Lytle Pirate Chase Guevara catches a touchdown pass. Photo by L Wilson
7pm kickoff vs Llano Jerel Beaty Staff Writer In 2023, Coach Mike Trevino and his staff created a monster as they took a Pirate Football program that went from a 1-9 record in 2022 to a 7-4, State Playoff qualifying break out season. The seven wins were buoyed by an incredible 4-0 start that included outscoring opponents by a combined score of 72-21, while getting their proud fan base back in their hip pockets. After not sniffing a district win in ’22 when they went a woeful 0-5, The Pirates went 3-2 a year ago with two of those victories coming against former 4A programs in Poteet and Crystal City. So, with more than a full year under his belt, Coach Trevino is ready to “Dig Deep” and attack Year Two and the expectations that come with sustained success. “Our team has continued to make great strides throughout fall camp and our two scrimmages,” Trevino stated. “The energy, effort, and enthusiasm we have seen from our kids has been nothing short of inspiring and impactful! Every day, they have shown up ready to work, ready to serve, ready to love, and ready to care; pulling each other through places we have never been before and enjoying the journey.”
The JV Arabians come together to celebrate a great kill by Kyrie DuBose against San Antonio Wagner! Coming in to celebrate are Brooke DuBose, Jane Outlaw, MargaritaVizcarra, and Jayme Moralez.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer New Devine JV volleyball coach Alejandra Mora has her team off and running with a smashing 3-0 record through the early part of the season. The JV picks up in their number of games soon as they host an upcoming tournament before District 29-4A gets underway. “We were all anxiously excited to get the season started, and we got it started the right way winning in two sets over Southwest Legacy,” Mora stated. The anxiousness quickly turned to confidence as the Arabians won set one 25-15 before shaving off a Titan point on the second set by winning 25-14 to claim the first victory not only the team this season, but also Mora’s first in what will be many as an Arabian coach. “Margarita Vizcarra had awesome assists to set up our front for some kills and our back row players made some outstanding plays as well. Jayme Moralez also held serve eight times in a row at one point. San Antonio Wagner came knocking on the DSAC door in game two of the season. Devine was once again up to the task as they thwacked the Thunderbirds in straight sets 25-15, 25-8.
Devine Warhorse Cross Country runners line up for a snapshot.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Devine Cross Country teams got the best of both worlds Saturday as the Warhorses competed in Cibolo at San Antonio Steele’s meet while the Arabians went into Comal County Fairgrounds to run in the Unicorn Meet hosted by New Braunfels High School. Donovan Dixon led the varsity Horses placing 23rd in a field of 95. Brody Lane, Shawn Lowe, Jesus, Cisneros, Jake Riou, Ryan Botello, Zane Fritz, Jonathan Moralez, Caleb Maxwell, and Ian Rodriguez also competed. The Arabians had tons of competition as there were 126 runners in the varsity girl division. Hailey Montes and Kourtni Geyer each finished in the top 100 while Camila Sierra, Angelina Garcia, Aaralynn Garcia, Emily Morris, Lexi Perez, Jovianne Gomez, and Madison Saenz also made the trip. Urijah Velasquez finished in the top 10 in the JV division as he placed 8th of 71 runners. Zach Guerra cracked the top 20 at 20th place. Daniel Ballesteros, Christian Ross, Rylan Cortinez, and Carlos Jimenez also ran. The teams travel to San Antonio Saturday, August 31 to compete in the FEAST Patriot Invitational.
Sam Smith of Natalia who celebrated his golden anniversary last season and embarks on his incredible 51st year of calling Mustang Football.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Public address announcing at a small-town high school football game is a unique experience, no doubt. To the chagrin of many, it is not just about simply calling plays to inattentive audiences. Oh, if it were, that job would not be in such high demand. In small towns like Devine, Lytle, and Natalia, everybody knows everybody. And those “everybody’s” all expect their PA-guy to know them, their children, and their family history, as well. When a player’s name is fumbled or the ill-fated call-out of the wrong jersey number that was in on the unbelievable sack of the other team’s quarterback is articulated, it may seem the miscommunication coming out over the loudspeaker was premeditated when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. There is so much going on inside a packed stadium at any given time each Friday night. Heck, parents of multiple children, listen up; how often do you call one your own kids by the wrong name? And you live with them! Multitasking while in the moment can be grueling.
