By David Wolman
While most Friday night football games remained on the same schedule, District 9-6A elected to move their contests up to an earlier start time, in large part due to the teams being on Fall Break.
Mirroring that thought process, Sachse put the outcome of its contest to bed very early against North Garland, opening a 20-0 lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 48-0 victory at Williams Stadium.
The Mustangs improve to 7-0 overall on the season, remaining one of the area’s few undefeated teams, and are tied atop the 9-6 standings at 4-0 along with Wylie East.
Sachse pushed North Garland back on the game’s opening drive, forcing a punt. That ensuing kick got caught up in a gale force, and actually travelled backward, resulting in a minus-12 yard net, with the Mustangs taking over at the Raider 13, and on the very next play, Christian McCaffrey hit DJ Doyle on a touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
In the underdog role with nothing to lose, North Garland elected to go for it in its own territory on its next drive, but it did not work out well, as Walker Williams picked off the pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.
The Sachse defense again came up big later in the first quarter, forcing a fumble that Wade Hix recovered at the Raider 41.
A few plays later, McCaffrey found Julian Madison over the middle for a 20-yard touchdown pass to push the advantage to 20-0.
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By David Wolman
Sachse senior Samuel Ledbetter said helping lead the Mustangs to the District 9-6A boys cross-country title last year was just a sign of even bigger things to come.
With an experienced roster returning five upperclassmen from last year’s team that won the district title and sent Ledbetter to the state meet, the Mustangs were confident they could contend for another 9-6A title and get over the hump by qualifying for the Class 6A state meet as a team.
Sachse took the first step toward accomplishing that goal, winning its second straight district championship in dominating fashion.
The Mustangs claimed four of the top five individual finishes, pacing Sachse to a team score of 31 points — 20 ahead of district runner-up Wylie (51) and third-place Wylie East (53). The Pirates and Raiders will also join the Mustangs at the Region II-6A meet in Fort Worth on Oct. 26 after earning automatic team berths for finishing in the top three.
Ledbetter won his fourth race of the season, capturing first place in 15:43. He and teammate Dominic Richardson, a junior, battled Wylie East senior Michael Price for the top spot, but Richardson separated himself from the pack with about a mile remaining. Richardson, last year’s district champion, finished second in 16:04, while Price took third in 16:23.
Ledbetter and Richardson were backed by strong performances from junior Sadiki Mburu (fourth, 16:36) and senior Ozzy Heredia (fifth, 16:43). Sachse also received contributions from junior Grayson Redden (19th, 17:53.78) and sophomores Brave Cook (23rd, 18:26.69) and Joseph Castaneda 25th, 19:07.39).
“This is probably the best top four that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Ledbetter said. “If we can get a good performance from our fifth runner at regionals, that could help us get to state. Overall, we ran well today.”
The Lady Mustangs will look to qualify for state after missing out by just one place a year ago.
Arora Ngo (third, 19:32.39), Alicia Payne (fourth, 20:00) and Kaitlyn Herrera (seventh, 20:34) helped lead the Lady Mustangs to a second-place team finish with 42 points.
Adeline Moss (12th, 21:00), Brisa Morales (17th, 21:41), Isabel Casas (23rd, 22:28) and Brighton Cook (24th, 22:50) also competed for Sachse at the district meet.
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By Devin Hasson
(Click on the link for a photo gallery from the game: https://www.dotphoto.com/viewalbum.asp?AID=6889501)
Sachse completed the first half of the season undefeated, but the outcome remained in doubt heading into the fourth quarter in each of its last three games.
Coming off its bye week, the Mustangs made sure that trend did not continue.
In fact, Friday’s game was all but decided by halftime.
Christian McCaffrey threw five touchdown passes in the first half as Sachse built a 34-2 lead before cruising to a 58-2 victory over South Garland at Homer B. Johnson Stadium.
The Mustangs improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in District 9-6A, tying Wylie East for first place in the standings. The Raiders claimed an impressive 42-27 win over crosstown rival Wylie on Friday.
Sachse added 21 points in the third quarter, putting any hope of a historic comeback to rest.
McCaffrey finished 18-of-28 for 257 yards and six touchdowns, connecting with four different receivers.
The Mustang defense was equally dominant, holding South Garland (2-4, 0-3) to 83 total yards and six first downs. Sachse also got a defensive touchdown when James Collis intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards for a score in the third quarter.
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By David Wolman
Sachse junior middle linebacker Wille Palomo didn’t feel like he was playing with the normal energy and aggression that he usually does.
He felt that he was getting pushed around by players on the opposing team and wasn’t making the tackles that he normally makes.
