After losing their first game to Washington County, Columbus won six games in a row to get themselves back in the championship game.

They defeated League City first in a blowout 15-2 win. In game two they faced the Rice All-Stars and came away with a 13-7 victory, which set up a game against the other Colorado County team, Weimar.

In the game against Weimar, Columbus walked the game off thanks to an inside-the-park home run from Cameran Loessin. She brought home two runs with her inside-the-park home run and gave Columbus just enough of an edge to win the game 15-14.

The fourth game of this win streak was against Burleson, and Columbus again came up big with a 15-0 blowout victory. Then they faced Sealy and Bellville back-to-back. After winning those games with a combined score of 36-25, Columbus found themselves in the championship game.

In the championship game Columbus faced a familiar foe in Washington County, and it served as a chance for Columbus to get a little bit of retribution. While enjoying a six-game win streak, Columbus still had one loss to Washington County and were looking to get their win back.

Unfortunately, they came up on the losing end of a 20-9 final score, and their season came to an end. Columbus played hard through the district tournament and showed that they belonged in the championship game.

While the loss stings, this group is resilient and will come back next season with a chip on their shoulder looking to stack up even more wins in 2027.

Both teams played hard and gave it everything they had but unfortunately came up short, so let’s take a look at their season and see what happened.

7u

Starting with the youngest of the bunch, this group consisted of kids that were seven or six years old. As typical with kids at that age, they were full of energy to start the season.

They faced Bellville first and came away with an 11-1 loss, which they quickly put in the rear view mirror. They then matched up with La Grange, and Columbus’ offense woke up in this game, scoring seven runs.

Unfortunately, they were unable to stop La Grange on defense, and Columbus ended up losing this game 13-7. But in game three of their season, they came in with some more confidence in their defense and they turned in a stellar performance.

They face Grimes County in game three and jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Grimes County scored their first of two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Columbus scored four more runs across the fifth and sixth inning while Grimes County scored once more to arrive at the final score of 8-2.

Columbus then faced Sealy for their final game of their season, which ended in a 10-3 loss. Despite the loss, all of the kids on team still had a blast being able to play this summer and gave them extra motivation to come back stronger next season.

8u

Moving on to the 8u team for Columbus, they posted a 2-3 record. In their first game of the season, they faced Sealy and were handed their first loss of the season with a score of 10-4.

In game two Columbus bounced back with a 16-6 win over Smithville for their first win of the season. Columbus was leading 2-1 in the bottom of the second inning, and Columbus’ offense came to life scoring five runs to give themselves a 7-1 lead.

Smithville responded with two runs in the top of the third inning, then three runs in the top of the fourth inning. In the third and fourth inning Columbus scored a total of nine runs to arrive at the final score of 16-6.

Offensively, Columbus was led by Grant Langhamer who hit a double and triple for Columbus on their way to a victory. In game three Columbus faced Flatonia where they were handed their second loss of the season with a score of 9-7.

Against Hempstead for game four, Columbus found themselves trailing 10-9 in the bottom of the sixth inning. With their backs against the wall, Columbus’ offense came up big scoring three runs to win the game.

It started out with back-to-back singles from Cross Kulhanek and Oliver Wegenhoft. Then Hank Melnar hit a triple to drive in two runs to tie the game at 11-11. Colton Horton then hit a single to drive in the final run of the game and gave Columbus a 1211 win.

In their final game Columbus came up just short against La Grange with a final score of 11-9 to end their season.

Both of these teams played great this season, and all though their season ended early, they will be back next season hungry for more All-Star baseball action.

Eagle Lake athlete Abigail Hernandez is having an unforgettable summer as one of 96 girls selected to participate in the Maria Pepe Legacy Series that took place June 5-7 in Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series.

The Maria Pepe Legacy Series is in honor of Maria Pepe, a trailblazer and pioneer who fought for gender equality in youth sports. In 1972 at the age of 12 in Hoboken, New Jersey, Pepe played softball for the Young Democrats. After three games, Pepe’s coach informed her she could no longer play, or the team would lose their Little League status for having a female player on the team.

