Sports

The Columbus Cardinal varsity football team has had just one goal on their minds for the past few seasons: win the school’s first state championship. With their talent and success in the district as well as the postseason, they have had every reason to believe that they are ranked up with the best teams in the state. With many of the same goals this season as well as several returning varsity players, Columbus is back to business as usual, vying to be the best 3A football team in Texas.

BROWNSVILLE – After several strong performances at the regional youth track meet, the CYFF track team continued their momentum in the TAAF state competition. Many athletes made it to the Finals with several placing in the top-3 spots and claiming a medal position. With some help from some varsity Columbus competitors, the CYFF team had a quality outing as a team.

The Lady Cards’ volleyball team is coming off of a deep postseason run to the state semifinals, their second deep playoff run in a row. With many players returning after competing in both playoff runs, the Lady Cards have a battle- tested group that are hoping to finally reach the Finals after falling just short to the eventual state champions in both years; first against Bushland and then against Gunter last season. Ironically, those two teams have met each other in the State Championship game in each of those seasons. Columbus is hoping to have a big season to prevent a thirdstraight matchup between Gunter and Bushland and potentially secure the Lady Cards’ first state championship.

TEXAS CITY – The Columbus Youth Football Federation’s track team got some strong performances from several of their runners in the regional meet for a chance to move on to the state competition. The team brought 44 competitors with many athletes earning state qualifications. Nearly all the runners set their personal records as they earned many top 10 placements and finished with some medals as well. CYFF earned medals in 17 different events as they had plenty of top performances to boast after a quality two-day competition.

FUTURE LADY CARDS TRAIN AT VOLLEYBALL CAMP

SCHULENBURG – All three of Columbus High School’s volleyball teams competed in their respective brackets in a summer tournament that allowed some of next year’s players to get an early start at building chemistry with their teammates. The varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams each showed a similar form of dominance that the varsity team has shown in recent seasons. Every team one their respective championships as the Lady Cards swept the competition with just a few weeks until they start regular season play again with their first non-district game of the year.

The Dave Campbell’s Texas Football publication has been the eyes over Texas Football for decades, releasing content and analysis for football programs as small as the 1A division and even six-man teams. Part of their coverage includes several different rankings for the teams in each division as the season progresses. However, one poll spans the entirety of Texas, pitting football programs against each other regardless of size or division. One hundred teams are ranked by their general prestige and recent success during regular seasons as well as the UIL State Playoffs. The Columbus Cardinal football team has been as good as anybody the last few seasons, leading to the Cardinals finally breaking into the top 100 for the first time by taking the final spot on the list.

The Weimar Vets hosted the Austin County Brewers at Strickland Field on Sunday. The starting pitcher for the Brewers kept the Vets’ hitters in check for six shutout innings including five perfect innings while putting up eight runs themselves. The Vets cut the lead to 8-4, but the Brewers put the game away with five runs in the ninth for a final score of 13-6.

The Wildcats’ varsity baseball team received recognition for a few of their standout players after a strong season that ended with a postseason appearance and a Bi-District Championship. The upperclassmen had a huge impact on the Wildcats’ success this season with several veteran players taking large roles at the plate and in the field.

The State Champion Weimar Ladycat softball team continues to have an offseason full of recognition and positivity as statewide organizations give further awards to Weimar for their title-winning performance. With a group of top players that helped contribute to the title victory, the Ladycats had several athletes that performed at an elite level as they outplayed a difficult field of postseason opponents.

The athletes of Weimar High School varsity sports will have a chance to connect more directly with their community during the Booster club’s membership drive to recruit more boosters to help with donations and volunteering to help the various sports programs at Weimar. On Monday, Aug. 7 in the WHS cafeteria, Weimar residents and sports fans will be able to meet the athletes that will be competing during the upcoming school year as well as partake in a hamburger supper. For fans of Weimar varsity sports, this is their opportunity to meet and become familiar with the next group of Wildcat athletes before their respective seasons begin in the fall.

