running in the heat of the day, after many of the runners had Friday night responsibilities as well, says a lot about the entire team. “I do want to highlight one student/athlete, Luke Estrada,” continued Ruiz. “He played hard in the football game the night before and when he got to the gym in the morning, I could tell he was struggling, but he said he was fine. During the race Robert Wagner was having a hard time so now Luke became our 5th guy which means where he finishes, the TEAM finishes. He found strength to push through and pick up for his fellow brother to finish 13th. It was a valiant effort and goes to show that everyone on that team is important and at any time you might be expected to step up. And if we prepare enough, then there is nothing that we can’t achieve.” Congratulations to the TAMU-CC Islander Splash Team Champion Lytle Pirates. Team ranking 1st Lytle 38, 2nd La Vernia 104, 3rd Premont 229, 4th Devine 232, 5th Dilley 246, 6th Gonzales 269, 7th CC Tuloso-Midway 280, 8th Pleasanton 287, 9th Wallis Brazos 297, 10th Weslaco IDEA 322. Pirates 3rd Abel Sanchez 17:47, 6th Johnny Rey ALvarez 18:08, 10th Brandon Obando 18:21, 11th Yandel Esquivez 18:31, 13th Luke Estrada 18:41, 70th Robert Wagner 20:52. Up next The Pirates travel to Round Rock Friday to compete at Old Settlers Park, which also happens to be the State site later in the season.
Pirate XC JV Team Champs in CC
Bryan Montes-Rodriguez led the Lytle JV Pirate Cross Country team to a team championship with his own individual championship at the TAMU-CC Islander Splash in Corpus Christi this past Saturday. Diego Reyna, Lucas Salazar, Daniel Mercado, and Donaovan Cortez all placed in the top 11 to solidify their low 28-point total over runner up Laredo Martin’s 46 point performance.Montes-Rodriguez’s championship performance came in a field of 108 competitors. Reyna came in 4th, Salazar 5th, Mercado 7th, and Cortez 11th. The JV Lady Pirates had a fabulous day as well, placing second as a team against 21 other teams. Lytle scored a very respectable 103 points, while team champion La Feria tallied 16. Nivea Sanchez led the Lady Pirates with her 7th place finish out of 191 competitors. Isabella Sewell came in the top 25 at 24th place, Kimora Sanchez was not too far behind at 26th, Jadyn Bojorquez was 28th, Fatima Montes placed 58th, and Annika Robles came in at 93rd. Team boy ranking 1st Lytle 28, 2nd Laredo Martin 46, 3rd Corpus Christi Carroll 92, 4th Gregory-Portland 98, 5th Agua Dulce 136, 6th McAllen Rowe 153, 7th Laredo Cigarroa 174, 8th College Station 189, 9th Harlingen South 213, 10th IDEA Pharr 241, 11th Port Lavaca Calhoun 294. JV Pirates 1st Bryan Montes-Rodriguez 11:31, 4th Diego Reyna 11:45, 5th Lucas Salazar 11:48, 7th Daniel Mercado 11:59, 11th Donovan Cortez 12:26, 68th Aaron Martinez 14:47. Team girl ranking 1st La Feria 16, 2nd Lytle 103, 3rd College Station 113, 4th Harlingen South 124, 5th Laredo United South 162, 6th Brownsville Hanna 166, 7th Gregory Portland 221, 8th Laredo Cigarroa 258, 9th George West 300, 10th Edinburg 322. JV Lady Pirates 7th Nivea Sanchez 14:00, 24th Isabella Sewell 15:20, 26th Kimora Sanchez 15:22, 4th Jadyn Bojorquez 15:28, 58th Fatima Montes 16:35, 93rd Annika Robles 17:52.
Junior Varsity Lady Pirate #9 Zoey Salinas recieves the ball Also pictured is #3 Kylie Cantu.
By Noah Gilkey On Tuesday, September 13th, the Lytle Junior High Lady Pirates hosted the Dilley Wolves for the night, and came out on top at every level for a successful evening. Kicking things off with the 8th grade B team, the girls were able to put together a good serving game, led by Mari Guerrero and Gabby Finamore, to ultimately take the win in two sets of 25-10 and 25-10. The 7th grade A team took the floor next and again utilized a strong serving game in order to earn the win against Dilley. “We have expressed to the girls how important serving is in volleyball, and by serving well we are able to stay in control of the game.” Says coach Shelly Armentrout of the girls’ serving tactics throughout the game. Led by Evelyn Barco, Ashley Evans, and Haley Ward, the girls served their way to victory in 25-19 and 25-14. Rounding out the night was the 8th grade A team, who kept the streak going and sealed out Dilley from getting any wins on the night. The key to their win was again good serving from the girls, led by Aliana Cardenas and Lillian Evans. “…both girls served so well in the first game that they only went three rotations.” said coach Armentrout. The first set was won in 25-4. A few more rotations in the second set and the girls completed the sweep against Dilley, finishing in 25-18. Coach Armentrout also comments on the support from fans at games. “If you get the chance to come cheer the girls on we know they would love to see you.”