In Pepe’s words, “My coach came to me and told me that Little League said they had to take me off the team, or the league would lose its charter. I didn’t want to make a hundred kids mad at me, so I had to step down.”

The National Organization for Women (NOW) offered to represent Pepe in a lawsuit against Little League Baseball.

By the time Pepe’s lawsuit against the Little League was won, she was too old to play on the Young Democrats.

One year after the legal win, over 30,000 young women signed up to participate on Little League teams across the country.

Hernandez was selected to be a part of this tournament after simply signing up and receiving a phone call.

“When we were doing our registration for Little League, we were sent an invite from Little League International. I imagine all the girls across the United States and the world receive an invite,” Joseph Hernandez, Abigail’s father and coach, said.

After reading the registration and cost information, Joseph Hernandez said, “We paid the $100, and we waited.”

To their delight, the Hernandezes received the call they hoped for: Abigail was one of the 96 lucky girls chosen to be a part of the tournament honoring Pepe.

“I was shocked. I just couldn’t believe it,” Abigail said.

“I was in disbelief because nothing good ever happens to me like that,” Joseph said with a chuckle. “I had to call a couple of people to make sure it was really true.”

Once the reality set in that they would be heading to Williamsport, Joseph had to figure out travel arrangements.

“Looking at flights and everything, it was expensive, and we were going to fly out here at first, but to bring myself and my two daughters it was going to be around $5,000. Just for me and Abigail to go, it was about $3,500,” Joseph said. “So, we decided the cheapest option was to just drive there.”

Joseph loaded his family up, and he drove the entire 33-hour long trip, making very few stops along the way.

“We only stopped for food, gas and a couple of photo ops,” Joseph said.

Being stuck in the car for that long can get boring, so Abigail and her older sister found a way to pass the time. They decided to play a classic road trip game: the alphabet game.

The rules are simple: find words that correspond with the letter of the alphabet when it is your turn. Abigail and her sister took this as an opportunity to pick on their dad.

“If it’s your turn and your letter, but someone else finds a word first, you’re still stuck on that letter. He (Joseph) was stuck on the letter Y and my sister, and I kept pointing out words with the letter Y and he kept getting so mad,” Abigail said while giggling.

Joseph actually welcomed the teasing because he was viewing this trip through a different lens.

“My oldest daughter is in college, so she’s always off living the college life, staying in the dorms and doing her thing. We hardly get to talk or see each other. Then for Abigail, with the monotony of everyday life, going to work, going to school, going to practice and things like that, I don’t really get to appreciate the time with her,” Joseph explained.

Joseph said he was grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time with his daughters.

Abigail was able to meet the legendary Maria Pepe, and Joseph said Pepe will likely not soon forget Abigail.

“After she met Maria Pepe, Abigail grabbed her baseball bag and slung it over her shoulder. When she swung the bag around, the bat ended up hitting Maria in the head,” Joseph said with a chuckle. “It sounded like a foul ball was hit, just a little ‘tink’. Thankfully she was ok, but that poor old woman was rocked.”

Abigail Hernandez said she enjoyed her time at the tournament learning new skills and making new friends, including one from Aruba who Abigail describes as “a really cool girl,” all while representing Rice Little League.

She said she saw the support from people in the community and was speechless by the support she received but still had a simple message to get out to everyone who supported her on her journey.

“Thank you all so much,” Abigail said.

Joseph echoed the importance of representing Rice Little League at this event.

“To make it to the Little League World Series is tough. Getting out of our district is tough with all the talented teams we must face,” Joseph said. “To be chosen for this and to represent Rice Little League was awesome because I have no clue if we will ever make it back there.”

More than 50 years after Maria Pepe helped open the door for girls to compete in Little League, Abigail Hernandez found herself on a field in Williamsport celebrating that legacy.

What began with a $100 registration fee became a cross-country road trip, new friendships, unforgettable memories and an opportunity to represent her community on a national stage.

Now back home, Abigail and her family are grateful for the experience and ready to return to the ball field.

