Mustangs’ historic night leads to Legacy Bowl win 60-43

Mustang #11 Ethan Zapata(left) battles #4 Pirate Matt Wimer during the Historic Legacy Bowl. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Legacy Bowl is a time old tradition that never disappoints. The stands are packed with cheering fans, all of which understand the history behind the Mustangs versus Pirates. Sports has a habit of raising the stakes and importance of the moment. This is only the fourth game of the season, only the first game of district play, but both teams played like their life was on the line. The Natalia Mustangs take down the Lytle Pirates in an absolute slug fest of a game 60-43. This is the first time since the 2022-23 season that Natalia bested Lytle. Head coach Jason Reynolds admitted this was one of the “wildest” games he’s ever been a part of. 
“The atmosphere was exceptional and the stakes were high with it being the Legacy Bowl. I felt like our kids handled the pressure well and responded each time our backs were against the wall,” Reynolds said. “Our offensive line was playing with a lot of confidence and Leo [Cortinas] was on another level. It was amazing to witness the resiliency of our kids and I couldn’t be happier for them to bring home the Legacy Bowl Trophy.”
The Mustangs have put up 50+ points in their last two games. Everyone sees the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers make the big play, but the real foundation for scoring comes from the O-line. 
“I said it before the game ever started that the game would be won and lost in the trenches,” Reynolds said. “Our offensive line was playing with a lot of confidence and that was the difference maker. Back to back 50+ points and neither game resembled the other. Our kids did a great job of taking a game plan, and executing it.”
On the other side of the ball, the defense gave up…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 $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Mustang #1 Leo Cortinas won the offensive MVP for Natalia. Going for 468 rushing yards and 7 rushing TDs. Both school records according to sources. Photo by Moose Lopez.



Lytle’s 75th Anniversary celebration

The City of Lytle celebrated it’s 75th anniversary with a block party, night time parade and some great live music. Photos by Brianna Paredes and KK Calame. More photos on page 15.

The winner of the grito contest as Lytle’s big 75th anniversary celebration last weekend.

The Night time parade was a big hit as always! Lytle celebrated its 75th anniversary this past Saturday.

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Legacy Bowl bragging rights belong to the Mustangs after thrilling 60-43 victory!

This year’s Legacy Bowl bragging rights belong to the Natalia Mustangs after a Thrilling 60-43 victory over the Lytle Pirates. This is the first time the Mustangs beat the Pirates in the Legacy Bowl since the 2022-2023 season. Traditionally, they name an offensive and defensive MVP for both teams. On Lytle’s side #3 Weston Jackson was awarded the offensive MVP and #12 Seth Pierce earned the defensive MVP. Jackson manned the quarterback position and put up 192 yards (147 of those rushing) with 2 throwing TDs and 2 rushing TDs. Pierce had 4.5 tackles with 3 solo tackles. For the Mustangs the offensive MVP went to #1 Leo Cortinas, the quarterback had a historic night putting up 468 rushing yards and 7 rushing TDs. The defensive MVP was #23 RJ De La O. Presenting the MVP trophies are Brenda Fernandez and Eric Smith.

Lady Pirates 1-1 in district play after sweeping Cotulla

Lady Pirate #8 Macey Ford had herself a game against Cotulla, recording 8 kills in their three set victory. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lytle Lady Pirates have started district play 1-1 after falling to Crystal City then taking down Cotulla, both in straight sets. Lytle has been clicking at the right time, winning four of their last six games. Head coach Margaret McOsker said starting off with an even split gives her a clear view of where they are and what they need to do to improve.
“The loss to Crystal City was disappointing because we struggled to find consistency and didn’t play with the confidence or urgency we needed,” McOsker said. “I was proud of how the girls responded against Cotulla. They came back focused, played together, and showed the resilience we’ve been asking of them.”
To win a match the same way you lose one usually means that a minor tweak is all that’s needed. McOsker said the biggest difference between the loss to Crystal City and the win over Cotulla was the team’s energy and execution.
“Against Crystal City, we were too hesitant and allowed mistakes to affect us for several points at a time. Against Cotulla, we played more aggressively, communicated better, and stayed in control. We served tougher, handled the…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 $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Pirates look to bounce back in Legacy Bowl

