Sachse incoming senior Abigail Leonard qualified for the Class 6A state cross country meet for the second time last fall. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Another school year is in the books for Sachse.
And it was another successful year for the Mustangs, who won district titles in boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer, boys’ golf, while making extended playoff runs in girls soccer, boys basketball and baseball.
The Sachse News will take a more detailed look at each sport, beginning with cross country, football and volleyball.
Cross country
Sachse swept the team titles at the District 9-6A championships, marking the first time since 2016 that both programs have won district titles in the same year. The boys scored 31 points, while the girls tallied 35.
Sachse also produced the boys’ individual champion. Sophomore Dominic Richardson overtook Wylie East’s Kaleab Endale with a mile left and placed first in 15:55.
Samuel Ledbetter (third, 16:13), Sadiki Mburu (seventh, 16:29), Henry Lesley (eighth, 16:31), Roman Rabel (12th, 16:48), Ozzy Heredia (15th, 17:00) and Grayson Redden (26th, 17:52) also posted strong finishes.
Sachse’s girls showed impressive depth, placing six runners in the top 12. Abigail Leonard was the runner-up (18:40). Arora Dinh Ngo (fifth, 19:54), Alicia Payne (seventh, 20:12), Kaitlyn Herrera (10th, 20:25), Adeline Moss (11th, 20:33) and Maicen Keefer (12th, 20:34) placed in the top 15.
Leonard qualified for the state meet for the second time after earning 23rd at the Region II-6A meet. Ledbetter advanced to state for the first time after running to 11th place in a time of 16:10. He placed 94th at state, while Leonard took 122nd in the girls’ race.
Football
Sachse was faced with the task of retooling a roster that graduated 37 seniors from the 2024 team that guided the Mustangs to a second consecutive undefeated district championship.
Although that inexperience created some growing pains, the Mustangs put together their best football when it mattered the most. Sachse overcame a 2-2 start to District 9-6A play to fuel a 3-1 finish to the regular season with wins over North Garland, South Garland and Naaman Forest.
Sachse (6-5) lost 42-7 to North Forney in bi-district. The Mustangs trailed just 14-7 at halftime but were outscored 28-0 in the second half.
The season started with a two-player rotation at quarterback, but junior Christian McCaffrey took the reins in Week 4 against Wylie.
McCaffrey’s big arm made a huge difference for the Mustangs’ passing attack. He threw for 1,404 yards with 11 passing touchdowns. His top target, senior wide receiver Marcus Rhoden, finished with 783 yards and eight touchdowns.
Meanwhile, senior Dirk Williams Jr. was moved to a dual role at wide receiver and tailback. He contributed 182 yards and one receiving touchdown to accompany 531 rushing yards and eight rushing scores. Senior Roderick Rainwater filled the shoes of the previous year’s district MVP, Brendon Haygood, finishing with 634 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Sachse got great production out of senior defensive tackle Trason Haley, who had a team-best five sacks. Senior linebacker Corbin Crane stuffed the stat sheet with 105 total tackles. Sophomore linebacker Willehado Palomo won 9-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year after logging 98 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery.
Volleyball
Sachse has never missed the playoffs and didn’t again despite fears of a rebuilding effort.
Despite losing six seniors from the 2024 team to graduation, including the district’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Kaelynn Sims, and Defensive Player of the Year, Taber Torres, the Lady Mustangs rounded into form after a sluggish start.
After starting 3-8, the Lady Mustangs went 12-4 against district competition to earn second place and earned another playoff berth.
Although Sachse’s season ended with a 3-0 loss to a hard-hitting Rockwall offense in bi-district, the Lady Mustangs finished 19-18.
Several Lady Mustangs stepped into new roles and delivered, including senior outside hitter Raniya Temple-Robinson, who was tabbed the district’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year after she logged 325 kills and 143 digs.
Junior setter Laney George was named the 9-6A Server of the Year. She racked up a team-high 45 service aces and dished out 406 assists.
Read the full story and stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.
0 Comments