Sports

Roger Gradney is an incoming utility player for Nebraska football that recently graduated from Rice High School as a wide receiver and defensive back. He enrolled early at Nebraska last December and has the ability to do pretty much anything on the football field, which is prob ably why Nebraska wants to use him as an “ATH.” ATH stands for athlete, meaning he could be used in a variety of roles.

Incoming Bellville football senior D.J. Sanders stands at 6’4” 290 pounds and has been a huge problem for opposing offensives with his natural football talent and ability to use his size, strength, and athleticism to get behind the line of scrimmage. Sanders helped lead Bellville to the state championship last year and there’s no reason why they can’t do it again this year if the freight train and company stay healthy.

Two area little league teams have won state and made it to their regional tournament: Columbus softball and La Grange baseball.

Both the La Grange and Schulenburg High School volleyball teams received recognition for their efforts in putting the pen to the paper in the classroom and earned a spot on the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Academic Awards list.

BELLVILLE – Bellville volleyball player Sydney McKay is a natural athlete who brings the energy to the court and this energy will be even more ramped up now that she’ll have to put her senior leadership on display.

COLUMBUS – Incoming Columbus football senior Adam Schobel has been an impact player ever since he was a freshman and he’s currently committed to Oklahoma State University football.

FLATONIA – Flatonia girl’s basketball player Summer Sodek proved she was a phenom as soon as she stepped on the court as the starting point guard for her freshman year at Flatonia.

SEALY – The Sealy High School softball team impressed last year as they made a nice run in the postseason. Led by head coach Brittney Whitehead, this team has solid pitching and hitting while knowing how to win games in tight situations. The Lady Tigers have athletes that have college potential as they throw the ball hard and hit the ball with pop.

Columbus 10u Minor All-Stars fall short of state title

FLATONIA – Flatonia baseball player Titan Targac has shown Major League Baseball potential ever since he was a freshman and is currently committed to Texas A&M University baseball as an incoming senior.

Player of the year: Emily Turner, Jonesboro C oach of the year: Amanda LeCroy, Jonesboro

SCHULENBURG – The Schulenburg High School football team made a huge turnaround last year as they went from winning one game in the '22-'23 season to winning five games in the ’23-’24 season.

WEIMAR – The Weimar High School football team had a very impressive season last year and won 10 games after only winning three games the year before. Third-year head coach Wade Griffin even made a long run in the postseason and has completely changed the culture for Weimar football. Griffin runs an easy flowing offense that you can tell has been perfected in practice and you can also tell that the players have gained his respect as a head coach.

LONGVIEW – Shiner’s Jason Keller and Paeden Vincik took top honors with the release of the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 2A All-State Softball Team, the organization announced on Monday.

FAYETTEVILLE – The Fayetteville High School volleyball team has been working to get back to state title contention after the departure of Brooklyn Jaeger as she is currently playing Division I volleyball for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and is an incoming sophomore after leading her team to a state title just a few years ago.

FLATONIA – The Flatonia High School football team went an even .500 at 5-5 in their 2023 campaign under Brent Mascheck in his first year.

WALLIS – Cougarettes volleyball has been very impressive in recent years with playoff runs and they’ve been able to put themselves in contention for a postseason bout even after graduating impact players.

COLLEGE STATION – Rice, La Grange and Brazos football all showcased their talents at this year’s 7 on 7 state football tournament held June 27 and 28 at Veterans Park & Athletic Complex in College Station. In Division II, La Grange went 1-2 for the tournament with a 34-6 win against Brookshire, a 13-12 loss to Austin LBJ on June 27, and on June 28 a 28-14 loss to Alvarado in game three. In Division III, Brazos lost to Honeygrove 6-22 on June 27.