“I’m proud to say my daughter represented not just Rice Little League, but District 13 at that tournament,” Joseph said.

Both teams played great this season, but unfortunately, things came to an end in the district tournament.

Starting with the softball team, they came out to start the season strong with a 2-1 record through their first three games. They started the year with one loss to La Grange then followed that up with back-to-back wins against Burleson and Smithville.

The Weimar Coach Pitch softball team then faced Bellville and Columbus where they were handed back-to-back losses. In the final game against Columbus, the game came down to the final play.

Leading 14-13 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Columbus hit a single to get a runner on base. Then an inside the park home run brought home two runs for Columbus in the final inning to end the game with a score of 15-14.

As for the boys’ Coach Pitch team for Weimar, they unfortunately did not find a win this season. They lost to Grimes County twice, Washington County and Bellville this season.

Despite the loss, these boys played their hearts out and left it all out on the field this season and still found a way to have fun. Both the girls and the boys’ team represented Weimar perfectly this season.

They will find ways to learn from these losses this season and come back even stronger next season, looking for more wins.

The first meet of the year showed coaches where improvements are needed, and Columbus Youth Track head coach Royce Caldwell said he felt his team performed well even with the mistakes.

“I think we performed pretty well. We always have new kids joining every year, so we have some kids that aren’t really used to how summer track league goes,” Caldwell said. “So, I told them to just treat this like a practice meet, make your mistakes now. We did make some mistakes today and there are things to clean up, but I expected that and I still think the kids had fun.”

Fun is always the name of the game when it comes to youth sports. While the spirit of competition is a big factor in sports, what matters most is that young athletes enjoy being on the field, learning new skills and building confidence alongside their teammates.

“I told my group to just get out there and have fun because that’s why we are here, but I also told them to be ready to learn from any mistakes they made today. Each week we are trying to learn something from these meets so we can continue to push ourselves to be better than our last meet,” Caldwell continued.

Runners for Columbus and Rice were smiling from ear to ear following their races, something Caldwell enjoyed seeing in the first meet of the season.

“Our biggest emphasis we gave to not just my kids, but every kid out here today was have fun, and we accomplished that while also having some competitive races,” Caldwell said.

The Columbus and Rice Youth Track teams will be back in action on Saturday, June 13, when they travel to Flatonia looking to shatter some personal records while sporting a smile.

There is a liability release form that people must fill out before using the weight room. The link to the form is on Weimar ISD’s Facebook page.

The other rules for gym use are basic, such as wearing the proper shoes and clothing when utilizing the gym.

Patrons are also asked to respect the gym and return the weights back to where they belong. The weight room will be open from noon-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Use of the weight room outside of the posted hours is prohibited.

If anyone is looking to get themselves ready to go to the beach, fill out the proper paperwork and enjoy lifting the weights that helped shape a state champion.

New art on Wall of Champions

Fans of the Weimar Ladycats will be greeted with a new piece of artwork on the Weimar ISD Wall of Champions in the gym. The artwork is dedicated to Kathrina Chaloupka’s accomplishment as the 2025 state champion in pole vaulting.

The Ladycats were fortunate enough to have nine of their players selected, so let’s jump in and see who made the cut.

First All-District Team

The Ladycats had three players named to the First All-District team, and they were Alazay Moreno, Samantha Rangel and Zariah Sims. These three ladies played a big role on the team this year and were seemingly in the middle of every big play this year.

Moreno was a speedy base runner, and when opposing teams allowed her to get on base, she made them pay. Sims was excellent for the Ladycats this season defensively at third base while Rangel was one of the best and most consistent hitters in the district this season.

These ladies were a huge part of the team this season, but there are still six more Ladycats that received this honor.

Second All-District Team Three more Ladycats were selected to the Second All-District team, and they were Ty’Riana Rhodes, Evani Nino and Taitlyn Mican. This trio of Ladycats made the Second All-District team, but they were invaluable to the Ladycats this season.

