SportzBuzz Jr.: Tully Bowl 2023

Welcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

Congratulations to the teams that participated in the 2023 Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association football season, and to the teams that made it to the Tully Bowl Championship games. The Tully Bowl welcomes players, fans, families, alumni, and members of the community to witness an exciting end to the football season. We have included some highlights below from the 2023 Tully Bowl. To watch highlights from all the games, from freshman flag up to varsity tackle, see youtube.com/@sbmsa-football.

Hook ’em

The Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association Sophomore Tackle Longhorns, comprised mainly of fourth graders from Rummel Creek Elementary, made it out on top at the Tully Bowl. The team finished the regular season in first place and won their playoff games to advance to the championship against the Bunker Hill Lions. After a defensive struggle in the first half, the Longhorns took control in the second half with big plays on offense and timely defensive stops to earn a 31-18 win. Pictured (front row, from left) are Harris Rondon, Benjamin Canfield, Campbell Stephens, Gray Casey, Matthew Foss, Hayes Brown, Decker Humiston, Jaxon Rudolph; (middle row, from left) Connor Oatman, Jacob Bagley, Alec Ferrandino, Brooks Vanderslice, Connor Pisklak, Austin Reichenau, Henry Geggatt; (back row, from left) coach Marc Ferrandino, coach David Stephens, coach Todd Foss, coach Chris Geggatt, and coach Justin Reichenau.

Sundays are for the Saints

It was a season of growth for the Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association Freshman Flag Football Saints, which ended with the team making it to the 2023 Tully Bowl to play the Freshman Flag Oilers. The road to Tully was paved with a lot of hard work, patience, and determination from the coaches. Both the coaches and parents are proud of the young boys who learned the fundamentals of football. While they did not achieve victory on the field at Tully, they came out with smiles. Pictured are (back row, from left) coaches Coleby Weinstock, Bret Stanley, Joe Peterka, Jeff Smith, Colton Candler; (middle row, from left) players Remi Murray, Brooks Magee, Cullen Weinstock, Walker Stanley, Lincoln Peterka, Grady Higgins, Whit Smith, John Gassett, Ben Candler; (front row, from left) Cade Luton, Cade Rector, Jonathan Cropper, and Paul Lambuth. 

Oilers win

Congratulations to the Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association Freshman Tackle Oilers, who achieved a 10-0 season and an exciting victory at the 2023 Tully Bowl. The team was made up of second and third-grade boys from Hunters Creek Elementary, Western Academy, and St. Francis Episcopal Day School. The coaches brought some pump-up tunes for the boys with their custom Bumpboxx music speaker to their practices and warm-ups, which they called a musical motivator. It played an upbeat mix of old and new tunes that pumped the team up before their games. The Oilers' season was marked by hard work and a lot of determination. Pictured (back row, from left) are coaches Les Werme, Jeff Zarr, Mike Burney, Elliott Bridger, William Peeples; (players, middle row, from left) Jack McConn, Zechariah Gadson, Hudson Drake, Russell Werme, Cooper Zarr, Maximus Menger, William Bridger, Austin Orr, James Peeples, Brandon Youssef; (front row, kneeling, from left) Kai Cushing and Will Caldarera. 

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at [email protected]. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.