Varsity Lytle Pirate #1 Marissa Lopez sets the ball to middle front. Photos by Amber DuBose.
By Noah Gilkey On Tuesday, September 13th the Varsity Lady Pirates stayed home and were hungry for a win in their rematch against the Sabinal Hornets. The Lady Pirates played a total of five sets against Sabinal, which always proves to result in a competitive game. The Pirates kept an edge on Sabinal for the first two sets, winning in 25-23 and 27-25, respectively. Keeping their spirits up the girls continues to fight hard but continued to come up just short in the next three matches, finishing the game with a loss. With a final score of 2-3, the Pirates stay optimistic. “We took a hard loss against the hornets but learned many lessons that night” said head volleyball coach Sam Mendez. Leading the matchup against Sabinal on Tuesday were Pirates Calyssa Servier with 19 kills and 27 digs, Marissa Lopez with 20 assists, and Cameron “Fizz” Hutton with 5 solo blocks and 2 assist blocks. The Lady Pirates’ second game of the week was again at home but this time against West Campus High School. A better string of matches allowed for a win for the Lady Pirates, ultimately doing so in 25-18, 25-20, and 25-19. “We have made a lot of changes up to this point in the season. We still have a lot of work that needs to be done but we are determined to get better every day.” Coach Mendez was happy with the result of the game. Leading the three matches were Marissa Lopez with 14 set-assists, Calyssa Servier with 23 digs, both Cameron “Fizz” Hutton and Cadee Martinez with 1 solo block, and Rose Scotello with 4 aces and 8 kills. The Lady Pirates had a good last week of play before their first district game against Crystal City on Tuesday, September 20th. Complete Stats: v. Crystal City: Kills: Calyssa Sevier with 19 Assists: Marissa Lopez with 20 Digs: Calyssa Sevier with 27 Blocks: Cameron “Fizz” Hutton with 5 solo blocks and 2 assist blocks. v. West Campus: Kills: Rose Scotello with 19 Assists: Marissa Lopez with 14 set assists Digs: Calyssa Sevier with 23 Blocks: Cameron “Fizz” Hutton and Cadee Martinez each with 1 solo block
The Lytle Junior Varsity Pirates came out with team and individual wins in Floresville on Saturday, the 20th. Yandel finishes 1st overall, Luke 3rd, Diego 4th, Bryan 5th, Daniel 6th, and Lucas 11th.
Lytle Pirates QB Connor Martin runs the ball while OL Austin Dubose leads the way, blocking. Photos by Katara Whitefield
By Eric Smith Staff Writer Coach Adrian Trevino and the fighting Lytle Pirates will kick-off the 2022 Texas High School Football season Friday night in one of the most historic San Antonio area Stadiums, better known as the Rockpile. The Pirates will battle the Class 14-5A (Div.II) Jefferson Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. as both teams concluded two weeks’ worth of scrimmage action. Scrimmage Re-cap: The Brackett Tigers and the San Antonio Christian Lions were in town at Walter Joyce Stadium last week to wrap up scrimmage play with a Tri-Scrimmage vs. the black and gold. “We thought the scrimmage went well for us,” Coach Adrian Trevino said. “Our JV team is a great group of young men who will continue to improve. They had a lot of success last season att the JH level so we are looking to keep this group together and playing together. They are all talented and they work hard and are very coachable.”
Lytle Pirate Carlos Gonzalez takes down a Bracketville Lion during a recent scrimmage. Photo by Katara Whitfield.
When it came to the Pirate Varsity, according to Trevino, the Pirates were able to score a combined three touchdowns and one two point conversion during the tri-scrimmage as opposed to giving up a single touchdown./ “Our Varsity team took some great strides this past week,” Trevino said. “We played two physical teams in San Antonio Christian and Brackett. I felt our offense moved the ball well, both on the ground and through the air and we were able to get some special teams work in also.” According to Trevino, his staff wants to continue to develop their depth to assure each player is ready to play on any given Friday night. “We are looking to polish up a lot of little things in all three phases of the game,” Trevino said. Season kick-off Friday night: The Jefferson Mustangs will welcome Lytle to town to Alamo Stadium “The Rockpile” Friday night at 7:00 p.m./ Jefferson as mentioned, competed in 14-5A in a large 10 team district as they are coming off an 0-10, 0-8 season in which they are picked to finish last in the district behind: Alamo heights, Harlandale, Brackenridge, Highlands, Lanier, Edison, Sam Houston, Burbank and McCollum. The Mustangs are returning four starters back on both sides of the football under Coach Edward Cardenas. Offensively, they will line-up with two tight ends and three backs the majority of the time,” Trevino said. “They believe in a power-running philosophy which also mixing in some play action. According to Trevino, on defense they are multiple fronts and have shown both odd and even fronts. “It will be a great test for us on the road at the Rockpile and I believe our kids are ready for the season,” Trevino said. “We just need to continue to BELIEVE! We have stressed to our kids the importance of staying focused, regardless of the circumstances of the game and doing their job to the best of their ability.” Kick-off is set Friday night as mentioned in San Antonio and see Lytle Social Media Platforms for more information on tickets for the black and gold season opener 2022!
