Warhorse Dirty Dozen areArea Champs! 11 move on to Regional

Warhorse Mikey Rodriguez (right) and Ryan Weinkam (left) will both take their relay teams to the regional track meet in Kingsville after their stellar performances at the area meet in Jourdanton. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Twelve Warhorse athletes combined for 129 points to defeat runner-up Floresville (107) to capture the Area Track and Field Championship on April 16 in Cuero.
Devine narrowly defeated the Tigers just a couple of weeks ago by two points to win District 27-4A but left little doubt this time around who was the best overall team from combined districts 27-4A and 28-4A.
Rowdy Esparza, Mikey Rodriguez, Karter Brown, Zach Guerra, Ryan Weinkam, and Jonathan Cantu were all gold medalists in their respective events while silver medalists included Cantu, Weinkam, Lucas Hudson, Esai Sanchez, and Bo Wheeler.
Earning bronze were Hall, Esparza, Sanchez, Weinkam while Brody Lane, and Tanner Davis also added points to the area-champion 129-point total.
Regional Qualifiers
Individual event regional qualifiers were Rowdy Esparza in 400m, Long Jump, and Triple Jump, Mikey Rodriguez in 110m and 300m hurdles, Karter Brown in Shot Put, Bo Wheeler in High Jump, Enoch Hall in 100m, and Brody Lane in 300m Hurdles.
All three relay teams qualified led by the mile relay champion foursome of Zach Guerra, Ryan Weinkam, Jonathan Cantu, and Esparza, the runner-up 800m squad of Cantu, Lucas Hudson, Esai Sanchez, and Weinkam, and the third place 400m tandem of Hall, Esparza, Sanchez, and Weinkam.
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Elite 8 Arabians are Area Track Runner-Up as 7 advance to Regional

Arabians Kylie Monreal (left) and Rylie Wells (right) both earned gold medals at the area track meet in Jourdanton. Both earned a trip to the Regional track meet in Kingsville. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Oh so close! Devine placed second in the District 27-28 4A Area Track and Field Championships on April 16 in Cuero by a mere two points as La Vernia took top honors by a narrow 94-92 margin.
The Lady Bears were down 14 points 92-78 entering the 4x400m Relay but finished second to score 16 points to take the team lead over the Arabians who did not have a foursome in that event.
Gold medal performances by the Arabians belonged to Kylie Monreal and Rylie Wells while Kenzie Schott earned the lone silver medal.
Bronze went to Caroline Suhr and Camila Sierra while Peyton Dixon-Davis and Ivy Stricker also scored points for the Area Runner-Up Arabians. Glorianna Jimenez finished just out of reach of scoring a point in her event.
Regional Qualifiers
Individual regional qualifiers were Kylie Monreal in 100m Hurdles, 300m Hurdles, and Long Jump, Rylie Wells in Triple Jump, 100m Hurdles, and Long Jump, Kenzie Schott in 100m Hurdles, Caroline Suhr in Pole Vault, Camila Sierra in 400m, and the 400m relay foursome of Schott, Wells, Peyton Dixon-Davis, and Ivy Stricker.
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Mustang track closes 2026 season at Area

Mustang RJ De La O qualified for the Area track and field meet where he competed in the High Jump event and took home fifth place, reaching heights up to 5’8. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Mustang track and field team had more than its share of ups during their 2026 season. Included in those good times were five athletes that earned the opportunity to compete in the District 27-28 Class 3A Area Meet on April 16 in Jourdanton.
R.J. De La O, Jimmy Ayala, Matthew Rodriguez, Jordan Rodriguez, and Jacob Camacho worked their way past district competition before closing their season at Area.
De La O and Ayala combined to score points for the Mustangs.
Congratulations to all Natalia coaches and Area-Qualifying athletes on a memorable 2026 season!
Team rankings
1st Randolph 140, 2nd Lytle 102, 3rd Marion 100, 4th San Antonio Cole 86, 5th Jourdanton 64, 6th Hondo 48, 7th Great Hearts Northern Oaks 27, 8th Cotulla 22.5, 9th YMLA 19, 10th Crystal City 4, 11th Poteet 3, 12th Natalia 2.5, 13th Great Hearts Monte Vista 2.
Mustang results
Field Events High Jump—T5th De La O 5’8 Pole Vault—6th Ayala 10’0 Running Events 100m—8th M. Rodriguez 12.03 Relay 4x400m—8th J. Rodriguez, Camacho, De La O, Ayala 3:46.64

