With 2023 upon us, it’s time to look back at the top local sports stories of 2022. In no particular order, here are the top stories of this past year.
Boerne High football
One of the biggest sports stories was the 2022 Boerne High football team’s historic run. The Greyhound football team set a new BISD record for most wins, most consecutive wins, deepest playoff run with a state finals appearance and the best record at 15-1 under coach Che Hendrix.
More than 17,000 people were on hand to watch the Greyhounds battle China Spring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, making it the largest crowd to ever witness a Boerne High football game in person.
BHS came up short and lost by a field goal, 24-21, as time expired but the boys from Boerne returned to town with silver medals to cap the best football season in Boerne ISD history.
Boerne High boys soccer
The Boerne High boys soccer team won its second straight state championship in 2022 under coach Michael Strong. The Greyhounds made it back-to-back state titles last April after they defeated Celina in overtime, 2-1. Greyhound goalie Noah LeMaster was named Tournament MVP after coming up with five saves in the championship tilt.
Other than in cross country, this is the first time in Boerne ISD sports history that a team has won consecutive state titles.
Soccer teams shine at state tournament
The Boerne High boys soccer team wasn’t the only one from BISD to play at the state tournament in 2022. The girls teams from Boerne High and Boerne Champion both won regional titles and played at their respective state tournaments.
Champion was defeated by Grapevine in the 5A state semifinals, 6-3, to end the year at 20-4-3 and tied for third in the state under coach Kara Walters.
The Lady Greyhounds battled in the 4A state semifinals and fell to Celina, 3-0, to end the year at 20-4-5 and tied for third under coach Jeremy Shannon.
One of the Lady Hounds, goalie Kinsley Sawyer set a state tournament record by coming up with 11 saves in the match.
Champion water polo
The UIL introduced water polo as a varsity high school sport this past fall and the Champion boys almost won it all in the sports’ inaugural season.
The Chargers made it to the state championship match and fell to Clute Brazoswood in the title game, 19-10, at Davis Natatorium in San Antonio to end the 2022 season.
Champion finished the year at 16-1 under coach Alberto Escalante and the loss in the title match was its only one of the entire season.
Boerne High tennis
In team tennis, the Greyhound stringers won the region and made it to this year’s 4A state tournament in College Station last fall.
The 2022 team came so close to winning state but fell in the 4A finals to Canyon Randall. The Hounds were trailing at one point, 8-4, but started to rally and came up short, 10-8, on the Texas A&M tennis courts to earn silver.
BHS finished this season at 20-3 overall under first-year coach Tyson Stewart, who had never been past the second round of the playoffs as a coach before coming to Boerne but ended the season at the No. 2 4A team in the state.
Champion girls cross country
For the fifth year in a row, the Boerne Champion girls cross country team returned home from the 5A state meet in Round Rock with a state medal under coach Jonathan Tate.
This year’s Lady Chargers group claimed silver as the program has won silver, gold, gold, silver and silver during the fiveyear streak and established itself as one of the premiere running programs in the state at any level.
Coach Tate said, “we don’t rebuild, we reload.”
BISD teams make it to state
It was a banner year for BISD cross country teams and not just for the Champion girls.
Boerne High sent its boys and girls cross country teams to state where the Lady Hounds were 11th and the boys came in 16th. The Champion boys also advanced to state where they placed seventh in the 5A race.
In golf, the Boerne High boys placed eighth at the 4A state tournament, while the Champion boys finished fifth in the 5A state tournament.
Individual state champions
Boerne High’s Justin Koth won a gold medal at the 4A state tennis tournament last spring as a sophomore.
For the Champion swimming program, the girls 400-yard freestyle relay of Kate Deykin, Paige Clark, Peyton Brehmer and Regan Garcia won gold to help the girls team to its highest finish ever at state after they placed 4th. The Charger swimmers also won more medals at state (see below).
Individual state medals
Besides winning gold at state in one of the relays, the Charger girls 200- free relay of Peyton Brehmer, Emma Seward, Regan Garcia and Paige Clark earned silver, while on the boys side, the 200-yard freestyle relay of Aleksei Mason, Gabe Hawkins, Bexon Harrison and Griff Orloff captured silver medals as well.
