GAMES
RANKINGS
THE TIER LIST: VYPE SATX Preseason Baseball Rankings; CTJ, O'Connor, Reagan begin on top
Despite what the weather may suggest, the spring edition of the UIL calendar has officially arrived, well into February.
As fans return to the ballpark, a new season of excitement begins, and the race to Dell Diamond is on.
In the San Antonio region, all eyes are on the SA Johnson Jaguars, who are fresh off a deep run to the 6A State Semifinals. With that momentum, they sit at No. 1 in our preseason rankings.
District rival Reagan is another team to watch after their impressive four-round postseason run last spring. O’Connor, ranked second, is also a force to reckon with, having reached the Region I Final.
Moving up from Class 4A, the Boerne Greyhounds are ready for a strong 5A campaign. After a successful season last year, they’ll be in the thick of the District 26-5A race, alongside New Braunfels, Boerne-Champion, Alamo Heights, and Tivy.
With so many talented teams, Region IV is shaping up to be loaded with contenders for a state championship run in the months ahead.
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*Parentheses indicates current district
*Last section indicates 2024 result
VYPE SAN ANTONIO BASEBALL TOP-10 (Class 6A-4A)
1. SA Johnson Jaguars (27-6A) -- 33-12; 13-3 (State Semifinalists)
2. O'Connor Panthers (28-6A) -- 26-15-1; 11-5 (Regional Finalists)
3. SA Reagan Rattlers (27-6A) -- 33-10; 15-1 (Regional Semifinalists)
4. Boerne Greyhounds (26-5A) -- 30-10; 12-3 (Regional Finalists--4A*)
5. New Braunfels Unicorns (26-5A) -- 30-9-1; 12-3 (Regional Quarterfinalists--6A*)
6. Boerne-Champion Chargers (26-5A) -- 31-9; 12-2 (Regional Quarterfinalists)
7. Alamo Heights Mules (26-5A) -- 26-8; 16-0 (Area Finalists)
8. Brennan Bears (28-6A) -- 19-16; 9-7 (Area Finalists)
9. Tivy Antlers (26-5A) -- 21-21; 6-8 (Regional Semifinalists)
10. SA MacArthur Brahmas (28-5A) -- 22-11; 14-2 (Area Finalists)
VYPE SATX Football Game of the Week: Reagan vs. Johnson (Wk. 7)
The Rattlers took their licks after winning their season opener (31-9) against Brennan, subsequently being defeated by state-contender Cibolo Steele and Temple.
However, Reagan responded by handily taking care of business against Roosevelt (31-7) and Madison (41-24) to get back on the right side of .500 through six weeks of football.
Now, coach Lyndon Hamilton and company will look to maintain a perfect start to their district schedule, when hosting Johnson this Friday.
The offense continues to revolve around the talents of senior tailback Cole Pryor, who's making a strong case for District MVP after getting a first-team, all-district nod a year ago.
Pryor, who is committed to Air Force, is currently averaging just over 140 rushing yards per game, with a total of 707, and has a total of seven scores.
That doesn't Reagan can't sling the ball, though.
Rayshun Hurt (Jr. ATH) has been the top guy for senior signal-caller Jack Bingham, as the two have connected 19 times for 258 yards and two touchdowns, while first-team WR Caleb Cappuccio (11 rec, 145 yds, 2 TDs) is always a reliable target.
Meanwhile, senior DB Matt Butler (first-team) holds down the defensive secondary, with reigning District Newcomer of the Year Cole Higby (Jr. LB), Chase Patranella (Sr. LB), and Joey Horsman (Sr. DB) also having key roles.
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On the Johnson side, the Jaguars are coming off a dominant (55-28) showing against Roosevelt last Friday, bringing their record to 4-1 on the year.
Similar to this week's opponent, the ground game is the strong suit for coach Theodore Miller's electric offense, which has averaged over 35 points a game.
First-team running back Lorenn "Bubba" Johnson been a genuine game-changer for the Jags, having contributed north of 800 scrimmage yards, with 4 TDs thus far.
Sophomore QB Elvis Estrada has been efficient, and has numerous weapons -- namely Oklahoma State-commit Jaden Perez (18 rec, 231 yds), Gabe Simpson (21 rec, 357 yds), and Bryson Thompson (19 rec, 166 yds, 1 TD) -- to turn to in crunch-time.
Defensively, the laundry list of heavy-hitters for CTJ include Cade Pantuso (Jr. DB), Sam Draper (Sr. DB), Elijah Guajardo (So. LB), Aidan Poteet (Jr. LB), Jacob Mazzocco (So. DB), and Cameron McDuffie (Jr. DB).
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The victor of this familiar rivalry will likely take home the District 27-6A championship in the coming weeks, so this will undoubtedly be worth the watch when the battle begins this Friday (7:00 pm) at Comalander.