The team relied on Rhodes for her offensive prowess as she was a big hitter for the Ladycats, and when she found a pitch, she liked she sent the ball flying to the outfield. As for Nino, she was also relied on for her offensive abilities and her savvy base running skills, Then there is Mican, who was a freshman on the team and coming off a Little League World Series championship victory. She handled herself well in her first varsity season being a consistent performer for the Ladycats each time they took the field.

Making the Second All-District team as a freshman is a bright sign for the future of the Ladycats softball team.

Honorable Mentions

Last but certainly not least were the Honorable Mentions for the All-District team, and there were three more Ladycats selected. Faith Cantwell, Emma Rerich and Paitlyn Hudec were all selected.

This trio simply made plays when they needed to be made for the Ladycats this season. Whenever they needed a big stop defensively or a spark offensively, the Ladycats had no issue looking at one of these three to step up and deliver.

So even though they are listed as Honorable Mentions, the Ladycats know that they would not have experienced the success they had this season without these three on the roster.

Congratulations to all of the ladies for having their hard work this season pay off and earn a spot on the All-District team for the 2026 season.

The Academic All-State team requires players to maintain a 3.5 GPA average while also being a consistent and contributing member of their team.

The three Cards that managed to accomplish this were Wyatt Tipton, Cade Nuemann and Tyler Radke. These three players led by example both on and off the field juggling extra circular activities, traveling to and from games, competing in games, doing chores around the house and punching in for any job they have outside of school.

They found a way to keep their grades up while representing the Cards perfectly on the field to earn a spot on the Academic All-State team.

With 11 runners left on base, untimely walks led to a 12-2 defeat.

Pitching by committee were Huxton Kloesel, Conner Geisler, Camden Morrison and Carson Peschel.

Defensive standouts were led by Jeff Osburn, Ryan Rerich, Rudy Rodriguez, Nate Niskern and Wyatt Lacina behind the dish.

Offensive leaders were Geisler, 2 base hits, BB; Rerich, 2BB, SB, run scored; Kloesel, 1B, BB, run scored, SB, RBI; Osburn, 2BB; Peschel, 2BB.

Thanks to the fans for making the game and their great support.

Sponsors of the week were Redd and Sally Seydler Seybro Door and Weatherstripping, Don’s Repair Shop, Doc and Ann Rugeley, Charles and Rita Herzik, Seifert and Son and Tre-House.

See ya’ll next Sunday for another road game versus the Serbin Jackrabbits at 3 p.m.

Again, thanks for all the support.

The Lady Cards had a fantastic season that saw them make it all the way to the state semi-finals and were just one win away from playing for the big prize.

So, naturally it makes sense that the Lady Cards had 11 of their players chosen to be on the All-District team because they sure earned it. Leading things off is the First All-District team, and there were two Lady Cards that made it.

Peyton Drozd and Kaylea Foster were both chosen to be on the First All-District team because of their efforts on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Foster led the team with a .408 batting average, and Drozd was fourth on the team with a .369 batting average.

They combined to hit 59 singles, 24 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 66 RBIs this season. On the defensive side, Foster posted a .902 fielding percentage while Drozd did a lot of damage from the circle.

Drozd started in 18 games this season and held a 13-3 record facing 497 batters and striking out 85 of them.

On the Second All-District team, the Lady Cards had five players chosen, and they were Demi Roecker, McKenna Eden, Presley Drozd, Emma Beauchamp and Aggie Rodriguez.

Roecker, Presley Drozd, Beauchamp and Rodriguez were all big-time hitters for the Lady Cards this season. They posted a .316, .333, .381 and a .312 batting averages respectively.

As for Eden, she was also in the circle most of the time where she appeared in 15 games for the Lady Cards this season. She posted a 10-5 record, facing 356 batters and striking out 89 of them which led the Lady Cards.

Lastly was the Honorable Mentions for the All-District team, and they were Kaylea McCarthy, Averie Miller and Hattie Post. These three were some of the best defenders in the district.

McCarthy and Post each had a fielding percentage of over 93% while Miller had a fielding percentage of 100%.

All 11 of these athletes left it all out on the field and represented the Lady Card name proudly throughout the season as they flew all the way to the state semi-finals.

