The Warhorses are hungry for action, and will host Randolph for thier first home game.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Ask any coach that ever had to face a Devine football team over the last 25-30 years what was one thing they would remember, and it would always be how physical those Warhorse kids were even though they were undersized a majority of the time. New Devine Defensive Coordinator Danny Sanchez had heard those same rumors prior to accepting a position on Head Coach Paul Gomez’s staff, and now, he has seen it up close and personal. “One of the main reasons I came to Devine was to coach tough nosed kids,” Sanchez stated after the Warhorses battled perennial-powerhouse Navarro in their second and final scrimmage prior to their season-opener versus Randolph. “This past Thursday, the Warhorses did not disappoint!” Coach Sanchez’s deep and multiple-styled defense flew around the field relentlessly against the Panthers, something he hopes to see much more of over the course of the next 10-plus ballgames. “I feel confident that the defense will contribute mightily to the team as we expect to create turnovers, and to pressure offenses with multiple looks and various stunts.”
Be there or be square….The Warhorses will kick off their first game at 7:30 at Warhorse Stadium. Photo by Brigid Howard.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Warhorse Stadium will be rocking this Friday evening as Devine takes on Randolph to begin their 2024 march towards a district championship and a berth in the state playoffs. Two-a-days and scrimmages against Cotulla and Navarro have hopefully set the tone for Head Coach Paul Gomez and his team. “I feel really good about where we are right now,” Gomez said while reflecting over the last four weeks. “We have shown marked improvement, and our work ethic has been great.” The Horses had several chances to take the Cowboys to the woodshed in their initial scrimmage but were held back by minor mistakes that can be corrected as a season unfolds. “Against Cotulla, we played well, and we were just one block away from having several big plays on offense while defensively, other than the second play where we missed some tackles and utilized poor technique, our defense was ahead of our offense, and we were pleased with that side of the ball.”
The JV A Warhorses making the handoff in the Navarro Scrimmage. Photo by B Howard.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer After two scrimmages from his team, Coach Lon Cozby has his squad ready for the season-opener Thursday at Randolph as JV1 and JV2 teams combine for one game at 5pm. The JV Horses traveled to Geronimo to take on the Navarro Panthers last Thursday in their final tune up for the 2024 season. “Navarro was a good, physical team and I have to admit they did have our number in the beginning,” Cozby said to begin his weekly recap. “We continued to battle hard and even though it may have taken a while, we did find our groove.” Ryan Weinkam scored the first touchdown for Devine on a 60-yard run as he “was able to highlight his speed” on the play. “We were able to get in a set that gave the defense fits. Ryan did a great job jumping inside of Steven Montes’ block, followed Ivan Iglesias, then bounced back outside and outran the safeties. Cole Reyes also had a key block on the outside to keep the corner out of the play.”
Freshman Arabian Maddie Hester has been very strong from the serving line, with several great aces in last weeks game against Ingram.
Freshman volleyball sports spotless 3-0 record Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Devine freshman volleyball coach Kara Stacy has her team off to a perfect 3-0 start to the 2024 season. With varsity tournaments taking the forefront early on, games have been hard to come by, but it quickly heats up as a home tournament and District 29-4A action will soon be upon the young Arabians. “We definitely had to work out the nerves as we were getting our first games of the season officially in the books,” Stacy began. “We saw lots of great things in the opener against Southwest Legacy and I am proud of how the girls fought all the way to the end!” Devine topped Legacy in a three-set thriller, winning the first game 25-21 before dropping the second game 25-20. “We had to battle in the first set to come out on top but in the second set we struggled quite a bit on our side with unforced errors and miscommunication. We fought hard but could not finish off the set.” The third set provided plenty of nail-biting moments as both teams gave their all in trying to get the first “W” of the season. “Going into the third set, we knew it was going to be a battle and had to take it just one play at a time.”
Battling it out at the net Arabian #9 Brooke Thompson and Lady Mustang #7 Emilee Martinez as their teammantes back them up.
Jerel Beaty Staff writer Devine volleyball head coach Leigh Anne McIver and her squad went through a rough patch last week as they went 2-4 over that period of time, picking up their two wins over Three Rivers and Natalia in their home tournament. McIver and the Arabians were in “puzzle-making mode” as they had to mix in a couple of new players with their existing group as injuries sidelined more than one starter at various times. Preseason and tournament games lay the foundation for the rest of the season, and with their third and final tourney of the season this weekend in Seguin and their final two preseason games against McMullen and Navarro, the time is now for the kinks to be ironed out and Devine to begin its usual march toward a district championship.
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.
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.”
