SAN ANTONIO – From San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich suffering a mild stroke to the Boerne All-Star baseball team making a run in the Little League World Series, San Antonio has seen many notable sports stories throughout 2024.
Below are some of San Antonio’s top sports headlines from 2024, selected by the KSAT 12 Sports team.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sidelined after suffering a mild stroke
On Saturday, Nov. 2, Popovich missed the Spurs home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness. Two days later, the Spurs announced that Pop would not travel with the team to Los Angeles and Houston.
Then, on Nov. 13, the Spurs announced that Popovich suffered a mild stroke. The episode occurred on Nov. 2 at the Frost Bank Center. The team said Popovich has already started a rehabilitation program and is expected to fully recover.
>> ‘Forever grateful’: Spurs' Gregg Popovich thanks community for support after stroke diagnosis
A timeline for his return to the sidelines has not been determined. Spurs general manager Brian Wright met with the media on Nov. 13 to discuss Pop’s status, and he said in part, “When we walk into the building each and every day, we feel that leadership. We feel that presence. And so not having him (Popovich), there’s clearly a void. And we miss him.”
The 75-year-old Popovich is the NBA’s all-time win leader who has led the Spurs to five NBA championships. Pop has been part of the Spurs organization for nearly 35 years. Mitch Johnson is serving as the Spurs acting head coach.
The Spurs strike gold again in the 2024 NBA Draft with Stephon Castle
In the 2023 NBA Draft, the Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick. He went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year. In the 2024 NBA Draft the Silver and Black selected point guard Stephon Castle with the fourth overall selection, and he’s already paying dividends.
Due to injuries early in the season, Castle was inserted into the starting lineup, and he’s done nothing but shine. Yes, he has newcomer moments on the court, but he plays more like a seasoned veteran.
From the coaching staff to the players, they all have high praise for the 20-year-old guard, as does Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James.
Following the Lakers’ 120-155 road win at San Antonio on Nov. 15, James said, “Keep going, keep going, man. He’s going to be special. He’s going to be special, man.”
San Antonio area high school basketball players get to shine on KSAT 12
San Antonio Sports teamed up with KSAT 12 to deliver the inaugural San Antonio Sports High School All-Star Basketball Game.
The event featured 120 top local high school seniors in a competition of Team Black vs. Team Gold in two divisions: 1A–4A schools plus private schools and 5A/6A schools. This was the first high school All-Star event of its kind for female student-athletes in San Antonio.
The day also featured an All-Star skills challenge and a three-point shooting contest. Approximately two months before the games, the student-athletes selected for the All-Star game took part in media day at the Alamodome, where every player was interviewed by the KSAT 12 Sports team of Larry Ramirez, Mary Rominger and Nick Mantas.
The first year was such a success. We’re going to do it all again in 2025.
Boerne Champion star distance runner Elizabeth Leachman caps off historic sophomore season at Olympic Trails
At only 16 years old, Boerne Champion’s Elizabeth Leachman solidified herself as a distance-running prodigy.
Leachman sent shock waves throughout the track and field world when she became the holder of several national high school records — including the 5,000-meter indoor and outdoor records.
A couple of months later, Leachman snuck into the top 30 runners that would receive an invite to compete at the 2024 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Leachman was the only high schooler in the field.
Leachman ran in the second of two heats against the best long-distance runners in the country. Battling through a hamstring injury, Leachman finished 13th out of 15 runners with a time of 16:36.67 — which was short of a qualifying time.
“You work all season to get to that point, and of course, it would be great to perform at your highest level once you’re on those bigger stages but to even get there was a great opportunity for me,” Leachman said. “I’m super grateful to be a part of it.”
The sophomore also won two gold medals at the Class 5A state track and field meet in the 3,200 meters with a record-setting time of 10:11.40 and the 1,600 meters where she ran a 4:41.36.
Boerne Little League team goes on spectacular run in LLWS to reach U.S. Championship
This summer, the state of Texas found themselves rooting for the quaint town of Boerne when the Boerne All-Stars went on a dominant run in the Little League World Series.
Boerne worked its way out of Texas to represent the Southwest region in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the first time ever.
Behind its highly talented roster, the All-Stars would go undefeated on its way to the U.S. title game, where they would fall short in a thriller 10-7 to Florida (Lake Mary’s).
“On this worldwide stage, I just want to do good because this is Boerne’s first time ever making it to Williamsport — they have not made it past state — so it just motivates all of us to win it for Boerne,” said Boerne pitcher and outfielder Kaleb Christ before playing in the U.S. title game.
