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UIL Will Not Award Lone Star Cup, Releases Final Standings
AUSTIN, Texas – The University Interscholastic League (UIL) has released standings for the Lone Star Cup through March 13, 2020. Due to the cancellation of UIL spring events, the Lone Star Cup will not be awarded for the 2019-20 school year.
All UIL sanctioned contests were suspended on March 13, 2020, and later cancelled, in an effort to support the health and safety of Texas students and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many activities that earn points toward the UIL Lone Star Cup were not completed. These events included Boys Basketball, Robotics FIRST, Soccer, Academics, One-Act Play, Golf, Tennis, Track & Field, Softball, and Baseball.
The UIL Lone Star Cup recognizes the top high school in each UIL conference based on overall team achievement in sanctioned academic, athletic and music championships. This marks the first year the UIL Lone Star Cup has not been awarded since the program began during the 1997-98 school year.
Below are the Top 25 UIL Lone Star Cup standings for the 2019-20 school year. Standings include: Team Tennis, Cross Country, Marching Band, Volleyball, Robotics BEST, Football, Congress, Spirit, Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Mariachi, Film, Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball (through March 13, 2020) and Theatrical Design.
Class 6A
1) Southlake Carroll 62
2) Duncanville 54
3) Arlington Martin 50
4) The Woodlands 48
5) Austin Westlake 46
Lewisville Flower Mound 46
7) Austin Vandergrift 43
8) Laredo United 42
9) Allen 38
10) Denton Guyer 37
Class 5A
1) Highland Park 59
2) Cedar Park 55
3) Shadow Creek 53
4) Amarillo 51
5) Boerne Champion 50
6) El Paso Eastwood 43
7) Friendswood 42
8) San Antonio 41
9) Midlothian 40
10) Aledo 38
Class 4A
1) Argyle 73
2) Canyon 48
3) Hereford 45
4) Carthage 44
5) Liberty Hill 43
6) Decatur 39
7) Kennedale 38
Texarkana Pleasant Grove 38
9) Chine Spring 37
Fulshear 37
Class 3A
1) Brock 42
Shallowater 42
3) Gunter 37
4) Bushland 32
Mineola 32
Van Alstyne 32
Wall 32
Whitesboro 32
9) Grandview 31
Vanderbilt Industrial 31
Conference 2A
1) Gruver 48
2) Crawford 44
Wink 44
4) San Saba 42
5) Grapeland 38
Sundown 38
7) Muenster 37
8) Martin's Mill 33
9) Lindsay 32
Thorndale 32
Conference 1A
1) Blum 36
Cumby Miller Grove 36
3) Nazareth 32
4) Ropesville Ropes 29
5) Neches 28
LaRue LaPoynor 28
7) Eden 26
Jayton 26
Lipan 26
New Home 26
Richland Springs 26
Saltillo 26
Tilden McMullen County 26
FEATURE: Former DeSoto assistant David Martinez reflects on Chris Dyer at his retirement
HOUSTON – Before the summer of 1997, David Martinez had never met Chris Dyer.
Little did he know, a phone call on a Sunday afternoon would change his life and eventually the trajectory of his coaching career.
"What probably should have been a five-minute conversation turned into about an hour and a half to two hours with a guy I didn't know and we're just talking basketball," Martinez said.
Twenty-three years later, Martinez and Dyer still talk every morning despite them not being in the same city since 2003.
This past weekend, Dyer (787-204) called it a career at DeSoto, where he led the Eagles to three state championships (2003, 2009, 2016) in five trips to the UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament in his illustrious career.
"Obviously, the state is losing a legend," Martinez said. "He coached for an exceptionally long time at an extremely high level. He is going to miss it but he's enjoying his time off right now. As a coach, you know when it is time to go. You just know. He finally got to that point.
"You must respect him for that, he cannot coach forever, and he knew that. The state's going miss him."
When Martinez met Dyer he was only a freshman coach at DeSoto High School.
The Monday after his phone call, Martinez was elevated to his assistant coach. In the first year, Martinez admitted he "watched and listened" a lot. Then in year two, Dyer began handing over more and more responsibility.
Martinez stayed on for five seasons, eventually helping lead DeSoto to its first playoff win and state title in 2003. The following year, he landed his first head-coaching job at Clear Brook High School.
"I think about that often and what he's done for my career," Martinez said. "He believed in me. I was just a young kid who wanted to coach and wanted to be taught how to do it. I was all ears. I listened, I watched, I followed, I took notes. I did everything that I could, so that I could learn and be prepared for that one day when I had an opportunity I could go out and have my own team and maybe make him proud."
Thirteen years later, Martinez and Dyer met again in the 2016 Class 6A State Championship game. It was DeSoto versus Atascocita in the Alamodome.
Mentor versus student. Friend versus friend.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine facing him in the 6A championship finals," Martinez said. "So, you talk about went from a dream to a nightmare real fast. But nevertheless, it was one of the highlights of my career win or lose.
"Playing against him at that level, obviously we didn't come up on the winning side, but I cherished that moment and what he's done for me and what I've learned from that. I owe him, I owe him a lot."
Off the basketball court, their families have always been close.
Chris and his wife Jean are the godparents to Martinez's children Miles and Cami. They go on family vacations together. The Dyers are a part of the family.
"My kids see him as Uncle Chris," Martinez said. "They don't see him as Coach D or Coach Dyer. I mean, they could care less what he does with a basketball. They always come bearing gifts for them and what kid doesn't like that. So, when they look forward to seeing him, they look forward to the hugs and the conversations and the playing around with him. So, that's been good for our kids to have that type of family love."
With Dyer – who Martinez considers one of the "best in-game coaches" he's ever been around – leaving the basketball portion of his life, Martinez says a lot of coaches will miss competing against his teams, which always played hard, were well prepared and well coached.
Martinez will also miss Dyer's "old school"' style as he is very disciplined, which translates to how the kids play for him.
When asked what the one of the biggest takeaways from his time coaching under Dyer was, Martinez used just one word – loyalty.
"That's easy, that's number one in his book," Martinez said. "You can go sit down with him and talk to him and think you're going to get a bunch of X's and O's and you will if you're specific with your questions. But he's one of the most loyal people I know and that's what he taught me.
"He doesn't care what you know, he wants to know if you're going to be loyal to him. There's not a lot of that around anymore. Everybody's trying to pull themselves up to a higher level, everybody is competitive but if you can show Coach Dyer that you're loyal and that you're caring, he'll give you the shirt off his back."