Lamar Cardinals hold on for 38-35 win over UIW

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

BEAUMONT, TEXAS (October 10, 2026) The Lamar Cardinals held on for a thrilling 38-35 victory over the Incarnate Word Cardinals on Saturday at Provost Umphrey Stadium, extending its winning streak to four games and remaining undefeated in Southland Conference play.

The 10th-ranked Cardinals improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in league action after weathering a late surge from their San Antonio rivals.

Junior running back Jojo Uga (shown above, No. 0) powered the offense with a career-high 144 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Lamar piled up 275 yards on the ground and finished with 398 total yards in the hard-fought win.

The Cardinals seized control early, racing to a 24-7 first-half lead behind Uga’s scoring runs of 25, 57 and 4 yards. UIW answered with a touchdown in the final 11 seconds before intermission to trim the deficit to 24-14.

Lamar struck quickly after the break when Parker Jenkins broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run, stretching the advantage to 31-14. The Cardinals answered a subsequent 74-yard UIW touchdown pass later in the third quarter, then pushed the lead to 38-21 early in the fourth on a 3-yard scoring toss from Aiden McCown to Davin Driskell.

UIW refused to go away, scoring twice more to pull within three points with just over five minutes remaining. Lamar’s defense rose to the occasion, denying the Cardinals’ rivals a go-ahead score and forcing a turnover on downs. With 1:11 left, the Cardinals leaned on their ground game to run out the clock and seal the victory.

Lamar will aim to keep its streak alive next Saturday when it travels to Hammond, Louisiana, to face Southeastern Louisiana.

North Shore comes from behind to top Summer Creek

North Shore senior RB Kaden Brandley dives for the
end zone for a touchdown.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loco Photography
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 9, 2026)  The North Shore Mustangs reminded everyone why they’re the defending Class 6A Division I state champions Friday night, roaring back from a 14-point hole to edge the Summer Creek Bulldogs 28-27 in a District 17-6A district matchup at Turner Stadium.

The No. 3-ranked Mustangs improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in district, stretching their winning streak to 13 games while exacting a measure of revenge for last season’s 27-0 regular-season finale loss to the Bulldogs.

For much of the night, though, it looked like Summer Creek was ready to pull off the upset. The Bulldogs seized control early when defensive back Caleb White scooped up a missed field goal and raced 107 yards the other way for a touchdown. White added an interception later, and Summer Creek’s defense kept the high-powered Mustangs offense in check long enough to build a 21-7 third-quarter lead.

North Shore refused to fold. Quarterback Javoris Taylor started the rally with a pair of touchdown strikes, while the Mustang ground game finally found traction. The comeback reached its peak with just 1:20 remaining when running back punched in a 5-yard touchdown to make it 26-21. Amari Louisville then converted the two-point try, giving North Shore a 28-21 advantage.

Summer Creek wasn’t done. White returned the ensuing kickoff 64 yards, setting up Braylin Causey’s touchdown on the very next play to pull the Bulldogs within one. But North Shore’s special teams answered the call, blocking the extra-point attempt and recovering the subsequent onside kick to seal the dramatic victory.

The Bulldogs drop to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in district play.

Pasadena volleyball tops Texas City 3-2 in UIL district play

Story and photo by Chris Price

Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (October 9, 2026) The Pasadena High School volleyball teams swept a three-level match on Thursday evening, downing the Texas City Stingarees in freshmen, junior varsity and varsity action. The matches were held at Barfield Gymnasium on the campus of Pasadena High School.

The varsity tallied a 3-2 win over Texas City, the match coming down to a crucial fifth set. The Lady Eagles won the first, fourth, and fifth sets to take the match by the scores of 25-18, 22-25, 18-25, 25-12 and 15-13.

At the junior varsity level, Pasadena topped Texas City 25-13, 25-15. The freshmen squad added to the trifecta with a 2-0 win (25-12, 25-13).

Submitted photo.

Earlier in the season, the Lady Eagles varsity faced Texas City twice and split the matches. On August 29, Pasadena won 2-0 (25-22, 26-24) in the Dobie Longhorns tournament. Five days later (September 4), Texas City came out on top in both teams first district matchup 3-1 (22-25, 14-25, 25-22, 23-25).

Prior to the varsity match, senior middle blocker Kirstin Kelly (shown left with Pasadena HS head volleyball coach Carmen Martinez) was honored for being the second Pasadena volleyball player in school history to achieve the century mark (100-plus) in career blocks.