.250 batting average which was tied for second on the team. She also had a fielding percentage of 100% which showed how lethal she was on both sides of the ball for the Lady Cards.

Sabrina Ferguson will be the new head coach volleyball coach for the Ladycats this upcoming season. Ferguson will be joining the Ladycats after a stint at Cedar Creek High School, and she will be looking to keep the Ladycats in the mix for the playoffs like they have been for the past few years. Then there is Jacob Hooker, who will be stepping into the head baseball coach role for the Weimar Wildcats next season. Hooker coached at Alief ISD at Elsik High School and now joins the Wildcats as he will be trying to get this team over the hump and make a deep push into the playoffs next season.

The Wildcats made it all the way to the bi-district round of the playoffs, and these seven players played a large role in them reaching that level of play.

Leading things off for the Wildcats was Collin Morrison, the lone Wildcat selected to the first All-District team. Morrison was selected because of his consistency on the field and his leadership off the field.

Morrison was a senior on the team, and he played a big role as a steady presence in the dugout and on the field. He was a defensive mastermind at his shortstop position as well as being a very consistent batter.

He posted a .459 batting average this season that led the Wildcats, and he recorded four doubles, a triple, a home run and 13 RBIs this season.

Moving onto the second All-District team, Braden Mueller, Brady Janecka and Trey Billeck were all named. Mueller and Janecka were both infielders with Morrison, and they were just as effective.

They made countless defensive plays that helped the Wildcats pick up big wins to lift them to a playoff berth. They were also outstanding hitters for the Wildcats as Mueller posted a .385 and Janecka posted a .370 batting average.

The duo combined to hit five doubles and 23 RBIs this season for the Wildcats to help them earn a spot on the All-District team. As for Billeck, he was named to the All-District team as a utility player.

Being named a utility player means that Billeck was fitting into the lineup wherever they Wildcats needed him, and he was effective. Utility players are always interesting because of how many roles they play for the team.

In one game they are a defensive piece helping to close out a game and secure a victory, and in other games they are smacking the ball deep into the outfield to help get runs on the board.

Billeck played his role perfectly and thus earned a spot on the second All-District team this season.

Then finally, there were honorable mentions, and they were Bryce Christen, Treycen Espitia and Drew Mongomery. This trio was just as important to the team as the other four players listed despite being listed as honorable mentions.

They played every single game this season, and all of them had batting averages over .310. Christen and Montgomery were on the bump a lot this season for the Wildcats, where they combined to strike out 51 batters this season.

The Wildcats made the playoffs this season, and with the season now officially concluded, they now set their sights on next season where they will look to make an even deeper push in the playoffs.

Despite the loss, the Lady Cards forced Grandview to the brink in the three-game series, Wednesday, May 20, at Georgetown High School and Saturday, May 23, at Granger High School.

@ Grandview, 9-3, L

In game one of the series, the Grandview came out swinging and jumped out to an early lead over the Lady Cards. In the bottom of the first inning, Grandview scored two runs to jump out to a 2-0 lead.

Grandview continued to score points in the second inning as they extended their lead by scoring four more runs. In the third inning Grandview scored two more runs to make the score 8-0 going into the fourth inning.

Grandview scored one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give themselves a 9-0 lead. The Lady Cards scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning, where Peyton and Presley Drozd each hit a ground ball that led to three total runs for the Lady Cards to arrive at the final score of 9-3.

Being down in the series, the Lady Cards knew they needed to come back strong in the second game of the series, and they did just that.

Vs. Grandview, 4-2, W With their backs against the wall, the Lady Cards knew they needed to win game two if they wanted to keep their season alive. They came out in the first inning and opened the scoring in a big way.

The Lady Cards scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Allie Cranek got things started with a two-run home run to give the Lady Cards a 2-0 lead.

Then Aggie Rodriguez hit an RBI single to bring home a third run, giving the Lady Cards a 3-0 lead. Grandview came back in the third inning when they scored two runs to cut the Lady Cards lead down to one run.

