UIL LONE STAR CUP: Mason wins third Class 2A title in four years
In answer to a tiebreaking loss for last year's UIL Lone Star Cup, Mason High School simply dominated the 2021-2022 school year to score a school and classification record 86 points and win its third Cup title.
While the title does not become final until July 1 to allow for any potential corrections, the final update to the Cup standings was posted Friday on the UIL website.
The Lone Star Cup is awarded annually to six high schools, one in each of the six UIL classifications (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A), based on their team performance in district and state championships. The winning schools in each classification receive a trophy and a $1,000 scholarship to honor the best overall athletic and academic programs in Texas.
Mason's unofficial news Friday means the school has won its third Cup in the last five years, although the competition was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so it's technically three of the last four competitions.
Mason's previous best was 72 points in its second Cup win in 2019.
Shiner had more state championships than Mason did in 2021, and therefore claimed the title after the two schools battled to a tie with 71 points apiece.
In 2018, Mason scored 70 points to win its first Cup.
Mason eliminated worries of a tiebreaker this year by winning three state championships. No other school had more than one state title.
Mason won state championships in tennis, girls golf and One-Act Play.
While the work that went into Mason's domination started before the school year began, Mason principal Kade Burns said the final weeks of competition provided a flurry of points that boosted Mason to the title.
"In the last three weeks, we had three state championships and scored 49 points," said Burns, who coached the state-champion girls golf team.
"We prepare for it from the first day of school, and you don't win it in the fall. It's a marathon."
Another aspect to Mason's dominance is the number of participants who compete along multiple sports and seasons. A three-sport athlete participates in One-Act Play. The debate team member is also on the golf team.
The students at Mason are "well-rounded" and "it makes them marketable when they go out into the world and take a part of Mason with them," Burns said.
Mason academics brought the most points to the table. The Mason students finished runner-up at the state meet and were also awarded points for a district championship. The five points won for a state championship in Congress is included in the total of 17 points.
One-Act Play scored 12 points for a state berth and a state title. Tennis and girls golf each scored 10 points for their state titles. Girls basketball, with a regional tournament appearance and district championship, also scored 10 points.
Baseball scored eight points while softball provided four points.
Spirit -- or cheer -- was second in the state team standings for five points.
Football, with a district championship, provided four points. Girls track and field, which finished fourth at state in the team standings, also had four points. Boys basketball had two points for a playoff berth.
Other West Texas highlights
► Wall scored 51 points to finish in 13th in Class 3A
Wall, which won the 2017 Lone Star Cup, got a big boost from tennis and girls golf, which each won state titles and 10 points apiece.
Baseball provided eight points while boys basketball finished with six points. Both won district titles.
Wall scored four points in marching band, volleyball and girls basketball. Football and softball both scored two points while Wall got a point from robotics competition.
► Christoval scored 43 points to tie with Falls City for 13th in Class 2A
While Christoval finished lower than its 10th-place finish last year, the school had more total points. The school’s previous best was 41.
Boys basketball led the way, winning a district title and advancing to the regional finals for a total of 12 points.
One-Act Play added 10 points while girls cross country scored 8.
Football, girls basketball and baseball each scored four points while Spirit contributed one point.
► Coleman finished 18th with 39 points in Class 2A
Football and boys basketball led the way for Coleman, each adding eight points. Baseball contributed six points.
Volleyball, girls basketball and softball each scored four points while Coleman also scored four for a district academics title along with one point for Spirit.
► Irion County scored 38 points for 13th place in Class 1A
It's Irion County's highest total since moving down into Class 1A (2018). The tie for 13th place is also the school’s highest finish. The previous best was 36 points for an 18th-place finish in 2021.
Irion County got 14 points from the boys basketball team, which won a district championship and five playoff games.
Marching band contributed 10 points. Girls basketball and girls track and field each scored six points while football contributed two points.
► Veribest scored 34 points for 18th in Class 1A
Veribest got most of its points from the girls athletic program.
The volleyball team got 12 points for advancing to the state tournament. The girls basketball team provided eight points while the girls golf team advanced to state to claim eight points.
Veribest also got four points for a district academic meet win and two points for boys basketball.
► Sterling City was 24th with 31 1/3 points in Class 1A
Girls basketball also led the way for Sterling City, contributing eight points.
Football and boys golf each had six points.
Sterling City got four points each for volleyball and boys basketball while tennis finished with 3 1/3 points.
Amy McDaniel is a multimedia sports journalist. Send news tips to amy.mcdaniel@gosanangelo.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: UIL LONE STAR CUP: Mason wins third Class 2A title in four years
