The roar of the crowd, the power of the band, the lights over the stadium...if you listen, you can almost hear Friday nights about to KICK OFF.
If you said Friday night lights to anyone in Texas, they’d know exactly what you mean. Of course, we’re talking about high school football. But Friday Night Lights is really much more than football. It’s also the marching bands, cheerleaders, JROTC cadets, flag runners, choir members (I love hearing them sing the National Anthem), dance teams, fans and many others.
It’s where communities come together to celebrate the pride and traditions of their favorite high school.
This month’s edition of Seguin Today is a full blown celebration of everything that makes Friday Night Lights so special for Seguin, Navarro, Marion and Lifegate schools. We even feature a look at Saturday Night Lights over at Texas Lutheran University. So, if you’ve got spirit, we want to hear it, and we hope that you enjoy this very special edition of Seguin Today.
Darren Dunn General Manager
COVERSHOT
Guadalupe County is home to three high schools which bring crowds out every Friday night to enjoy football, band, dance and much more.
MARION BULLDOGS
Football set with team of returning seniors
NAVARRO PANTHERS
Panthers welcome new players to the field
SEGUIN MATADORS
Varsity Matadors have their sights set on playoffs
LIFEGATE FALCONS
A look at this season’s volleyball schedule
TLU BULLDOGS
SCAC re-establishes football in conference
Photo by Lizz Daniels
GENERAL MANAGER
Darren Dunn
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Lizz Daniels
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Nick Spence
WRITERS
Cindy Aguirre-Herrera
Chris Austin
Lizz Daniels
ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS
Laurie Ann Heideke
Linda Duncan
Jarred Kindles
OFFICE MANAGER
Priscilda Rodriguez
Sic ‘em DOGS!
Marion Seniors ready to lead offense to TOUCHDOWNS
Chris Austin
The Marion Bulldogs will return a huge senior contributor on defense plus key senior leadership on offense as they look to return to the UIL playoffs again in 2024.
The Bulldogs finished fourth in District 133A last season and reached the Bi-District round of the postseason. Marion is lead by head coach Ryne Miller who is entering his seventh year as the Bulldogs’ coach.
This season, the Bulldogs will see some small changes in their district with UIL realignment. New to District 13-3A this year is Florence, while shuffling out are Blanco and San Antonio Cole. Ingram-Moore, Llano, Luling and Randolph are back as Marion’s district mates. The Randolph Ro-Hawks were the co-champion of the district last season with Blanco.
Returning for the Bulldog squad this year are a couple of All-District offensive first teamers from 2023. Senior running back Christian Sanchez earned first team honors last year with multiple 100 yard and multi-touchdown games for the Bulldogs. Blocking up front for Sanchez is senior Garrett Mann. Mann was a first team offensive lineman for Marion in his junior season in 2023 and his sophomore season in 2022.
Coach Ryne Miller says Sanchez and Mann provide great leadership with the the
upperclassmen on the team.
“They’re a huge influence on our team. The leadership they bring to the table is unimaginable with the way they do everything the right way,” Miller says. “But yeah, with Christian and Garrett and then you throw Hadley (Mote) into the mix and (junior) Kade Pape in there as a quarterback coming in who has some experience, it’s a special group.
“And we’re excited for these guys. They put a lot of work into the offseason in 7-on7 and everything and I know these guys are ready to roll.”
On defense, returning from the All-District first team is the aforementioned senior Hadley Mote, who plays linebacker. Mote broke the Marion single season tackle record in 2023. The Bulldog star linebacker averaged over 12 tackles per game as a junior with 141 total stops last season. Mote is a two-time returning AllDistrict First Team member.
Miller says Mote is a big asset for the Marion defense.
“He’s huge. Hadley is another one of those guys who put in a lot of work this offseason too, and having him back is huge,” Miller says. “When you can bring back a guy that had almost 150 tackles last year it’s special. It doesn’t happen
very often in the state of Texas. We’ve got about seven or eight returners on defense and a bunch of guys that played last year, so it’s an opportunity for these guys to have a great season.”
