Sports

NEW BRAUNFELS – The Weimar varsity football team is hoping to return to the playoffs this season after making several improvements across the board due to their increased experience. They are hoping their first game of the season is indicative of their potential this year after dominating on the way to a 53-6 victory over the John Paul II Guardians.

The Weimar Ladycats’ varsity volleyball team had a strong run through the Rice-hosted tournament last week as they lost just two matches throughout the competition. One of which was in the gold bracket championship match against the team that currently sits at the no. 2 spot in the TGCA rankings. Weimar’s defeat to Iola in that match clinched second place overall at the tournament for the Ladycats.

EL CAMPO – The Columbus cross- country team continues to pick up the pace as they progress through their early- season competitions. The girls’ team has already begun to stand out as they consistently put up top performances in their appearances. Their most recent meet was another example of that as every Lady Card that competed placed in the top 20 with two runners finishing in the top five.

The no. 8 ranked Lady Cards’ volleyball team has been facing off against some tough competition as they have frequently played higher division teams throughout their tournament schedule. Their most recent tournament even included some 6A teams as the Lady Cards battled to take fifth place in the LCISD-hosted competition. Columbus claimed fifth place out of 40 teams after their performance with Ally Tribe being named to the All-Tournament team.

GIDDINGS – The Columbus Cardinals’ varsity football team knows that the path to a state title appearance starts with the important week-to-week steps that start from the first day of training camp. The Cards made a big step with the start of the regular season as they defeated the Giddings Buffaloes in a dominating, 47-12 victory that they hope sets the standard for their performances for the rest of the season.

SEALY – The Rice cross-country team found some success as they took on their second meet of the season. Many of their runners have started finding their pace as they look to repeat some of the success they had last season as a team. With many runners finishing in the top 20 last week, they are hoping performances like that stay the norm for the squad.

The Rice Lady Raiders’ varsity volleyball team had somewhat of a rough outing during the Schulenburg-hosted tournament over the weekend as they failed to pick up a victory throughout the competition. Some of their momentum from an early-week win against Hitchcock carried over as they stayed competitive in many of the matches. However, they could not convert their best performances into wins as they struggled through a difficult field of teams that featured some of the top teams in the state.

The Raiders took on their final scrimmage before the regular season begins in a joint practice with the Weimar Wildcats and the Sacred Heart Indians. Rice completes their final preparations this week as they get ready for their Aug. 25 matchup against Luling. The Raiders are hoping the opener will be the first step towards a potential playoff berth as they look to avenge their opening loss to the Eagles in last season’s first game.

The Weimar Ladycats’ varsity volleyball team took their first losses of the season last week as they travelled to face Round Top-Carmine to start the week and then to Schulenburg to take on a tournament at the end of the week. After their loss to start the week, they went on to perform well in the tournament with three match losses in their seven attempts in Schulenburg.

The Weimar Wildcats’ varsity football team hosted the Rice Raiders and the Sacred Heart Indians from Hallettsville for a joint scrimmage to help the teams prepare for the regular season opener. The Wildcats will have their final preparations for Friday’s game as they take on the John Paul II Guardians away from home to start the season. Weimar is hoping they can recreate their big win from last year against the Guardians.

The Columbus varsity volleyball team got to play against some difficult competition last week as they took on the Plugerville tournament. As one of just three 3A teams in the tourney, the Lady Cards played several 5A and 6A teams as they competed against some of the better teams from bigger divisions. Despite taking on some bigger schools, the Lady Cards came away with a positive record by winning five of their nine matches.

The Columbus Cardinals got their final tuneup of the season in a scrimmage against the neighboring Sealy Tigers. Each of the starters and the backups got a chance to get some reps in the joint practice for both teams. The Cards hope their preparation has them ready for their season opener against Giddings on Friday, Aug. 25.

The Rice Raiders’ cross-country team began their 2023 season with a home-hosted meet as they attempt to defend their boys’ district title from a season ago. After a strong performance that saw three Raiders finish in consecutive top ten placements, Rice is hoping that they have gotten out to a solid start to their season. The Lady Raiders had two runners representing Rice, while the boys sent a team of 15 runners to compete in the race. The Raiders finished in third place as a team in the boys’ competition, finishing their first meet with a team bronze medal.

The Lady Raiders’ varsity volleyball team has already seen the early results of their improvement from last year to this season. After winning just eight matches last season, Rice has already reached half of that total just nine matches into their season. Improved net play and defense allowed the Lady Raiders to split their games in the Ganado-hosted tournament and take a victory against Faith Academy later in the week as well.

The Weimar Ladycats have gotten the ideal start to their season in the non-district portion. With much of the team made up of returning varsity players, the experience has been invaluable in helping Weimar get out to an undefeated start to their season. The Ladycats have lost just one set throughout their first stretch of games as they have dominated their opponents. Their high level of performance carried them through the Yorktown tournament where they claimed the championship. Chandley Tolbert and Janiyah Cooper were named to the All-Tournament team after their respective performances.

The Lady Cards’ varsity volleyball team is starting off the season with some top three recognition after a strong stretch to begin the year. After ninestraight wins to open, the Lady Cards have earned their way to the first-place ranking in the Texas Girls’ Coaches Association’s state poll. The Ladycats of Weimar have also shown some early success as they begin their season in seventh place on the TGCA poll.

The varsity football programs of Colorado County are preparing to play their final snaps of preseason action as they take on the second of two scrimmages before the regular season officially begins next week. Every team will be facing off against some nearby neighbors as Columbus takes on Sealy High School while Weimar and Rice face each other.

The varsity Lady Cards of Columbus got their volleyball season started with some high-level play after running out to an early win streak. After reaching the state semifinals last year, the Lady Cards entered the year with a new level of focus as many of their impact players enter their senior seasons. Columbus opened the season with a sweep victory over El Campo. The Lady Cards went on to host the Columbus Varsity Volleyball Classic where they took the gold in the top bracket as the overall champions. Four Lady Cards earned their way to the All-Tournament Team as Ally Tribe, Caylie Neisner, Ember Mandola and Sage Thomas received the recognition.

The Rice Raider football team has reason for optimism in what is now the second year of Head Coach Brad Dumont’s second stint with the program. After a season in which the Raiders earned just one district win, Rice moves into the year with a foundation in place as the young players on the varsity squad improve with added experience. The wins the Raiders picked up last season displayed the character of the team as they look to build on their positive performances and find improvements in some of their areas of struggle from last season.

The future of Columbus football and cheerleading got a start at improving in their early careers as the Columbus Youth Football Federation got action started for their upcoming fall season. Youth players in Columbus got a chance to start learning and training the skills they will need in their career as they move forward. CYFF coaches got a chance to work with each player as they helped set the foundational fundamentals for the future Columbus players.

The cross-country teams of Colorado County are preparing for another season with big dreams at the start. After each team had strong seasons last year that resulted in some regional qualifiers and even state-level competitors, the teams for Columbus, Weimar and Rice will be looking to repeat their success from a season ago with many runners returning this season.