Champion golfer Maximus Cavazos set two school records at the 5A state tournament where he helped them finish fifth as a team.
Cavazos earned an individual silver medal after he was second overall for the best finish ever by a BISD golfer and Cavazos also turned in a two-day score of 139 (69,70) for the lowest score at state by a BISD golfer.
In BHS track and field, specifically field, Tori Adams earned silver in shot put, Kendall Lemm claimed silver in the high jump, while Ashley Clingman won bronze in the shot put.
On the track for the Chargers, Chachi Gonzales wrapped up her high school running career with a bronze medal after she was third in the 3200. Gonzales is the most decorated athlete in Boerne ISD history and earned eight state medals, with three of them gold, in cross country and track combined.
Also in track, Champion’s Ephraim Tonn-Bourg was third in the 100 wheelchair to earn a bronze medal at state.
In tennis, besides Koth winning a gold medal, Boerne’s Sophia Norwood and Eleanor Stokes earned bronze in girls 4A doubles, while Champion’s Maddox Wilfong and Sophia Raimondo teamed up for bronze in mixed doubles at the 5A state tourney.
State basketball
Both the Boerne Champion and Boerne High boys basketball teams played at this year’s state tournament in the Alamodome and both earned bronze medals.
Champion was defeated in the 5A state semifinals by Mansfield Timberview, while the Boerne boys were playing in their second straight 4A state semifinals. The Greyhounds fell in overtime in 2022 to Wichita Falls Hirschi.
Football coaching changes
There were a few coaching changes that occurred during 2022, two of them affecting area football teams.
Julius Scott took over the program at Geneva School of Boerne and helped guide the Eagles to a second-round playoff appearance before they finished the year with a record of 6-6.
Champion also replaced its head football coach as Keith Kaiser stepped down from the position. Kaiser was replaced by longtime assistant Blane Ellis who has been at Champion the last 10 years and also served on the same coaching staff with Kaiser
Boerne High won back-to-back state titles in boys soccer.
at a previous school before they both came to Boerne Champion.
Geneva athletes shine at state
Geneve School of Boerne had quite a few athletes and teams do well at TAPPS state events.
The Geneva girls advanced to the state basketball tournament, while the Lady Eagles soccer team also made it to the state final four and both earned bronze medals.
The Geneva track team sent five athletes to the TAPPS state track and field meet where they picked up five medals. Isabella Godoy won gold in the 1600 and 800, Nicolas Siller earned bronze medals in the 1600 and 3200 and Avery Myrick claimed silver in the discus.
Also, in team tennis last spring, the Eagles sent five players to the TAPPS state tournament, while the Geneva girls golf team placed fifth at state.
Greyhounds, Chargers both place in Lone Star Cup
The Greyhounds were fourth in the 4A Lone Star Cup standings with 90 points and the Chargers were 10th in the 5A standings with 65 points.
Each year, UIL schools across the state earn points throughout the year in athletic, academic and other extra circular activities such as one-act play and marching band and the Chargers and Greyhounds have done well over the year, with Champion being named the top overall program for the 2010-2011 school year.
Coaches reach milestones
A few area coaches earned milestone wins after Boerne’s Amy Ruede won her 300th game in girls basketball, Champion’s Kara Walters earned her 200th win in girls soccer, Charger boys basketball coach Chris Adamek just picked up his 400th win and Boerne baseball coach Bill Merrell won his 650th game last spring. Merrell plans to retire at the end of this season.
Two Greyhounds taken in MLB draft
Former Greyhound baseball standouts Douglas Hodo and Cole Phillips were both taken in last summer’s Major League Baseball draft. Phillips went in the second round with the 57th pick to the Atlanta Braves and Hodo went in the sixth round to the Baltimore Orioles.
Hodo played at the University of Texas and helped guide the Longhorns to consecutive College World Series appearances, while Phillips was drafted straight out of high school with his 101-mile-per-hour fastball.
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