Austin, TX
Texas high school football: Top 10 defensive backs in the Austin area
As the 2024 Texas high school football season draws near, the American-Statesman is ranking the best players by each position group.
High school reporters Rick Cantu and Colby Gordon will start with offensive linemen and end with quarterbacks this week.
OUR TEAM RANKINGS: The 10 best Austin-area teams heading into 2024 season
OUR PLAYER RANKINGS: Top 10 OL | Top 10 DL | Top 10 LBs
ANSWERING KEY QUESTIONS: Which are high school is most likely to win state? Which nonplayoff team from 2023 will get in this year?
Top 10 defensive backs in the Austin area
(Players listed in alphabetical order)
Cam’Ren-Chance Brooks, Lake Travis safety
Helped the Cavs go 11-3 and reach the regional final while earning second-team all-Central Texas honors. A Stephen F. Austin pledge, he also has an offer from Colorado State.
[ Why Lake Travis comes in as the No. 2 team in our preseason area countdown ]
Kaden Cook, Stony Point cornerback
The Cal commit was a unanimous all-district pick last fall and leads an underrated Tigers defense.
Jorian Guinn, Weiss safety
The district defensive newcomer of the year and a second-team all-Central Texas pick recorded 73 tackles and 11 passes defended a year ago. The junior is part of a loaded Wolves secondary.
Aidan Jones, Vandegrift cornerback
Recorded 44 tackles, three interceptions and blocked three punts for the district champion Vipers last year. Voted third-team all-Central Texas as a junior.
No. 5 Vandegrift will rely on defense while revamped offense makes its mark this fall
Eyan Jones, Liberty Hill cornerback
A first-team all-district pick for Glenn, the senior transfer gives the Panthers a lockdown corner who is getting Division I looks.
Payton Luther, Westlake safety
A first-team all-district pick last fall, he returns to help lead a loaded Chaps defense.
Coleman Patmon, Del Valle cornerback
The unanimous first-team all-district pick and third-team all-Central Texas selection paces the Cardinals’ playoff hopes. Patmon, a senior, is committed to Arizona.
Yaheim Reilly, LBJ safety
The district co-defensive MVP was also a third-team all-Central Texas pick. Just a junior, he already has offers from Baylor, Houston and Texas Tech.
3 KEY QUESTIONS: LBJ, No. 6 in our preseason countdown, may be state contender after realignment
Jason Stokes, Weiss cornerback
A lockdown defender, the Utah commit takes away half the field for the Wolves. Combines with Guinn to make up half of the best secondary in the area.
[ The best WR-CB battle in the state doesn’t wait for Fridays. It happens every day on a Weiss practice field ]
Aiden Walker, Round Rock cornerback/safety
A very physical player who is underrated, he was voted first-team all-district and helped the Dragons to the playoffs.
Keep an eye on: CJ Anderson, Connally; Judson Mann, Rouse; Jordan Davis, Travis; KJ Houston, LBJ; Jayden Riley, Bastrop; Jaheim Dowd, Georgetown; Timothy Boyd, Johnson
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Austin, TX
Urgent search for missing Austin mom Brenna Swindell, daughter of former Astro Greg Swindell
![Urgent search for missing Austin mom Brenna Swindell, daughter of former Astro Greg Swindell Urgent search for missing Austin mom Brenna Swindell, daughter of former Astro Greg Swindell](https://res.cloudinary.com/graham-media-group/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/c_thumb,w_700/v1/media/gmg/YYO546JM6VE65I2USJDFA5L63Q.png?_a=DATAfRfiZAA0)
AUSTIN – Authorities in Austin are urgently seeking information on the whereabouts of 29-year-old Brenna Swindell, a single mother of three who has been missing since Thursday, Aug. 22.
Brenna was last seen in Austin, and her family became alarmed when they could no longer reach her and discovered that her phone had been turned off. Adding to the concern, Brenna’s white Kia Carnival, bearing Texas plates VFS7528, is also missing.
It is believed that Brenna may be in the company of her ex-boyfriend, Morgan Guidry. According to a Facebook post by Brenna’s family, sightings of Brenna’s vehicle were reported on I-25 in Colorado on Friday evening, with additional possible sightings in Colorado Springs on Sunday evening.
The Austin Police Department is leading the investigation, and efforts are being made to activate the GPS on Brenna’s vehicle to pinpoint its location. However, challenges remain as both Brenna’s and Morgan’s cell phones are turned off, making it difficult to trace their movements.
Greg Swindell, a Houston native, Texas Longhorn legend, and former Astros player, is actively involved in the search for his daughter Brenna. The family is urging anyone with information to come forward, emphasizing that Brenna would never willingly abandon her children, and they fear she may be in serious danger.
Brenna is described as 5′5″, weighing around 120 pounds, with brown shoulder-length hair often worn in a high ponytail. She has distinctive tattoos, including a sleeve with flowers on one arm and a spider web on her other shoulder.
If you have any information regarding Brenna Swindell or Morgan Guidry, please contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
Austin, TX
One person seriously injured in vehicle-tree collision in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — One person has been taken to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries after a vehicle and tree collision.