In a school as small as Marion, there are a lot of athletes who play both ways and just about everyone does for the Bulldogs. Unlike players at much larger schools, football players at Marion almost have to work twice as hard on the field and in the film room to prepare for offensive and defensive game plans each week.
“They guys come in early in the morning ready to roll. When you get guys like we have, they’re excited to be here and put in the hard work,” Miller says. “The sense of urgency is there and I know these guys are gonna keep trucking along and stay ahead of the curve and be ready for non-district and district.
“We had to replace some guys on the offensive line, but a bunch of young guys have stepped up and we’re excited about where they are. They got a lot of stronger in the offseason. All of our skill guys are back and we’re excited for those guys to make plays and do what we need to do to win football games.”
The Marion Bulldogs hope that winning continues with the hard work they’ve put in to get ready for the 2024 season. •
MARION BULLDOGS
2023 record: 5-6 (3-3 in district) Class 3A Division I first round
Coach: Ryne Miller (7th season)
District: 13-3A
Schedule
Aug. 30 - 7 PM at Stockdale
Sept. 6 - 7 PM vs. NB Long Creek
Sept. 12 - 7 PM vs. Gonzales
Sept. 20 - 7 PM vs. Lago Vista
Sept. 27 - 7 PM at Poteet
Oct. 4 - 7 PM at Luling * - Broadcast on KWED & SeguinToday.com
Oct. 11 - 7 PM vs. Randolph *
Oct. 18 OPEN
Oct. 25 - 7 PM at Ingram Moore *
Nov. 1 - 7 PM at Llano *
Nov. 8 - 7 PM vs. Florence * -Broadcast on KWED & SeguinToday.com * District
Marion Cross Country 2023-2024 Roster
Alayla Gonzalez, Sophomore
Leila Garcia, Sophomore
Caylee Castellanos, Sophomore
McKenna Jaquez-Calame, Freshman
Riley Lindaman, Freshman
Julio Arroyo, Senior
Ciancarlo De La Cruz, Senior
Sebastian Lleverino, Senior
Luke Sowell, Sophomore
Logan Grimm, Freshman
PLAYERS NEW Welcoming a team of to the Panther Nation
The Navarro Panthers are looking to replace a number of all-district players lost to graduation and keep the Panther tradition of deep playoff runs going in a tough new district.
Navarro head coach Rod Blount returns to Geronimo for his seventh season. The Panthers have advanced at least three rounds in the UIL playoffs every year of Blount’s tenure. Last year, Navarro took down San Antonio Young Men’s Leadership and Port Isabel in the postseason, before falling to Sinton in the UIL Class 4A Division-II Region IV semifinals.
When the district season rolls around this year, the Panthers will have three new opponents thanks to UIL realignment. The Smithville Tigers, Gonzales Apaches and Salado Eagles are replacing two teams, Manor New Tech and Austin Achieve in the new District 13-4A. The Wimberley Texans were the district champions in 2023 , finishing a game ahead of second place Navarro. The Texans along with district holdovers Lago Vista and Jarrell return to the district schedule for the Panthers.
“It’s gonna be a tough district and a tough schedule all the way through,” Blount says. “10 straight games with not really one where you have a week off, which is great. If you make it through that district and stay healthy, you’re gonna be prepared for the playoffs.
“But we gotta be smart, making sure that our kids stay healthy and make sure we’re doing things right. It’s 10 winnable ball games but it’s also 10 losable ball games if we don’t show up every week.”
Navarro graduated a number of all-district players from last season. 12 Panther seniors earned first and second team selections following the 2023 campaign. Incoming senior offensive linemen Kade Pugh and Craig Heiman return to man the offensive line for the vaunted Navarro Slot-T attack. Both were second team alldistrict selections last year.
“We expect big things out of Craig and Kade and the rest of our seniors. Ethan Borchardt has had a great summer and a great off season. Montgomery Elder has stepped up big and J.J Waz got some starts last year as well.
“For our junior class, Braddock Gallini had a great year for us last year. He had to start the last three playoff games and did a great job for us. Kohen Blount is coming back. Dylan Trotti had a great off season. We expect big things from him at tailback and in the secondary.”
