Sports

The Lady Raiders softball team showed some improvement in Monday night’s defeat to the Edna Cowgirls. Originally moved from its scheduled date on April 6 due to a rain cancellation, Rice had a much more complete effort than in their game against the Yoakum Bulldoggettes earlier in the week on April 4. Despite their improvement, the Lady Raiders were not able to keep up with Edna as they dropped the Monday make-up game after falling to Yoakum by a large margin.

Two of Colorado County’ s varsity girls’ basketball teams were represented Texas High School Coaches Association inaugural Super Elite Team, a yearly all-star team selected from players of every division of play. Weimar’s Paige Pavlu made the cut for one of the top nine players in the 2A division. Columbus had a representative in the next largest division with Karlee Mathis being named to the Super Elite Team. Mathis saw a few of her fellow Elite Teammates in this most recent postseason, facing off against 3A MVP Jalynn Bristow in the State Semifinal game.

The Rice Raiders’ varsity baseball team had some difficulties scoring runs last week as they faced off against a pair of district teams that had things going offensively. Rice suffered two double-digit losses as they ran into a potent Yoakum Bulldogs team before facing off against the Edna Cowboys on Monday, April 10 after a weather postponement during its original date. While the Raiders’ two opponents had strong games at the plate, Rice struggled themselves as they failed to register a hit in two games and scored just one run from both games combined.

EIGHTH-GRADER RAIDERS TAKE FIRST

The Columbus varsity tennis team had plenty to be happy about following some strong performances in the district meet that ended with a few Cardinals qualifying for Regionals. With several medals after top-three finishes, Columbus had one of their best meets of the season at a crucial time during championship season.

Two teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack when it comes to the district standings. The Lady Cards are one of the few teams that have just one district loss this season. The other team with one loss, the Hallettsville Brahmettes, gave Columbus their lone district defeat during an earlier game for their first matchup this season. After securing a blowout win over the Rice Lady Raiders early last week, the Lady Cards hosted Hallettsville for a game that had major implications in the district championship race. Columbus got their revenge in one of the tightest games of the season as they paid the Brahmettes back by giving them their first district loss and moving into a tie for first place in the district.

The Columbus Cardinals’ baseball team had an ideal beginning to their week after taking a big victory over their Colorado County rivals, Rice Consolidated. They had one of their best total performances of the season as their offense and defense came together to force an early, mercy-rule defeat for the Raiders. The Cards did not have as much offensive firepower in the second game of the week as they fell to Hallettsville in a game that decided which of the two teams would occupy the top spot in the district. If the two teams continue to win until their second meeting of the season in the regular season finale, that final game could decide which of these teams will win the district championship.

SEALY – The varsity boys’ and girls’ golf teams of Columbus had impressive performances last week as they competed in the final meet before the district championship meet. Both teams found plenty of success as they finished in the top four of their respective sides of the tournament.

Rice’s varsity softball team had a difficult time last week as they faced off against teams on both sides of the district standings. First, they hosted the Lady Cards of Columbus who currently hold a tie for the top spot in the district. Then, they played against the Palacios Sharkettes in a battle between the two teams at the bottom of the district standings. The Lady Raiders failed to score a run in either game as their offense struggled to produce hits and baserunners. Rice suffered two straight, double-digit losses as they fell to Columbus 10-0 and then dropped their game against Palacios by a 13-0 margin.

The Rice Raiders varsity baseball team has been struggling to find ways to score this season as they have collided with some imposing defenses from their opposing district teams. Their struggles continued with a pair of difficult district losses as they first fell to Columbus to start the week by a 21-1 margin, and then later in the week in a much closer effort against Palacios. The Raiders played admirably against the Sharks, but they could not get over the hump as they fell to a 6-4 loss.

The Texas Girls’ Coaches Association releases a weekly Top-25 poll for each division of softball in Texas. Colorado County has a pair of teams that were recognized in the most recent installment of the poll list as the teams near the end of the regular season. The Lady Cards of Columbus just made the list, coming in as the 25th best team in the 3A division. The Ladycats of Weimar have been recognized for their dominant season so far, nearly taking a top five spot in the state with sixth in the 2A poll.

ALTAIR – The 3A schools of Colorado County along with some schools from surrounding areas met up in the county to compete in one of the final meets before district championship season begins. Both Rice and Columbus had some strong performances with a number of medals from a variety of events. On the boys’ side, the Raiders had some of the top performances, taking third place overall as a team. The Cards came in with a top five finish as a team as well with fifth place overall. The ladies finished in reverse order as the Lady Cards placed in the top five with a bronze team medal, and the Lady Raiders finished in eighth place ahead a trio of teams that secured no points from the meet.

FLATONIA – The track and field team for Weimar is attempting to get some momentum as they inch closer to the ever-important district meet where many of Weimar’s competitors found success last season. They will be hoping their last outing in the Bulldog Relays will help them continue their improvement after both the girls’ and the boys’ teams finished with multiple top-3 finishers and strong placements. The boys finished with medals in two events, while the girls picked up four medals including Weimar’s lone gold medal of the competition.

The Weimar varsity softball team is in the midst of their strongest stretch of performances this season as they rode a 10-game win streak to the second-place spot in the district standings. After beating Shiner, the team just behind the Ladycats in the standings, as well as another strong win to end the week, Weimar took the runner up position with a great opportunity to shoot up to first place before the end of district season. The Ladycats may like their chances as part of their win streak included a 9-run shutout victory against the first-place Ganado Lady Indians. They will get a chance to potentially claim the top spot after their game against Ganado on Thursday, April 6.

The Wildcats have tightened up their efforts this season after entering the district portion of their schedule. In six district games, they have lost only two as they have stayed near the top of the district standings. The start of last week slowed down Weimar’s efforts to chase a district championship after they suffered a tough loss to the Shiner Comanches. However, the Wildcats were able to respond with a huge win over Bloomington, a team near the bottom of the district standings.

The Lady Cards’ varsity softball team fought to a pair of tight wins during their last week of competition. Nothing came easy for Columbus as they started their week needing a big comeback at home to steal a victory away from one of their district rivals. After taking the win with an offensive explosion, the Lady Cards followed with another tight victory as they finished their undefeated week and picked up their fifth win in the past six outings.

This season has been an important one for the staff of pitchers and fielders on the Cards’ varsity baseball team. Many of their wins have been due to defensive success led by quality outings on the mound as well as limited mistakes on the field. Last week, the Cards continued their excellence on defense with back-toback victories over district opponents. Columbus found just enough offense to help support their efforts on the other side of the ball as their defense forced two shutout wins and extended their winning streak to six games.

NEEDVILLE – The Columbus Cardinals’ soccer team travelled into enemy territory to take on the Needville Bluejays in the first round of the UIL state playoffs. The Cards went up against an imposing opponent as the Jays’ mix of high-pressure defense and ability to keep possession of the ball led to a championship in their district. The Cards witnessed how difficult those factors were to deal with in real time as the Bluejays scored a goal in each half to take the 2-0 victory.

The Weimar varsity baseball team had a nearly perfect game to start off last weeks’ competition. Everything came easy for the Wildcats as they did whatever they liked on the offensive end, as well as stifled their opponents with an impressive defensive effort. After a complete effort, the Wildcats finished off their first opponents with a mercy-rule defeat. Weimar’s fortunes changed somewhat at the end of the week against Flatonia as they fell just behind in a competitive game.