The Lady Cards were ready with a response in the bottom of the fourth inning with Rodriguez hitting a single, followed by Kaylea McCarthy hitting a single to drive home the final run of the game. The Lady Cards were able to hang onto their 4-2 lead to close out game two with a win to set the stage for game three of the series.

@ Grandview, 8-0, L

In their final game of the series, the Lady Cards were unfortunately shutout as Grandview jumped out to an 8-0 lead by the end of the second inning and held onto that lead for the rest of the game.

Grandview came out strong in the first inning where they scored seven runs before scoring their final run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. The Lady Cards played hard trying to get themselves back into this game but could not find a way to score a run, and their season came to an end in the state semi-final round.

Even though the Lady Cards lost the series, they still made history as a team this season/ They will now look ahead to next season where they will seek to return to the playoffs and push themselves over the hump and into the state championship game.

On Friday, May 15, the Lady Cards traveled to Alamo Heights Sports Complex to take on Goliad in the regional finals and came away with a 9-6 victory.

The Lady Cards started the game on defense as they were the home team in this game, and they made quick work of Goliad. They secured the three outs necessary to end the inning and gave their hitters a chance to open the scoring early.

In the bottom of the first inning, the Lady Cards scored one run, and it was thanks to Emma Beauchamp who hit a single to get on base. Beauchamp then stole second and third base, and then Allie Cranek hit a sacrifice fly ball to bring Beauchamp home to make the score 1-0.

In the second inning, the Lady Cards defense stayed sharp and again faced three batters that resulted in three outs. In their second offensive attempt in the game, the Lady Cards did not score a run, but there were still five innings to play, so they did not panic.

In the top of the third, Goliad took the lead back from the Lady Cards by scoring two runs, holding onto a 2-1 lead. The Lady Cards were ready with a response though as they scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning.

They were led off by a single from Kaylea Foster; then Beauchamp stepped up and hit a triple to bring Foster home to tie the game at 2-2. Then Cranek hit a double to bring Beauchamp home and give the Lady Cards a 3-2 lead, which was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Aggie Rodriguez to bring Cranek home.

Leading 4-2, the Lady Cards entered the fourth inning looking to keep Goliad’s offense in check. Goliad continued to score though, and they scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to make the score 5-4.

Like the third inning, the Lady Cards were ready with a response to retake the lead from Goliad. It started with Averie Miller hitting a single to get a runner on base; then Kaylea McCarthy stepped up to the plate and hit a ball deep into left field over the fence for a tworun home run.

This gave the Lady Cards a 6-5 lead going into the fifth inning, and in the top of the fifth inning the Lady Cards defense came back to life. The Lady Cards held Goliad scoreless in the top of the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Cards scored one run thanks to a double from Presley Drozd to drive home a run. Then after holding Goliad to zero runs in the top of the sixth inning, the Lady Cards scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Beauchamp and Cranek hit back-to-back singles to drive in two runs each and give the Lady Cards a 9-5 lead. In the seventh inning, Goliad scored a run to arrive at the final score of 9-6, but after the third out, the Lady Cards punched their ticket to the state tournament.

The Lady Cards now look ahead to their next game, which will be in the state semi-finals against the Grandview Lady Zebras on Wednesday, May 20, at Georgetown High School with start times still to be determined.

The Cards had a strong season that ended in the area round after they lost to Marion.

Despite this loss, the Cards still earned All-District honors with seven of them being selected. Starting things off is Wyatt Tipton who was named the Pitcher of the Year for the 2026 season.

Tipton was the Cards go to guy on the bump this season as he played in 12 games this season and pitched 70 innings. He posted a 9-2 record giving up 36 hits and 10 earned runs all while striking out a whopping 104 batters.

Next are the three Cards named to the first All-District team, and that was Brody Tribe, Britton Wolters and Jayden Spaulding. These three were in the middle of every big play the Cards made this season.

They were also leading the team in hitting as they combined to hit 11 doubles, one triple and two home runs this season to help them earn a spot on this team. As for Wolters, he led the team with a .380 batting average, and he was also a leader on the team in doubles hit as he recorded six doubles this season.

