Grapeland Tied for First in Lone Star Cup Standings
Results Become Official July 1
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – Even though the 2018-2019 school year has drawn to a close in Grapeland, the Sandies and Sandiettes are still battling for a state championship. The first thought of many might be this is in softball or baseball.
Given the success of the two programs in recent years, that would be a fair guess – but it would be wrong. Grapeland is in the hunt for the Lone Star Cup and as of Friday, May 24 – Grapeland was tied for first place with only three events left to be figured into the final score.
While it has been around for several years, the Lone Star Cup is still relatively unknown to many people in the local area.
According to the UIL website, “The UIL Lone Star Cup is awarded annually to six high schools, one in each of the six UIL classifications (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A), based on their team performance in district and state championships. The winning schools in each classification will receive the UIL Lone Star Cup trophy and a $1,000 scholarship, also presented by the UIL. Honoring the best overall athletic and academic programs in Texas, the UIL Lone Star Cup is open to all UIL participant high schools.”
The Sandies and Sandiettes currently have a total of 50 points. This total includes points awarded from: Team Tennis; Cross Country; Marching Band; Volleyball; Robotics BEST; Football; Congress; Spirit; Swimming and Diving; Wrestling; Mariachi; Film; Basketball; Robotics FIRST; Soccer; One-Act Play; Theatrical Design; Track and Field; Golf; and Tennis
What it does not include are the awarded points from Academics, Softball and Baseball. The final update will be June 14 with the results becoming official on July 1.
The Sandies’ baseball team qualified for the playoffs while the Sandiettes’ softball team also qualified for the playoffs and won the Bi-District Championship.
According to the scoring rules, this will give the Grapeland team six additional points. Added to the GHS team’s current total and you have 56 which would move the Sandies and Sandiettes into sole position possession of first place.
The current standings show Grapeland, Mason and Sundown all tied with 50. Martin’s Mill is in fourth place with 47 points, Thorndale sits in fifth with 44 and San Saba is in sixth with 42.
Rounding out the Top 10, Gruver holds down the seventh spot with 38, Wellington is in eighth with 36 points while Lindsay and Panhandle are tied for ninth with 35 points apiece.
During the 2017-2018 school year, GHS finished third in the overall standings.
“Standings will be publicized on the UIL Website and in the UIL Leaguer. Tabulations will be verified and maintained by the University Interscholastic League,” the UIL website states.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
