Fall sports dominate across the board

The Wimberley Texans proved that they are one of the top sports schools in Texas this year. Whether it be on the field, court or course, Wimberley athletes rose to the top this fall in what is one of the most successful seasons in school history.

Of the four UIL sports, encompassing a total of five varsity teams, being played in the fall of 2020, Wimberley saw four teams reach at least the Regional Finals. Of those, one advanced to the State Semifinals and two additional teams made it all the way to the State Finals for their given sport.

“It is very special because of the dedication and perseverance from a lot of different people through a very trying time,” Athletic Director Doug Warren said. “In a time when we didn’t know if we were even going to have sports, to have these coaches and these kids excel at the highest level was very satisfying and made me feel proud to be a small part of it.”

The Wimberley Texan volleyball team lost to Decatur in the State Finals. It was a tough end to a storybook season that brought a historically decorated Wimberley volleyball team back to the forefront. Wimberley has six volleyball State Championships, but this was the first time the team has been in the state tournament since 2010. A lot of that return to success falls at the feet of a strong senior class.

“Those seniors are something special,” Head Volleyball Coach Stephanie Barthels said. “I’ve never seen a group of 17 year olds care so much about other people… We’ve got kids that are sophomores and juniors, and the seniors took them under their wings at practice, on bus rides and at dinners. They are like family. I think that is the number one reason we were so successful. The seniors held everyone as accountable as they held themselves.”

The girls’ cross country team also made it to the State meet. This was only the second time Wimberley had sent an entire cross country team to State and the first time in more than 15 years. Wimberley finished in 10th place.

“It was a totally different experience,” Head Coach Lacey Lambert said. “We have taken many individuals (to the State Championship), but none of the girls that competed on this team had ever qualified. The experience of sharing it with your team is so much more exciting. They are already talking about who is coming up next year and how we are only losing two runners. We are hoping to get to where cross country is like many other sports in this town and that this type of success is normal for the program.”

The Texan football team made it to the State Semifinals and lost to the No. 1 ranked Carthage Bulldogs. The senior class, which made three appearances in the State Semifinals including one appearance in the State Finals over their four-year high school career, finished with a record of 41-17 over all four years of play.

Texan Team Tennis also had an incredible season falling to Boerne in the Regional Finals. This followed a Regional Semifinals game where Wimberley beat Tuloso-Midway, from Corpus Christi, which was the No. 1 team in the state at the time.

Overall, it was an incredible season with success across the board for Wimberley athletics. All of this in the face of the every changing word during the COVID-19 pandemic.