Pirate track are Area Runner-up, send 10 to Regional

Pirate Noah Smoot will take his discus talents to the regional track and field meet in Kingsville after placing first in the discus event at the area meet in Jourdanton. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Pirate Track and Field team scored 102 points on April 16 to place Runner-Up in the District 27-28 Class 3A Area Meet in Jourdanton. Randolph took top billing this year with 140 points while Marion was third with 100 points.
Gold medal winners included Jacob Cantu, Noah Smoot, Chase Guevara, Jewell Hicks, Clayton Jopling, and Sebastian Garcia while silver medalist were Guevara, Hicks, Cantu, Angel De La Rosa, and Toby Davila.
Diego Reyna and De La Rosa won bronze medals while Nathan Garza and Bryan Montes-Rodriguez also contributed to the 102-point output.
Andrew Stepp and Seth Pierce also finished their season as Area Qualifiers.
Congratulations to all Pirates and coaches and best of luck at Regional!
Regional Qualifiers
Individual event regional qualifiers were Jacob Cantu in 3200m and 1600m, Adrian Reyna in 3200m, Diego Reyna in 1600m, Sebastian Garcia in 800m, Jewell Hicks in 400m, Noah Smoot in Discus, and Angel De La Rosa in Long Jump.
Two of the three relay teams advanced to Regional as 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!

Devine looks ahead to Navarro in best of three series

Arabian Sam Zamora threw 9 strikeouts during Devine’s last game against the Somerset Bulldogs. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Devine Arabians regular season comes to a close after a heated defensive battle against number one seeded Somerset. Despite the loss, the Arabians had a fantastic season. The team would finish second in the district standing with a record of 8-4 and an overall record of 18-14-1. In all eight of their district wins they averaged almost 10 runs scored per game while holding opponents to about 2 runs per game.
Now the Arabians will take on the Navarro Panthers Thursday, April 23 in Devine at 7 P.M. at home for game one, then will travel to Navarro for game two on Friday, April 24 at 7 P.M. Game three of necessary will be at an SAISD school Saturday April 25 at 3 P.M. Head coach Michael Sotelo said the Panthers mirror Devine’s play style so this first round matchup is sure to be a good one.
“They have some good bats in their lineup,” Sotelo said. “Some solid defense behind their leaders in Cadee Zimmer centerfielder and Shelbi Stevens catcher. With some decent pitching in Peyton Cisneros.”  
With the end of every season comes goodbyes. The Arabians have five seniors leaving this year and Sotelo noted that the upperclassmen’s time in the dugout will leave a lasting impact on…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 baseball looks to end on winning note

Warhorse Christian Beaver had a single against the Somerset Bulldogs. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
What slim hopes were left of a UIL Postseason run for the Warhorse baseball team may have all but evaporated in their April 17 home loss to Somerset.
Despite grinding out 11 hits few came with runners in scoring position as Devine fell to the Bulldogs 11-4.
Eight Warhorses delivered hits led by Esai Sanchez with three and Kaleb Oropeza with a pair. Christian Beaver, Karter Brown, Rudy Costilla, Riley Gutierrez, Brayden Mann, and Duke Wheeler also collected singles.
Sanchez, Beaver, and Brown each drove in a run.
Devine played their last road game of the season on April 21 in Pearsall and now close 2026 with a home tilt against Floresville.