With Sachse trailing L.D. Bell 11-0 during the third quarter of a Sept. 11 home game, he knew that something needed to change.
While on the sideline, Palomo heard the voice of his late mother, Judy, in his head.
“I heard my mama’s voice, and she told me, ‘I never raised you to be a quitter. I raised you to be a fighter,’” he said.
Those words helped Palomo refocus.
With L.D. Bell facing third-and-5 with five minutes remaining in the game, Palomo recorded a sack for a loss of seven yards, forcing the Raiders to punt.
That play changed the outlook of the game.
Sachse scored 12 points over a span of four minutes to rally for a 15-11 victory against L.D. Bell.
“It was one of the greatest moments that I’ve had in a game since her death,” Palomo said of the sack.
Judy passed away in February after a long battle with scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease that causes the body to produce too much collagen, leading to the hardening and tightening of the skin, blood vessels and internal organs.
She was first diagnosed with scleroderma in 2016 and became gradually more ill over the next decade before succumbing to heart failure earlier this year.
Palomo honors her during games by wearing black eye strips with the words “Long Live Mom” and his favorite Bible verse, Psalm 23:4, both written with a white marker.
“I miss her every day,” he said. “There is not a quantity on it, just infinite. Losing your best friend is not easy. I know that I am slowly trying to become the person that she wanted me to be. I want to make her proud. No one can describe how much I miss her.”
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By David Wolman
Last season, Sachse won the boys’ and girls’ team titles at the district meet, marking the first time since 2016 that both squads had won district titles in the same year.
Sachse’s experience and depth could help lead the Mustangs to another district title Thursday morning in Wylie. The meet is scheduled to start at 8 a.m.
Defending boys’ district champion, junior Dominic Richardson, is having a strong season, as are seniors Ozzy Heredia and Samuel Ledbetter, along with juniors Grayson Redden and Sadiki Mburu. Ledbetter is a returning state qualifier.
On the girls’ side, juniors Arora Ngo and Alicia Payne are leading the way for the Lady Mustangs in meets.
Ngo ran a personal-best time of 19:29 at the Texas A&M Invitational, while Payne clocked a time of 18:23 the previous week at Crandall.
Ngo, Payne and junior Kaitlyn Herrera placed in the top 10 in last year’s district meet.
Juniors Adeline Moss, Brisa Morales and Colette Leonard, along with senior Brighton Cook and freshman Niki Richardson, have provided Sachse with great depth.
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By David Wolman
(Click on the link for a photo gallery from Sachse’s road match at Garland on Tuesday, Oct. 6: https://www.dotphoto.com/viewalbum.asp?AID=6889502)
GARLAND — Sachse head volleyball coach Rikki Jones was eager to see how her Lady Mustangs would respond after losing a six-point lead in the first set of Tuesday’s match.
The Lady Mustangs responded with a strong finish to win the second set, but Sachse was unable to build on that momentum and fell to Garland 25-21, 17-25, 25-20, 25-23 at Garland High School.
Senior middle hitter Ella Smith carried the offensive load for Sachse early, recording nine of her 15 kills in the first set. Her eighth kill gave the Lady Mustangs a 12-9 lead.
Sachse appeared to be in control after a tip kill by junior Sarah Naidoo increased the advantage to 16-10.
However, Garland adjusted defensively and took advantage of off-target passes by Sachse to chip away at the lead.
Despite those struggles, Sachse remained in position to steal the opening set.
A kill from junior outside hitter Natallie Rainey gave the Lady Mustangs a 20-19 lead. But that would be Sachse’s last lead of the set. Garland countered with a 6-1 run to take the set. A service ace by junior Alexandria Bollinger-Clay clinched a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five match for the Lady Owls.
Sachse came out swinging in the second set.
A booming kill by junior Fallin Whitmore, followed by an ace from Smith, gave the Lady Mustangs an early 10-6 lead.
Garland rallied to briefly take the lead, but Sachse had all the answers down the stretch. A kill by Whitmore capped an impressive eight-point win for the Lady Mustangs in the second set.
Late in the third set, Garland appeared to have seized control. Senior Joy Ben finished off a free ball with a kill to give the Lady Owls a commanding 23-16 lead.
Sachse didn’t go down without a fight.
The Lady Mustangs reduced their deficit to 23-20 after a Harper Holt service and a Lady Owls hitting error, forcing Garland to call a timeout.
Garland responded well after the timeout, scoring the final two points of the set. A Crystal Cortes ace gave the Lady Owls a two-sets-to-one advantage.
In need of a spark, Naidoo recorded four straight service aces to begin the fourth set, giving Sachse a 4-0 lead.
