Celebrating 126 Years of Serving the communities of Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot, and Moore in Medina, Frio, and Atascosa Counties
Local Sports coverage of your Warhorse and Arabians, Colts, Fillys, Lytle Pirates, Lady Pirates, Mustangs and Lady Mustangs
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Lytle Pirate Toby Davila led the team in the following categories in his senior season: Stolen bases (20), runs (58), and triples (6). Photo by Moose Lopez.
Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lytle Pirates’ historic season comes to an end in Kenedy after falling to the Orange Grove Bulldogs in two games. Despite the series only lasting two games, the fight and effort put on by both teams is undeniable.
Game one was where all the drama took center stage. Head coach Bryan Bippert said the first game had everything you could ask for as a baseball fan.
“We saw a great pitching performances from both teams, especially Devin Cordova. We turned in two double plays. Weston Jackson’s catch in centerfield was one of the best catches I have ever seen,” Bippert said. “We had a ton of quality at-bats including clutch hits from Devin and Seth Pierce. Good bunting from both teams. Controversial calls and the crowd jeering.”
The pinnacle of the game came from the clutch three-run homerun from Mason Hill to put the Pirates ahead going into the last inning.
However, the Bulldogs miraculously rallied and scored five runs in the final frame to take the lead and game 8-9.
Bippert lamented the team’s missed opportunity, having been three outs away from a win.
“It makes me sick to my stomach,” Bippert admitted. “It was difficult to deal with…we had won all our previous 18 games.”
Game two was a much more straight forward victory for the Bulldogs. Bippert gave credit to Orange Grove’s pitcher Leelan Rodriguez for his performance, coupled with clutch and timely hitting, Lytle found themselves playing from behind all game. The Pirates would fall 6-1.
This Pirates squad will be forever etched as one of the most successful teams in the program’s history, finishing the season with an overall record of 27-8-1 and undefeated in district play at 10-0. The 27 wins are the most ever in the history of the school since starting the program in 1981. This Pirates squad also set a record for most consecutive wins at 18 in a row.
To be able to execute at high level like this requires not just skill, but consistency, grit and experience. This dugout consisted of seven seniors, five(Devin Cordova, Toby Davila, Damien Barco, Juan Patlan and Travis Norton) of which have been with the program since their freshmen year. Along with juniors Mason Hill and Weston Jackson, who have also been playing since their freshman year, Bippert described this mix of seasoned veterans as a “recipe for success.”
“These guys know each other well. They know the importance of the little things in this game. We have leaders by example and we have vocal leaders,” Bippert said. “Both held everyone accountable all season long and helped us to compete at a very high level for a long time.”
Looking ahead, Bippert assured that this 2026 team has raised the bar for all the young players in the program. They have proven what is possible for Lytle and the legacy they leave behind will continue to propel the Pirates’ baseball program for years to come.
The departing seniors consist of Devin Cordova, Toby Davila, Damien Barco, Juan Patlan, Travis Norton, Lee Mills and Chase Guevara. This group earned four District championships, four Bi-District championships and two Area championships throughout their careers. No other baseball class has accomplished this.
Devin Cordova, Toby Davila, Damien Barco, Juan Patlan and Travis Norton are four-year lettermen that started at their positions for their entire high school careers.
“Thank you to all of our fans for your tremendous support throughout this season,” Bippert said. “We are extremely proud of our accomplishments. We know that we are not perfect, but we hope that we have represented our school with pride and class.”…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!
Pirates Jewell Hicks (left) and Sebastian Garcia (right) competed at the State Track and Field meet. Hicks took home fourth place in 400m dash with a time of 49.90. Garcia ranked eighth in the 800m run with a time of 1:57.86. Photo by Jewell Hicks Sr.
Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Lytle Pirate runners Jewell Hicks, Jacob Cantu, and Sebastian Garcia earned the right to compete at the UIL State Track and Field Meet at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin after their outstanding performances at Regional just a couple of weeks ago. As hundreds of athletes hit the track over the weekend showcasing some of the best athletes in Texas, the Lytle Pirates proved they belonged among the elite.
Competing against the top runners in the state, the Pirates delivered memorable performances and represented their school and community with determination, toughness, and honor on the biggest stage high school track has to offer.
