Category: Sports

Local Sports coverage of your Warhorse and Arabians, Colts, Fillys, Lytle Pirates, Lady Pirates, Mustangs and Lady Mustangs

Natalia Basketball: Community is their identity

Varsity Lady Mustang #3 Ashley Lopez locks in defensively at the top of the key during Natalia’s game against Crystal City. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Natalia Lady Mustangs fell to Crystal City 28-76 and then dropped one against Cotulla 19-37. The Lady Mustangs are currently seventh in the district ranking with an overall record of 9-22. 
Despite the outcome, head coach Steven Spangler said he was pleased with the squad’s performance against Crystal City. Spangler tipped his hat to the Javelinas, stating “they are just a really good team, and sometimes that’s what you face.”
“Cotulla however, I felt like we fell into a rut and couldn’t get out of it,” Spangler said. “Nothing would fall and that just turned into quick sand on the court.”
Despite the rough stretch of games, the Lady Mustangs have continued to elevate their overall skill level each week. Their ball handling and ability to initiate the offense has drastically improved compared to the beginning of the season. Spangler attributes the team’s development to their diligent work in practice stating the “harder they go” during practice, the more confident they will be in the game.” 
“We have them work on it every day and encourage them to get out of their comfort zone in practice so that they can understand their limitations in games.”
With high school basketball on its last leg of the season, the Lady Mustangs’ playoff hopes are dim. However, Spangler emphasized that…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!

Lady Pirates fend off Wolves, 55-32

Varsity Lady Pirate #20 Zabella Garza brings the ball up during Lytle’s thrilling game against Natalia. During their win over Dilley, Garza dropped a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle Lady Pirates continued their resurgence through district, taking down the Dilley Wolves 55-32 on Tuesday, Jan. 20 then losing a close one to Poteet 38-35. At time of press, Lytle sits fourth in the district with an overall record of 7-19, but have a district record of 5-4. With the season coming into its final stretch, the Lady Pirates will continue to fight and punch their ticket to the post season. 
“We are so proud of all of the girls they keep stepping up when we need it the most,” Head coach Lori Wilson said.
Vs. Dilley
Although Lytle had control for most of the game, Wilson said they were off to a slow start, but…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!

Warhorse offense stalls late in 60-58 setback

Varsity Warhorse #11 Bo Wheeler soars for the floater during Devine’s game against Pearsall. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
While not flawless, the first 28 minutes of Devine’s game against district-leading Pleasanton saw the Horses getting the better end of the stick as they led 58-50 after Mason Beaver’s corner three with 4:08 to go in the final frame.
However, scoring went silent for Devine as those were the last points the Warhorses registered as the Eagles fought back for the 60-58 win.
The turnover bug hit Devine hard in this one as each player committed at least two miscues. The Horses finished with 20 as a team and the Eagles turned those mistakes into 16 points
Devine won the shooting percentage stat 47% to 40%, but the Eagles grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and turned those into 20 second chance points.
Mason Beaver had a team-high 23 points to go along with 5 steals while Christian Beaver chipped in 13 points. Tanner Davis led in rebounding with 9 and Karson Ray had 8.
Devine had an open date…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!

Natalia JH Band competes at JH Region Band competition

Natalia Junior High School band participated in the JH Region Band competition on Monday, January 19th along with more than 20 schools and almost 500 kids. Congratulations to the following students placed: Kloe Pinner, Flute Symphonic 5th chair; Braelyn Smith, Clarinet Symphonic 7th chair; Isaias Mendez, Trumpet Symphonic 5th chair; Joshua Reynolds, Alto Saxophone Concert, 2nd chair and Lorenzo Moralez, Clarinet Concert 2nd chair.
Alternates: Emma Gomez, Flute; Luna Perales, Tenor Saxophone and Memphis Lopez-Guerrero.

Sanchez All-State

Esai Sanchez, a senior Warhorse Band member earned his first trip to perform in the Texas All-State Symphonic Band.

Esai Sanchez, a member of the Devine High School Warhorse Band has qualified to rehearse and perform with the 2026 Texas All-State Symphonic Band. Esai will perform on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at San Antonio’s Henry B. González Convention Center, during the 2026 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention.
Esai was chosen for this prestigious honor through a competitive process held this year across the state at District, Region, and Area levels. Esai is a student of Bert Sanchez (his dad) and plays at school under the direction of Mr. Bert Sanchez, who is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, a 20,400+ member organization headquartered in Austin. This is Esai’s first time to perform as a member of a TMEA All-State organization. Esai is the child of Humberto (Bert) and Monica Sanchez.
High school students selected to perform in All-State concerts have competed through auditions to qualify at the state level. All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can achieve. Students are selected through a multi-level adjudication process that begins with about 60,000 students from around the state vying for this honor to perform in one of 18 ensembles. Texas Music Educators Association sponsors the Texas All-State competition.
This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 TMEA Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group.
Only the top 3% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians. Directed by nationally recognized conductors, All-State students participate in four days of rehearsals during the TMEA Clinic/Convention. Their performances for thousands of attendees bring this extraordinary event to a close.
For the All-State concert and conductor information, go to the Performances section of tmea.org/convention.

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!

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!

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!