Ten Highland Lakes Sports Insights

CAPTION: Burnet athlete Jose Rodriguez (left) poses with his cousin, Marble Falls’ Jasael Ruiz, after the two finish competing at the regional powerlifting meet. Ruiz earns a silver in the 148-pound division to advance to the state meet, while Rodriguez finishes fifth and returns home with a regional powerlifting medal for the first time. Courtesy photo

The week leading up to Spring Break was an important one for the Burnet and Marble Falls high school baseball teams and the Llano High School softball team as all three played in district openers that all three won. In addition, the boys competed at regional powerlifting meets and some qualified for the state meet. And soccer wrapped up a very competitive district campaign where trophies are residing in Burnet County.

1. Let’s stay on the pitch and begin with the Burnet Lady Dawgs, who had already wrapped up the District 24-4A soccer championship before they arrived for the regular-season finale at Mustang Stadium in Marble Falls Friday, March 10. But Burnet’s motivation was to win the district crown without losing a match and did just that in a 2-0 victory against the Lady Mustangs, who also knew their district finish before kickoff. Head coach Abigail Blunt said Marble Falls was the runner-up no matter if it beat or lost to Burnet. Hats off to the Lady Dawgs for accomplishing a goal that “difficult” does not begin to describe — win an untied and undefeated championship. And they’ve done it by embracing the role of being the most hunted team in the district and having to take everyone’s best shot. The reason Marble Falls was the runner-up entering the match against Burnet is because soccer uses a points system. A win is worth three points. But because the Lady Mustangs and Austin Achieve played to a tie Feb. 28, each team received a point. And though Marble Falls beat the Lady Polar Bears in penalty kicks, they were already behind Burnet in the standings and a win wouldn’t give them the extra point in the points system to share the district crown. Still, it’s hard to be disappointed if you’re a Marble Falls fan. The Lady Mustangs are headed to the playoffs for the first time in a very long time. In addition, the roster is filled with talented underclassmen including seven freshmen who’ve learned plenty this year. That can only help in the years to come. Burnet will play Comal Canyon Lake Friday, March 24, at Tiger Stadium in Dripping Springs with time to be determined for a bi-district championship, while it looks like Marble Falls will play Wimberley.
2. At Bulldog Field, the Marble Falls Mustangs were trying to shut out Burnet to ensure they enter the playoffs as the District 25-4A top seed and accomplished that with a 6-0 win. It’s the first district championship for the Mustangs and a well-deserved one after years of playing in District 25-5A, the toughest district in any sport in the state in any classification. The Bulldogs also are entering the playoffs for the first time in their eight-year history. They’ll face Boerne, the defending Class 4A state champ, for a bi-district championship. Marble Falls will meet Wimberley.
3. Three Marble Falls Mustangs are going to the state powerlifting meet thanks to either winning their individual weight class or finishing second. They are Chase Richard, who won the 123-pound division with a 350-pound squat, a 225-pound bench press and a 365-pound deadlift for a total of 940 pounds; Jasael Ruiz, who was the runner-up in the 148-pound division with a 465-pound squat, a 255-pound bench press and a 480-pound deadlift for a total of 1,200 pounds; and Xavier Lopez in the 181-pound division thanks to a 625-pound squat, a 275-pound bench press and a 700-pound deadlift for a total of 1,600 pounds. Lopez returned with the individual awards of being the best in the squat,s deadlift and overall lifter. Congrats to these Mustangs. And though the Bulldogs didn’t make it out of regionals, head coach Tyler McIntosh said the lifters set new personal bests throughout the meet and came within one or two places from advancing. As a fan, that’s all anyone can ask. McIntosh added that the Bulldogs and Lady Dawgs have been attacking the weight room and their offseason program with gusto, which explains why they are enjoying some success throughout the athletic department.