Varsity Lady Pirates pulled through for second place at Floresville on Saturday the 20th. Top 15 finishers overall for the Lady Pirates were Moriah in 5th, Marissa in 8th, Samantha in 11th, and Natalie in 15th. Courtesy photo.
Jerel Beaty Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas released their first state poll of 2022. The Lytle Pirates and Lady Pirates made quite the impression after last year’s 3rd and 4th place finishes in their respective classifications. Prior to Lytle lacing up running shoes for their first meet of the season last Saturday in Floresville, CCCAT put the Pirates at second in the state ranks behind Eustace. Jim Ned, Brownsville IDEA Frontier Prep, Whitesboro, Presidio, McGregor, Boyd, Cameron Yoe, and Crane round out the top 10. The Lady Pirates come in at six behind Holliday, Lorena, Poth, Whitesboro, and Canadian. Crane, McGregor, Yoakum, and Paradise finish out the seven through ten slots.
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.
Robert Wagner, a junior at Lytle High School, won second in the 800M run at regionals with a 1:59.98 to qualify for State.
Lytle Pirate junior Robert Wagner will compete at State after placing second overall in the 800m Run in Seguin at Regional last weekend. Wagner ran 1:59.98 to finish only .89 seconds behind Wyatt Hoover of Poth who ran 1:59.09 to claim the race’s individual championship. Wagner also competed in the 1600m Run, placing 13th with a time of 5:01.96. Alex Medina qualified for finals in Discus with a throw of 132’11½” to place third, almost qualifying for State.
Abel Sanchez came in 8th in the 800m Run with a time of 2:06.01.Pirate Jose Cortez ran both the 1600m and 3200m Run at Regionals in Seguin.
Jose Cortez ran 4:35.54 to place fifth in the 1600m Run and placed sixth in the 3200m Run with a time of 10:49.31. Abel Sanchez came in 8th in the 800m Run with a time of 2:06.01. Head Coach Jacob Escamilla stated, “This has been an amazing ride that will continue for another few weeks onto the STATE track meet in Austin. First, congratulations to all the track athletes who qualified for the Regional track meet this past weekend. These student-athletes represented Lytle ISD with pride and I could not be prouder of their efforts.
Pirate Alex Medina winds up to throw the discus at Regionals.
Once again, to get to this point in the track season is remarkable and an effort to be proud of. All of our male and female athletes represented with pride.” Wagner is scheduled to run at 6:25pm on Thursday, May 12.
Robert Wagner is scheduled to compete at 6:25pm on Thursday, May 12 in the 800 M Run at the State Track Meet.
Foster care One thing I enjoy getting in my email inbox is Coach Hadley Foster, Jr.’s recap of his thrower’s performances from the previous track meet. For those lucky enough to receive these emails, the care and compassion he puts into words for his student-athlete throwers in his “Lessons from the Rings” recap is clear to see. Alex Medina was his last performer for the 2022 season, and this is just a snippet of what Medina’s coach had to say about him. “This year Alex stepped into the leadership role for the throwers as he worked harder than any boy thrower I have ever coached, yet he is a different type of athlete. As the other discus throwers were warming up with high knee runs and stretches, I told Alex to go take a walk. He then came back and began to throw. If this year has taught me anything, it is that next year is next year. Alex’s success is his and all those who support him. His parents provide him with the opportunity. He has great friends in Robert Lane Wagner and the support of the Wagner Clan. Mr. Bob is always so proud of Alex. Coach Escamilla’s support and trust in me allowed me to work with the throwers. I don’t see high school boy athletes often, so his belief in the program filters quality boys my way. The season wraps up, the nets will come down and we finish the year with hope. Wishing Robert Lane the best success as he heads to state.”
Roland Cordova pitching. Photos by student photographer Katara Whitfeild.
The Lytle Pirates were able to complete their season sweep of rival Natalia as they outhit the Mustangs 10-5 en route to a solid 9-2 win. Lytle used a huge five run first inning to pace themselves to victory.
