Sports

The annual Meet of Champs inviteds swimmers from all over the area to compete in a variety of Olympic style swim racing events in several different age groups. The Columbus CATfish had a strong performance with many of their swimmers taking top three spots and claiming medals for their respective events. With several taking firstplace medals, the CATfish were well-represented in the top placements as they found winners in nearly every age group that participated.

The Columbus Little League Major All-Stars have booked their ticket to the state tournament level of the little league season after finding some big wins in Sectionals. The girls earned their spot in sectionals after taking two-straight wins in the district tournament against Sealy Little League, meaning they were well-equipped for the sectional tournament that included just one other team in the bracket. Columbus thoroughly outplayed Bastrop Little League as the teams engaged in a best-of-three series to determine who would move on to the next level. The Columbus Major girls responded with two of their best performances of the season so far to take the series in two straight wins to claim the Sectional Championship.

Colorado County Little League has a few teams heading to their respective Sectionals tournaments after finding victory in the district and claiming district championships. Last season, Columbus had a high level of success in Sectionals as four Columbus Little League teams moved on to state and a few teams even won their respective state championships. While there were not as many teams that moved on to Sectionals this season, the softball Majors for Columbus and the baseball Minors for Weimar each put together some of their best play to claim their district championships and reach the sectional tournament. The Weimar boys got their sectional tournament started with a game against Lufkin on Monday, while the Columbus girls start their action Wednesday, July 5 in Schulenburg.

Eye on the Ball, Ear to the Street

MORE VIEWS FROM COLORADO COUNTY LITTLE LEAGUE

The Texas Girls’ Coaches Association continues to hand out honors and awards to standout softball players following the varsity softball season. The 2A State Champions, the Weimar Ladycats, have already received several instances of recognition from the organization as the title-winning team achieved their victory with a group of top players in their position. The Legacy All-Star team is composed of the top seniors from the past season as they leave behind a legacy of excellence at their respective schools. TGCA selected a pair of Ladycats to the 1A4A Legacy All-Star team as Reagan Wick and Paige Pavlu each left undeniable impacts on Weimar’s run to the state championship. Only 20 seniors in the state from the smaller divisions were selected to the Legacy All-Star team, placing Pavlu and Wick amongst elite company in the state. These two graduated seniors made up an unstoppable battery for the Ladycats as Wick’s elite pitching stifled opposing offenses with Pavlu on the receiving end at catcher. The duo helped the Ladycats have one of the most consistent and strongest pitching staffs in the state as they were a dynamic first punch for an imposing Weimar defense. Both players were key in the championship game as Wick got the start on the mound to take on the Como-Pickton Lady Eagles, and Pavlu provided the game winning hit and RBI that secured the Ladycats’ sixth state championsip since 2003.

REEVES MAKES JUNIOR YEAR ALL-STAR TEAM

A former standout on the Ladycat softball team has continued to make a big impact at the next level as she helped contribute to a historic season for her collegiate team. Skylar Heger, a true freshman for the Bossier Parrish Lady Cavaliers, has been a major player for the young team made almost exclusively of freshmen and sophomores. She took a leadership role for the Lady Cavs this year as her strong performances on offense helped her become one of the team’s leading hitters. Heger’s play this season helped her earn a spot on the All-Conference First Team as well as the All-Region 2nd team. Her teammates also boasted impressive stats this season as they helped the Lady Cavs reach the NJCAA National Championship Tournament for the first time in the program’s history.

For Texas high school football fans, Dave Campbel l’s Texas Footbal l publication is the all-encompassing authority on the high school and alumni athletes that hail from the Lone Star. Every team in Texas can find their name in the pages of the yearly magazine. The teams of Colorado County are no different as they each had their turn to be the topic in the most recent edition of the publication. Texas Football takes a look at each of the varsity programs in the county, Columbus, Weimar and Rice Consolidated, and gives their predictions on the impact performers going into the 2023 football season this fall.

SCHULENBURG – The Columbus Cardinals’ basketball team had the perfect training session during their summer league run as the varsity and non-varsity squads took on several teams. The varsity Cards kept their momentum going from a postseason appearance last season into the summer league as they kept up their strong performances. The future of Columbus basketball also got to show off their skills as the JV team had a strong summer run as well. Both teams came away from the tournament as the summer league champions in their respective brackets.

While the summer break means that students get nearly three months free of school activities, many Colorado County athletes stay in action despite being in the offseason for their respective schools. Columbus High School has several players participating in summer ball with select teams as they compete and hone their skills to prepare themselves for their upcoming varsity season. Wyatt Tipton is a sophomore for Columbus High School that has been participating in select baseball for the 15U age group. He contributed to a strong tournament run during the Results Baseball Showcase that started on June 23.

RICE LITTLE LEAGUE GIRLS IN ACTION

Youth sports is an important element to the childhoods of many Colorado County children as they get their initial experiences with the feelings of competitiveness, teamwork and hard work towards a goal. Many of these young players find a passion for the sports that they engage in, keeping up with the sport for many years through their youth and often into their high school years and potentially college as well. Finding their athletic passion at a young age helps them develop from a young age, giving them a chance to truly pursue their athletic dreams. For 10-year-old Rebel Lynn Taylor, her passion for soccer has already given her drive and a goal to chase with the sport.

‘PIT’ RAIDERS PLACE IN BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP

WEIMAR LL MINOR TEAM WINS DISTRICT

The Weimar Little League All-Stars Minor baseball team kept their season alive after a big victory against Columbus on June 21. Weimar found a lot of success offensively early on as they ran out to an early lead and kept up strong defensive pressure on their opponents. Weimar held on to the lead as they cruised to a 6-2 victory to claim a spot in the District Championship against Twin Cities on Monday, June 26 in Brenham.

The Weimar Vets were scheduled to host the Jackson County Thunder on Sunday, June 25. Due to the Thunder not having enough players to start the game, Jackson City had to forfeit. A 5-inning exhibition was played instead.

STATE CHAMPIONS RECOGNIZED AT COMMISSIONER’S COURT

The recognition for the state champion Weimar Ladycats continues as they have received many local and statewide plaudits for their abilities and performance during the UIL State Playoffs. Many individual players have also been highlighted on a state level as they helped contribute to the Ladycats’ sixth state championship. One player that has been receiving several mentions at the state level is graduated Weimar senior Reagan Wick who had a significant impact on Weimar’s success this season and in the postseason.

ORLANDO, FL – The Columbus High School volleyball team has been performing at a high level for the past several seasons with many deep postseason runs. Their success is the result of the hard work the Lady Cards apply toward their craft, especially during the offseason. This summer has been no different as a quartet of Lady Cards competed in the AAU Junior National Volleyball Tournament during their summer ball play with their respective AAU teams. Ally Tribe, Claire Klausmeyer, Gracie Schobel and Caylie Neisner all competed well in the national tournament as they each contributed to their respective teams claiming a top three placement in the competition.

The teams of Columbus Little League had varying levels of success this past week as they each neared the end of their district championship runs with hopes of moving on to the next level. Some teams realized their hopes by responding to adversity and claiming strong victories to seal the championship win. Other teams ran into some struggles as they faced some of the other top teams in the area. The result was a week of intense little league action that saw the major softball girls claim a championship while the major league boys and the minor teams for softball and baseball saw their seasons come to a close.