Heiman and Pugh are the lone remaining starters from the 2023 Panther offense. There will be a new quarterback this season to lead
after starting signal caller
Schuelke was lost to graduation. Sophomore Payton Helford and junior Evan Rodriguez are battling it out to replace Schuelke.
On defense, the Panthers will need to replace all 11 regular starters from last year. Blount says they have some returning lettermen to fill those positions.
“J.J Waz had some starts for us. Like I said, Braddock Gallini started some at the end of the year. He and Mason Harvey got a lot of playing time on the defensive line. Kohen (Blount) started some games when he was a freshman on the D-line. Grayson Carlisle is battling for a spot on the defensive and offensive lines. Ian Garcia has completely changed his body and how he works, so it’s exciting.
“We’re expecting big things out of (Colton) Breitenkamp and Craig Heiman at linebacker. Mason Berry works his tail off, we’re trying to see if he can step up at linebacker.”
The Panthers have only 17 returning lettermen from a squad that went 9-4 in 2023 and finished second in District 13-4A at 4-1. Wimberley, Lago Vista and Jarrell joined Navarro as the district’s playoff representatives the last two seasons. Wimberley reached the Class 4A Division II state championship in 2022.
Navarro hopes to make another long postseason run with some new faces in the starting lineup in 2024 but first the Panthers will have to traverse through another tough District 13-4A. •
the Slot-T
Colton
Chris Austin
NAVARRO PANTHERS
2023 record: 9-4 (4-1 in district)
Class 4A Division II regional semifinals
Coach: Rod Blount (7th season)
District: 13-4A
Schedule
Aug. 30 – 7:30 PM vs. Floresville
Sept. 6 - 7 PM at Antonian
Sept. 13 – 7:30 PM vs. Canyon Lake
-Broadcast on KWED & SeguinToday.com
Sept. 20 – 7:30 PM at La Vernia
Sept. 27 – 7:30 PM vs. Wimberley *
Oct. 4 – 7:30 PM at Salado *
Oct. 11 – 7:30 PM vs. Jarrell *
Oct. 18 – 7:30 PM at Gonzales *
Oct. 25 – 7:30 PM vs. Smithville *
Nov. 1 – 7:30 PM at Lago Vista *
Nov. 8 OPEN
* District
NAVARRO CROSS COUNTRY
2024 ROSTER
Elisabeth Conley, Sophomore
Lilia Flo, Junior
Dakota Garrison, Freshman
Madison Gilliam, Senior
Elizabeth Hagan, Senior
Katilynn Hernandez, Freshman
Bailey Horner, Sophomore
Hayley Horner, Sophomore
Emma Lindsey, Freshman
Liv Parrish, Freshman
Jennedy Saenz, Freshman
Linlee Sturm, Senior
Payton Wyatt, Freshman
Christpher Baron, Sophomore
Cole Brown, Senior
Jose Carrillo, Freshman
Robert Leal, Sophomore
Ethan Luu, Senior
Antonio Mercado, Junior
Gavyn Noyd, Freshman
Emilio Salazar, Senior
Jake Schnautz, Freshman
Backyard
The Black & Gold has
PLAYOFF GOALS
Chris Austin
The Seguin Matadors are looking to get back to the playoffs in 2024 while navigating a tough new district.
Seguin finished fifth last season in District 12-5A with a 3-4 record. The Mats were 3-7 overall in the 2023 season and missed the UIL playoffs snapping a streak of five-straight postseason appearances, a school record.
With UIL realignment, the Matadors move into a formidable District 13-5A this season. Moving out of Seguin’s district are New Braunfels Canyon, Buda Hays and Kyle Lehman. Replacing the Cougars, Rebels and Lobos are New Braunfels, Comal Pieper and Victoria East. Returning to the Matador district schedule are Boerne Champion, Smithson Valley along with San Antonio schools, Wagner and MacArthur.
Matador head coach Craig Dailey, who is entering his fourth season as Seguin’s coach, says his team will be challenged by their district schedule.
