April 23, 2008 03:38 - Hays soccer takes bow
By Bill Peterson
KYLE – The Hays High School girls soccer team took one last bow for a spectacular season Monday as it appeared before the school district's board of trustees.
Under coach Dorothy Ortiz, the Rebels turned in their best season, going all the way to the Class 4A Region IV championship game before losing, 2-1, to Dripping Springs.
The Rebels finished their season 23-3-2, outscoring their opponents 109-8. Hays finished 14-0 in District 26-4A to win the league title. The Rebels then opened the playoffs with a 3-0 win against New Braunfels, a 3-1 win against Lake Travis and a 2-0 win against Flower Bluff before falling to Dripping Springs.
"To make it that far and be one of the top schools in Texas was pretty awesome for us this year," Ortiz told the school board.
Five seniors on the team will be gone next year, but they will continue playing soccer.
District Most Valuable Player Ashley Briggerman played forward this year for Hays, but she will play forward next year at the University of Houston. District Offensive MVP Bailey Holmes received a soccer scholarship at Hardin-Simmons.
Amanda Olivio, a first-team all-district performer, will play at Our Lady of the Lake University on a soccer scholarship. Brittany Wallace, who made the academic all-state first team and first team all-district on the soccer field, will play at the University of Texas-Dallas.
Arielle Thomas, a second-team all-district player, is going to Texas State on an ROTC scholarship. However, she plans to walk on with the school's soccer team.
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April 19, 2008 23:05 - Doyle goes up to 13-4
By Bill Peterson
BUDA – Hays High School pole vaulter Jessica Doyle continued her assault on the record books Friday, hitting 13 feet, four inches at the Region IV qualifiers meet at Texas State.
Doyle credited her performance to a new pole, a 13-foot, seven-inch model, which, she said, "molds to you. If gives me more time to do what I need to do."
And how much time is that?
"About half of a second," she said.
That half of a second turned out to be worth four inches for Doyle, who reached 13 feet for the first time on April 4 at the District 26-4A meet.
Indeed, that half of a second was worth a school record and personal best, to say nothing of peak improvement just as the track season reaches its most important stage.
Doyle tied the school record set by Britni Lawrence with a vault Friday of 13-1 3/4. Later, Doyle went up to 13-4, which she cleared on the second try. Based on past performances, 13-4 would score in the top six at the Big 12 track championships, which bodes well for Doyle. The Hays pole vaulter has signed a letter of intent at the University of Texas, where she plans to study government.
Doyle's record upset Lawrence not one bit, as Lawrence is one of Doyle's coaches. Lawrence, a former state pole vaulting champion at Hays, is due to graduate this year from Texas State.
Doyle, the defending state champion, now will take her act to the Region IV meet next Saturday at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio.
"I'll be happy to finish second," Doyle said with characteristic modesty. A second-place finish would quality for the state meet.
More likely, Doyle will finish first at the regional championships. The two top contenders, Allison Daily of Lockhart and Deni Payne of New Braunfels, have topped out this year at 12-6.
How high can Doyle go? She isn't sure, but she relates that her personal coach, Kris Allison of Lone Star Pole Vaulting in New Braunfels, is trying to talk her up to 13-6 or 13-8.
After Doyle gained four inches on her vault in two weeks, similar improvement would put her at those levels just in time for the state meet May 9-10 at the University of Texas.
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April 13, 2008 03:31 - Friday night with David Casas
By Bill Peterson
BUDA – Another Friday night brought another 10-strikeout shutout for Hays pitcher David Casas.
The Rebels kept themselves one step ahead of New Braunfels Canyon in the District 26-4A playoff race with Casas' usual strong performance at Rebel Field, which produced a 7-0 win against New Braunfels. The Rebels, now 9-1 in District 26-4A, maintained their one-game lead.
Casas worked a no-hitter until one out in the fifth inning, when the Unicorns nicked him for the first of only two hits all night. Casas responded by striking out the next two batters.
Casas also pitched a ten-strikeout shutout a week earlier in a 9-0 win against Lockhart. In five Friday night starts during the district season, Casas has pitched four shutouts. In his other Friday start, Casas whiffed ten for a 3-2 win against New Braunfels Canyon.
Nick DeSantiago gave Hays an early lead with his home run leading off the second inning. Hays then put the game away in the third inning, scoring four runs on five hits. With Casas pitching, the Rebels didn't need anything else.
DeSantiago went into the books as the game's hitting star, homering with two RBI to highlight his three-for-three night. Rene Ramirez, Greg San Miguel and Colton Boothe also drove in runs.
The district race now is down to Hays and Canyon with much more on the line than the district title. Playoff positioning also looms. The championship buys a first-round pass in the playoffs with no chance of facing another district champion until the third round. The second place team plays in the first round and faces a district champion in the second.
Hays will play this week against Schertz Clemens and Cibolo Steele. Should Hays and Canyon both will each of their games this week, the big game is coming on April 22, when Canyon visits Hays. A Canyon win ties the two teams for first place with one game left in the season, opening an uncomfortable tiebreaking procedure. A Hays win all but clinches the district for the Rebels.
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April 6, 2008 22:46 - Rebels rolling on diamond
The Hays Highway
BUDA – The Hays High School baseball team entered this season wondering if it could even approximately replace last year's Friday night pitcher, Michael Rocha, who now pitches on Sundays for the University of Oklahoma as a freshman.
David Casas has answered that question. The answer is, "yes."
Casas pitched another outstanding game Friday night in a 9-0 win against Lockhart last Friday night at Rebel field, striking out ten in six innings. Nick DeSantiago and Clayton Rogers each homered in the game for Hays.
A week earlier, Casas struck out ten in a 3-2 win at New Braunfels Canyon, putting the Rebels and Canyon in a first-place tie for District 26-4A with one loss each.
In four Friday night starts during the district season, Casas has pitched three shutouts and allowed a total of two runs.
Meanwhile, the Hays offense is bludgeoning opponents, scoring 46 runs during the team's active five-game winning streak. The offensive surge comes at an opportune time as the Rebels wind into the back half of their district schedule. The schedule favors Hays by setting up home games against New Braunfels and Canyon.
After starting the season with only five wins in their first 14 games, the Rebels are up to 7-1 in the district and 12-9-1 overall. The Rebels will play at Lehman Tuesday night before taking on New Braunfels at Rebel Field Friday night.
New Braunfels handed Hays its only district loss this year, a 1-0 result that wasted Hays starter Paul Breyfogle's two-hit, ten-strikeout pitching performance.
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