Farmersville incoming junior quarterback Levi McAbee ignited a Farmers’ offense that averaged 436 yards and 33.9 points per game. Photo by Victor Tapia / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Whether it was on a football field, cross country course, volleyball court, basketball court, tennis court, golf course, or baseball or softball field, the Farmersville Farmers provided plenty of memories during the 2024-25 school year in athletics.
The Farmersville Times is proud to introduce the first of a three-part series that recognizes the top moments, top female and male student-athletes, the top teams and top individual performances at Sachse.
The categories of the inaugural C&S Media high school sports awards and the dates that the award winners, as chosen by sports editor David Wolman, will appear in The Farmersville Times are as follows:
Part I (July 10)
Biggest story:
Breakthrough moment:
Newcomer of the Year:
Best Team:
Part II (July 17)
Best Game:
Best Finish:
Biggest Upset:
Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year:
Part III (July 24)
Coach of the Year:
Most Improved Athlete:
Best Female Athlete:
Best Male Athlete:
Here are the winners of the first four awards – biggest story, breakthrough moment, best team and newcomer of the year.
Biggest story: Boys’ soccer makes 1st playoff appearance
When Barrett Clark was hired as Farmersville head coach in 2023, he wanted to not only bring stability but also have a team that is a playoff contender, year in and year out.
Two years into his tenure, Clark has fulfilled a major goal that he set for Farmersville.
Farmersville won six district games and made the playoffs for the first time.
Clark’s instincts helped to fuel the best season in program history.
After Farmersville lost 3-0 to Sunnyvale in the fourth game of the season, a setback that dropped the Farmers to 1-3, Clark felt that change was needed, especially at the goalkeeper position. Incoming senior Daniel Mendoza and rising junior Jairo Acosta were inserted in goal – a move that paid off in a big way. With Mendoza and Acosta sharing the goalkeeper responsibilities, Farmersville’s season took a turn in the right direction, with the Farmers going 7-4-3 over their final 14 games.
Farmersville battled in its Class 4A Division II bi-district playoff game against Sunnyvale but was unable to build on an early lead in a narrow 3-2 loss.
Breakthrough moment: Boys, girls cross country teams qualify for regional meet
For the first time since 2018, Farmersville qualified both its boys and girls cross country teams for the regional meet in the same year.
Placing five runners in the top 10 at the District 13-4A meet at Lester Park in Wills Point, the Farmer boys captured second place in the team standings with 37 points, while the Lady Farmers, who amassed 67 points, edged Caddo Mills (70) by three points to earn the final team berth into the Region II-4A meet.
Rising senior Bryan Mujica ran to bronze with a 17:12.61. Junior Luke Lair earned sixth overall in 17:48.25. Junior Landon Green finished two places behind Lair in eighth overall with an 18:01.29. Junior Miller claimed ninth overall in 18:03.46.
On the girls’ side, incoming sophomore Southern Sanders placed sixth with a time of 15:19.41.
No one from Farmerville qualified for the state meet.
Co-newcomer of the Year: Devin Swain Jr., boys’ basketball; Syah Surles, girls’ soccer
Swain Jr. and Surles made an immediate impact, despite being just sophomores.
Although the Farmersville boys’ basketball team fell short of making the playoffs despite a 15-7 record to begin the season, Swain Jr. shouldered the offensive load for the Farmers and kept his team in games with his natural scoring ability.
Named the 13-4A newcomer of the year, Swain Jr. made quite the splash in his first varsity season, averaging a team-best 14.8 points per game on 46% shooting from the field, in addition to 64 assists, 58 deflections, 73 steals and 141 rebounds.
On the pitch, Surles, a defender, helped to solidify the back line for the Farmersville girls’ soccer team.
Her experience playing club soccer and leadership helped to lead Farmersville to its best season in program history, finishing one win short of its first-ever playoff berth.
Surles was named the District 11-4A newcomer of the year and later became the first player in Farmersville girls’ soccer history to earn a nod on the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches all-region team.
Best team: Football
The Farmersville football team has made significant strides in each of Zac Quinlan’s first three seasons as head coach.
The Farmers improved from two wins to seven wins in just one season and in 2023 made the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The team took an even bigger step under Quinlan last fall. Despite having to replace 22 seniors, it proved to be quick rebuild as Farmersville not only made the postseason won a playoff game for the first time since 2016.
Rising junior quarterback Levi McAbee was handed the keys and he made big plays for a new-look Farmersville offense that averaged 436 yards and 33.9 points per game.
Farmersville’s defense was its best during a 27-0 shutout win over Canton in the bi-district round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs. But Farmersville was unable to keep up with Texarkana-Pleasant Grove the following week in the area round.in a 56-7 loss.
For more stories about the Farmersville community see the next print, or digital edition of The Farmersville Times. Subscribe today and support local journalism.
0 Comments