Jerel Beaty Staff writer Lytle Head Powerlifting Coach Melissa Gomez along with new assistant coach Shelley Armentrout will be ready to roll (and wrap) once January 4 rolls around as the Pirate team begins its season at Cotulla High School. The Lady Pirates crank it up the following week on January 8 in Natalia. “We are excited to welcome back numerous experienced and qualifying returners, along with talented new lifters and our new Assistant Coach, Shelley Armentrout,” Gomez stated. “This program continues to thrive, so come out and support your Lytle Powerlifting team!” Gomez pointed out accomplishments of her 2024 squad that included 3 Pirates qualifying for Regional and 2 of those advancing to State, earning a 2nd and 3rd place medal in the process while Lady Pirates qualified 7 for Regional and 2 to State. Things are looking great for Lytle, so check out the schedule below and make it a point…
Varsity Warhorse Mason Beaver evades the Bulldog team members followed by #14 Cecilio De La Garza during the Nov. 26 game.
Yorktown Tournament on tap for Warhorses Jerel Beaty Staff writer After a camaraderie-filled trip to Decatur, the Warhorse hoopsters hit the road for their last tournament of the season as they make the much shorter trip to Yorktown December 12, 13, and 14. Devine’s Pool B competition includes Goliad, San Marcos Homeschool, St. Lutheran, and Beeville JV. After completion of pool-play games Thursday and Friday, the Horses will play a team from Pool A on Saturday at a time to be determined. Pool A teams are host Yorktown, Stockdale, Falls City, Weimar, and Bloomington. On Thursday, Devine opens against St. Lutheran at 10:30am followed by a 3:00pm tip against San Marcos Homeschool. Friday’s two contests include a 10:30am tipoff against Goliad and a 3:00pm jump versus Beeville JV.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer Texas High School Coaches Association released its Academic All-State honor list last week and three Lytle High School student-athletes earned recognition for their exceptional achievements inside the classroom over the last seven semesters of their high school career. Pirate football players Luke Estrada, Jair Flores, and Nico Pacheco all made the honoree list with Estrada earning Second Team recognition while Flores and Pacheco made Honorable Mention. “Congratulations to three of our senior student-athletes who have demonstrated academic excellence off the field!,” commented Pirate Head Coach Mike Trevino. THSCA, “We understand that students’ performance in the classroom can sometimes be difficult to manage while participating in athletics, but their hard work has not gone unnoticed. The THSCA Academic All-State Teams recognize senior high school athletes, trainers and managers who excel in the following categories: GPA, class rank and ACT/SAT score. Team members are being recognized based on their scores in these categories. We applaud them for their commitment and dedication to perform with the highest of excellence academically and on the field or court.” Nominees must either be an athlete, or student trainer, or manager in good standing with the team of good moral character with an overall grade point average of 92 or above including courses from grades 9-11 and courses completed from grade 12 with weighted GPAs only 92 or above accepted.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer A close contest against Randolph did not go in the Lady Pirates favor as they came out on the short end of a 33-26 contest at home December 3. Lytle may finally be getting healthy, and it could not come at a more important time of the year as the Lady Pirates begin district December 10 in Dilley before following that up December 13 at home against Poteet then back on the road in Cotulla December 17. “We finally had all 10 players back so hopefully that will continue the rest of the season,” said Head Coach Lori Wilson. District teams Hondo, Jourdanton, Crystal City, Natalia, Poteet, Cotulla, Dilley, and Lytle. vs Randolph Lytle owned the paint against the Ro-Hawks, but seemingly could not hit a shot outside the colored area in their 7-point, 33-26 loss against Randolph. “We scored a majority of…
Jerel Beaty The Natalia Mustangs had seven representatives on the District 15-3A DII list as voted on by head coaches from Cotulla, Nixon-Smiley, Poth, Dilley, Stockdale, Karnes City, YMLA, and Natalia. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own player. With three of the four district team’s advancing past Bi-District, and Poth playing all the way until last weekend when they bowed out in the Regional Semifinals, the list of honorees had been kept under lock and key until this point. The sole First Team Offense honoree for the Mustangs was sophomore quarterback, Leonardo Buentello, while junior linebacker, Mosses Leija, was First Team Defense. Second Team Offense went to junior wide receiver, Damian Aguinaga, while Second Team Defense was awarded to senior defensive lineman, Adam Terrazas. Honorable Mention was sophomore defensive back, Andrew Monreal, and junior wide receiver, Juan Gonzales. Leija was a dual-honoree as he was tabbed at Honorable Mention Running Back.
