Sports

The Wimberley pitching staff seems to have found the formula for throwing no-hitters.

They are finding different ways to make it happen.

And now, no-hitters seem to be the norm at Wimberley with a loaded pitching staff that can beat you in many different ways and styles.

First, it was senior right hander Cole Spillar – who recorded his school record fourth no-hitter against Gonzales on Mar. 26.

No surprise there.

But when fellow senior Connor Gips took the mound to face Eastside Memorial, nobody could have possibly predicted the same result.

Yet, when Gips blew a sizzling fastball past Malik Hill to complete an abbreviated five-inning 18-0 win over Eastside Memorial, it quickly became a reality.

Gonzales – Texans senior pitcher Cole Spillar tossed a no-hitter as Wimberley pounded woeful Gonzales 22-0 to open district play on Monday night.

Wimberley jumped on the Apaches early and often scoring runs in every inning.

A week prior, it was an exciting finish as one of the Texans’ biggest hitters had one of his biggest blasts to beat one of Wimberley’s biggest rivals on the baseball diamond.

Senior JoJo Weeks ripped a walk-off single to center field to score Caden Wagner from third to help deliver a last-inning Wimberley uprising to help the Texans stun Fredericksburg 3-2.

Spillar went the distance for the Texans (13-2-1), as he would scatter nine hits, allow two earned runs and strike out one batter.

Wimberley High School hosted the Texan Relays last week with the Texan Track team finishing in fourth place.

“We have won a few track meets this year,” Head Coach Josh DeMarco said. “We have a strong team, and are hoping in a couple of weeks to have a chance to win district.”

Hays High School won the meet with Lampasas placing second and Canyon Lake placing third.

Gavin Martinez led the Texans competing in five different events. He won the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.37 seconds, placed second in the triple jump, fourth in the high jump and was part of two relay teams.

The Lady Texan track team placed third at the Texan Relays held last week.

“The girls have been doing well this season,” Head Track Coach Josh DeMarco said. “They have won or been in the top 3 in almost every track meet this season. They have been banged up and had some injuries but they are getting healthy again and rounding in to their normal form.”

Ashlyn Royal took first place in the 800-meter run with a time of two minutes, 21.04 seconds. Royal also placed second in the mile with a time of five minutes 19.81 seconds. 

Yoakum - The moment the final shot of the first overtime left senior captain Cade Stoever’s hands, a raucous Bulldog Gymnasium grew eerily silent.

But when the game-winning shot swished through the net with two seconds left on the game clock, the silence quickly became bedlam as Wimberley capped a spirited comeback with a thrilling 51-50 over Stafford High School in the second round of the UIL Class 4-A playoffs.

Trailing 50-48 with nine seconds left after both teams were whistled for violations late in the game on alternating possessions, Wimberley’s Gavin Martinez forced Arturo Jackson into a traveling violation to give the Texans a final shot at the win.

Following a timeout, the Texans inbounded to Martinez, who missed a contested 15 footer from the right block.

Cedar Creek - All season long, the Wimberley Texans have leaned heavily on their explosive offense to make big plays when called upon.

And time after time they have delivered.

But with their season hanging by a thread against No. 3 Cuero, it was a pair of defining plays by the defense that help send the Texans into the state semi-finals.

With Cuero driving for the potential winning touchdown late in the see-saw affair, junior defensive back Trenton Dingman stepped in front of an errant Drew Riemenschneider pass with 3:19 remaining and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to seal Wimberley’s stunning 44-36 shootout win over the heavily favored Gobblers.

The Texans will now square off with unbeaten two-time state Class 4A Division II champion West Orange Stark on Friday night at Legacy Stadium in Katy.

San Antonio - After turning in a pair of relatively quiet offense performances over the last stretch of games of the season, speedy senior wideout Gavin Martinez delivered one of his finest games as a Texan when it mattered most.

Martinez scored a season-high three touchdowns - two on passes from JoJo Weeks and another on an electrifying sideline-stepping punt return to help lead Wimberley to a dominating first round win over outmanned Carrizo Springs 56-19 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.

Weeks passed for 208 yards and four touchdowns as the Texans punched their ticket to the second round to face Sinton, a team that Wimberley defeated last season 21-14 in the area round.

The two teams have faced each other the previous three seasons with the Pirates eliminating Wimberley both in 2014 and 2015.

Despite all of the pre-game chatter emitting from Navarro leading up to last Friday night’s showdown that suggested they were the better team, the Texans responded with their best game of the season to prove otherwise.

Wimberley rode the red-hot passing arm of senior quarterback Jordan Weeks to run heavily favored and previously unbeaten Navarro out of chilly Texan Stadium to secure sole possession of first place in District 13 4-A in impressive fashion.

The Texans 49-35 romp handed the Panthers their first district loss since 2013 and while affording Wimberley the inside track to securing the district title with only one game remaining at Hondo on Nov. 10.

It also probably ensured that the Texans would avoid powerhouse Cuero in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Wimberley Texan team tennis finished off the season in the Regional finals against Fredericksburg last week.

“They are a very good team, and are ranked No. 2 in the state in 4A,” Tennis Coach Tim Bourke said. “We played them a month earlier, and we weren’t quite as competitive. Our kids have gotten a lot better, and I was proud of that.”

Fredericksburg beat the Texans 10-2 in team tennis, which the first team to reach 10 points wins. 

Landon Kirchner and Triston Anderson were able to pull off a thrilling victory in the No. 1 Boys Doubles. They won the first set in a tie breaker, lost the second set and ended up pulling down the victory in a super tie-breaker 10-6. 

“It was up and down throughout the match,” Bourke said. “That was a really good team they were playing, so it was a big win.”

As senior receiver Gavin Martinez walked off the field following the traditional postgame handshakes between the teams, his shook his head and stated what everybody on the Wimberley side of the field was already thinking.

“Can’t win them all.” 

After late game theatrics in each of the previous two games had rescued them from the jaws of defeat, the Texans finally built themselves too steep a mountain to climb.

Boerne’s Connor Fisher snagged two of Brooks Klutts’ four touchdown passes from 25 and 32 yards and Wilson Herbst’s booted a 32-yard fiekd goal to deliver the Greyhounds a 17-0 advantage that they would never relinquish in a signature 41-28 win over the Texans in a battle of unbeatens at Texan Stadium.