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!

Pirate lifters Smoot and Aguilar medal in first meet of ‘26

Pirate Powerlifters Noah Smoot and Ezekiah Aguilar pose with their medals from their first meet of the 2026 season.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Opening their 2026 season in Natalia on January 14 were Head Coach Melissa Gomez and 10 of her Pirate athletes. Senior Noah Smoot and junior Ezekiah Aguilar each finished in the top of their respective weight divisions to take medals on their shot bus trip home.
“We took a group of primarily new powerlifters to Natalia to compete in their first meet,” Gomez stated. “A few had a rough start with commands/rules, controlling the bar, and nerves, but with guidance and support from their team, they were able to overcome those challenges by their second or third lifts.”
Smoot earned second place in the 181 weight class with a total of 1,265 pounds while the new-to-the-sport Aguilar earned third place in the 165 weight class with a total of 805 pounds.
“It was a great learning experience for the new powerlifters. This young team is full of potential, and we are excited to see them grow this season,” Gomez said in closing.
With five freshmen…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 powerlifting 2nd place in Natalia as Rodriguez, Garcia, Iglesias win gold

Warhorse Rolando Garcia grits his teeth as he squats at the Natalia powerlifting meet. Garcia totaled 800 pounds during this meet. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Warhorse powerlifting scored 33 points to place second among five teams in attendance at the January 14 Natalia Meet. Jaden Rodriguez, Roland Garcia, and Ivan Iglesias each won their respective weight divisions.
Cotulla took the team title with 68 points while the host Mustangs scored 33 points to place third after the tiebreaker.
Rodriguez won…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!

Warhorses roll past Uvalde, Carrizo Springs; Round 2 begins Jan. 27

Varsity Warhorse #30 Jace Algeria drives into the paint as #0 Christian Beaver backs up to space the floor during Devine’s dominant win over Pearsall. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Warhorse basketball team won four consecutive games by an average of 21 points prior to last night’s highly anticipated contest against the Eagles in Pleasanton. After dropping their first district game 45-42, the Horses downed Pearsall 74-40 and Floresville 55-45 before bouncing Uvalde on the Coyotes home floor 67-49 on January 13 and Carrizo Springs 77-57 on Sessions Court last Friday.
Balanced scoring, rebounding at a high rate, and limiting costly turnovers had the Horses sitting in second place in District 27-4A with a 4-1 record prior to Tuesday’s tipoff against the top of the standings 4-0 Eagles.
vs Carrizo Springs
Devine got off to a terrific start against Carrizo Springs, going up 20-11 early then cruising to the 77-57 win at home. Devine was up by as much as 25 points in the late in the second half.
Mason Beaver scored 24 points, snagged 5 steals, and took a defensive charge to lead the Horses.
Christian Beaver and Tanner Davis combined for 26 points, scoring 15 and 11, respectively while Christian added a team-high 8 rebounds. Davis tied Mason for the team-lead in steals with 5 of his own. Ray’sean Beaver dished out a game-high 8 assists.
Devine did not shoot the ball at a high percentage (40%) but grabbed 20 offensive rebounds for 13 second chance points. The Horses defense also played well, deflecting 17 Wildcat balls and translating some of those into some of their 16 steals.
The Horses also forced 32 Carrizo Springs turnovers and turned those into 32 points of their own. Devine only had 17 turnovers, a number up from recent games but still within the confines of playing good basketball.
Stats vs Carrizo Springs
Mason Beaver 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 deflections, 5 steals, 1 charge taken; Christian Beaver 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 deflections, 2 steals; Tanner Davis 11 points…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!

14 STATEBOUND!!!

This past Saturday, our Natalia BPA students competed against 4A, 5A, and 6A schools at the BPA Regional Competition—and we are proud to share that 14 students are advancing to the State Competition in Dallas this March!
-RJ De La O, Joshua Jalomo, and Danica Torrez – 1st Place, Visual Design Team
-Jerusalem Alvarado and Brianna Garcia – 2nd Place, Visual Design Team
-Mia Herrera and Camilia Mujica – 1st Place, Podcast Production Team
-Bridgett Lowman – 1st Place, Prepared Speech
-Juan Montes – 1st Place, JAVA Programming
-Christopher Tapia – 2nd Place, JAVA Programming
-Kenzlie Jarreau – 1st Place, Fundamental Accounting
-Roberto Garcia – 1st Place, Business Law & Ethics
-Savannah Ramirez – 2nd Place, Business Law & Ethics
-Christian Garcia – 5th Place, Business Law & Ethics
Additionally, Ariana Garcia, Phoenix Garza, Dante Lopez, and Jordan Reyna placed 4th in Visual Design Team, earning recognition as State Alternates.

War Horse’s at the All-American game!

The Devine Warhorse Linebacker Tristan LaFond had a great week in Dallas showing off his skills in the Dream All-American game. Tristan was a standout Linebacker for Team Stars making many stops during his game. He’s an amazing player and we look forward to seeing which college he’ll be playing at next year.

Enoch Hall had an amazing weekend in Dallas Texas. Enoch earned the Leadership Award and was named one of Team Dreams Captain’s as well as winning the MVP award for the game. Enoch had over 200 yards total offense playing both Running back and the slot positions. He had over 150 yards on the ground and over 70 yards receiving. I couldn’t be more proud of how Enoch represented Dream Sports Group and we’ll as the city of Devine. This young man has a very bright future and we look forward to having him come back next year and represent Dream Sports Group. Outstanding job Enoch Hall, Congratulations on these well deserved awards.

Warhorses heating up with big wins over Pearsall, Floresville

Varsity Warhorse #5 Zane Fritz meets his opponent at half court to apply the defensive pressure during Devine’s win over Pearsall. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
After a crushing three-point loss against Somerset to start District 27-4A, Devine has settled in to pick up consecutive wins against Pearsall and Floresville to move to 2-1 in league action. The Horses played in Uvalde on January 13.
Now is the perfect time to jump on the Warhorse bandwagon for the rest of this season as Devine seems poised to make a run at the district championship. A January 16 game on Sessions Court against the team that beat them out of the 2024-2025 playoffs should have the home side packed as Carrizo Springs visits the DSAC. The Wildcat fan side always seems to be at near capacity when they play in Devine.
After 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!

One that got away: Arabians drop 43-40 decision to Somerset

Varsity Arabian Madi De La Garza surveys the offense as she crosses half court during Devine’s game against Pearsall. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Arabians were spot-on for most of their important 27-4A matchup against rival Somerset, building as much as a 15-point lead at one point in the third quarter. Things quickly turned in favor of the Lady Bulldogs after that as Somerset stormed back for the 43-40 win on their home court on January 2.
The Arabians defense was strong, allowing only 12 points in the first half and yielding a respectable 11 in the third.
Somerset put 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 $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!