The 8th grade Devine Colts basketball players are Logan K. Alexander, Joe M. Balderrama, Jordan D. Beaver, Steven J. Caballero, Israel J. Casas Jr, Moses A. Contreras, Kash R. Esparza, David M. Espinosa III, Gabriel J. Lopez, Johnny T. Martinez, Aiden P. Montgomery, Collier D. Paige, Kaleb B. Pompa Gonzalez, Brody H. Poppe, Zachary S. Settles Jr, Ezekiel P. Simmons, Phoenix L. Snider, Charles E. Stricker III, Slade A. Thomas, Nathan M. Valle, and Cesartroy I. Vidaurri. The team managers are Nolan Beaty and Troy Guerra.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer Devine Middle School Colts opened their 2024-2025 season on the road in Pearsall last Thursday. The 7th B, 8th B, and 8th A all came away with victories while the 7th A went down in defeat. The 7th B team won a tight one 17-15. After scoring 13 points in the first half, Devine managed only four points in the second half but was able to hold on for the win. Caleb Martinez led the way with 7 points followed by Cole Maxwell with 3, Lane Gonzales 2, Brandon Fancher 2, Marcus Cervantes 2, and Landon Martinez 1. Maxwell hit an all-important free throw with under a minute to play that helped his team to ensure victory. The 7th A team had their offense going pretty well, but could not get stops on the defensive end of the court in their 48-33 loss. A big second quarter as far as points go was Devine score of 14 not translating to the second half as the Colts only scored 10 points total after the break. Ty Stehle and James Morrison each had 7 points while Rocky Hernandez, Aaron Moralez, and Johnny Ross each had 5, and Ronnie Ortiz put in 4. The 8th B team got the Colts back on the winning track as they won a low-scoring tilt 13-5. Phoenix Snider led Devine with 6 points and 6 rebounds. Kaleb Pompa-Gonzalez sank a three-pointer while Logan Alexander and Joe Balderrama each had two points. Other stats included…
The 7th grade Devine Colts basketball players are Jalen Alegria, Marcus Cervantes, Brandon Fancher, Jacob Frazier, Christopher Gongora Jr, Lane Gonzales, Rocky Hernandez, Coltyn Lafond, Caleb Martinez, Landon Martinez, Cole Maxwell, Aaron Moralez, James Morrison, Zachary Morrison, Ronnie Ortiz, Jayln Perez, Aedin Pinson, Noah Riou, Johnny Ross III, Ricky Silva, Deshawn Simmons, Ty Stehle, and Myles Wilkins. The team managers are Camilo Cupian and Colton Davis.
