As the year 2020 comes to a close, we acknowledge that this year has been unlike any other. The global pandemic known as COVID-19 has affected our lives in ways that none of us could have imagined. Some people have suffered from the loss of jobs, others have struggled to meet financial obligations and many have grieved the passing of loved ones due to this virus.
At the beginning of the year, COVID managed to even take away sports for a brief moment. However, the virus could not keep sports away for long. While Milam County residents held their breath as the status of sports was up in their air, they were able to breathe a sigh a relief as their students were able to participate in the sports, they loved this year. With spring sports being canceled, we were able to watch summer and fall sports. Here are the top six sports moments of 2020.
1. RHS defeats CH Yoe in Battle of Bell, Oct. 2—After three years of heartbreak, the bell returned home to Rockdale. The Tigers demolished the rival Cameron Yoemen 42-9. “We came out firing on all cylinders,” RHS Head Coach Jacob Campsey said. “We showed great intensity and teamwork. It was just a great performance overall.” Kobe Mitchell went 9 of 16 for 117 passing yards, 52 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. Cam’ron Valdez led the team rushing with 139 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Anthony Dansby led the team in receiving with four catches for 45 yards. On defense, the Tigers’ performance was the first time they had held Cameron to under 10 points in a win since 1992. Chase Mayfield led the Tiger defense with eight tackles. Kesean Raven made a huge impact in the secondary with three tackles and an RHS record of three interceptions.
2. Valdez breaks RHS touchdown record, Oct. 2—RHS running back Cam’ron Valdez cemented himself as one of the greatest Rockdale football players of all time after breaking the RHS all-time touchdown record against Cameron. With his two-touchdown performance, Valdez passed the 56-touchdown record of David Franklin, who played at Rockdale from 2015-2016. At the end of the season, Valdez recorded a total of 67 career touchdowns.
3. Bocanegra wins District Meet, Oct. 26—RHS freshman Jesus Bocanegra won the District 19-3A Meet in Cameron. His running helped the Tigers cross-country team earn a second-place finish overall. “To win district as a freshman felt good, especially racing against seniors and juniors who have more experience in the 5k run,” Bocanegra said. “I was a bit nervous, but I knew I had big goals to achieve that day. I couldn’t have done it without my family, my teammates and especially Coach Meuth. She has pushed me in practice and prepared me for the district race.” Bocanegra kept a good pace throughout the race and stayed in the second-place spot throughout the majority of it. In the final stretch, he was able to kick his speed into second gear and edge out Rogers Junior Kade Sebek for the win. Bocanegra finished with a time of 16:55.
4. RHS Volleyball wins first playoff game in over three decades, Oct. 29—For the first time since 2017, the RHS spikers took the court in the 3A Region 3 and 4 Playoffs. Coming in as a No. 3 seed, the Lady Tigers faced the Fairfield Lady Eagles in the Bi-District round. They were victorious in four sets 25-22, 25-20, 21-25 and 25-22. Julie Bartsch led the Lady Tigers with 15 kills and two blocks. Yolianna Castillo led the team in assists with 24 while Emma Whitsel led in digs with 22. The win marked the first playoff victory for the Lady Tiger volleyball program since 1987.
5. Valdez breaks rushing record, Sept. 25— RHS running back Cam’ron Valdez became the new rushing king after breaking the RHS all-time rushing record against McGregor. With his 97-yard performance, Valdez acquired 3,433 yards in his RHS career. The former record held by Don Wesley, who played for Rockdale from 1975 to 1977, stood for over 40 years. At the end of the season, Valdez’s record stands at 4,136 yards.
6. Venom place second in 12U tournament, July 25-26—15 teams from all over Texas traveled to Franklin Community Park to participate in the 12 and Under softball state tournament. Out of Rockdale, the Venom qualified as the only team to play in the tournament. After many hard-fought battles throughout the week, the Venom earned a second-place finish. The Venom began the tournament on fire as they didn’t lose a game in the first three days. Their first loss came on Thursday against the Burton Strike Force on a 6-5 comeback. On Friday, the Venom played their first game against the CGSA TTAS BG Lady Lions. Both teams came into the contest with one loss. The Venom handled their business as they beat the Lady Lions 12-8 to advance to the championship. In the championship game, the Venom lost a heartbreaker as they came up short in their rematch against the Burnet Strike Force 9-8. The Venom tallied 11 hits. Chabela Delgadillo and Riley Luton each managed multiple hits. Delgadillo went 4-for-4 at the plate, hitting a single in the first, second, third and sixth innings. Taylor Martinez was on the hill for the Venom. She went one and one-third innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out one and walking one. Emma Miller threw three and two thirds innings out of the bullpen. She allowed seven runs on four hits, striking out two. Coach Lucas Hairston explained how he was proud of his team and expressed how the girls could learn a valuable lesson despite the loss. “Our girls battled all week to put themselves in a position for a championship,” Hairston said. “They put in a lot of hard work this season. Of course, you want to win the championship, but it’s not all about that. It’s about building the girls up for other opportunities in their lives and teaching them to handle adversity in the right ways.” The Venom had an outstanding year. They finished the regular season with a perfect 15-0 record and went 4-2 in state tournament play.
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