Baseball Featured Football High School High School Softball 

Marble Falls graduate Staggs uses the tools he learned as a Mustang to build successful program at Perrin-Whitt

When it comes to building facilities and a program, Ben Staggs learned both as a Marble Falls High School student. The 1993 graduate announced he had resigned as the athletic director and head football and baseball coach at Perrin-Whitt High School, a Class 1A member, and accepted a job at nearby Peaster Independent School District where he’ll be an assistant coach and is bracing to split time between the high school and junior high. At Perrin-Whitt, Staggs was responsible for field maintenance, a skill he got a taste of the…

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Featured Softball 

Local softball team featuring players from the Highland Lakes is headed to a World Series

The Ruthless Allstars 2022, a squad featuring players who are 12 years old and younger from across the Highland Lakes, are headed to a PONY Softball World Series in Laredo July 12-17. To help pay for the trip, the team is accepting donations. Players will conduct a “Fill the Helmet” fundraiser beginning at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, July 2, at the entrance of the the city of Cottonwood Shores on the corner of RR 2147 and Pecan Lane. Donors also can give through Venmo: @Ruthless-Allstars2022, “We’re looking for funds to get…

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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. The end of June is near. And that means a real push for athletes to attend voluntary strength-and-conditioning sessions will pick up speed in July. Let’s face it — even I am struggling to do my workouts indoors with the air conditioner and fans blaring. So those athletes who use the last invaluable weeks of the summer to arrive fit for the first day of fall training…

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Featured Softball 

Burnet, Llano softball players chosen for TCGA all-state teams

The Highland Lakes has several talented softball players who are on the Texas Girls Coaches Association all-state teams or are chosen to compete in the organization’s all-star game. Burnet graduate Savannah Gomez was named to the Class 4A all-state team. Gomez along with fellow graduates Katie Barnett, Yareli Vega and Rylea Whitus were named academic all-state, Llano juniors Gwyn Burnett and Skylar Brown were named to the Class 3A all-state team, while senior pitcher Madison Kloepper will play in the TCGA all-star game July 12 in Arlington. Kloepper, who committed…

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Burnet athletics finishes Lone Star Cup race in the top 25

The University Interscholastic League announced final standings for the Lone Star Cup races in all classes, and Burnet High School finished No. 23 in Class 4A. Athletic director Kurt Jones presented the results during the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting June 20. “I think it’s the highest overall finish for us since they started that (competition),” he said. “That’s about out of 230 Class 4A schools. We feel like it was a great year for us collectively.” In late March Burnet was No. 11 that included…

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Featured Softball 

Let the Longhorns and their fans enjoy an unbelievable season

An unprecedented run to the national championship series of the NCAA Division I Women’s College World Series has brought out plenty of chatter among softball fans around the country. Perhaps what the University of Texas softball team learned or even had confirmed is that no matter the sport, it seems people everywhere love to hate the Longhorns. Let’s recap. The softball team faced elimination during the Seattle Regional and had to beat host Washington 3-2 to advance to the Fayetteville Super Regional. Waiting for them were the nationally No. 4-seeded…

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Baseball Basketball Featured Football High School High School High School Running Softball 

Burnet improves existing athletics facilities for more space, to conserve valuable resources

While much of the talk regarding athletics facilities revolves around the construction of the new activity center projected to open in February 2023, Burnet Consolidated Independent School District officials aren’t ignoring existing facilities. They include replacing scoreboards and natural grass and adding track lanes. It’s difficult to miss where these upgrades are happening when fans are at Bulldog Field. At Bulldog Diamonds, the baseball and softball fields are receiving artificial turf and new scoreboards. Originally both facilities had natural grass when they opened in 2008. The scoreboards that are being…

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Baseball College Featured Golf Running Softball 

Texas Longhorns become first unseeded team to play for national title

An unseeded Longhorns softball team showed plenty of one of the mottoes of the university — Texas fight — in beating Big 12 foe Oklahoma State in back-to-back contests June 6 to advance to the NCAA Division I national championship series. Waiting for them are the Oklahoma Sooners, whose players have made it clear they wanted to play the Longhorns during bracket play of the College World Series. What’s even more impressive for the Longhorns (47-20-1, 12-6 Big 12)? They have staved off elimination throughout this playoff run. First it…

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Basketball Featured High School Softball Volleyball 

Burnet Lady Dawgs draw 55 for strength and conditioning

The Burnet High School athletics department began its seven-week summer strength-and-conditioning program June 6. The Bulldogs and Lady Dawgs’ sessions begin at 8 a.m. Monday-Thursday. Girls athletics coordinator Rick Gates noted the first day drew 55 Lady Dawgs, a number that encouraged him. “I think it’s a good number for sure with our outgoing seniors and incoming freshmen,” he said. “We always want more. Several girls contacted us to let us know ‘I’m going to miss this first week.’ It’s a little bit of a transition.” Because the boys and…

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Baseball Basketball Featured Football High School High School High School Running Softball Volleyball 

Marble Falls athletics trainer earns Doctor of Athletic Training

Call her Dr. Stephanie Thompson. The Marble Falls High School athletics trainer earned her hood from A.T. Still University, located in Mesa, Arizona, June 4 for her Doctor of Athletic Training that culminated five years of dedication. “It was all online except I had to go for one week,” she said. “I didn’t have to sit down for lectures. They gave me the materials, and I learned them. They gave it to us, and we did it on our own.” In addition to writing papers and passing exams, Thompson had…

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