Category: Sports

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

Warhorse lifters Castilleja, Hagdorn medal in Floresville

Angel Castilleja earned gold at Floresville lifting meet. Photo by Betsy Leal.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
As the high school powerlifting season hits past the halfway point, Warhorse lifters are gaining traction on qualifying totals to advance to the Regional Meet that is in just a few weeks. Angel Castilleja and Jackson Hagdorn led Devine at Floresville last Thursday but other lifters had nice showings as well.
Castilleja earned a gold medal in the 242 pound weight class as he totaled 1,145 pounds between squad, bench, and deadlift.
Hagdorn finished…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!

JV Horses knock down Pearsall

JV Warhorse #5 Brody Lane focuses on the rim during Devine’s game against Pearsall. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The JV Horses may not have started last week on a winning note, but they more than made up for it in Pearsall as they demolished the Mavericks 58-50 on Friday night.
Devine had played a spirited game against Somerset on Tuesday but fell short of victory. Their latest win will hopefully carry over to their last few remaining games.
vs Pearsall
From the time the Warhorses hit their first bucket then quickly went up 7-0, they never trailed in their 58-50 win on the road over the Mavericks. Becker Byrd had team-highs of 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 of his team’s 10 steals.
Jack Bandel also knocked down double figures as he finished with 11 points. Nick Vasquez also had a nice stat line of 9 points and 7 rebounds and Jacob McKee was next going for 8 points and 7 rebounds. Jack Rumfield had his team’s only blocked shot.
Devine led 15-5 after the first period and 30-20 at the break. The Horses took a 39-35 lead into the final frame.
Coach Zac Valenzuela was rightly pleased with his crew’s overall complete performance saying, “We were powered by dominance on the glass and balanced scoring throughout the lineup. We set the tone in the trenches.”
Valenzuela was…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 clicking at the right time as playoffs loom closer

Varsity Lady Pirate #23 Loudyn Perez looks to pass the ball from the corner during Lytle’s win against Natalia. Perez made some impactful days on defense during Lytle’s double overtime win against Cotulla. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle Lady Pirates continue to separate themselves in the district standings to ensure their post season seeding. With the double overtime victory over Cotulla, 69-64 and the loss to Hondo, 24-74 the Lady Pirates have placed themselves two games ahead of Poteet, securing the fourth spot in district. 
During their dramatic double overtime victory against Cotulla, the Pirates were down 15 at one point before having a resurgence in the fourth quarter where they outscored the Cowgirls 35-15 in the period. Head coach Lori Wilson praised Aliana Cardenas’ poise under pressure. With three seconds left Wilson drew up a play for Cardenas, where she got fouled and sent to the line.
“With no time on the clock,…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!

JV Horses lose to Pleasanton

JV Warhorse Nick Vasquez concentrates on the rebound during Devine’s game against Pearsall. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The turnover bug and ineffectiveness at the free throw line ultimately cost Devine a victory in their 60-58 loss in Pleasanton on January 20. The Horses committed 26 turnovers that led directly to 17 points for the Eagles. Devine only made 3 of 11 from the charity stripe (27%) in the two-point defeat.
Things looked good for the Horses early as they had leads of 14-13 at the end of the first period and 29-25 at the break.
Devine still led by 45-42 going into the final period but cold shooting by the Horses (21%) and the Eagles points off turnovers (6) and their 10-0 run eventually led to the 60-58 final score.
Jace Alegria had…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!

Arabians down Pleasanton, jockey for playoff positioning

Varsity Arabians #14 Madi De La Garza, #30 Kalli Bedford, #20 Caroline Suhr and #15 Kenadi Marek leave the huddle during Devine’s game against Pearsall. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Devine got an all-important win in Pleasanton to begin the second round of District 27-4A action as the Arabians took down the Lady Eagles rather easily 45-23. Devine lost to Pleasanton in the first round, so this evened things up between them in case any tiebreakers are needed at the conclusion of district play on February 10.
Kenadi Marek had a tremendous night scoring 20 points including 7 in the fourth quarter as Devine solidified their victory.
Kyrie DuBose scored all 8 of her points in the first half and Karsyn DeLeon nailed her 6 points all in the first frame as the Arabians bolted to a 27-12 halftime advantage. Caroline Suhr scored 6 of her 7 points in the second half.
Devine’s defense was tenacious all evening, limiting Pearsall to only six points in each of the first three periods then lowering that number to 5 in the fourth.
Madi De La Garza scored 4 points while Devine also got major contributions from Gigi Madrid, Lily Owen, Kalli Bedford, Hali Carroll, and Aaliyah Moralez.
vs Carrizo Springs
The Arabians had a difficult time keeping up with 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 $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Mustangs keep hopes high

Varsity Mustang #30 Andrew Monreal laces the corner three in front of Crystal City’s bench. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Natalia Mustangs have had a rough two weeks as they battle to cement themselves as one of the top teams in the district. The Mustangs have dropped their last four games: Lytle they fell 30-81, lost to Hondo 56-58, lost to Crystal City 36-83 and then dropped their game to Cotulla 42-59. At time of press, the Mustangs are in sixth place in district with a record of 3-4. They are one game behind Cotulla who sits in fourth. With the season coming to an end, head coach Justin Welsh said the team is excited to climb back up the district standings and secure a spot in the postseason.  
“Our kids understand what’s at stake, but more importantly, they’re focused on competing the right way every night,” Welsh said. “If we take care of our preparation and play with energy and discipline, we like our chances to put ourselves where we want to be as we move into the final seven games of district.”
In their matchup against Lytle, Welsh said the Pirates played with more energy than they did and kept them out of rhythm.
“Lytle did a good job of jumping on us early and never really let us settle into the game,” Welsh said. “We rely on one end of the floor to build consistency on the other, and when you’re not getting stops or scoring, that can make it difficult to get anything going. This loss gives us something to learn from and the biggest thing is putting it behind us and attacking the next one with the right mindset.” 
During the matchup against Hondo, Welsh felt they had control over the game for…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 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!