The second All-District team saw three Cards named, and those players were Ty Wiggs, Weston Krpec and Ryan Carter. Krpec was named as a designated hitter for the Cards, and he posted a .286 batting average this season hitting two doubles and recording 15 RBIs.

Carter also had a good year in the batter’s box, posting a .318 batting average along with three doubles and 16 RBIs. Finally, Wiggs was listed as a pitcher, and he had just as much success as Tipton did on the bump.

Wiggs played in 10 games for the Cards and posted a 2-3 record along with one save. During his 30 innings pitching for the Cards this season he struck out 61 batters which helped him earn a spot on this team.

All seven of these athletes earned their way onto the All-District team and though their season ended earlier than they would have liked, they still deserve to be celebrated for all of their hard work.

The awards given out were the Female Cardinal Spirit Award, the Male Cardinal Spirit Award, the Female Most Valuable Athlete, the Male Most Valuable Athlete, the Female Torch Award and the Male Torch Award.

Starting with the Female Cardinal Spirit award, the recipient was none other than Caylie Neisner. Fans of the volleyball team know how much of a vocal presence Neisner is on the court and how she is always bringing positive energy around her teammates.

Couple that with the fact that she is a cheerleader and was constantly on the sidelines for the football team cheering them on to victory.

As for the Male Cardinal Spirit Award, there were two athletes that were selected: Rylan Carruthers and Cooper Osborne. These two were two athletes across multiple sports that were used in many different ways.

They did not really have a set role, but they did a great job of doing whatever the team needed them to do. Much like Neisner, they both brought very positive and coachable attitudes while always cheering for the Cards in whatever sport or event they were competing in.

The Female MVP Award was given to Thea Schobel, and it was the right pick. Schobel competed in volleyball, basketball and golf this season for the Lady Cardinals.

Not only did she compete in these sports, but she was a major factor in every game she played in. Specifically in basketball and golf, Schobel led both teams to deep playoffs runs with her play.

In golf she even led the Lady Cards to the state championship where she finished in the top 5 as an individual.

The Male MVP Award was given to Brody Tribe who, like Schobel, played multiple sports and was a factor on all of those teams. Tribe played football, basketball and baseball for the Cards this season and was a force on all of these teams.

For the football team, Tribe was a part of a linebacker core that played a big role in the Cards, reaching the regional finals in the playoffs this year. In basketball he was one of the best paint presences, dominating on both sides of the ball and frustrating the opposition.

Then in baseball, he was named to the first All-District team, which shows just how important he was to the Cards baseball team and their success this season.

Finally, there was the Torch Award given to a student athlete in remembrance of former Columbus Cardinal Coach Greg Lundgren. The Torch Award is an award dedicated to coach Lundgren, who coached at Columbus High School for 23 years and had an unwavering passion for sports.

The Female Torch Award was given to Kaylea Foster and Ava Heffley. The Male Torch Award was given to Bryan Salazar and Brody Vinklarek. These four athletes wear their hearts on their sleeves.

No matter what is happening, fans, coaches and teammates can rely on these four athletes to always show up and make a big play. They are the ultimate teammates always dragging their teammates into the fight with them and truly showed what it means to be a Columbus Cardinal and Lady Cardinal to honor Coach Lundgren.

Columbus will advance to take on Goliad Thursday in the first of a bestof- three game series.

Peyton Zrodg was masterful in the circle as she tossed a complete game while allowing eight hits while striking out three.

Columbus gave Zrodg all the run support she would need in the night by scoring a run in the top of the first inning. The Lady Cards added another single marker in the top of the fourth before putting the game on ice by scoring three runs in the seventh.

Peyton Zrodg also was strong at the plate going two-for-three with two RBIs. Other Lady Cards bringing in runs include Kaylea Foster and Kaylea McCarthy.

Columbus will now face a Goliad team that advanced by defeating London 8-6 and now posts a 28-3-1 record.

Marion took the first game of a best-ofthree game series Thursday, May 7, 11-1 and then completed the sweep on Friday, May 8, by a score of 10-2.