Boerne would return home with a fourth-place finish after a loss to Venezuela.
Frank Harris era comes to end after the longtime UTSA quarterback helped bring program to national prominence
The best quarterback in UTSA football history, Frank Harris, put a bow on a decorated football career.
Harris exercised the length of his NCAA eligibility while stretched across a seven-year span. Entering his final year of eligibility, Harris was the highest-rated player in Texas — ranked No. 32 in ESPN’s top 100 college football players.
The Clemens High School alum set 38 school records during his playing career at UTSA. Harris sat out the 2017 and 2018 seasons due to a pair of ACL tears and missed all but four games of 2019 due to a shoulder injury but still managed to throw for 11,862 yards with 92 touchdowns and 31 interceptions over his career.
Harris also had 2,145 rushing yards with 28 scores while amounting to a 39-13 total record as a starter.
Due to years of battling injuries, Harris announced in January he would forgo an attempt at playing at the professional level.
Harris later announced his new career endeavor as the Vice President of City Fans 210, an NIL fundraising organization that seeks to raise financial support for UTSA athletes with a focus on college football.
San Antonio FC reloads but cannot find season success
There were a lot of new players who joined San Antonio FC in 2024. Defender Mitchell Taintor led the new squad with his USL championship experience. However, San Antonio FC was plagued with injuries all season.
They also didn’t have players in their lineup during the summer due to commitments to play for home countries during the Copa America tournament. With some many players out all season long, SAFC failed to find any real rhythm. The team finished the season with a 10-15-9 record and was eliminated from playoff contention a week before the end of the regular season.
The lack of success led to a parting of ways between the team and head coach Alan Marcina, who has been San Antonio’s head coach since 2019. Carlos Llamosa will take the team’s reins, the team announced Monday.
>> San Antonio FC names new head coach ahead of 10th-anniversary season
San Antonio’s boxing stars take center stage
The top two boxers from San Antonio had a very eventful 2024. The undefeated Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez fought twice this year. He knocked out Juan Francisco Estrada on June 29 in Phoenix, Arizona, winning Estrada’s WBC World Super Flyweight title.
On Nov. 9 in Philadelphia, Rodriguez defended his title successfully against Pedro Guevara, winning by technical knockout in the third round. “Bam” is currently in the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Southwest High School alum Mario “El Azteca” Barrios fought twice this year as well. Barrios started the year with a fight in May against Fabian Maidana, the younger brother of legendary boxer Marcos Maidana. “El Azteca” won that fight by unanimous decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and held on to his WBC Interim World Welterweight title.
After that, Barrios was rumored to be the next opponent to boxing great Manny Pacquiao, who wanted one last chance to fight and win another title. However, an agreement could never be reached between the two camps, and Barrios was forced to find another opponent for his final fight of the year.
Before that fight could happen, Barrios was elevated to full WBC Welterweight champion when Terence Crawford chose to move up and compete in a different weight class.
On Nov. 15, Barrios faced Abel Ramos on the undercard of the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul Netflix fight at AT&T Stadium. Barrios started off strong, and both boxers were knocked to the canvas before fighting the rest of the way in a close bout. In the end, the fight was ruled a split decision draw, and Barrios retained his WBC title.
New stadiums downtown?
Sports fans in San Antonio have no shortage of concerns when it comes to the stadiums that currently stand, and the teams that play there have many concerns as well. When it comes down to it, the Missions ballclub needs a new home to play in to meet Major League Baseball’s standards.
A proposed plan to move the Missions from Nelson Wolff Stadium to downtown along San Pedro Creek was revealed in September. The plan comes in four stages and the $160 million dollar stadium would be smaller than the current home.
The proposed site, which would be on some SAISD property, would force residents of the Soap Factory Apartments to find a new home. The deal is not yet done and the Missions wouldn’t be able to move downtown until 2028.
In late November, the City of San Antonio revealed grand plans for a massive downtown sports and entertainment district, changing parts of the Hemisfair area, the Alamodome and the grounds where the Institute of Texan Cultures building is built.
>> What will the expansion of San Antonio’s downtown convention center look like?
The plans include a new arena for the Spurs, a land bridge over I-37, a hotel, expanding the convention center, and much more. Like the Missions new ballpark, no deal is finalized and this project could take as long as 15 years to see completion.
