With the highly-competitive District 17-3A becoming a rollercoaster ride, the young and surprising Clifton Cubs experienced both the peak and the valley of the 2024 Texas high school baseball season last week. Coming off the high of a dramatic walkoff win over arch-rival Whitney last Tuesday, the Cubs stumbled against the 17thranked West Trojans, 14-2, at home last Friday to fall into a tie for third place.

Battling among the highly- competitive field of six schools, the Clifton boys and girls rose to the occasion at the District 17-3A Track and Field Championships held last Wednesday and Thursday at Keene High School. Qualifying 12 athletes in 14 events for the District 17-18 Area Championships this Thursday at Whitney High School, the Lady Cubs finished as the district runner-up overall as a team with 158 points behind district champion West with 191 points.

In an early battle for sole possession of first place in District 17-3A, the first showdown between the Clifton Cubs and arch-rival Whitney Wildcats went down to the final out. But in the end, the Cubs hit their first speed bump on the road to returning to the Texas high school baseball playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Moving into the driver’s seat to earn their second straight trip to the playoffs, the Clifton Lady Cubs needed extra innings to produce their wildest win of the 2024 Texas high school softball season. Rallying for four runs in the top of the eighth inning, the Lady Cubs held on for a hard-fought 9-6 road victory over their arch-rival Whitney Lady Wildcats last Tuesday before taking a break for the Easter weekend.

Fully-loaded for their final dress rehearsal in preparation for district, the Clifton boys and girls track teams dominated the field at the 2024 Billy McCreight Relays last Thursday at Whitney’s Wildcat Stadium. Led by juniors Ray Ochoa and Diego Rodriguez as high scorers, the Clifton boys compiled 176 points to outscore the host Whitney Wildcats with 140 points and well ahead of third place Scurry-Rosser with 97, while junior Alexa Lane, freshman Brystel Wise and freshman Natalia Cathcart led the Lady Cubs to a dominating team title with 199 points, more than doubling runner- up Scurry-Rosser with 96 points and third place Whitney with 62.

While the Meridian Lady Jacket softball program remains a rebuilding work in process, second-year head coach Keandria Taylor believes she’s working with a group of diamonds in the rough. With five returning starters, seniors Hope Cabrera and Canyon Stauffer, juniors Journey Stauffer and Mariana Paniagua, along with sophomore Taylor Rusk, the Lady Jackets showed potential and promise in their season opener despite a 13-8 loss to Texas Wind.

After gearing up at the annual Yellowjacket Relays last Thursday, the Meridian boys and girls track teams will put it all on the line at the District 20-1A Track & Field Championships held Wednesday in Meridian. In the Yellowjacket Relays, the Meridian boys placed fifth overall as a team with 45 points behind meet champion Hico with 169 points and runner-up Rio Vista with 142, while the Lady Jackets finished in ninth behind team champion Frost with 153 points and runner-up Hico with 126.

Taking two big steps toward capturing their first outright district title since 2010, the Meridian Yellowjacket baseball squad opened District 14-1A competition with back-to-back wins over the best the league has to offer. While junior starting pitcher Ian Gomez tossed a one-hit shutout, the Jackets erupted for a 10-run second inning to overwhelm the co-defending champion Jonesboro Eagles, 10-0, last Tuesday in the district opener.

Making history by participating in a first-ever event, Meridian’s Raechel Ramirez made the most of the opportunity by earning a trip to the Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association’s “Unequipped” State Championship last Thursday at the Comerica Center in Frisco. But once there, Ramirez was not done yet as she claimed the fourth place medal in the 165-pound weight class with a total weight of 715 pounds, powering her way to a 285-pound squat, throwing up a 120-pound bench press, and fighting her way to a 310-pound deadlift.

Brett Voss The Sports Buzz Looking to make backto- back playoff appearances for the first time since the 2009-10 seasons, the Meridian Yellowjackets will open District 14-1A competition by facing the best the league has to offer. Taking their first step toward restoring Meridian’s winning baseball tradition, the Jackets claimed a share of their first district title since 2010 last year by finishing the regular season in a deadlock at the top with the Jonesboro Eagles.