“It’s gonna be a good district. You’re gonna have to bring it every week and that’s fun. That’s what we told our guys, you have to go to work every week. If you want to be one of the best in the state of Texas, you have to play guys like that,” Dailey says. “If you get to the playoffs in this district, that means you’re pretty good. You’re gonna have a chance to make a three or four round (playoff) run.”
Seguin starts their non-district season with Alamo Heights in their first game followed by a trip to Corpus Christi Miller. The Mats will see five-star wide receiver Michael Terry and the Mules in their first game on August 30th at Matador Stadium. Dailey says their nondistrict games will prepare them for their district schedule.
“In non-district, we know we got the number one athlete in the state of Texas in Michael Terry in game one. So, that’s gonna be a test. And then we’re going down to Corpus and from what I hear, Miller has the best athletes in Corpus with some pretty good receivers and a 2000-yard back,” Dailey says. “That’s why we’re playing that schedule to get us ready for district and you really don’t have a week off.”
Seguin returns 11 starters from 2023, five on offense and six on defense. Matador starting quarterback Corey Dailey is back for his junior year. Dailey has started 21 games at quarterback for Seguin. He has thrown for 3,660 yards with 43 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in two seasons. In 2023, Dailey was selected as a District 12-5A honorable mention as a sophomore. As a freshman, Dailey was named the district’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year following the 2022 season. DR Sportz Media has ranked Dailey as the eight best quarterback in the state of Texas for the class of 2026.
Corey is the son of the head coach and the elder Dailey says Corey is bigger and stronger heading into his junior year.
“The game’s slowing down for him when you play that many games. He’s matured a lot physically. He’s grown, put weight on and increased his arm strength. Now it’s just the mental side, I think. We know he has the physical tools, so that’s the next step he’s gotta take.”
Corey Dailey’s top target is wide-out Nik Henry. The senior wide receiver led Seguin in receiving in the 2023 season with 35 receptions for
766 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games. He produced six 100yard receiving games. Henry was named a three-star recruit by athletic recruitment website 247Sports and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. On August 10th, Henry committed to play college football at UTEP.
Henry is also a stand-out track athlete. The Matador sprinter finished fifth in the boys 100 meter dash at the UIL Class 5A state track meet last spring. He joined Ocean Moreno, Elliot Weaver and Kayden Holz on the Seguin boys 4X100 meter relay team, which took home the bronze medal at the state meet. The senior Moreno and junior Weaver are also a part of the Matador wide receiver corp.
Coach Dailey says they plan to open up the offense more with the weapons they have.
“We’re transitioning more to a spread. They’ve handled it well, but we’re putting a lot on the plates of our returning guys and they’re doing a good job with it.”
Doing work up front for the Matadors are a couple of returning offensive linemen. Seniors Chance Hollub and David Barron are back to anchor the end of the lines.
“Our two tackles, Hollub and Barron are hosses,” Dailey says. “They’re great leaders and we got guys battling with them inside. We’re probably bigger than we have been in the past and I think with what we’re going to do, it’s gonna help them be successful.”
Despite the loss of some senior leaders on the defensive side of the ball, junior safety Ian Moreno is back. Moreno led the team in tackles with 75 last season. He had 74 tackles in his freshman year in 2022.
Dailey feels the defensive unit will be improved from last season.
“I actually think where we’ll have the most improvement, especially in the secondary. That was kind of our Achilles heel in a lot of games last year,” Dailey says. “Our secondary coaches have done a really good job this offseason. Our kids bought in this summer.
“We’re kinda inexperienced on the defensive line, so we’re trying to find the right mixture there. But they’re flying around, so that’s good.”