The Lady Mustangs led for most of the set, but they were unable to force a deciding fifth set. A 12-5 run took Garland to the finish line, and a kill by junior Naomi Mukah on match point secured a 3-1 win for the Lady Owls on their home court.
Sachse dropped to 17-19 overall and 6-4 in District 9-6A, while Garland improved to 12-13, 5-5. The Lady Mustangs are back in action Friday night at South Garland. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m.
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By David Wolman
The Sachse Mustangs cross country teams swept the team titles in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions at the Rockwall High School Cross Country Invitational on Saturday morning.
Sachse also swept the individual titles, with junior Arora Ngo winning the girls’ varsity race in 19:34, while junior Dominic Richardson won the boys’ race in 16:10.
The top seven runners for the Lady Mustangs finished in the top 20. Junior Alicia Payne took second in 19:48, junior Kaitlyn Herrera placed seventh in 21:07, junior Adeline Moss was 11th in 22:08, junior Brisa Morales took 12th in 22:09, senior Brighton Cook finished 16th in 22:32 and freshman Niki Richardson was 20th in 22:53.
Junior Colette Leonard was 22nd in 23:10.
Sachse accounted for four of the top five individual finishes in the boys’ race. Senior Samuel Ledbetter ran to bronze in 15:46, junior Sadiki Mburu placed fourth in 16:16 and senior Ozzy Heredia was fifth in 16:48.
Sophomore Joseph Castaneda was 23rd in 18:16, junior Ryan King placed 24th in 18:16 and junior Grayson Redden took 36th in 19:17.
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By David Wolman
Sachse (16-17, 5-2) is two games ahead of Garland (10-12, 3-4) for third place in District 9-6A, with the Lady Mustangs owning the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of their 3-1 win over the Lady Owls on Sept. 11.
Sachse notched its fifth district win of the season Friday, earning a 25-17, 25-17, 25-22 win against Rowlett.
Sarah Naidoo notched six service aces to lead the Lady Mustangs’ efforts behind the service line and also dished out 19 assists. Ella Smith had 16 kills to power Sachse’s offense. Jacey Gibbs recorded 16 digs to lead the Lady Mustangs on defense.
Earlier in the week, Sachse faced less resistance in a dominant 25-15, 25-12, 25-3 road win against Lakeview Centennial.
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By Devin Hasson
(Click on the link to view a photo gallery from the game: https://csmediatexas.dotphoto.com/CPViewAlbum.asp?AID=6889193)
Sachse did not win a district championship on Friday, but it did host a trophy.
The “Hammer Bowl” rivalry between Sachse and Rowlett has produced several classic games since its inception in 2004 and added another chapter.
In a game that featured nearly 1,000 yards of total offense, it was the Mustangs who were able to make the plays they needed to secure a 45-35 victory in a thriller at Homer B. Johnson Stadium.
Sachse remains undefeated overall at 5-0, and remains tied atop the 9-6A standings with Wylie East at 2-0, while the Eagles fall to 2-3 and 1-1.
Trailing 35-27 with 4:04 remaining in the third quarter, Sachse scored the game’s final 18 points.
The Mustangs tied it up at 35-35 after a 74-yard touchdown pass from Christian McCaffrey to DJ Doyle and subsequent 2-point conversion run by Brendon Quinn. Doyle caught four passes for 177 yards. McCaffrey completed 11 of 23 through the air for 276 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Quinn put Sachse ahead 42-35 after scoring on a 35-yard touchdown run with 1:03 remaining in the third quarter. He finished with 180 yards rushing on 23 carries with two touchdowns.
Jonathan Fuentes added an 18-yard field goal with 2:55 remaining in the ballgame for a 45-35 Mustangs lead.
Read the full story in the October 1st edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.
By Devin Hasson
(Click on the link for a photo gallery from this game: https://csmediatexas.dotphoto.com/CPViewAlbum.asp?AID=6889051)
If Sachse goes on to win the District 9-6A championship, it might look back at one play in a mid-September game that was never supposed to happen.
The Mustangs lined up for the extra point after a Brendon Quinn 75-yard touchdown run, but the kick never got off the ground when the ball got loose between the snap and hold.
Chase Barstow picked up the loose ball and ran right, where he saw no open room. He reversed course back to the left side and somehow found his way into the end zone to make it 44-36 with 3:54 left.
That would prove pivotal, as Wylie marched right back down the field, with Daylon Gordon scoring his sixth touchdown of the night to bring the Pirates within 44-42 with 1:54 remaining.
But because of Sachse’s two-point attempt and the little time remaining on the clock, the Pirates had to go for two themselves. The Mustangs were able to get the stop and walked out of Wylie ISD Stadium with a 44-42 victory.
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