Ten Highland Lakes Sports Insights

Basketball season is officially over for the Highland Lakes and we are in full swing — literally — into spring sports. Let’s get into it.

1. Believe it or not, District 24-4A softball begins Tuesday, March 4, with the Marble Falls Lady Mustangs hosting Taylor and the Burnet Lady Dawgs visiting Jarrell. Marble Falls has a pair of freshmen — Brooklyn Damico and Callie Phillips — who spend time at pitcher. And for the first time in a long time, Marble Falls had a 7-3 record that compelled voters to put them in the top 10 of the Class 4A poll of the Texas Girls Coaches Association. But the Lady Mustangs finished last weekend with a 1-4 record. So what gives? Marble Falls is better, but the district realignment didn’t do anyone any favors. The same three teams — Burnet (4-7-4), Georgetown Gateway (10-0-2) and Lampasas (8-6) — are expected to contend for the district championship because they each return their starting pitchers with all three either committed or already signed to their college programs. That means that the final four teams — Jarrell, Marble Falls, Salado and Taylor — will compete for the last playoff spot. Salado, which is led by senior left-handed pitcher Ally Schauer, is 11-4 including a five-game winning streak that began Feb. 17 and ended in a 5-0 loss to Troy Feb. 28. The Lady Eagles have made the playoffs in basketball and volleyball. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them challenge for more than a playoff spot in district play in softball. And we’ll find out very quickly as they welcome Lampasas, which has junior pitcher Brooklyn Farmer, a Tarleton State commit, March 4. Don’t buy into Burnet’s pre-district record. The Lady Dawgs will be in the thick of the district championship race, and they’ll pick up a big road win against Jarrell led by senior pitcher Presley Crawford, who signed to play for Sul Ross during the early signing period.
2. Let’s move on to baseball. The Burnet Bulldogs look every bit as good as they were a year ago. The defending District 24-4A champions have a lot of familiar faces on the squad that helped bring that hardware and a bi-district title to north Burnet County in 2024. The Bulldogs have beaten the teams they’re supposed to, leaving no doubt of their talent at pitching, defense and at the plate. Meanwhile, the Marble Falls Mustangs are still trying to find their footing, especially at the plate. They’ve given fans glimpses of how good they can be. They have scrimmaged and played Wimberley in a game where the Texans faced starting pitchers that kept them at bay. Wimberley, to me, is a solid team complete with pitching, tough defense and hot bats. The Mustangs frustrated them at the beginning of each of the three games they played because they couldn’t get the timely hit against Marble Falls’ starting pitchers. Once the Mustangs made pitching changes, the Texans took advantage. Marble Falls’ biggest key to success has been its bend-but-not-break pitching and defense where opponents have had to strand runners. That must continue if the Mustangs are to earn a ticket to the playoffs.
3. The Mustang Relays were highlighted by some familiar rivalries — senior middle distance runners Victor Aviles of Burnet and Tyler Hamblin of Marble Falls — that didn’t surprise anyone. Aviles took gold in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters, while Hamblin earned silver in the 1,600 and the 3,200. Marble Falls freshman Graham Goggans ran to silver in the 800 by setting a new personal best at 2 minutes and 3.92 seconds. “The Burnet County showdown is always one to watch, especially between Tyler Hamblin and Victor Avilas — two great competitors,” said middle-distance running coach Brenda Gonzalez, who has had the best seat to watch the two battle it out. And the Bulldogs and Burnet Lady Dawgs, paced by Asah Roy, were equally dominant as Aviles’ teammates earned valuable points for their teams.
4. But let me encourage you to keep an eye on the hurdlers. The Lady Dawgs took the top 3 spots in the 100-meter hurdles and two of the top four spots in the 300-meter hurdles. And perhaps the Mustangs’ shining moment came from sophomore hurdler Anthony Griffin, who earned bronze medals in the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles.
5. Like swimming, track is a sport where coaches can stack athletes. That’s why quantity — if they can finish high enough — will do wonders for a team’s overall point totals. While the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs simply didn’t have enough athletes to challenge for team titles, coaches are encouraged by two important improvements. The first is that more athletes are joining the track program. Part of that credit goes to Gonzalez, who also is the Lady Mustangs head coach, and Kaitlyn Goertz, who is an assistant coach on the staff. The other is that these athletes can see they’re getting faster and going farther than they have before, which helps them get better for their other sports. To say the Marble Falls staff has been encouraged is an understatement, especially considering how they celebrate simply competing. The soccer teams greeted their teammates after they finished running their races. That illustrates the closeness they have and how they all want to pull for each other. I’m under the impression it’s not too late for other athletes to join the track programs, which is another positive of the spring.