7th Grade Fillys Basketball team. Back row: (left to right) Jacklynn Clark, Brooke Stacy, Alexandria Camacho, Brooklyn Kendrick, Alessandra Zamora, Beana Steinbrunner, and Chloe Ornelas. Middle row: Allison Balencia, Emily Cashion, Lilliana Rodriguez, Clover Salinas, Brylee Adriano, and Riley Hennessey. Front row: Savannah Solis, Meela Luna, Rebekah Boehme, Juliana Rivas, Leighton Williams, Allyson Muniz-Arteaga, and Sophia Espinosa. Not pictured is Sophia Sereno.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer The 7th A Fillys defeated Pearsall 34-10 on December 5, but it was not a cake-walk like the final score shows, according to Coach Kara Stacy. “A number of forced plays and unfinished layups made for a slower start in this game,” Stacy stated. “Once we were finally able to stay patient on offense as well as playing solid defense, the girls were unstoppable!” Juliana Rivas and Lilliana Rodriguez combined for 20 points as each finished with 10 points. Rebekah Boehme, Leighton Williams, Alexandria Camacho, and Brooke Stacy also got into the scorebook. Allesandra Zamora and Juliana Rivas set the tone on the glass as each snatched 4 rebounds while Lilliana Rodriguez grabbed 6 steals and Brooke Stacy added 4. Allison Balencia led the…
8th Grade Fillys Basketball team. Top row: (left to right) Rozlyn Courtado, Rubie Wevel, Prezley Freeburn, Amy Outlaw, Kallisyn Bedford, Karsyn Mann, and Emma McIver. Middle row: Priscila Rodriguez Limon, Angeline Stafford, Megan Miles, Jillian Brumage, Bella Perez, Madelynn Mitchell, and Dresden Talamantes. Front row: Myla Sorrell, Illiana Settles, Jessa Mata, Hali Carroll, and Olivia Taylor.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer The 8th Fillys trounced Pearsall December 5, picking up wins by both the A and B teams. B vs Pearsall After falling behind 12-6, it was all Devine as they cruised to the 36-16 win on Sessions’ Court inside Devine Student Activity Center on December 5. Megan Miles scored 22 points to lead the way offensively, scoring 6 points in each of the first three quarters. Madelynn Mitchell added 4 points as did Rubie Weyel while Angeline Stafford, Jillian Brumage, and Bella Perez each made a two-point shot. Pearsall got out to a good start scoring-wise as they put in 12 of their 16 points in the first quarter. “We got out to a slow start in the first quarter,” stated Coach Leigh Anne McIver. “We missed a lot of close range shots and were not playing transition defense.” After the break between the opening quarters, McIver and her team buckled down defensively and allowed only 4 points the rest of the way. “In the 2nd quarter it was a totally different story as we picked it up and never looked back.” Pearsall managed one basket in the second quarter…
Jerel Beaty Staff writer Warhorse hoops fans get the opportunity to travel up I35 to Decatur this weekend to catch Devine Basketball compete in the James Woods Invitational at Decatur High School December 5, 6, and 7. The Horses are in Pool B and take on Pottsboro at 3:30pm Thursday before ending the day against host Decatur at 6:30pm. Pool-play results determine Devine’s opponent and game time for Friday and Saturday tipoffs. As for hitting the road for a few games, there is something about packing up a bunch of teenage boys into a school bus and heading off to a distant high school gym that screams character-building-goldmine as playing a basketball tournament in an unfamiliar location against unknown opponents is one of the best things that can happen to a high school team. Traveling forces players to spend time together in ways that a home game does not. On the road, they share meals, playlists, and inside jokes. They figure out who is the loudest snorer, who can recite a specific episode of The Simpson’s word for word, and exactly…
#4 Tanner Davis takes the shot. Basketball photos by Catherine Richard.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer Devine was able to wrap up its Thanksgiving break with a decisive win over Jourdanton on November 30. The Horses drummed the Indians 76-63 on Sessions’ Court inside Devine Student Activity Center. Christian Beaver led the way with 21 points and 5 rebounds while Mason Beaver added 14 points and 4 assists. Ray’sean Beaver had 9 dimes and 6 steals. The Horses were en fuego from the floor as they shot 45% for the game while their defense held the Indians to 39%. Devine shot a whopping 55% from two-point range (17 of 31) and made a respectable 32% from downtown (8 of 25). Free throws continue to be an issue as the Horses only converted 10 of 20 from the charity stripe. Stats vs Jourdanton Mason Beaver 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 deflection, 4 steals; Christian Beaver 21 points, 5 rebounds, 1 deflection; Tanner Davis 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Ray’sean Beaver 8 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 deflections, 6 steals; Gavin Williamson 7 points, 2 steals, 1 assist, 2 deflections, 3 steals; Karson Ray 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 deflections…