Seguin starts their playoff quest at Matador Stadium against the Alamo Heights Mules on August 30th and of course you’ll hear that game and every Matador game this season on KWED and streaming online worldwide at SeguinToday.com. •
SEGUIN MATADORS
2023 record: 3-7 (3-4 in district)
Coach: Craig Dailey (4th season)
District: 13-5A
Schedule
ALL GAMES broadcast on KWED & SeguinToday.com
Aug. 30 - 7 PM vs. Alamo Heights
Sept. 6 - 7 PM at CC Miller
Sept. 12 - 7 PM at Brazoswood (in Katy)
Sept. 20 - 7 PM vs. Victoria East *
Sept. 27 - 7 PM at Boerne Champion *
Oct. 4 OPEN
Oct. 11 - 7 PM vs. Pieper *
Oct. 18 - 7 PM at Smithson Valley *
Oct. 25 - 7 PM vs. Wagner *
Nov. 1 - 7 PM vs. New Braunfels *
Nov. 9 - 2 PM at SA MacArthur * * District
Seguin Varsity Volleyball Schedule
Photo by David Caballero
SEGUIN CROSS COUNTRY
2024 ROSTER
Abany Andrade, Sophomore
Bryanna Arce, Freshman
Bella Davis, Senior
Layla Diaz, Freshman
Kourtney Gonzalez, Freshman
Mariah Herrera, Senior
Karia Ledesma, Sophomore
Victoria Medina, Senior
Kazariah Spande, Sophomore
Eviana Zuniga, Senior
Adrian Aguirre, Senior
Ace Chavez, Sophomore
David Francisckiewicz, Freshman
Ramiro Galvan, Senior
Coy Garcia, Freshman
Erik Hernandez, Freshman
Miguel Hernandez, Sophomore
Hunter Hill, Junior
Noah King, Sophomore
Roger Leal, Freshman
Kayson Ledesma, Sophomore
Prince Medrano, Senior
Landyn Silva, Freshman
Zayden Silver, Freshman
Ethan Tipple, Sophomore
TheMighty MATADOR HALFTIME SHOW
Photo by David Caballero
Photo courtesy SISD
Photo courtesy SISD
Photo courtesy SISD
Remembering CHLOE
Chris Austin
The Seguin community mourns the loss of local Seguin High School student-athlete Chloe Belicek. Belicek passed away on July 25th following injuries sustained in a car crash the day before in San Marcos. Belicek was 17 years old.
Belicek was a first-team all-district selection in 2023 and 2024 as a middle infielder for the Seguin Lady Matador softball team. This past season as a junior, Belicek hit 13 home runs. The mark is the second most for a single season in Seguin High School history trailing only Camryn Rios, who hit 16 home runs also this past season as Chloe's teammate. Rios and Belicek were both named to the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A All-State softball team following the 2024 season. Chloe also played for the Gulf Coast Bombers 18U Gold travel softball team based in Schertz. Belicek played second base, shortstop and in the outfield for the Bombers. Chloe had aspirations to play softball on the college level at Texas Lutheran University.
In addition to her talents on the softball diamond, Chloe was a captain on the Seguin Lady Matador volleyball team and active in the Seguin High School Future Farmers of America. A graduate of St. James Catholic School, Chloe was an active member of the St. James Youth Ministry and Junior Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Chloe was born on May 17th, 2007 to parents Christina and Brian Belicek. She is survived by her parents along with brothers, Timothy and Gregory and sister, Audrey in addition to many other family members and friends.
The Lady Matadors volleyball team plans to honor Chloe all season long by placing her jersey on one of the seats on the bench at every game. The Chloe Strong Memorial Fund has been established at First United Bank, 200 N. Austin St., Seguin Texas, 78155.
Bulldogs ENTER CONFERENCE A NEW SCAC Reinstates Football!
Chris Austin
The Texas Lutheran football team enters a new conference as they head into year three of the Neal LaHue era. The Bulldogs are a part of the re-established Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in football. TLU moves to the SCAC after seven seasons as an affiliate member of the American Southwest Conference.
The SCAC announced the reinstatement of football as a conference sponsored sport two years ago with play to begin this season. Football was an officially sponsored sport of the conference from 1962 (when the league was formed as the College Athletic Conference) through the 2016 season. Texas Lutheran previously competed in the SCAC in football from 2013 to 2016 before joining the ASC as an affiliate.
The conference will employ a double round-robin format. With only five conference schools participating in football, each team will play each other twice this season.
TLU head coach Neal LaHue says they are approaching the new conference format like the pros do.
