GAMES
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RANKINGS
THE TIER LIST: VYPE SATX Preseason Softball Rankings; Smithson Valley, Harlan lead the opening stages
As the weather begins to heat up, so too does the 2025 UIL softball season.
In the San Antonio area, several teams stand out as potential contenders to represent Region IV this spring.
Smithson Valley comes off a strong 2024 campaign, securing over 30 wins and advancing three rounds into the postseason. They’re poised to be a major force in the 5A classification.
Though Harlan was eliminated in Round 2 last year, they possess enough talent to make a deeper playoff run this season. However, they'll face stiff competition in District 29-6A, where Regional Finalist Brennan and Quarterfinalist O'Connor will be the biggest challengers to the Hawks.
Clemens, another team that quietly reached the fourth round in 2024, looks set to build on that success this spring.
Meanwhile, East Central, Cibolo Steele, and McCollum are also among the hopefuls to watch in 2025.
With the race to Red & Charline McCombs Field underway, here’s a closer look at San Antonio’s heavy-hitters heading into the new season.
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*Parentheses indicates current district
*Last section indicates 2024 result
VYPE SAN ANTONIO SOFTBALL TOP-10 (Class 6A-4A)
1. Smithson Valley Rangers (26-5A) -- 31-9; 13-1 (Regional Quarterfinalists)
2. Harlan Hawks (29-6A) -- 23-8; 13-3 (Area Finalists)
3. Brennan Bears (29-6A) -- 31-8; 15-1 (Regional Finalists)
4. Clemens Buffaloes (27-6A) -- 29-10; 5-5 (Regional Semifinalists)
5. O'Connor Panthers (29-6A) -- 23-13; 9-7 (Regional Quarterfinalists)
6. East Central Hornets (27-6A) -- 26-8-1; 8-2 (Area Finalists)
7. Cibolo Steele Knights (27-6A) -- 13-15; 5-5 (Area Finalists)
8. SA McCollum Cowboys (28-5A) -- 19-9; 11-3 (Area Finalists)
9. SA Veterans Memorial Patriots (26-5A) -- 21-9; 10-4 (Bi-District Finalists)
10. New Braunfels Unicorns (26-5A) -- 21-9-1; 4-6 (6A*)
Honorable Mentions: Comal Canyon (27-6A), Holmes (29-6A), Taft (29-6A), South San Antonio (28-5A), Southwest (28-5A), SA Madison (28-6A), SA Johnson (28-6A)
VYPE SATX Football Game of the Week: Harlan vs. Sotomayor (Week 11)
Entering the final week of the regular season, Harlan is currently tied with Sotomayor for the No.2 spot in the district, behind only Brennan - the one district opponent both teams have fallen to this Fall.
As we touched on in their Week 9 preview against Taft, the Hawks (8-1) feature one of the most efficient offenses in the Alamo City, having scored roughly 43 points per contest throughout the season, under the direction of coach Eddie Salas.
In terms of star-power, look no further than junior signal-caller Aldric Trotter, whose dual-threat capability has put the district on notice. As it stands, Trotter is averaging just under 200 passing yards a game with 18 touchdowns to just two interceptions, in addition to his notable contributions (488 yards, 8 TDs) to the ground-game.
The duo of Rice-commit Payton Matthews (Sr. WR) and Caelan Grbic-Schultz (Sr. WR) continues to cause trouble for opposing secondaries, as the two have combined for nearly 1,100 yards and 16 scores through the air.
Matthews also plays a role in the rushing attack, with 306 yards (23 carries) and three more touchdowns to his name.
The go-to guy in the backfield remains senior Adrien McDade, however, who has accumulated well over 500 yards and 6 TDs.
Meanwhile, Brock Potter (Sr. LB), Craig Sanders (Sr. LB/DB), Robert Gonzales (Jr. LB), Alexander Ciccarello (Sr. DL), Dwayne Wingfield (Sr. DB), Kody Brown (Sr. DB), and Addon Palmer (So. DB) cover each phase of the defense.
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On the other side of the ball, Sotomayor is enjoying their best season to date, since becoming a varsity program in 2022.
Most recently, the Juan Morales-led Wildcats throttled Warren 41-0 at the end of October, improving their record to 7-2, which secured their first-ever playoff-berth, and sky-rocketed their standing in our weekly SATX rankings.
Similar to Harlan, they have a 6-1 record in the district, making this game all the more crucial.
Despite the team's relative youth, the offense has had no trouble moving the ball down-field.
Sophomore running back Cameron Grady surpassed the 1,000-yard mark against Warren (Oct. 26th) and is currently averaging 116 per contest, with 11 combined scores in 2024.
Sotomayor's quarterback, Chauncey Moon (So.) has been just as vital to the rushing attack, with 732 yards (81.3 average) and 8 TDs thus far, in addition to a respectable 10-2 TD-INT passing ratio.
The primary targets for Moon have been seniors McKell Johnekins (10 rec, 197 yds, 5 TDs) and Carl Little (14 rec, 131 yds, 3 TDs), which compels defenses to not key in on the run as much.
The greatest asset for the Wildcats, however, is arguably their defense, which has limited opponents to a mere 17 points per game and has forced 16 turnovers throughout this Fall.
Senior LB Shawn Wasley has been an absolute monster. His decisive range across the field has resulted in 101 tackles and two interceptions. This should undoubtedly garner him a first-team, all-district selection after he was named to the second-team a year ago.
Wasley is aided in the defensive effort by Aaron Adejobi (Jr. DB), Manny Gutierrez (Fr. LB), Tristin Woodruff (Sr. DL), Michael Inweh (Sr. DB), Tyce Washington (Jr. DL), and Isaiah Espinoza (Sr. DB).
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It all comes down to this. In the final week of the regular season, Harlan (8-1) and Sotomayor (7-2) battle for silver in District 28-6A, at Gustafson Stadium on Thursday (7:00 pm).