LOOKING BACK: THE TOP SPORTS STORIES OF 2023

The year 2023 is in the books, and 2024 has arrived. In this special section, we'll take a look back at the top sports stories of the past year.

The hard part was narrowing it down, because there were so many incredible things that happened throughout 2023.

DEE WINTERS HELPS LEAD TCU TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AND THEN GETS DRAFTED BY THE 49ERS

It was a memorable year for the former Burton Panther. He started 2023 as a senior linebacker and team captain for the TCU Horned Frogs. He had a memorable interception return for a touchdown that helped to beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl. They would then go on to face Georgia for the National Championship. In April, Winters found out that he would be continuing his playing career. He was drafted in the sixth round by the San Francisco 49ers.

BELLVILLE BRAHMA FOOTBALL TEAM MAKES THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 46 YEARS

The 2023 Bellville Brahmas had one of the most dominating seasons in high school football history. Bellville won their first fifteen games of the season, which set a new school record for most wins in a season. They made it to the State Championship Game for the first time since 1977. They were led by the "three-headed monster" on offense; D.D. Murray (2,072 yards and 36 TD), Sam Hranicky (2,005 yards and 25 TD), and Corrian Hood (1,605 yards and 25 TD). On defense, they were led by District MVP D.J. Sanders (115 tackles and 15 sacks).

BRENHAM-RUDDER FIGHT AT BASKETBALL GAME LEADS TO INCREASED SECURITY MEASURES

It started out as a just a normal basketball game on December 15. Brenham was leading Rudder 66-46 with 4:04 left in the game. One of the Rudder players committed a flagrant foul on a Brenham player, and a riot scene ensued with not only players leaving the bench, but fans coming out of the stands. One Brenham player was hospitalized with a concussion due to the event. In response, Brenham ISD announced that they were implementing additional measures for future games including an increased presence of police and administrators, a barrier being constructed to keep fans from going onto the court, and a zero tolerance policy for disruptive, abusive, and derogatory behavior.

BLINN BASEBALL MAKES THE NJCAA WORLD SERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NINE YEARS

New Blinn Baseball Coach Dusty Hart made his first season at the helm of the Buccaneers a memorable one. The Buccaneers won the Region XIV South Zone Championship for the first since 2001. With the new format, they hosted and won both the Regional and Super Regional Tournaments. Blinn would go on to play in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado for the first time since 2014. The Bucs finished the season with a record of 46-15. On a recent edition of the Brenham Sportsline, when asked about the upcoming 2024 season, Coach Hart said he thinks they can be even better.

SEALY JUNIOR GIRLS SOFTBALL PLAYS IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

It was an incredible summer run for the Sealy Junior Girls Softball Team. They won the District 13 Championship, the Section 1 Championship, the Texas East State Championship, and the U.S. Southwest Regional Championship. Sealy went through all four of those tournaments undefeated. The Junior Girls became the first team from the Greater Sealy Little League to ever make it to the Little League World Series. The Junior Girls LLWS was held in Kirkland, Washington. Sealy went 4-2 against the best in the in the U.S. and the best in the world.

GLEN WEST INDUCTED INTO TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSOCIATION HALL OF HONOR

The winningest coach in Brenham Cub Football history took his place among the elite. During their annual convention in Houston, Coach Glen West was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor. West was a head coach for 26 years, with the last 20 being at Brenham High School. During his time in Brenham, West compiled a record of 185-61. His teams won 11 district championships, and made the playoffs in 18 of those 20 seasons. West is also the only coach to take Brenham to the State Title Game, and he did that three times (2002, 2009, and 2013).

JAKOBY DIXON'S BREAKOUT FRESHMAN SEASON

While it wasn't the season that the Brenham Cubs wanted, there is a lot of reason for optimism going into 2024. A big reason for that is Freshman RB Jakoby Dixon, who took the district by storm. Though not originally scheduled to be the starter, it didn't take him long to win the job. Dixon would go on to lead the Cubs with 133 carries for 1,181 yards and 14 touchdowns. He would also have 34 catches for 502 yards and five touchdowns. Dixon even threw a 48-yard touchdown pass during one of the games. Those stats earned the first of what we're sure will be multiple District Offensive MVP Awards.

BRENHAM CUBETTE SOFTBALL UPSETS LAKE BELTON IN THE BI-DISTRICT ROUND

The Brenham Cubettes sent shockwaves throughout the state by taking two out of three games against Lake Belton in their bi-district series. On paper, Lake Belton was supposed to win the series easily. They were #9 in the state, District Champions, outscored their opponents 206-8, had a shortstop with 20 home runs, and two pitchers that each averaged giving up less an a run per game. Brenham finished tied for third, and lost a one game playoff, so they were going in as a #4 seed. After Lake Belton took the first game 3-0, all looked lost, but the Cubettes bounced back to win the second game 3-0, and force a deciding game. In that third game, Brenham got a solo homer from Sarah Mabie and an RBI single from McKenzie Tiemann to take a 2-0 lead. That would be all Della Jasinski would need as she pitched an incredible seven shutout innings, allowing only three hits, and striking out seven.

BELLVILLE VOLLEYBALL COACH SUSAN BREWER WINS HER 1,200TH CAREER MATCH

She is a legend in the world of Texas High School Volleyball, and seems to have no plans to slow down anytime soon. Back in September, Bellville Brahmanette Volleyball Head Coach Susan Brewer reached yet another milestone as she won her 1,200th career match in a 3-2 victory over East Bernard. Brewer has been with the Bellville High School Volleyball program since it began in 1977. She has led the Brahmanettes to multiple appearances at the state tournament, and multiple state titles. Brewer was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 2022.

BURTON FOOTBALL SPENDS ANOTHER SEASON ON THE ROAD

The past two seasons have not been easy for the Burton Panther Football Team. After voters passed a school bond election in November 2021, the Panthers were going to finally get a much needed new stadium. They did have to spend the 2022 season on the road with "home" games being played in Snook and Giddings. Unfortunately, due to delays, and other issues, the stadium did not open in time for the 2023 season either, and so the Panthers had to spend a second year on the road. Coach Jason Hodde told KWHI that to their credit none of the players ever complained about it. They just went out and did what they were asked. After making some changes, the project looks to be back on track, and here is hoping that the new stadium will be ready in nine months for the 2024 opener.