6. It’s also a big week for the Marble Falls boys soccer team. The Mustangs face the top two teams in District 26-4A play – Fredericksburg and San Antonio Davenport — and must win both to ensure at least a share of the district crown. Like the professional level, this sport uses a point system. Fredericksburg beat Marble Falls 4-3 Feb. 11 in a contest that still baffles the Mustangs. The game was tied at 2-2 in the final 3 minutes and 11 seconds. The Billies kicked a ball deep in Marble Falls territory that went out of bounds. The ball was thrown in and the shooter found a small crease in the Mustangs defense. The ball ricocheted off the goalie’s hands as he dived for it to find the back of the net. Fredericksburg scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the final 53 seconds when, an an effort to waste time, the shooter took a shot at the goal from 40 yards out, barely putting the ball over the goalie’s head, who had come out too far and misjudged the height. Another advantage for the Billies? They played the final 15 minutes with one more player than Marble Falls because the Mustang was issued a red card and ejected. Marble Falls followed that loss with a 2-2 tie with Davenport. Davenport beat Fredericksburg 2-1 Feb. 18 to open the door for the Mustangs. Let’s see if they can take advantage.
7. The Lady Mustangs (9-8-1, 2-4 fourth in district) are battling with all they have in a district that features two soccer teams ranked in the Class 4A poll of the Texas Girls Coaches Association. Wimberley (16-1-1, 5-0-1) is No. 6 and Davenport (13-1-1) is No. 9. Wimberley beat Marble Falls 8-0 Feb. 28 to start the second round of district play. The Lady Mustangs must beat Fredericksburg March 3 to sweep the season series before embarking on an intriguing stretch – visiting Davenport March 7 and hosting Canyon Lake, which beat Marble Falls 1-0, March 11. If the Lady Mustangs want to move up in the rankings, they must win out.
8. If the soccer playoffs were to start this week, the Lady Mustangs would face Burnet (17-2, 4-0), which is on pace to win District 25-4A again. That would make it three district titles in a row. Burnet is ranked No. 7 in the TGCA’s Class 4A poll. As it stands right now, it doesn’t look like anyone can keep the Lady Dawgs from three-peating if Burnet can survive an interesting stretch in their schedule. Three of their final four games are on the road, including today’s match at Georgetown Gateway (15-4, 12-2). But Burnet welcomes Lago Vista (16-3, 12-2), ranked No. 24, March 11.
9. The district race isn’t quite as clear for the Burnet boys soccer team. Austin Northeast and Austin Achieve are both 11-1, while Burnet is sitting third with a 6-5-2 record and Jarrell is fourth at 4-3-5. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie Feb. 28 after the Bulldogs won the first game 5-1. But because Lago Vista lost to Austin Eastside Memorial Feb. 28, Burnet couldn’t move up the rankings. Again, this sport uses a point system to determine seedings. To me, the only reason a point system makes sense is because there are no play-in or seeding games to decide which team advances to the postseason. Three matches remain in the regular season and aren’t easy. But the Bulldogs host two of them beginning with Austin Achieve Friday, March 7, and ending with Austin LBJ Friday, March 14, which beat Burnet 2-1 Feb. 11. In between is a road trip to Lago Vista Tuesday, March 11. To say every contest matters is an understatement because of the number of ties each team that isn’t at the top of the standings has in the district race. Why aren’t the Bulldogs firmly in third place? A 3-2 loss to Florence Feb. 21, which is the Buffaloes’ lone district win.
10. Let’s switch to tennis where Marble Falls junior Cooper Womack (pictured) continues to add hardware. The reigning two-time district champion in boys singles looks every bit like the player to beat. Womack has two traits that coaches love – determination and drive. Womack’s drive to be the best assists him in having productive practices and his determination to do more than advance to the Class 4A state tournament keeps him focused on the task at hand. When Marble Falls competed at the Copperas Cove tournament last week, Womack won the boys singles division, while Cooper Kelley and Weston York took gold in boys doubles and Nicolas Smith and Payton Glaser were the consolation champs in boys doubles. The Mustangs are hosting their tournament at 8 a.m. Friday, March 7.