“It’ll be like playing in a division with NFL guys. We’ve reached out to friends of mine that are in the NFL about how they approach that,” LaHue said. “We’ll have a plan for that. You know, we’ll see how we respond. We’ve got some long trips and hopefully (our opponents) have some long trips coming here.”
TLU is coming off a 2-8 season in 2023. Despite losing eight games, the Bulldogs were competitive. Half of their losses were by five points or less. On offense this season, quarterback Caden Bosanko returns for his junior year. Last year as a sophomore, the San Antonio East Central product appeared in all 10 games with six starts. He threw for 1,260 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with five rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, LaHue says they have a good nucleus coming back.
“We have guys we’re counting on guys on the back end. (Troy)
Tomaselli was Freshman of the Year, Mason Hardy is a senior who’s been an all-conference player. Our corners, I think, are gonna be pretty good. We have guys battling there.
“On the (defensive) line, Chris Monroe is coming back for a fifth year. Kaleb Hamilton played a lot of games last year as a freshman. And we like our linebackers. Tristan Smith was allconference. He’s a guy to build around.”
TLU will start the 2024 season on the road against Trinity on September 7th in San Antonio. Conference play starts the next week at Bulldog Stadium with Centenary, who will be playing in their first official NCAA football season in over 50 years. •
ALL HOME GAMES and Trinity opening road game to be broadcast on KWED
Sept. 7 - 7 PM at Trinity (TEX.)
Sept. 14 - 6 PM vs. Centenary (LA.) *
Sept. 21 - 6 PM at McMurry *
Sept. 28 - 2 PM at Lyon *
Oct. 5 - 1 PM vs. Austin *
Oct. 12 OPEN
Oct. 19 - 1 PM at Austin *
Oct. 26 - 4 PM vs. McMurry *
Nov. 2 - 1 PM vs. Lyon *
Nov. 9 - 1 PM at Centenary (LA.) *
Nov. 16 - 1 PM vs. Southwestern (TEX.)
* Conference
Photos courtesy TLU Bulldogs Facebook
SEPTEMBER
Featured Events
Featured Events
Navarro 4-H Meeting
The Navarro 4-H Club will have its first meeting of the year at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14 at the Big Red Barn.
September 6
Leadership Seguin Deadline
The Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for its Leadership Seguin program that builds community leaders. The deadline to apply is Friday, Sept. 6. For more information, call 830-379-6382.
September 24
Brown Cultural Event Series
The TLU Jessie S. and Jack Harold Upton Brown Cultural Enrichment Fund will present Former NASA Astronaut and Inspiration for the movie, A Million Miles Away, Jose Hernandez at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at Jackson Auditorium on the campus of Texas Lutheran University. There will be a presentation, followed by a meet-andgreet and book signing.
To promote your event on this page contact advertising at 830-379-2234 or email communitycalendar@kwed1580.com
September 7
Pantherfest & Tractor Pull
The Navarro FFA Booster Club will have its Pantherfest and Tractor Pull on Saturday, Sept. 7 at The Big Red Barn, located at 390 Cordova Rd. The Tractor Pull begins at 10 a.m. with a $30 a hook fee. Food trucks will be on site from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pantherfest will run from 5 to 11:30 p.m. For tickets, email navarroffaboosters@gmail.com.
September 18
Seguin Area Chamber Banquet
The Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce will have its Annual Banquet & Awards Presentation at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Seguin Coliseum. The doors open at 5 p.m. The theme is Start Spreading the News. To purchase tickets, visit 116 N. Camp St. or call 830-379-6382.
October 19
Kiki Camarena Run
The Guadalupe Valley Young Marines will have its 5th Annual Kiki Camarena Run – Ride to Be Drug Free from 9 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Veterans Outreach Center, located at 205 E. Weinert St. in Seguin. There will be a motorcycle run, chili-dog plate sale, silent auction, and vendors. For more information, contact Dina Dillon at 423-227-9610 or email gvyoungmarines@gmail.com
October 21
Food Distribution Event
The Seguin community has the opportunity to take part in another great local food distribution opportunity. The Food Distribution Event will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 21 at First Baptist Church, located at 1314 E. Cedar St. in Seguin. Attendees are asked to pre-register at www.Freshtrak.com.