Lady Pirates’ season ends in extra innings

Lady Pirate Claire Canales had two runs, 1 hit, 3 RBIs and one home run during Lytle’s last game of the season against Hondo. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle Lady Pirates’ time on the softball field has come to a close after a intense game against the Hondo Owls that went to extra innings, falling just short at 12-13. Lytle was fighting for the final playoff spot that came down to the last game of the season. Unfortunately, the Lady Pirates were edged out by just one game.
Lytle will finish the season with a district record of 3-7 and an overall record of 10-16-2.
Team leaders in stats: Anissa Perez had three homeruns this season and led the team in doubles at 13. Marley Macias led the team in total stolen bases at 21, runs scored at 28 and hits at 31. Kaycee Galindo led the team in RBIs at 23. Mikailah Mejia hit three triples this season.
Congratulations to the Lady Pirates and the coaching staff on a great season!
Stats
Vs Hondo
Batting: Avary Hernandez- 2 H, 5 RBI, Jessica Sollock- 2 R, Kaycee Galindo- 1 R, 2 H, Payton Devaney- 1 R, 1 H, Marley Macias- 2 R, 1 H, Anissa Perez- 2 H, 1 RBI, 1 double, Mikailah Mejia- 3 R, 1 H, Evelyn Quintana- 1 H, 1 RBI, Autumn Foster- 1 R, 1 H, Claire Canales- 2 R, 1 H, 3 RBI, 1 homerum
Baserunning: Macias- 1 SB
Fielding: Galindo- 3 for 4 on PO, Devaney- 10 for 11 on PO, Macias- 5 PO, 2 A, Perez- 2 for 2 on PO, Mejia- 1 PO, 8 A, Foster- 2 for 2 on PO, Canales- 1 PO
Pitching: Canales threw 1 strikeout on 44 batters faced over 8 innings pitched.

Natalia’s miracle run ends at home

Two seniors were presented goodie baskets by the team during the game vs Dilley. Photo by Mable Byrd.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lady Mustangs’ softball season comes to a close at home after losing a nail biter to Dilley, 4-5. The Lady Mustangs were competing against Lytle and Crystal City for the last spot in the post season and unfortunately were just edged out by one game. Despite a slow start, Natalia surged midseason to keep their playoff hopes alive and clawed their way up the standings to give themselves a fighting chance. The Lady Mustangs end the season with a district record of 3-7 and an overall record of 12-16.
Team leaders in stats: Leyla Saenz led the team in runs at 29, doubles at 7 and triples at 2. Claire Wise had two homeruns this season. Tracy Najera Garza had 29 stolen bases. Selyene Gallegos had 23 hits on the season. Ralynn Juarez had 18 RBIs.
Congratulations to the Lady Mustang players and coaching staff for an inspired season!
Vs Dilley
Batting: Ary Ramirez- 2 R, 2 H, Tracy Najera Garza- 1 H, Alani Aguinaga- 1 R, Allison Moreno- 1 R, 2 H, Alyssa Esquibel- 1 RBI
Baserunning: Ramirez- 1 SB, Najera Garza- 1 SB, Aguinaga- 1 SB, Moreno- 1 SB
Fielding: Ramirez- 1 for 1 on PO, Leyla Saenz- 4 PO, 2 A, Jade Mata- 1 for 1 on PO, Najera Garza- 3 for 3 on PO, Selyene Gallegos- 1 PO, Liliana Saenz- 2 for 2 on PO, Ralynn Juarez- 4 for 5 on PO, 1 A, Rilee Carpenter- 2 for 3 on PO, Alani Aguinaga- 2 for 2 on PO, Alyssa Esquibel- 1 for 1 on PO
Pitching: Alani Aguinaga threw 4 strikeouts on 34 batters faced over 7 innings pitched. 

Steinbrunner shows out at regional tournament

Warhorse Jeremy Steinbrunner had three first place and four second place finishes during the spring tennis season. Photo by Kandi Darnell.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
Spring tennis has officially wrapped up for Devine, as Jeremy Steinbrunner took a tough loss in the second round, 6-2, 6-0, of the regional tournament. Steinbrunner won his first match handily, winning 6-0,6-0 against Evan Hamilton, Eastside Early College Prep. His loss in the second round came from “a very good player” Miguel Mejia from Valley View, the fourth seed, who would go on to the finals. Head coach Kandi Darnell said Steinbunner had a good spring season and was proud of the performance he put on at the tournament.
“[Steinbrunner] had three first place finishes  and four second finishes this season,” Darnell said. “He represented DHS tennis well. Our competition at 4A was toughest which made for some great tennis.”
Congratulations to Jeremy and his incredible season!