This article is a part of the 2020 SMDR Year in Review series.
In a year that saw multiple sports get shut down early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many accomplishments were still achieved. Here are some of the Daily Record’s top sports moments from 2020:
Nijal Pearson breaks the Texas State all-time scoring record
One of, if not the best player in Texas State men’s basketball history found himself on the verge of competing for his first Sun Belt championship before the pandemic struck the team mid-conference tournament. Although the tourney fell through, Pearson did have a chance to make history while in a Bobcat uniform.
With just under three minutes left in a road game against Louisiana on , Pearson watched what would be his 1,884th career point fall on a floater. After all the extra hours that he put into his craft, the bucket represented his mark as the all-time leading scorer in Texas State history.
“It means everything to me. You know, it's big time,” Pearson said. “It's just so — like, from where I came from to where I'm at now, it's been an amazing journey, it's been a fun journey, it's been full of ups and downs. And I'm not finished. I'm still working hard, still going hard. But I mean, it means a lot, you know, just say I made something of myself, I made a name for myself. It just means the world to me.”
Melvin Molina scores 4 goals against New Braunfels Canyon
It was a much-needed impact performance from Molina in district play to keep the team in a tie for second place with San Marcos’ league foe New Braunfels Canyon on Feb. 14.
The junior forward scored early in the first half but the team was shutout until intermission. Again, Molina let off a powerful kick from far that found the back of the net. All game head coach Lisa Mazur had been trying to get the Rattlers to get the ball behind the defense to its scoring forward and the Rattlers finally cashed in.
Trailing 3-2, the team found the scoring forward once again after executing the game plan. He continued his dominance by scoring his fourth goal in a 4-4 tie with the Cougars. It was the second time he’d scored four goals during the 2019-20 season.
Isaiah DeLeon, Kannon Webb connect for game-winning Hail Mary over Lockhart
Webb came into his high school career wanting to be deemed the next Johnny Manziel. That quarterback threw a lot of game-winners but the senior defensive back instead accomplished something his dream player never did: catching one.
San Marcos found itself down 25-20 to Lockhart with two seconds left on the clock on Oct. 2. A field goal wasn’t an option. Sophomore quarterback Isaiah launched it down the field from the Lions’ 38-yard line and as the buzzer sounded, Webb came up with the biggest catch of his career in the first win of the season for San Marcos, 26-25.
“I lined up, I prayed to God,” Kannon said. “I said ‘God, please let me catch this ball.’ All the glory goes to him, that’s a helluva game … I came up, pinned it against my chest, brought it down. Then I was just thinking ‘Hold on, hold on, hold on.’ Then from there, it was just a blur.”
San Marcos Volleyball upsets No. 1 seed Austin Vandegrift in the 6A UIL Playoffs
It’s just the beginning of the Jared Te’o era as he took over the volleyball program at San Marcos. At the beginning of the season, he told his girls the goal was to make it to the playoffs. His team exceeded expectations.
The Lady Rattlers entered their first playoff birth since 2017 as a No. 4 seed, going up against District 25-6A champion Austin Vandegrift on Nov. 20. After losing the first set, the team bonded together to take the 3-1 win, the program’s first playoff victory since 2001.
Te’o came out of the locker room following the win by saying “ a headache never felt so good.”
Texas State Volleyball three-peats
One of the rarest things sports fans get to see is their team three-peat. Texas State fans took part in that rarity when the volleyball team traveled to Foley, Alabama, and defeated No. 12 Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt tournament championship round to claim its third consecutive title. For three consecutive years, the Bobcats have owned the conference and will continue to hold the crown until someone can stop them.
Coming off an awakening loss to UT Arlington in the regular season finale, Texas State turned its attention toward the post-season where they only dropped three sets in four matches.
It wasn’t an easy route at all, especially in a year like this. The team lost impact players from last year’s roster, such as Micha Dinwiddie and Cheyenne Huskey, long-time assistant Sean Huiet was promoted to head coach and the pandemic took a chunk out of the Bobcats’ spring training. Tyrenne Scott made up for lost production with a career-high 18 kills and 8 blocks in the championship and was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Three consecutive tourney wins earns the team yet another automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, taking place in April.
