Sports

1st Game vs Shiner

The junior high teams for both Rice and Columbus competed against each other at Rice as part of rivalry week. Columbus took the advantage in their matches as both seventh grade teams and eighth grade teams battled to sweeps for their respective matches against Rice.

MOULTON – The Columbus cross-country team had another strong outing in their most recent competition. In a field of 48 girls and 46 boys, the Cardinals had several runners finish in the top 20 with a pair of girls finishing in the top 10 of their side of the competition. Their performance continues a strong run for Columbus as they have had several quality outings in a row as a team.

COLUMBUS – The Lady Raiders have had much better results in the record book this season as they continue their efforts to try to become a factor in the district title race. They still have more ground to cover as they got their first look against the team that is favored to take the district championship this season: the Columbus Lady Cardinals. The match proved to be reflective of the dynamic between a team that is in the process of rebuilding and one that had just made a state semifinal appearance the year before. Columbus showed why they are currently one of the top teams in the state with a three-game sweep over the Lady Raiders.

COLUMBUS – The rivalry between Columbus and Rice is a decades-long competition between teams that have had varying levels of success throughout its timeline. In the years of the old Eagle Lake High school and early years of Rice Consolidated, the Raiders took their opportunities and an advantage during their early matchups. Now in the modern era, the Cardinals have turned things around with a higher level of success as they have defeated Rice several seasons in a row during their annual game. Their most recent matchup was a continuation of the Cards’ advantage as Columbus secured a 56-7 victory over the Rice Raiders.

VAN VLECK – The Rice Raiders’ cross-country team continued their stretch of strong performances this season with another quality outing in their most recent competition. The reigning district champs had a triplet of top-10 placements as they secured second place as a team at the meet. While the varsity boys were competing well for Rice, the JV girls and boys were also representing Rice as they put together some strong performances throughout the day.

ALTAIR – The Rice Raiders picked up their second win of the season by swarming their opponents and not allowing the Fighting Rams to get any momentum offensively. Rice’s defensive effort was highlighted by their first score of the game: a safety after a botched snap by Kashmere and a tackle by OJ Johnson. That initial play was indicative of how the rest of the day would go for the Raider defense as they dominated while getting support from their offense on the way to a 3114 victory.

The Rice Lady Raiders volleyball team is hoping that their run through the non-district portion of their schedule helped prepare them for the incoming stretch of district matches against some of the difficult opponents on their schedule. Rice has already shown a high level of improvement, reaching nine wins before district and beating their win total from all of last season. While many parts of their game have improved, they will need to continue to improve to recover from a pair of losses to non-district opponents last week. The district season opener will not come easily for the Lady Raiders as they face top-10 Columbus to start their run.

VAN VLECK – The Weimar cross-country team has continued their strong performance this season with another quality outing on Aug. 30. The Ladycats led the way for the team as they had four runners finish in the top 30 places.

The JV Rice Raiders won their season opener 41-0 over the Luling Eagles at the Swamp in Altair on Aug. 24.

The Weimar Ladycats are preparing themselves for a run into district competition as they complete the last matches of their non-district schedule. As they enter the most crucial part of the season to make the postseason, the Ladycats are hoping their performances during the non-district portion of the schedule have them primed for a run at the district championship. Their most recent matches likely have them feeling like they are closer to being ready after sweeping two-straight opponents to boost their record and earn some confidence with two big victories.

YORKTOWN – The Weimar Wildcats have gotten the season started with a bang as they have dominated their first couple of opponents as they continue their chase to the postseason. After displaying their offensive capabilities in week one, they had yet another big victory last week as they shut out their opponents with a strong display on defense. Their offense still produced at a high level as the Wildcats controlled the game on the way to a 37-0 victory over the Yorktown Wildcats.

COLUMBUS – At St. Anthony’s football home opener pep rally, the Saints enjoyed a bit of fun as one of the students got to throw a pie in the face of a teacher because of a fundraiser campaign at the school.

The Columbus Junior High Lady Cardinals opened the season on Thursday, Aug. 24th at home against Hallettsville.

SCHULENBURG – The Cardinals’ cross-country team got their first gold medal of the season after a strong performance by the Lady Cards in their most recent meet. Their gold medal came as part of three Lady Cards who finished in the top 15 places of the competition. The boys also contributed with some strong placements as Columbus secured six top-50 placements between both teams.

The Lady Cards are in the midst of a winning streak after taking a pair of match wins during last week’s competition. As Columbus enters the district portion of the schedule, the Lady Cards are hoping the experience of playing larger schools will help them take another district championship. Columbus has maintained their spot as one of the top teams in the state with the eighth-place ranking in the TGCA poll and a fourth-place ranking in the AP poll. They will try to keep that level of play throughout the rest of the season to give themselves a chance to take the top spot in the district.

LA GRANGE – The Columbus Cardinals got their second win in a row after a big offensive performance against the Leopards. It seems the offense will be a major factor to the Cards success after increasing their total from last week. The Cards racked up more than 450 yards as they ran out to a big blowout win by a 63-28 margin.

LULING – The Rice varsity football team did not waste any time letting their district know that they would be much more competitive this season than last year’s team. The experience of the Raiders’ returning players showed in a big way as they dominated the Luling Eagles in a 43-6 win and avenged their season-opening, home loss to the Eagles last season.

WALLIS – The Raiders’ cross-country team has continued their strong start to the season with another quality outing in their most recent competition. The boys’ team finished in second place overall after several runners finished in the top 10. As the reigning district champs look to defend their title, they will also be looking to continue their progress throughout the season.

The Rice Lady Raiders volleyball team started last week with the first of three wins in a row that matched their longest win streak of the season as they have already surpassed last season’s win total. After winning a few of their opening matches in the home-hosted Rice varsity tournament, the Lady Raiders struggled a bit in the rest of the tourney with a 1-6 record the rest of the way.

EL CAMPO – The varsity runners of the Weimar cross-country team had a strong outing in their most recent meet as they took on a field of 3A-5A teams. Despite being the only 2A team represented, the girls’ varsity team had one of the best days of all the teams as they finished in second place overall after several top performances.