SAN ANGELO, TX-- With the 2018-2019 school year knocking on the door and parents frantically getting ready to buy school supplies, we wanted to take a look back at the best of the 2017-2018 athletic year in the Concho Valley.
In this article, we’ll count down the 10 best moments from the high school athletic season which we covered. That means we’ll list the best individual plays, games and moments from the Concho Valley.
10. Christoval Lady Cougar’s Playoff Run
Winning a playoff game is a great feat in and of itself, but is more common than not. Making a run to the third round of playoffs with mostly underclassmen, however, is not too common.
Christoval had just three seniors on their 2017-18 team. That number pales in comparison to the six underclassmen on their roster.
Because of the youth on Christoval’s team, the Lady Cougars’ run to the third round of the playoffs was that much more special.
The Lady Cougars knocked off Hawley and Tahoka in their first two playoff games before losing to Sundown in the Regional Semifinals.
Junior Kayce Jackson and Freshman Graci Jones helped lead the way for the Lady Cougars in the playoffs, especially with their combined 33-point performance against Tahoka.
9. Wall Hawks Eighth-Straight 10-win Season
The Wall Hawks football team enjoyed another stellar season in 2017. Their eighth-straight 10-win season and seventh district championship in a row, as a matter of fact.
There’s no two ways about it; the Hawks dominated in their 12 wins in 2017, outscoring opponents 622-121 in those games. Across that 12-game span, the Hawks also posted eight games where they scored 50 points or more.
Their defense was also one of the best in the state by never allowing 30 points in a game. To close out the regular season, the Hawks pitched consecutive shutouts against Tornillo and Kermit to claim the outright district crown.
Their most points allowed? Twenty-nine against Brock in their Regional Semifinal loss.
The Hawks rode the back of Brock Rosenquist, Casey Braden and Tymber Carr throughout the 2017 season. They, along with seven other offensive starters for the Hawks, have graduated, meaning the 2018 season will feature a lot of new faces on the field.
8. Devereaux Minix Sinks a Last-Second Shot to Knock Off Copperas Cove
The Bobcats trailed by one point to Copperas Cove at home on Jan. 23.
With five seconds left, the Bobcats drew up a play to get the ball into the hands of Minix.
The sharpshooter drained the shot behind the arc to give Central the all-important 70-68 win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Eventually, the Bobcats would miss the cut for playoff teams and finish the season with a 3-11 record in district.
7. TLCA Clinches First-Ever Playoff Berth in Play-In Game
While the Eagles had come close in the past, they had never made it to the UIL Baseball Playoffs in their eight years of baseball.
After going 11-6 to start the season and opening district play at 2-0, the Eagles lost seven of their last eight games to close out the season and their playoff dream looked like it was slipping away.
But the Eagles had one more chance. They were locked in a fourth-place tie with Sonora after splitting the season series.
The Eagles traveled down to Sutton County and their ace, Thomas Laney, did what a senior leader should do: compete at a high level. The senior went 6 and ⅓ innings where he allowed just three runs in a 9-3 win.
While Laney did his job, the Eagles still had to muster up the offense after going down 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
The Eagles would then run into a buzzsaw called Alpine in the Bi-District round of playoffs and their season came to a close.
6. Reagan County Knocks off Wall in First Round of District Play
Reagan County was looking to announce their presence in District 4-3A during the 2018 season.
They did just that on March 29 by knocking off top-dog Wall 5-4 in Big Lake for the first time “in a while,” according to Reagan County head coach Edward Soto.
Early on, the Hawks managed a lead but couldn’t hold on due to a 2-for-9 performance at the plate.
Reagan County would capitalize on that and a couple of errors to storm back for the win.
Wall would get the last laugh, however, by beating Reagan County in run-rule fashion the second time around and claiming the District 4-3A crown.
5. Otto Wofford’s Touchdown Run Against Refugio
The Mason-Refugio matchup in the Class 2A Division I Region IV final was just as advertised.
Each town vacated their city limits to sit in the Alamodome and enjoy a game that felt a lot like a State Championship.
Mason quarterback Otto Wofford got this game off to the fast start everyone expected with his 43-yard scamper into the endzone to put Mason up 7-0.
The play fooled everyone on the field, with Refugio trying to catch up to the speedy QB.
However, Refugio, led by Robert Lee native Jason Herring, would figure things out in the second half and scored 31-unanswered points to win over the Punchers.
4. Dryden Virden’s No-Hitter Against Grape Creek Closes Out Regular Season
Dryden Virden was one of the most crucial pieces to the Hawk’s dominant season in 2018.
Whether it was on the mound, behind the plate or in the batter’s box, the Weatherford College-bound senior gave teams fits.
After not pitching for the better more than a month, Virden took to the mound on April 24 in the Hawk’s final district game looking to get prepared for the postseason.
He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat over that time, striking out 14 batters in a five inning rout with a final score of 17-0. He allowed baserunners on just a walk and a hit batsman on an otherwise perfect outing.
That performance also started a streak of scoreless innings that stretched all the way to the Regional Semifinal round of playoffs.
3. Skyler Brooks Circles the Bases on a Bunt and an Error
This is a play you don’t see often, a little league home run - on a bunt.
In the Miles Lady Bulldogs district clash with Ozona, Brooks gave fans that treat.
While trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Brooks laid down a bunt on the first pitch the Lady Bulldogs saw.
The throw to first got away from the Lady Lion first baseman and Brooks, a sophomore who has qualified for the state track meet twice, used her speed to get the Lady Bulldogs on the board.
The play also sparked a comeback for the Lady Bulldogs, as they scored two more runs in that frame to take a 3-2 lead in a game they would win 12-5.
2. Central’s Fake Field Goal Changes Course of Game Against Permian
Central was able to knock off arch-rival Odessa Permian 31-20 for their fifth-straight win against Mojo.
However, if it weren’t for one trick play, the Bobcats may not have gotten that win.
In a back-and-forth game with the West Texas heavyweights trading blows, the Bobcats and the Panthers were tied at seven.
Central forced a stop and Maverick McIvor and co. set out to march downfield. They would get stopped inside the Permian 10-yard line. Ezekiel Del Rio came out for what looked to be a 21-yard field goal. Brent Davis had other plans.
Senior receiver Jaden Coates looped around from the left side and took a pitch into the endzone for the score to put Central up 14-7. That score also shifted the momentum all the way in the Bobcat’s favor.
1. Alpine and Wall’s Record-Breaking Series
There are many places you could start at for Alpine and Wall’s explosive Regional Quarterfinal softball series.
The best place to start, though, is that there were a lot of runs. More runs than there had ever been recorded in a Class 3A playoff series, in fact, with 91.
It was better than most heavyweight boxing matchups you’ll see, is probably the second-best place to start.
In the first game of the series, Alpine bested Wall 27-12 in a game that featured nine home runs. The Lady Hawks also fended off a run-rule once in that first game.
The very next day Wall would force a do-or-die game three with a 16-15 win in game two.
Game three was more subdued, with Alpine knocking off Wall 12-9 and ending the Lady Hawk’s phenomenal season.
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