It was a great week to be a Montague Eagle as both the football and volleyball teams turned in dominant performances, while the cheerleaders helped kick off the season with an outstanding first pep rally.
The Montague Junior High Eagles opened their football season in spectacular fashion, securing a 40-7 victory over the Forestburg Longhorns. The tone was set on the very first play when Colt Garrett fielded the opening kickoff and ripped through the defense for an explosive 44-yard return, taking the ball all the way to the Forestburg 2-yard line. Moments later, Cutter Garrett punched it into the end zone for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the season.
Montague’s ground game proved nearly unstoppable throughout the night. Cutter Garrett turned in a monster performance with 185 yards on just 7 carries and 3 touchdowns. Hayden Hennessey kept the chains moving with 84 yards on 5 carries and a touchdown, while Jerry Bonilla added 32 yards on 3 carries and another score. Corban McDowell also had a great night, consistently handling the snapping duties and helping the offense operate smoothly.
The Eagles were just as impressive defensively. Cutter Garrett recorded 10 total tackles, including 8 solo stops and 2 sacks. Wade Hughes made his presence felt with 7 tackles and a sack, then blew the game open with a spectacular 46-yard interception return for a touchdown. Koa Alvarez-Self added 6 tackles and a sack, while Ryker Hankins finished with 5 tackles and a sack. Leroy Hord also recorded 5 tackles, flying all over the field for the Eagle defense.
Montague carried a commanding 34-7 lead into halftime and allowed no additional points in the second half to secure the 40-7 victory.
The Lady Eagles were equally impressive on the volleyball court, traveling to Gold-Burg and bringing home straight-set victories for both the A and B teams.
The A team defeated Gold-Burg 25-12, 25-14, showing tremendous improvement from the teams’ first meeting of the season, when Montague needed three sets to earn the victory.
Cayde Harris was a monster offensively, recording a personal-best 14 kills while hitting .74. Finleigh Travis added 3 kills, while Kynzlea Rios turned in another outstanding all-around performance. Rios delivered 12 aces on 93% serving, coming within just one ace of tying the school record of 13, and also dished out 10 assists to run the Lady Eagle offense.
Defensively, Sage Keck paced the team with 5 digs and had an impressive night in serve receive. Kenzi McEwen also turned in a great passing performance, helping Montague consistently get into its offense. Carley Richardson and Molly Romine were both perfect from the service line, each serving 100% on the night.
The B team followed with a dominating 25-9, 25-14 victory, and serving was the story of the match. Autry Jennings absolutely took over from behind the service line, firing 16 aces while serving 96% and adding 4 assists.
Carlee Belcher recorded 3 aces on 100% serving, while Corrie Contreras added 4 aces and was also perfect at 100%. Belcher and Talynn Lancaster helped lead the offense at the net with 2 kills apiece. It was an outstanding serving night from start to finish for the Lady Eagles.
The excitement actually began before competition when the Montague cheerleaders put on a fabulous first pep rally of the season, recognizing both the football and volleyball teams and filling the gym with Eagle spirit.
Montague athletics will have another busy week ahead. Cross country makes its season debut September 9 at Muenster. Then, on September 10, volleyball and football will both travel to St. Mary’s, with competition scheduled for 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.
With football starting the season 1-0, volleyball continuing to show improvement, and cross country preparing for its first meet, the Eagles are off and running this fall.
The Montague Lady Eagles went 1-1 as they played host to Era Monday night.
The A team fell in an exciting three-set match, 27-25, 22-25, 9-15.
Top Stats:
Serving: Kynzlea Rios – 4 aces; Sage Keck – 2 aces on 92% serving
Digs: Sage Keck – 19
Kills: Cayde Harris – 12; Kynzlea Rios – 6
Assists: Kynzlea Rios – 8; Cayde Harris – 4
The B team followed with a strong two-set victory, 25-18, 25-15.
Top Stats:
Serving: Corrie Contreras – 7 aces; Kinley Evans – 6 aces on 92% serving
The Lady Eagles will travel to Gold-Burg on September 3 for their next matchup.
The Lady Eagles traveled to Christ Academy on Thursday for one match and came home with another victory, winning 25-13, 25-13.
Kynzlea Rios nearly broke her second school record of the season, narrowly missing the single-match ace record with 12 aces while serving 94% from the line. Rios also added 7 assists. Finleigh Travis and Cayde Harris contributed 3 aces apiece.
Defensively, Sage Keck led the Lady Eagles with 5 digs, while Harris powered the offense with a team-high 5 kills.
Montague will return home to host Era on Monday, August 24, for two matches beginning at 5:00 PM.
The Lady Eagles opened their season at home last Thursday, hosting Gold-Burg and earning an exciting three-set victory, 20-25, 25-13, 15-12.
Outstanding stats included Cayde Harris and Kynzlea Rios with 7 aces each and Finleigh Travis with 5 aces. Sage Keck led the defense with 26 digs, while Harris recorded 9 kills. Kynzlea Rios also set a new school record with 20 assists, breaking the previous record of 19 set by Aubree Kleinhans in 2022!
The Montague Blue Team followed with another Lady Eagle victory, winning 25-15, 26-24. Kinley Evans led from the service line with 9 aces, while Carlee Belcher and Braizlynn Hutto each added 6. Belcher recorded 4 kills, and Autry Jennings led with 3 assists.
The Lady Eagles will be back in action on August 20 when they travel to Christ Academy.
An exciting new chapter is underway at Montague ISD as construction begins on a campus expansion designed to better serve students for generations to come. The project will add four new classrooms, three offices, and modern restroom facilities, while creating one of the district's most anticipated improvements; connecting the main school building directly to the gymnasium. When completed, Montague ISD students will be housed under one roof, creating a more unified campus and enhancing safety for students, staff, and visitors.
For Superintendent Carla Hennessey, the project represents years of planning and a commitment to providing the best possible learning environment for Montague students. "This is an exciting time for our students, staff, and community," Hennessey said. "Every decision we've made has been centered on creating a campus that better supports learning while providing a safer and more connected environment. We're thrilled to see this vision becoming a reality."
"Having all of our students under one roof is a tremendous benefit," Hennessey said. "It strengthens campus safety, improves supervision, and creates a more connected school community. These are improvements that will positively impact our students every single day."
The district is also proud to move forward with the project without asking voters to approve a bond election. Thanks to years of careful financial planning, the expansion will be funded through the district's well-managed fund balance along with a maintenance note and Time Warrant.
While construction will inevitably bring some temporary inconveniences, including adjustments to traffic flow and daily routines, district leaders are confident the long-term benefits will far outweigh the short-term challenges.
"There will certainly be some growing pains as construction gets underway," Hennessey acknowledged. "We appreciate the patience and support of our families, staff, and community. In the end, we'll have a campus that is better equipped to meet the needs of today's learners while preparing for tomorrow's opportunities."
Beyond the bricks and mortar, the expansion reflects the district's ongoing investment in its greatest resource, its students. The additional classrooms will provide more flexible learning spaces, the new offices will enhance student support services, and the updated restroom facilities will improve comfort and accessibility for everyone on campus.
For Montague ISD, this isn't simply a construction project. It's an investment in the future of the district and every student who walks through its doors.
