A.D. Ibarra

-San Antonio, TX

A whirlwind of emotions overcame our sister city of Brackettville over the weekend as the community is reeling over the sudden deaths of a prominent family of five, four of which were killed instantly by a tractor trailer which was driving the wrong way on a busy Alamo City thoroughfare.

The accident occurred around midnight on Highway 90 in San Antonio when the family were on their way back home after a One-Act Play competition in which Madison and Marley Koontz participated and won the Area 4 competition with their production of "Radium Gris" which was the winning production this year in District 28-A.

Their brother Zach was the only one to survive the horrendous crash which left their vehicle, a Ford Expedition, virtually unrecognizable.  The young man is reportedly recovering from his injuries and is in stable condition in a San Antonio hospital. 

Both Madison and Marley are being remembered by friends and fellow classmates as outgoing, kind girls who were active in school programs.

Congressman Pete Gallego (TX-23) issued the following statement in regards to the tragic death of the Koontz family.

“I join the entire Brackettville community in mourning the senseless death of the Koontz family- Ken Koontz, his wife Melissa and their two young daughters Marley and Madison who still had their whole lives ahead of them. 

My thoughts and prayers are with their extended families and all of those who feel the pain of their loss. No one feels the pain more than their son, Zack - who although survived this horrific accident- will forever live with the agony of losing his family. He is foremost in my mind and in my prayers.

The Koontz family was headed back home to Brackettville from a one-act play competition in San Antonio. Many of us can relate because we routinely follow our kids to all of their events. And, many of us routinely drive along Highway 90.

However, their lives were senselessly ended when their vehicle was hit by a drunk driver.  The tragedy teaches us that any day can be our last, but that time came much too soon for the Koontz family.

More than just in Brackettville, I know that our entire region - and legions of parents across the state, mourns their loss.”

The girls' parents, Melissa and Kenneth Koontz also perished in the accident and are being remembered right now as exemplary parents.

“They were superb parents,” Brackett ISD Superintendent Taylor Stephenson said. “They lived the Christian ethic and their kids modeled it for the other kids and for the community.”

Grief counselors will be at Brackett High School Monday. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

(Longhorns’ hurler has been a pro for past two years)

By Rey Sifuentes Jr.

     A possible second violation, within the span of two years, by Laredo United High School’s baseball program (currently ranked in the state’s top five and leading District 29-5A at 8-0) could force the ball club to forfeit all of its wins for that period – while also moving Eagle Pass High School to first place in the conference.

     A story published two years ago by El Manana (out of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico) claimed that current Longhorns pitcher Julio Rodriguez Solis had signed a contract with the Diablos Rojos professional baseball team (out of Mexico City) after having tried out for the organization back in 2011.  

     “Supposedly they signed him back in 2011,” Eagle Pass Head Baseball Coach Reynol Mendoza said on Thursday. “So he should be ineligible to play high school baseball right now if that is true. He can play any other amateur sport in high school but not baseball.”

     Solis, back then, was already throwing at 85 miles per hour as a 16-year old and was to have begun training at the baseball academy in Oaxaca.

     Solis is also quoted in the El Manana story as having played professionally since he was 10. 

     If indeed deemed as a pro ball player, Solis would not have been eligible to play high school baseball for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

     C.C. Winn High School Principal Jesus Diaz-Wever (who is the District 29-5A chairperson) said on Friday that he was still in the process of getting in contact with Laredo United’s principal to discuss the matter before any further action was to be taken.

     Against the Eagles, Solis has only pitched a single inning this season, during the Border Olympics tournament held in Laredo in February.

     EPHS and LUHS were scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. on Friday – with the Eagles in second placed in 29-5A behind the Longhorns.  

     The Longhorns could end up forfeiting several games for the past two baseball campaigns if Solis is in fact declared ineligible because of his supposed professional status.

     “They (Laredo United) would have to forfeit all of the games in which he was on their U.I.L. eligibility roster,” Mendoza said. “When a player is on that list, the team is saying that he is eligible to play. So any ineligible player on that list would cause his team to forfeit those games.”

     This would not be the first time that Laredo United’s baseball team has been penalized. During the 2011 season, the Longhorns (who were leading 29-5A) had to forfeit about 10 wins.

     “It happened to United two years ago when they had a player who was ineligible because he was not taking enough hours during the school day to be eligible,” Mendoza said.  

     Pushed down to last place after that forfeiture, United then won fourteen consecutive games (including an area playoff) before being eliminated at the Region IV quarterfinals by C.C. Winn.

     (Rey Sifuentes Jr. is the sports editor of the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune which is located in East Texas. He is also a 1992 graduate of Eagle Pass High School. Sifuentes can be reached on Facebook and at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also follow him through Twitter at @sportspirate.)

A.D. Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

The long-awaited clash between your Eagle Pass Eagles and the Laredo United Longhorns took place on Friday night in the afternoon heat of the EPISD Baseball Complex and the pitching matchup left nothing to be desired as Senior Sensation Devon Torres was on the hill against none other than Julio Rodriguez Solis the ace for the Longhorn squad.