Together, Cantu, Hicks, and Garcia gave Pirate fans plenty to celebrate and added another memorable chapter to Lytle’s proud track and field tradition which has now made numerous State appearances over the last few decades…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 Ryan Weinkam, Mikey Rodriguez, Rowdy Esparza, Zach Guerra and alternate Alex Garcia competed at the State Track and Field meet in Austin. They participated in the 4×400 relay race and came in 9th place with a time of 3:21.71. Photo from Diana Ruiz.
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.
Devine SC U12/U13 Fierce Wolves 1st Place Gold Champions. Top row (left to right) Coach Jose Garcia, Alonso Lopez, Nicholas Garcia, Avriana DeLaO, Lennox Weaver, Joshua Gutierrez, Victoria Granados Garcia. Bottom row: Pierce Limon, Darrion Kendrick, Ezra Hernandez, Francisco Limon, Samuel Marquez, Shaun Guardiola, Michael Morales.
From growth and development to medals and trophies, our players showed what hard work, heart, and dedication can accomplish.
6 Teams
5 Medals
2 First Place Trophies
A huge congratulations to our champions:
U12/U13 Fierce Wolves – 1st Place
U8/U9 Timberwolves – 1st Place
And congratulations to the U8/U9 Fighting Wolves for battling hard and earning 3rd Place!
Every team this season represented Devine Soccer Club with pride, passion, and determination. The growth we saw on the field—from teamwork and communication to confidence and effort—was incredible to watch.
To our players: thank you for giving it your all every single game and training session. Your hard work paid off.
To our coaches and volunteers: thank you for your time, energy, and commitment to helping these players grow.
And to our parents and families: THANK YOU for the endless support, trust, sacrifices, and encouragement throughout the season. None of this happens without you.
This club continues to grow because of the commitment, character, confidence, and community that each of you bring to Devine Soccer Club. The future is bright for DSC!
Thank you,
Pablo Carmona
Devine Soccer Club
210-885-1451
admin@devinesc.org
Devine SC U8/U9 Timber Wolves 1st Place Gold Champions. Pictured Top row (left to right): Coach Nathan Jimenez, Gael Santiago Valenzuela, Bryan Camacho Ramos, Noah Flores, Sophia Flores and Coach Enrique Flores. Bottom row: Ella Jimenez, Jaime Beltran, Demi Kendrick.
Devine will be sending 8 athletes to the State Track and Field meet on Thursday, May 14th in Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Representing the Warhorses: Karter Brown, Rowdy Esparza, Bo Wheeler, Alex Garcia-Castillo, Zach Guerra, Mikey Rodriguez, and Ryan Weinkam. Rylie Wells is the sole representative for the Arabians. Pictured above are the athletes heading off with their manager Brooke Dubose. Good luck, go make Devine proud!
Lytle will be sending 3 athletes to the State Track and Field meet on Thursday, May 14th in Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Pictured above are: Jewell Hicks, Sebastian Garcia and Jacob Cantu. Good luck to the athletes!
Devine will be sending eight athletes to the State Track and Field meet in Austin at Mike A. Meyers stadium on Thursday, May 14. The eight athletes heading to State are: Karter Brown, Rowdy Esparza, Bo Wheeler, Alex Garcia-Castillo, Zach Guerra, Mikey Rodriguez, Ryan Weinkam and Rylie Wells. Esparza, Rodriguez, Weinkam, Guerra and Garcia-Castillo (altername) will be competeing in the 4×400 relay. Esparza will also be competing in the Long Jump event. Wheeler will be in the High Jump event, Brown will compete in Shot Put and Wells will be in the Triple Jump event. Pictured above is Mikey Rodriguez(right) preparing to hand the baton to Ryan Weinkam (left). Photo by Moose Lopez.
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
Pirate Devin Cordova put on a stellar performance in game one of the Area championship. The pitcher threw a no hitter in their 7-0 victory over Poth while racking up one hit, 2 RBIs and one double at the plate. Photo by Moose Lopez.
Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
Lytle baseball continues its historic run by taking down the Poth Pirates in two games for the Area Championship. Game one was a defensive battle until the fourth inning where Lytle got on the board first after an error by Poth. Lytle would capitalize on that momentum and tack on six more runs to win 7-0. The next game brought out the best in Poth. Faced with elimination…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!
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!
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