In the first game of the series, Marion jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning before Columbus was able to cut the lead with a marker in the bottom of the third. But Marion came right back in the top of the fifth inning to push across five runs to take a 7-1 and then finished off the game with four runs in the seventh inning.

In game two of the series, Marion came out and quickly took control of the game with a five-run lead at the end of two innings of play. Columbus cut into the lead with a run in the top of the third, but Marion matched it with another run to keep a 6-1 lead. In fact, Marion would score in every inning of the second game to claim the series win.

The Lady Cards played at the Jimmy Clay Golf course in Austin, which is a tough course designed to challenge golfers.

The Lady Cards unfortunately did not capture the state title, but they did put together a strong showing. They finished in eighth place as a team shooting a total of 173 strokes over par.

The Lady Cards played strong rounds on both days of the tournament, finishing each round with 88 strokes over par the first day and 85 strokes over par the second day. They won every single tournament they competed in this season and finished as the eighth best team in the state, which is something they can hang their hat on.

Individually, they had a really strong performance from Thea Schobel who came in fifth place. She finished the tournament being a total of 18 strokes over par as she was +6 after day one and +12 after day two. She was tied with two other golfers and had to go into a three-way playoff to find out who would be third through fifth place, and Schobel landed in fifth.

Next was Madison McRee who finished in 27th place with a final score of 31 strokes over par. She finished +15 on day one of the tournament and finished +16 on day two to arrive at her final score.

Katherine Burnett was next in the standings as she came in 58th place with a final score of 62 strokes over par. She finished +37 on day one of the tournament and +25 on day two of the tournament to arrive at her final score.

Then there was McKinley Wright coming in 61st place for the Lady Cards with a score of 65 strokes over par. She finished +33 on day one of the tournament and +32 on day two of the tournament to arrive at her final score.

Then finally, Mady Garcia came in 68th place with a final score of 70 strokes over par. She finished +34 on day one of the tournament and +36 on day two of the tournament to arrive at her final score.

The Lady Cards showed just how strong their golf team is, and with only two seniors leaving, they will be back next season with their eyes on the state championship trophy.

They played a three-game series that saw the Cards sweep Karnes City to win the bi-district championship.

Game 1: 4-0, W

In game one, the Cards picked up a shutout win over their opponents with a final score of 4-0. The Cards started the game off strong as they scored three runs in the top of the first inning to give themselves a 3-0 lead early.

The bats were hot in the top of the first inning as they led off with a single from Jayden Spaulding. Then Wyatt Tipton hit a triple to bring home a run, followed by a double from Brody Tribe which brought home another run.

The third run came from Tribe who stole home after a wild pitch to give the Cards a 3-0 lead. The final run of the game came after Weston Krpec who hit a double to drive in the final run.

Tipton was a big story in this game as he was on the bump for six of the seven innings they played. He gave up only two hits while striking out 11 batters, and it gave the Cards a ton of momentum going into game two.

Game 2: 10-0, W

Game one went the full seven innings, but in game two the Cards needed only five innings to secure the bi-district championship. The Cards were the home team in this game and were batting in the bottom of every inning.

Much like game one though, the Cards were able to get runs on the board in the first inning. After a ground out from Spaulding, Tipton and Tribe hit a single and a double respectively to get some runners on base.

Ty Wiggs then hit a single that brought both runners home to give the Cards a 2-0 lead. Then in the second inning the Cards extended their lead by two runs after a double from Tipton to drive in two runs.

The third inning saw the Cards score three runs to extend their lead once more. Jayden Spaulding hit an RBI single to make the score 5-0, but then his brother Jordan Spaulding hit a single to bring home two runs and give the Cards a 7-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Weston Krpec hit a single to bring home the lone run and make the score 8-0. The Cards scored two more runs in the fifth inning after Britton Wolters was hit by a pitch to bring home a run and then Tipton scored on a wild pitch to arrive at the final score of 10-0.

The Cards now set their sights on the area round of the playoffs where they will take on the Marion Bulldogs on Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, looking to capture the area championship.