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As I stepped out of the pickup at the Sports and Recreation Park last week to do my morning walk, a familiar sound wafted clearly throughout Dripping Springs. It was the DSHS band on the campus beginning their practice for the coming UIL activities during the 25-26 school year. It includes not only their UIL competitions but their duties at the coming sports events. It is a full year as there are sports from Day One and goes beyond the end of year. Two other groups have similar years ahead of them. The Cheer and Dance teams perform year round as well. Sports teams have seasons but not so much these three. Their sacrifice in time and energy need to be recognized and respected by all that get the benefit of their talents.
The sound of the band practicing alerted me to the beginning of another sports year at Dripping Springs. It will mark the 61st such year since my family and I moved here in 1965. The sports year is crammed full of UIL sports and so much so that the UIL has to hold off okaying several sports because there is not a time to squeeze them into the year. As they say, there are not enough hours in the day. After all, there is an education goal that should be a priority.
Since we have been alerted, it is time to get out the old calendar and start marking important sporting events that interest us. In recent years Dripping Springs has been among the top for doing well in all UIL sports. This past year they were ranked 11th among the Central Texas schools. The Fall sports that start the school year off are football, volleyball, cross country, team tennis and golf. Although each sport shows how major they are in the eyes of the public, the realistic view is there are no minor sports to the students participating in them.
Football: The Friday Night Lights draws fans to the stands like the lights do for bugs. The Tigers will have to find replacements for QB Maddox Maher and RB Jack Tyndall who accounted for 3663 yards of offense. It looks like Mateo Perez will get his chance from the QB position and he will have plenty of help from the receiver corps in the form of Cooper Reid and Merrick Bloomgren. There will be plenty of competition for the RB position.
Since moving up to 6A three years ago, Dripping Springs has had to battle with Lake Travis and Westlake for playoff space. The rest of the district has not been a danger. It should be the same again this year. To add to strength of schedule the Tigers have opened with the Vandegrift Vipers each year. This year they will be hosting the Vipers as defending state champions. Another bonus for the Tiger fans is another home game with Lake Travis. They are renovating their stadium and will be returning. The home schedule is: 8-29 Vandegrift; 9-12 Harker Heights; 9-26 Austin Akins; 10-10 Austin Bowie; 10-17 Lake Travis; 10-24 Del Valle.
Volleyball: Coach Michael Kane will be leading the charge to their main goal of winning the state championship. Each year they take on some of the best in preparation for that goal. August is the busy month. They always open with a doubleheader at Leander Rouse and RR Westwood. After that they travel to Pearland, then to New Braunfels Fraulein Volleyfest and back to the Leander Volleypalooza tourney. These are some of the best in the state. Before August is over, the Lady Tigers will have played over 30 games. For the first half of the season they will be missing their All-American, Henley Anderson who is in Europe playing on a 19U team. The talent in this program will take up the slack.
Cross Country, Team Tennis and Golf: Each of these sports have to battle the programs of Lake Travis and Westlake. It is a daunting task. Stephen Morales took over the reins of the cross country program this year and will be in the middle of making a regional berth. Carly Norment took over the tennis program last year and challenged the opposition. David Biagini also took over the golf program last year. Golf is usually played throughout the year but its climax is in the spring.