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lytle Pirates took a tough loss to Bandera, falling 63-0. The Pirates now hold a record of 1-2 ahead of district play. Head coach Mike Trevino didn’t sugar coat anything, stating that it was a “tough night.” He credited Bandera for coming out prepared and taking advantage of the opportunities the Bulldogs created. 
“For us, it was one of those nights where adversity hit early and we never really found the rhythm we needed to respond. But I told our kids afterward that these moments reveal a lot about you. Winning can build confidence, but nights like this can build character if you respond the right way,” Trevino said. “We’ve intentionally challenged ourselves through this non-district schedule because we wanted to find out who we are before district play begins. We’ve been tested, bruised, humbled, and forced to grow. Now the question becomes: What are we going to do with everything we’ve learned?”
This was the second week in a row that the Lytle defense has given up 60+ points. Last week Trevino mentioned “self-inflicted wounds” as a cause for the defense letting their opponents run up the score. Even against the Bulldogs he said they had missed assignments, poor leverage, missed tackles, alignment issues. Mistakes like that add up very quickly against a good football team. 
“The biggest thing is continuing to understand that defense takes all eleven guys doing their job together. We have to get back to trusting our training. The encouraging part is those are things we can correct. We own it, we learn from it, and then we go back to work,” Trevino said. 
The offense was not at its best either that night, but every miss-step is an opportunity to grow and improve. The biggest lesson he wanted the offense to take away from…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 $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Lady Pirates clicking at the right time as District play begins

The Lytle Lady Pirates know how to stuff a stat sheet. In Lytle’s win over Providence Catholic, Lillian Evans had 9 kills and two blocks. Pictured above is #6 Payton Devaney and #11 Lillian Evans. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
After months of training and countless tournament matches, district play will begin for volleyball and the Lytle Lady Pirates are primed and ready for the competition. In their last two matches Lytle took on Providence Catholic and Medina Valley Creek View. Head coach Margaret McOsker said both hard-fought matches “provided valuable experience heading into the most important stretch of the season.”
Vs. Providence Catholic
Lytle took down Providence Catholic 3-0 on Sept. 1, controlling the match from start to finish. 
The Lady Pirates’ scoring…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 $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

‘We got knocked down last week. Now we got to show we stand back up!’

Lytle looks to bounce back against Bandera

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lytle Pirates’ home opener did not go as expected. The Pirates fell to the San Diego Vaqueros 62-33, putting their record at 1-1 with one more game before the start of district play. The score board does not tell the whole story. The Pirates may have lost but the second half saw them put up 27 points. It may not have been enough to close the deficit but they went down swinging. 
“I was proud of the way our kids continued to fight,” head coach Mike Trevino said. “San Diego is a really good football team, and they put us in some difficult situations early. But our kids never quit. In the second half, we settled in, made some plays, and continued to fight for more regardless of what the scoreboard said. Our boat got rocked Friday night, but nobody stopped rowing.” 
Trevino felt the team started playing with more confidence and rhythm in the second half. He explained the team felt rushed and wanted to “make everything happen at once.”
“In the second half, we simplified it, trust your assignment, trust the guy next to you, and go play football. We started creating some opportunities and our kids made plays. That’s something we can build on. We don’t need extraordinary plays every snap; we need 11 guys consistently doing the ordinary things well.”
In terms of defensive improvement, Trevino…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 $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Rain, sleet or snow; Pirates are still going to row

Despite the weather delays, the Pirates still rallied and pulled out the win against Creek View, winning 21-18. Lytle will host the San Diego Vaqueros on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 P.M. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lytle Pirates have braved the storm, literally, to snag their first win of the season against Creek View! The sudden storm in San Antonio caused multiple games across Texas to cancel/reschedule games. Some teams simply called it a game at halftime because the conditions were so bad. Lytle’s game was rescheduled for the following morning and despite the chaotic 24-hours, the Pirates caught the dub 21-18.
“Between the storm, the postponement, getting home late, coming back Saturday morning and then facing adversity throughout the game, they had every opportunity to make excuses—but they never did. They just kept believing, kept fighting and kept rowing,” Head coach Mike Trevino said. 
Trevino praised…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 $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!