Photo Gallery

In what is being described as a “hailpack,” portions of Austin County suffered some severe weather last Friday that caused car, tree and structure damage in the area. The hail was reportedly so heavy and large that it covered the ground for a half hour after the storm had passed through the Bellville area.

Brazos B.U.D.S. had a long week at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. The group had students compete in Texas Tables, Rodeo Cup and Container Plants. The highlight of the day was Sophia Vykukal with Reserve Champion Rodeo Cup.Texas Tables: Sophia Vykukal, Rylea Roecker, Trinity Melnar. Rodeo Cup: Sophia Vykukal, Rylea Roecker, Trinity Melnar, Maggie Richardson, Ashlyn Kloesel (not pictured), Bayleigh Marek, and Gracie Bertrand. Container Plants Gracie Bertrand. 

The Sealy track and field girls and boys kicked off their track and field season by participating in the Boling Bulldog Relays Track and Field meet last Thursday.

Sealy looked strong in some events as the Tigers appear ready to challenge for state berths once again this year.

Sealy will travel to Yoakum Thursday to participate in the Tom Tom Relays before hosting a home meet March 7 in Sealy. 

The Brazos FFA and Agricultural Science teams competed at the Bell County Youth Fair last week. The following are the placings from the teams: Vet Science 2nd Place (Cheyenne Michalsky, Denise Hauer, Kady Schneider and Elliot Harnage), Cheyenne Michalsky 2nd High Individual; Wool Judging 3rd Place (Sophia Vykukal, Jackson Vykukal, Maggie Richardson, Blair Warren, and McKenna Stroud), Sophia, 3rd High Individual, Jackson Vykukal 4th High Individual; Livestock Judging (Saley Speckmaier, Ariel Chaney, Jeffrey Offord and Reid Warr).

Sealy Head Girls Soccer Coach Danielle Eschenburg motivates the girls at halftime against Bellville. The Lady Tigers will be hoping to see the stands packed as they face the Navasota Rattlers at home this Friday, Feb. 9.

Bellville High School’s Rebecca Aschenbeck and her classes conducted the catalase enzyme lab last week. 

The Sealy Lady Tigers secured their first piece of silverware this season after edging out the Cypress Park Tigers 1-0 in the Battle of Bernard Tournament Championship game Jan. 13 Sealy came into Saturday’s game against Cypress Park on a hot four game winning streak, having scored 15 goals and conceded only one on route to the final.

The Sealy girl’s softball all-stars took center stage in the community with their run to the Softball World Series to begin the second half of sports in Austin County. The month was concluded as the Bellville Brahmas made a run all the way to the Class 4A Division II state championship game in Arlington where the Brahmas fell short to Gilmer 28-26.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on a look back at the bigger stories of 2023 as reported by The Sealy News. The first half of 2023 started with a bit of national controversy with an incident at Lindemann’s grocery story brought attention to Austin County. But with most small towns, football remains a top priority and when Sealy’s Shane Mobley announced he was leaving the district, the town turned its attention to the hiring process which brought Clint Finley to lead the Tiger football program.