Ten Highland Lakes Sports Insights

Welcome to this weekly column where readers will find a summary of sports across the region and the impressions left on this writer.

1. The Burnet Lady Dawgs athletics program is moving from very good to great. Just look at the success. The basketball team joined the volleyball team in qualifying for the Class 4A Region III tournament, known to many as the Houston region. That is a tough road, indeed, to get to the state tournament. Credit volleyball head coach Crystal Shipley and her team for setting the bar for success that the basketball team embraced and then surpassed by playing in the regional final (the volleyball team lost in the regional semifinals). I had a chance to ask girls coordinator and head basketball coach Rick Gates if the soccer and softball teams can equal or surpass what the ladies on the hard wood accomplished. I’ll write that story later this week. But here’s a hint – there’s reason to be optimistic.
2. The region picked up another state title over the weekend. That would be the Smoking for Jesus Christian School boys basketball team, which had to come from behind to beat Corpus Christi Annapolis 34-30 for the Class 1A state championship of the Texas Christian Athletic League on Feb. 26. Junior guard Isaac Legier led with 19 points and was named the tournament MVP. This is the third state title for the Eagles. They won back-to-back football state championships in 2020 and 2021. Now SFJCS turns its attention to winning it all in track and field. And something tells me the Eagles will be the team to beat in the spring.
3. Now that basketball season is over, let’s go to the pitch. I recently had a chance to watch both the Lady Dawgs soccer team and was impressed. Burnet was hosting Lampasas, and the Lady Badgers were no match for the Lady Dawgs. Since then, Burnet (11-7-1, 8-2 District 18-4A) has won five of its last eight matches, including three in a row with the most recent a 1-0 victory over Gatesville Feb. 25. The soccer team has clinched a playoff spot and is looking to improve in the standings with three matches, which includes two on the road. Though they lost to Lake Belton 3-1 March 1, that shouldn’t have a big impact since the Lady Broncos are the district leaders. The Lady Dawgs will honor their seniors Friday, March 3, before the home match against Jarrell at 6 p.m.
4. Before going to Bulldog Field to watch soccer, I stopped by Bulldog Diamonds to see the Burnet softball team. And boy was I dazzled. In two innings against the Marble Falls High School Lady Mustangs, the Lady Dawgs had scored eight runs and kept the opponent scoreless. And Burnet has simply gotten better the last few weeks. Head coach Hailey Wooten is maximizing her talented roster with starters and reserves who are stepping up, too. In short, each player looks capable of delivering when called upon. And don’t sleep on the junior varsity either. The softball program should be solid for a long time. Fans can get a look at the Lady Dawgs during their tournament this weekend, March 3-5. On Thursday, Burnet welcomes Wimberley at noon and Lago Vista at 6 p.m. In between, the junior varsity hosts Connally at 4:30 p.m. On Friday, the JV welcomes a familiar foe — the Liberty Hill JV at 9 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. The Burnet varsity faces Gunter at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the JV hosts Connally at 8:30 a.m., while the varsity welcomes College Park at 10 a.m. and Johnson City at 2:30 p.m.
5. Keep an eye on the area track and field teams. In addition to Smoking for Jesus’ squad, other athletes will make the region proud. Few people can talk about distance running without mentioning the latest great runner in Burnet County — Burnet junior Hudson Bennett, who will defend his Class 4A state championship in the 3,200 meters. He also won the bronze in the 1,600 meters at the state meet. Down U.S. 281, Marble Falls head track and field coach Chris Schrader said underclassmen are running very well. The Mustangs qualified for the Class 5A cross country state meet in November and many of those athletes moved to the track.
6. District 25-5A continues to be a brutal district in all sports. In girls basketball, Cedar Park won the Region IV tournament and looks to successfully defend its state title from a year ago. The Lady Timberwolves had to beat district member Liberty Hill in the regional final to advance. And that leads me to
7. Boys soccer. Mustangs head coach Rick Hoover said every team’s starting 11 throughout District 25-5A is equal across the board. Which means that on any given night in any match, a surprise winner is possible. And it also means that if players aren’t ready to play mentally, emotionally and physically, they could get trampled. While that may be frustrating for Marble Falls fans, it certainly speaks to the depth of the talent across central Texas. The big winners continue to be the fans who enjoy watching high-quality contests and tremendous coaching because teams will pounce on the slightest error, which is usually the difference between winning and losing.
8. Area baseball fans are in luck this weekend. The Burnet and Llano baseball teams are co-hosting a tournament featuring some programs that traditionally field very good squads. Marble Falls will spend Thursday and Friday, March 3 and 4, at Bulldog Diamonds. Marble Falls begins the tournament at 11:30 a.m. Thursday against Johnson City. Burnet takes on the Eagles at 2 p.m. On Friday, Marble Falls faces Burnet at 10:30 a.m. and Blanco at 2 p.m. Blanco then faces the Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, Burnet hosts TMI at 10:30 a.m. and Marble Falls travels to Llano to play Fredericksburg at 11:30 a.m. The Yellow Jackets take on Fredericksburg at 2 p.m. and Pleasanton at 4:30 p.m. both on Thursday, TMI at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, and Johnson City at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
9. The Llano softball team is 5-1 overall and is getting better. The Lady Jackets are led by junior pitcher Madison Kloepper, who is averaging around 8 strikeouts a game and led the Lady Jackets to the third round of the Class 3A playoffs in 2021. She is committed to Western New Mexico University.
10. Can’t end this week’s 10 Insights without a little gridiron talk. The Mustangs conducted their last event of the 2021 season, their banquet on Feb. 28 where they celebrated a season not enjoyed in purple and gold since the David Denney years of the 1990s. Marble Falls finished third in district and reached the third round of the playoffs. It’s always difficult to say good-bye to a senior class, but this one especially extraordinary. It features many three-year starters, and there’s a debt of gratitude owed to those athletes. Some have fathers who played for Denney and recalled the glory days when the city was papered in purple, gold and white streamers and the place to be every Friday night in the fall was at Mustang Stadium. And their sons embraced that history. Fans will remember the great moments of the 2021 season and families know the work to earning two gold trophies wasn’t all done from August to December. These seniors left a challenge to the returners to surpass their accomplishments. Here’s hoping the returners embrace that as the program moves down to Class 4A.