Category: Sports

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
For a small town, moments like these carry a little extra meaning. On May 14 at the UIL State Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium, Devine was represented proudly as Rowdy Esparza, Karter Brown, Bo Wheeler, Rylie Wells, Zach Guerra, Ryan Weinkam, Mikey Rodriguez, and alternate Alex Garcia-Castillo achieved something many high school athletes only dream about as they competed on the biggest stage Texas high school track and field has to offer.
Earning a trip to Austin is never accidental. It takes months of early mornings or late evenings training on their own, long practices, sore muscles, and unwavering commitment. For these Warhorses and Arabian, the journey reflected not only athletic ability, but also resilience, teamwork, and belief in themselves. From district competition all the way through the regional meet, Devine’s athletes continued to rise to the challenge and proved they belonged among the state’s best as many set school records along the way.
While medals and times are often what people remember most, the experience of reaching the state meet is something far greater. Walking into the atmosphere of the UIL State Championships and competing against elite athletes from across Texas is a memory that will stay with these young student-athletes forever as just earning the right to step onto that track places them in rare company.
The performances in Austin also reflected the strength of an entire community. Behind every athlete stood supportive families, dedicated coaches, teammates, teachers, and fans who helped make the journey possible. Devine has long taken pride in athletes who compete with heart and represent their town the right way, and this group did exactly that throughout the season.
Rowdy, Karter, Bo, Riley, Zach, Ryan, Mikey, and Alex represented Devine with class, determination, and pride and poured their heart and souls into giving Warhorse and Arabian fans a reason to cheer all the way through the final race of 2026…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 Karter Brown participated in the State Track and Field meet last week in Austin. Brown competed in the Shot Put event and placed eighth overall. Photo from Alison Brown.

Arabian Riley Wells participated at the State Track and Field meet in Austin last week. Wells competed in the Triple Jump event where she placed 9th overall. Photo by Pamela Wells.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet for Class 4A is Thursday, May 14th in Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Gates open for admission at 7:00am.
Devine High School sends eight student-athletes as seven from the Warhorse side of things make the trip as does one Arabian.
Representing the boys side is Karter Brown, Rowdy Esparza, Bo Wheeler, Alex Garcia-Castillo, Zach Guerra, Mikey Rodriguez, and Ryan Weinkam while Rylie Wells is the sole representative for the Arabians.
Best of luck to all participants and their coaches!
Class 4A
Session #1
9:00am High Jump-Bo Wheeler, High Jump-G, Shot Put-G
9:30am 3200m-G
9:45am 3200m-B
10:30am Shot Put-Karter Brown
10:45am Long Jump-Rowdy Esparza, Long Jump-G
1:00pm Discus-G, Pole Vault-B
2:45pm Triple Jump-Rylie Wells
3:00pm Discus-B, Pole Vault-G
Session #2
5:00pm 400m Relay
5:20pm 800m Run
5:45pm 100/110m Hurdles
6:05pm 100m Dash
6:40pm 800m Relay
7:00pm 400m Dash-Rowdy Esparza
7:35pm 300m Hurdles
7:55pm 200m Dash
8:15pm 1600m Run
8:45pm 1600m Relay-Rowdy Esparza, Ryan Weinkam, Zach Guerra, Mikey Rodriguez, Alex Garcia-Castillo

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
Devine’s softball season comes to an end after a tough loss to the Wimberley Texans, 11-12. Devine held the lead the entire game until the Texans pulled off a miraculous comeback, scoring 11 runs in the final inning.
Head coach Micheal Sotelo was almost at loss for words, admitting he had never experienced a game quite like this one.
“We got tired and the Wimberley hitters did a great job of making good contact off our pitching,” Sotelo said. “I thought there were a couple of balls that could have been caught that would have kept it close but that didn’t happen and we found ourselves down 12-7.”
It wasn’t just a breakdown by the Arabians; Sotelo noted that the Texans forced the issue, executing perfectly to produce that monster inning.
“It was mostly their offense figuring out our pitching. They put the ball in play safely,” Sotelo said. “Our defense has been getting better and better throughout the year and that night it was no different.”
Although the season may be over, Sotelo is confident this loss will propel the team into future successes as the girls will be extra motivated to improve this offseason.
“As far as a coach I still would like to us continue getting better in every facet of the game from running, weight room, and softball.  We are a young  team and we will continue growing as people first and players second.”
Sotelo wanted to acknowledge the city for their unwavering support this year, highlighting their commitment to the Arabians as a key factor in their success this season.
“We as a team would like to thank everyone that has helped make this a season to remember. From all the people behind the scenes, to the parents and finally the fans,” Sotelo said. “The support has been unbelievable and has made it easy for us to coach and play for the community of Devine.” 
The Arabians finished the season with an overall record of 20-15-1 and a district record of 8-4 where they held the two seed.
Congratulations to the Devine Arabians for a fantastic season!
Vs Wimberley
Batting: Sam Zamora- 2 R, 3 H, 3 RBI, 2 doubles, Abriella Kayl- 1 R, 1 RBI, Kenny Cruz- 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI, Reece Schueling- 1 R, 1 H, Maddy Hester- 1 H, Tucker Traylor- 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI, 1 double, 1 homerun, Karsyn Deleon- 2 H, 1 RBI, Karsyn Mann- 3 R, Olivia Taylor- 1 R, 1 H, Paislee Freisenhahn- 1 H
Fielding: Zamora- 1 for 1 on PO, Schueling- 3 for 3 on PO, Hester- 7 for 8 on PO, Deleon- 1 for 2 on PO, Ava Rangel- 3 for 3 on PO, Mann- 1 for 1 on PO, Taylor- 3 for 3 on PO, Freisenhahn- 2 for 2 on PO
Pitching: Sam Zamora and Tucker Traylor both stepped into the circle for the Arabians. Traylor threw 28 pitches and Zamora threw 128. Zamora threw 7 strikeouts on 32 batters faced over 6 innings pitched. 
Stat Leaders 
Homeruns: Tucker Traylor- 4, Maddy Hester- 3, Reece Schueling- 2 (Olivia Taylor, Karsyn Mann, Kenny Cruz, Karsyn Deleon and Sam Zamora all had one homerun this season.)
Stolen Bases: Zamora and Schueling- 8, Cruz- 7, Ava Rangel- 4 
Fielding Percentage: Schueling- 0.969, Hester- 0.899, Deleon- 0.896
Put Outs: Schueling- 156, Hester- 150, Deleon- 58
Runs: Cruz- 38, Zamora- 28, Hester- 25
Hits: Zamora- 45, Cruz- 43, Hester- 41
RBIs: Zamora- 36, Hester- 23, Schueling- 21
Doubles: Zamora- 12, Hester- 10, Deleon- 8
Triples: Cruz- 6, Zamora- 6, Hester- 3
Strikeouts: Traylor- 127, Zamora- 110, Taylor- 33