4. Let’s go to the baseball diamond. Marble Falls went 4-0 at the Del Valle Tournament over the weekend including an 8-7 come-from-behind win against Pflugerville Weiss. The other wins were against Del Valle 8-2, Manor 14-0 and Hays 11-0. Those victories come on the heels of outlasting Lampasas 4-3 in the District 24-4A opener March 7 at Scearce Field. That game proved what most have been saying all year about the district play in football and boys basketball: every game is winnable and every game is losable. Give the Mustangs credit. Cale Cochran had a 2-RBI double in the fourth inning to help give the Mustangs a 4-0 lead and then went to the mound in the sixth inning and picked up the save. Bryce Atkinson was brilliant at pitcher for five innings. The pursuit in district play doesn’t get easier this week. Marble Falls welcomes Georgetown Gateway at 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, and travels to Lago Vista Thursday, March 16. The Vikings are 10-4 this season.
5. Up U.S. 281 is another county team playing tremendous baseball, and that’s the Burnet Bulldogs. Burnet went 3-0-1 during its tournament March 9-11 with two wins against Comal Pieper and against Geronimo Navarro and a tie with Llano. In both games on March 11, Burnet trailed 5-0 early and rallied back against Llano and against Pieper. That says plenty about the mindset of this Bulldog team that also won its district opener 12-7 against Jarrell. And it won’t get easier for the Bulldogs either as they travel to Lampasas Tuesday, March 14, and to Georgetown Gateway Thursday, March 16.
6. The other team that shares Bulldog Diamonds also is having an incredible season. The Burnet Lady Dawgs beat Hutto 11-0 and Copperas Cove 14-5 heading into Spring Break. But the new season begins against Georgetown Gateway at 1 p.m. at home. That’s the District 24-4A opener, and to say the Lady Dawgs are incredibly motivated is an understatement. Gateway ended Burnet’s season a year ago when the two played for the final playoff berth. And the players haven’t forgotten. A self-motivated team where players hold each other accountable is very dangerous for opponents.
7. Motivated also can be used to describe the Llano softball team, which traveled to Blanco March 10 and returned with a 9-0 win in the District 5-3A opener. Senior pitcher Madison Kloepper struck out 10 of the 31 batters she faced and it would surprise me if she threw more than 60 pitches on the night. Meanwhile, the top six batters in the order are very dynamic and showed their ability to put the ball anywhere they wanted. The task doesn’t get easier for the Lady Jackets, who welcome Comfort at 11 a.m. Monday, March 13. Comfort beat Brady 17-0 in that district opener March 10. Interesting sidenote: the other district winner was Florence, which beat Ingram 17-2.
8. Let’s stay in Llano and talk about the Yellow Jacket Relays Thursday, March 9. Llano coaches call track graduate-level running and refer to powerlifting as graduate-level weight lifting. There’s a lot of truth to that because running track helps athletes run faster and benefits their other sports. Many coaches tell me they meet with their athletes, especially running backs who want to start at those positions in the fall, who ask how they can earn a starting job. And coaches tell them they must get faster to be considered. Athletes show their coaches they’re getting faster by running track. But here’s the other part that I really like. Track allows fans to meet the next great athletes of the fall, especially in a place like Llano. That’s because the football team will lose 27 players to graduation in 2023. Right now, coaches can see the new Jackets who will make their debuts on Friday nights in the fall during the spring track meets. They see which Jackets are getting faster, who is building rapport and trust with each other, and who is showing he can come through in the clutch. Players learn all those traits about their teammates while battling together, and track is a good vehicle for that. In addition, the Jackets won the track district championship on the junior varsity last year, so it’s not a big leap to believe they want to add the varsity district championship this season.
9. Marble Falls sophomore Kylie Roberts continues to impress as she threw the discus 113 feet and 6 inches at the Yellow Jacket Relays to set a new personal best by 5 feet. She is now 3 feet and 4 inches away from breaking the school record. Roberts is another Lady Mustang who aspires to be great in everything she does. She got out of district in the event last year and has been putting in the work in the offseason to be terrific again.
10. Also impressing at the Yellow Jacket Relays were the Burnet Bulldogs. Victor Aviles won the mile and two-mile races, while Brady Rygaard and Brayden Hill each cleared 14-1 in the pole vault to earn gold and silver. Both are within striking distance of breaking the school record, and head coach Ben Speer said the staff anticipates they’ll reset that record this season. Speer was equally enthusiastic about Aviles’ performances, too, noting the runner is showing he is capable of being the next great distance runner for the Bulldogs.
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