Tobey Tomblin of Devine who celebrates his silver anniversary behind the mic at Warhorse Stadium this fall. The PA is not only expected to remind everyone that that week’s you-name-it-fundraiser-of-the-week-bake-sale ends at halftime, or to get the attention of the correct individual that once again a lost set of keys or a misplaced cell phone has been turned into the press box, and to list the achievements and outcome of not only that night’s hometown-team’s volleyball contest but is to also include every high school organization’s upcoming meet schedule and itinerary without skipping a beat. Trying to make a smooth transition from a boisterous call of “#49 John Smith with the incredible run around the outside that moves the chains to keep the drive alive!” to introducing one-by-one the slew of mini-cheerleaders from this past summers camp is a challenging task that even the most seasoned professional announcer may find a bit taxing. Parents. Everyone loves and respects parents that attend in person their son’s football game, or their daughter’s halftime flag-corps-routine, or watches the local mascot pull off their fun and gimmicky routines. However, if the exact pronunciation and emphasizing of their child’s name is not articulated exactly right, eyes will surely roll, no matter the side of the stadium that person happens to sit. Calling a high school or even a middle school game for that matter is not just about calling the game at all. It is about surviving the three-plus hours of weirdness that is sure to happen, the static and cutting out of the microphone and decades-old speakers, and the more-than-occasional need to exercise extreme diplomacy in thought and expression after a tough play on the field, or worse yet, to have to calm the band, the cheerleaders, and the crowd after a player remains on the field due to injury. While many may believe that being perched at the 50-yard line in the stadium’s press box and “the privilege” of sitting behind a live microphone is all glit and glam, I dare say, the opposite is actually usually the case. Most do it, and continue to do it, because they were simply asked to help out in order to fill a need. And, fortunately, they said, “Yes.” A high school football stadium with no PA? Unthinkable. Thank You, Mark Fender of Lytle who begins his first full season manning the middle seat of a stadium that is named after previous announcer and legend the late Walter Joyce. Thank You, Tobey Tomblin of Devine who celebrates his silver anniversary behind the mic at Warhorse Stadium this fall. And Thank You, Sam Smith of Natalia who celebrated his golden anniversary last season and embarks on his incredible 51st year of calling Mustang Football. Take the time to not only thank those that choose to do what they do, but also appreciate what they do and how they deliver the message all the while managing a copious amount of stressors and distractions going on around them. Otherwise, you might just be the next in line for a job that not many are willing to accept, and you, too, will be expected to say, “Yes.”
Mark Fender of Lytle who begins his first full season manning the middle seat of a stadium that is named after previous announcer and legend the late Walter Joyce.
Natalia Mustangs close in on a Bandera Bulldog at their recent scrimmage. Photo by 3 Flowers Media
Eric Smith Staff Writer The Natalia Mustangs hit the turf on a steamy Friday evening vs the Bandera Bulldogs last week in scrimmage one of the season. The youthful Mustangs battled for the hour+ event and saw a lot of positives as well as a number of areas that need growth and improvement. Coach Jason Reynolds is excited as they enter week three vs. Hondo this Thursday on the road. “I felt that our kids competed well the entire night,” Coach Jason Reynolds said. “We have several guys playing both ways and it was a great test for us to see where we are as a team and what our kids can expect on a Friday night.” At the varsity level, the Mustangs found early success with their short passing game. Where the Mustangs struggled at times, was creating lanes for their running game vs a more experienced Bandera front line as well as protecting their QB for time enough, to create deep ball opportunities.