Austin-Travis County EMS and Travis County Fire Rescue responded to the call around 4:48 p.m. at FM 1625 Road and FM 1327 Road.
Also:Paddle for Puppies event raises funds for Parvo ICU at Austin Pets Alive!
Austin, TX
Texas Rattlers had ‘extra motivation’ in win over Austin Gamblers following Oleson’s fall
What a difference a year makes.
The Austin Gamblers continued their midseason swoon, losing 174.25-0 to the Texas Rattlers on night two of Gambler Days weekend Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin. Queensland, Australian native Brady Fielder led off by scoring 88 points aboard Miller Time.
“I’m really happy with my ride tonight,” Fielder said. “I got a great bull in Miller Time. I felt like he tried me on. I’m just thankful I got the job done.
“Being in this spot after winning the championship is an unfamiliar spot for us. We just have to come together as a team, and I think we are doing that. We’re getting better and better each time. A win like this can build confidence, I suppose, and make you better heading into the next one.”
It was all the Fort Worth-based Rattlers would need as the Gamblers’ struggles to produce points continued. The Gamblers could not produce a qualified ride in five chances, six when counting Jose Vitor Leme’s re-ride attempt, extending a streak of nine consecutive efforts without points. The Rattlers applied pressure when Claudio Montaha Jr. scored 86.25 points aboard Off The Tracks giving Texas 1 174.25-0 lead with just two riders remaining for the Gamblers.
No. 4 rider Lucas Divino came ever so close to getting the Gamblers on the scoreboard. He appeared to successfully ride Hoobastank, but Rattlers coach Cody Lambert challenged the ride and after review, Divino was found to have slapped the bull with his free hand, resulting in a no score.
“I thought I had a good ride,” Divino said afterward. “I didn’t know that I had touched him. I didn’t feel it.”
Even Leme, the star rider, failed to score for Austin. He was unable to cover aboard Homeboy, then when granted a re-ride the two-time league MVP failed to cover again. The match was billed as a battle for bragging rights in the Lone Star State between the defending league champ Rattlers and the two-time regular season champion Gamblers.
In reality, it was a battle between two struggling teams, each hoping to gain some momentum for a stretch run. The Rattlers may have had extra motivation after a scary injury to rider Brady Oleson.
Oleson a night earlier was thrown from Fast Flow. He was taken from the arena via stretcher and spent the night in a hospital.
“It gives you some extra motivation, I think,” Fielder said. “To see a teammate take a fall like that and come out for tonight’s match a man down, I think that is in the back of your mind a bit. It makes you want to perform all the better.”
The Rattlers improved to 5-8 on the season. The Gamblers, after having won four in a row, dropped their fourth straight and now stand at 6-7 on the year. They will try to rebound Sunday against the Missouri Thunder.
Saturday’s action started off with a matchup between the top two teams in the league. The undefeated Carolina Cowboys, whose streak of 11 games without a loss was a PBR record, were challenged by the second pace Kansas City Outlaws.
It was no contest. The Outlaws dominated and put an end to the Cowboy win streak with a 264.75-89.5 victory.
Qualified rides came from leadoff rider Sandro Batista (88.5 points) atop Shameless and Heitor Goiano (88.25 points) aboard Modified Ride. Carolina answered when Daylon Swearingen earned 89.5 points for covering Mr. Right Now. But Outlaw closer, Cassio Dias — one of the best in the business — put it out of reach with an 88-point ride atop Powerstroke.
Dias would prove to be the star of Saturday, capping the night with a win in the individual shootout (77 points riding Do Dat Eddie). The win moved Kansas City to 9-4 on the year while Carolina remains in first place at 10-1-1.
The Friday night darling New York Mavericks took on fellow expansion team the Oklahoma Wildcatters in the second game of the evening. The Mavericks took the early lead when Leonardo Castro successfully rode Don’t Come Easy for 86 points.
Former Gambler Cort McFadden closed the gap for Oklahoma when he posted a score of 85.75 atop Hunting Trip. But Oklahoma closer Josh Frost came up short, lasting just 7.46 seconds aboard Bandito Bug, clinching the win for the Mavericks.
New York’s closer Mauricio Gulla Moreira then added 88 points by successfully making the eight atop Body Roc for a 174-85.75 victory. The win was the sixth in their last nine games for the Mavericks, who started the year 0-4. They now stand at 6-7. Missouri slides back to 6-7.
The Missouri Thunder bested the Nashville Stampede 174.5-173.5. The two teams started out like gangbusters with three straight qualified rides to begin the game. Cody Jesus (89.50 on Jam Jam) and Alan de Souza (84 points atop Hard Candy) produced the points early for Nashville. Andrew Alvidrez (88.25 points on Whiplash) got the Thunder off to a good start.
Then the bulls took over, bucking six straight riders and putting the game in the hands of Missouri closer Paulo Eduardo Rossetto. Needing 85.5 points for the win, Rossetto came through with a qualified ride aboard Sweet John, good for 86.5 points and the win. Missouri improved to 6-7. The 2022 champion Nashville Stampede fell to 7-7.
Gambler Days weekend concludes Sunday with full slate of games at the Moody Center.
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