EL CAMPO – The Columbus Little League softball Majors were just a few runs from winning the state tournament and moving on to the next level to represent as the Texas East state champion. They had a difficult battle to reach that point, going through a few instances of adversity that required a high level of focus and performance to respond from. After winning their first game against Lindale by a big margin, Columbus fell to Industrial 1-6 in the next game. Needing to win three games in a row to claim the championship, the Majors won their first game of the consolation bracket against Silsbee in a 15-point shutout to set up a rematch against Industrial. Columbus would need two wins against undefeated Industrial to claim their tournament victory. They had a strong start in game one, coming back from one run down to take a big victory in extra innings. However, despite some hot hitting in game two, Columbus fell just short of claiming the championship with a difficult loss not too long after their victory in game one.

GRISSOM GETS TWO MEDALS AT NATIONALS

ARLINGTON – Columbus was well-represented in the TGCA All-Star games for a pair of lady sports programs as one player each for the volleyball team and the girls’ basketball team received recognition after both teams reached their respective state semifinal games. Each team made it as far as they did because of the performances of a number of standout players on their respective squads. However, both teams benefitted from an impactful leader that placed themselves in the conversation as one of the best players in the state for the 3A division.

The Texas Rodeo season is well-known to the residents of the Lone Star State as a widespread celebration of the cowboy culture that Texas and much of the south lived through during their years before the modern era. Now that the modern era is more advanced than it’s ever been, there is still an effort to stay connected with those Texas roots. Some people never let go of their inner cowboy, while new cowboys take up their hats and boots at an increasingly high rate. Cowboys and cowgirls of all ages get the opportunity to show off skills straight from the old west during the many rodeo competitions. One of the most exciting tests of bravery and displays of cowboy confidence is in the bull riding competition, where even the slightest miscalculation can spell danger for an unprepared rider. RCISD student Dax Moffett has been getting his first cracks at the bull riding experience this year, already getting a chance to compete in the Youth Bull Riding World Finals this coming August.

Columbus has some representation at the national stage as a Columbus-born baseball player has been making a quick impact for his team in the Major Leagues, the Miami Marlins. After spending some time in the minor leagues for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Dane Myers has gotten a chance to show what he can do at a major-league level. After being signed to the Marlins on July 3, Myers played his first game of his major league career the next day after a surprise call up to the big show. Now, with less than 10 games of experience under his belt, he has already shown an ability to make plays at the next level to help his team win games.

The Weimar Ladycat softball team has deservedly received many plaudits at the state level this offseason following their 2023 State Championship run. It was Weimar’s sixth championship since 2003 as they’ve become a modern era softball powerhouse of the last few decades. As times changed and quality players rotated in and out of the Ladycat lineup throughout the years, there was one person who oversaw everything from day one, writing the lineups himself. Roger Maupin, Weimar’s head coach for each of their state titles, received recognition from the Texas Sportswriters Association after leading the Ladycats through one of their toughest postseason runs in recent history.

The Weimar Little League Minor All-Stars made history this season after winning the program’s first-ever District Championship after a big win against Twin Cities in the championship game. Their victory qualified them for the sectional tournament for a chance to reach the state tournament. Weimar had early difficulties before climbing back into the tournament with a number of consecutive victories to earn a chance at the sectional championship. The All-Stars needed to win two straight games against Lufkin Little League, the team that gave Weimar their first loss of the tournament. Lufkin stayed undefeated against Weimar and in the tournament, taking first place and moving on to the state tournament.

The Weimar Vets traveled to Fireman’s Park on Sunday, July 9. After a scoreless first two innings, Trey Daniels reached on a hit by pitch. Ryker Goehring blasted a homerun over the left field fence, scoring Daniels for a 2-0 lead.

Most Valuable Player:

Columbus High School alumnus, Marcus Olivarez, took a major step in his professional career during his run in the Kansas City Royals developmental system. The Royals’ Single-A League Team, the Columbia Fireflies, employ Olivarez as a relief pitcher in their bullpen. He has been looking to gain his footing in the minors after having a relatively difficult month of outings in April. He has steadily improved as he has increased his appearances and finally picked up his first minor league victory in the month of July.