Devine Warhorse Cross Country team competed at Floresville this past weekend.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer The 2024 season is officially underway for Devine Head Coach Hannah Thompson and her boys and girls teams as they ran in Floresville this past Saturday, Donovan Dixon led the Warhorses with his 9th place finish among 147 contestants. Shawn Lowe (69th), Jesus Cisneros (72nd), Brody Lane (74th), Jake Riou (99th), Ryan Botello (103rd), Jaime Rodriguez (114th), and Jonathan Moralez (126th) also competed. Hailey Montez paced the Arabians as she came in 45th of 134 runners. Kourtni Geyer (73rd), Claire Atkins (80th), Camila Sierra (81st), Darilynn Garcia (101st), Angelina Garcia (112th), and Lexi Perez (114th) also toed the line at the start of the race.
Power hitter Yaya Rodriguez has had 82 kills this season!
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer It is easy to say the Arabian volleyball team has had more time on the court together during actual matches then what they have timewise on the practice court. Devine has played 11 games through the first two weeks of the season, with two tournaments still to go. Do not let the 4-7 record fool ya, as Head Coach Leigh Anne McIver and her team always begin to gel around the time of the Arabian Roundup, which is just around the corner. “Overall, we are just inconsistent. Wednesday at Giddings was just not our best, but Thursday in Columbus, I saw a lot of fight in the girls.” With more practice time, some of the issues McIver mentions below will soon be a distant memory. “Friday we could not serve receive very well and beat ourselves. Saturday, we serve-received well but could not finish. Even though we are juniors and seniors we are very inexperienced with playing at the varsity level. We definitely need to work on serve-receive, defense and consistent on the offensive side. They have the ability, now it is putting it all together.”
Sam Smith presents the championship plaque and congratulates the Lady Mustangs after the Heart of Mustang tournament last weekend in honor of his wife, Trudy.
The Lady Mustangs won the championship at their “Heart of a Mustang” Volleyball Tourney again this year in memory of lifelong fan Trudy Smith. They really had to fight in most of the games to pull out the win, down in the second game several times and having to fight back to win the third set or overtime. “This tourney is really special to us. We host it in memory of Mrs. Trudy Smith, who was one of our biggest fans. I’m really proud of how our girls competed and defended the championship title,” said Coach Tara Cortinas. “We have 8 seniors, 5 juniors, and one sophomore on our team. Next up, Devine tourney!”, she said. Natalia will play on Thursday and Saturday in the pool tourney in Devine. On Thursday they will play at 11, 12 and 3pm in the DSAC.
The offensive line protects for the quarterback during their scrimmage. Photos by B Howard
Jerel Beaty Staff writer The JV Horses took care of business in their first action against unfamiliar foes in their initial scrimmage of the season. Devine romped to a 3-0 decision that could have been even more lopsided as an additional touchdown was negated by a penalty. According to Coach Lon Cozby, his squad had their running shoes going full speed as the core of running backs took advantage of good blocking by the big-guys up front to shred Cotulla’s defensive scheme. “Our running backs had a great night,” Cozby said to begin his post-scrimmage analysis. “Ryan Weinkam is fast and was able to show off his breakaway speed on our first score. Jeremy Steinbrunner and Enoch Hall both have excellent speed as well, and each had multiple runs over 30 yards. Steven Montes did really good things a fullback like blocking and he even added a few runs over 10 yards. Hayden Martin also ran the ball hard and added a couple carries over 10 yards. Alejandro Ramirez was able to use his speed to his advantage as well and he also added long runs.”
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Devine volleyball head coach Leigh Anne McIver is putting her somewhat-young team to the test early and often this season. With highly competitive scrimmages against San Antonio Christian, Poth, and Navarro and games against San Antonio Southwest Legacy and San Antonio Wagner in the rear view mirror, upcoming games at Giddings and the Columbus Tournament provides a further look at who is ready for varsity competition and who may need a little more seasoning on the JV so they may be ready to step in as the season progresses. “Although the scrimmages against SAC and Poth may not have been our best, we ended on a good note on the last scrimmage against Navarro,” McIver stated. “We were not playing like we have been practicing but with lots of new girls against varsity level players for the first time, this was not unexpected.” Like any team, whether it be on a court or in a business office boardroom somewhere, coming together to make “presentations” look flawless takes time. “As we get more practices under our belts and a chance to gel with each other more often, we will become the team that Devine is used to seeing on the court.”