OLLU Softball wins NAIA National Championship, first national title in school history
Having success in the Our Lady of the Lady University’s softball program isn’t anything new. But this past season, the Saints made history by winning not only the first softball national championship but the first national title the school has ever seen.
Starting back on Feb. 9, the Saints won 45 straight games, only losing twice in the playoffs to LSU Alexandria. However, those losses sparked a defensive fire in the program, and the Saints went on a tear thanks in big part to starting pitcher Cassandra Valdez.
Valdez shut out six of their next seven opponents in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) playoffs, only allowing three runs and finishing with 58 strikeouts in those seven straight wins, leading to a NAIA National Championship.
Valdez finished her senior season with 30 wins and only one loss on the mound, 286 total strikeouts, and an Earned Runs Average (ERA) of (0.53). During the celebratory rally back on campus after winning the national championship, Valdez shared her thoughts on their run through the playoffs.
“I mean, I think we definitely felt that it was possible because we just knew our potential,” Valdez said. “This team was so special, and so we went in confident and ready to perform, and everything just went our way and not just by coincidence but because we’re just that good.”
The Saints finished the season with a final record of 57 wins and only three losses.
>> OLLU Softball celebrates first national championship win in school history
TLU athletics’ incredible year, softball and football both winning conference championships
The Bulldogs' athletic department has been busy in 2024 with multiple historic moments. First, the softball team went on an incredible run through the first months of the year, winning 17 of its first 19 games. From there, the Bulldogs won 11 of their next 12 games heading into their Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament Championship.
The Bulldogs would then outscore their opponents 15-2 in the tournament, winning the SCAC Tournament Championship for the ninth time in the last ten seasons. A big reason for the point differential in most of the Bulldogs’ games was due to the pitching of senior Ashlyn Strother, who finished her final season with 19 wins in the 20 games she started, with 131 total strikeouts and an Earned Runs Average (ERA) of (0.95).
The Bulldogs would make the NCAA Division III Softball National Championship Bracket for the 10th straight season but fell in the regional round to the eventual national champions, East Texas Baptist University.
A few months later, over on the Texas Lutheran football field, a complete turnaround season was underway. The Bulldogs went 2-8 in the 2023 fall season. In 2024, they finished the regular season with a record of 9-1.
To get that ninth win, the Bulldogs overcame a 10-point deficit and beat Southwestern in overtime to clinch a spot in the NCAA Division III football tournament for the first time since 2014. That win also gave the Bulldogs an undefeated home record since opening Bulldogs stadium in 2014.
While at the Bulldogs’ watch party for the NCAA Division III football tournament selection show, head coach Neal LaHue shared what it was like from his perspective to see how excited his players were to see TLU’s name pop up in the bracket.
“They’ve worked very hard, you know, you go back to Aug. 14 when we reported and all the work they’ve put in, you know, week to week, we’ve had a really good season, and the kids have really just played hard all year and have worked hard at it, it started back in January, and we’re about the opportunity,” said LaHue.
The Bulldogs would lose to Linfield in the second round of the NCAA Division III football tournament.
Holy Cross football’s best season in school history
After losing in the state championship game the year before, it’s never easy trying to make it back to that round the very next year. For the Holy Cross High School football team, their mission all season was to get back to the playoffs and get revenge against the team that ended their state title dreams.
Coming into the season the Knights were ranked as the best 11-man private school in the state and they made sure to back up that ranking by going undefeated in the regular season and making it back to the state championship game with an unblemished record, something that’s never been done in school history.
Ahead of their state championship rematch with Dallas Christian, the Knights shared their excitement and pride in making it through the season unbeaten and getting another crack at the Chargers.
“It’ll mean the world to us because we need it, you know?” Holy Cross senior safety Nick Hall said. “We fell short last year, so we need to come back with more power. 13-0 right now. Hopefully, 14-0 on Friday and keep the drive going.”
“Everybody’s been real turned up at practice,” Holy Cross senior quarterback Gibby Alvarado said. “Enjoying our last week of practice together, so it’s just a different feeling. It’s phenomenal.”
“You know, it’s kind of exciting in the sense that you know what they’ve accomplished, and I’m so proud of them, but it’s sad too,” said head coach Mike Harrison. “I mean, we’re gonna have to say bye to 18 seniors. We’re gonna hug their neck and tell them we love them, and we’re gonna play ball, and we’re gonna wish them the best in everything they do.”
Holy Cross would lose in a heartbreaking rematch against Dallas Christian in the TAPPS Division-III State Championship game, 21-18.
