Jaylen Anderson, Weiss
1..2...3....Cheese!
No, we are not asking if you want cheese on your No. 1 from Whataburger. Instead, saying to smile for the camera. Austin-area volleyball stars got to experience the bright lights at the recent VYPE Austin Volleyball Photoshoot presented by Whataburger.
Check out some of our best #WhataSnaps! (Photos by Bradley Collier / VYPE Media)
Click here to visit your local Whataburger and make sure to check out #WhataSnap.
BUILDING OFF OF THEIR 2021-2022 SEASON WHICH CULMINATED IN SAN MARCOS REACHING THE POSTSEASON, THE RATTLER BASEBALL TEAM CAME INTO THE YEAR WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THE 2022-2023 SEASON.
For Bryan Webb, who is entering his 17th season as the head coach for San Marcos, his goal is to build a robust Rattler “program”. It’s not about one season, but how each player develops from being a freshman to his senior year.
“Before the season, people always ask me how my team is going to be,” coach Webb said. “I always tell them to ask me down the road, but I will tell you this… our program is strong.”
That statement has proven to be true so far this season as the Rattlers had a tremendous campaign, reaching the playoffs again as one of the district’s top teams.
The Rattlers have been led at the plate by junior Texas State-commit Kutter Gage Webb and senior Coastal Bend-commit Major Pellien. Both will be all-district nominees and are a lethal one-two punch in the lineup.
The pitching for San Marcos has been stingy with a team ERA of 1.76 and a WHIP of 1.09 led by Reagan Chomel and Gavin Gomez, who have both been virtually unhittable. Quarterbacking the pitching staff is catcher Sunray Estrada, who has been a leader in the clubhouse.
Webb’s blueprint continues to produce results and their best days are still ahead of them.
WHO IS THE MOST DOMINANT PROGRAM INSIDE THE WALLS OF SAN MARCOS HIGH SCHOOL?
Wrestling could definitely throw its hat in the ring. The 2023 Rattlers teams had high expectations because of its history. Gianna Moreno, class of 2021 SMHS alumna, set the tone by making history in 2021 when she clinched the first girl wrestling State Championship for San Marcos. Kaylynn Martin, Anisa Moreno and Jesyka Banda followed up by qualifying for State in 2022.
For coach Garvin Smith, he knew the expectations for –not only those three ladies– but for the Lady Rattler program would be high.
Those expectations were more than met in the 2022-2023 season. All three athletes would make it back to State. Moreno led the way with Regional gold, followed by Banda – who finished with silver. Martin would earn a third-place finish in the Regionals.
At State, Moreno earned a fourth-place finish, followed by Banda – who would finish fifth in her weight class.
THE MUSIC PROGRAM AT SAN MARCOS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
With a talented group of performers, combined with the direction of Latin Ensemble/Classical Guitar director Juan Carlos Cavazos, SMHS has the distinction of featuring a Mariachi band in the school’s music program.
Having taught at the high school for 16 years, Cavazos has had a front row seat to see the program’s development.
“It’s tremendously rewarding to see how far it’s come,” said Cavazos. “Back when I first started here, if you had told me there would be 100 classical guitar players and 40 Mariachis, I would’ve said you’re nuts. To see what it has become over the last six years is absolutely wonderful.”
The program had humble beginnings.
“We started Mariachi with one student, just one kid,” Cavazos said. “Initially, it was just her and I in the orchestra room, learning how to play vihuela or the guitar. From that kid, growing to 140, it’s incredibly satisfying.”
Dating back to when he was teaching at Eagle Pass High School in 1996, Cavazos hasn’t just seen Mariachi reach new heights at San Marcos, but in high schools throughout the state of Texas.
Considering it’s now a UIL event in band competition, San Marcos Mariachi has become one of the premier ensembles in Texas, having advanced to the State Championship in 2022.
The appreciation for the music is clearly prevalent among his students. But, what else is Cavazos teaching?
“I want to instill how to be passionate about something and work for it,” he said. “My goal is to inspire my students to figure out how to reach their own goals by understanding the processes they need to take to do so. So many directors will teach that same thing, how to be decent human beings but with different mediums. Some people use football, some use home economics, I use Mariachi and guitar.”
In addition, Cavazos has the pleasure of knowing that the devotion for Mariachi doesn’t end when his students exit the stage at San Marcos.
“Even though the program is still fairly young, a lot of the students I teach do keep playing after they graduate,” said Cavazos. “For example, Harvard Mariachi is run by a former graduate. There’s another former graduate at NYU who is looking to start one there. Some of the kids that graduate look to perform at their respective universities, and there are some of my current students who are starting to play with their family groups out in the community. I’m all about that.”
Mariachi has become a movement at San Marcos and it seems to only be gaining momentum.
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