Colton’s Corner: San Marcos 2025 Year and Review

OP/ED

With it being the holidays, I wanted to take this opportunity to spend time with my San Marcos sports family and reminisce about the year that was.

It’s been another exciting year at San Marcos which saw some historical runs and an earthshattering news event that could single-handedly change an athletic program for the better.

The year started off hot with the emergence of the San Marcos Lady Rattlers basketball team. After making the playoffs the season before and falling to powerhouse San Antonio Clark, the Lady Rattlers went on to have a season for a lifetime.

San Marcos took down a Top Ten team in Cibolo Steele in district play which allowed the Lady Rattlers to tie for second place.

In the playoffs, San Marcos defeated Laredo Alexander for the Lady Rattlers’ first playoff win in over a decade. The Lady Rattlers then defeated Harlingen in Area to advance to the regional semifinals.

But San Marcos wasn’t done yet. Battling Austin Vandegrift, the Lady Rattlers took down the Lady Vipers in front of a packed house at Austin Bowie Gym as San Marcos advanced to the regional final for the first time since 1992. Though the season ended against San Antonio Churchill, the Lady Rattlers established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

The other big story from this year was the Rattler football team, which felt like the conclusion of a near fouryear saga. San Marcos snapped a 21-game losing streak before finishing the regular season at 6-4, a first winning season since 2017. Among those victories was a win over Converse Judson, a first for the Rattlers since 1975.

For the first time in eight years, San Marcos hosted their first playoff game at Toyota Rattler Stadium as the Rattlers took on the Eagle Pass Eagles, ending with a 42-10 win.

San Marcos followed up their playoff win with a victory in the Area round against Edinburg, marking the first time the Rattlers had won multiple playoff games since 2006.

In individual accomplishments, sophomore Mila Juarez took second place at the UIL State Wrestling Tournament and is poised to make another run next year.

In the private school ranks, Hill Country Christian volleyball won their first state title in 27 years, upsetting the defending five-time state champions in Wichita Falls Christ Academy. The Rams football program also made a deep run in the postseason, advancing to the state semifinals for the first time since 2015.

Up on the hill, while Texas State saw success with their track, softball, soccer and football programs, with all either winning their conference championship or making the postseason, it was the off-the-field which saw the biggest news drop.

Throughout the early part of the year, rumors of Texas State potentially joining the Pac-12 started to heat up as the conference looked for an eighth football playing member.

Then those rumors soon turned into reality when the Pac-12 offered Texas State membership into the conference which the university accepted, joining Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State and Washington State.

Texas State’s transition from the Sun Belt to the Pac-12 signals a new-era of Bobcat athletics. The Bobcats are joining a conference which out of the gate will be one of the top mid-major conferences. As a football conference, the Pac-12 will be at the top of the pecking order to compete for a College Football Playoff autobid while being a top end basketball league that has the potential to send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.

For the first time in program history, Texas State will also be on linear television with the Pac-12 signing multiple television deals to expand their reach with CBS, CBS Sports, The CW and USA Network.

The future is definitely bright in San Marcos.

The Lady Rattlers are gearing up to not only make another deep run into the playoffs but also compete for a district championship. Rattler baseball returns the majority of their starters, gearing up for both a district title run and perhaps a deep run into the playoffs.

We are entering another realignment cycle which could potentially see the Rattlers reunite with longtime rival Hays, renewing the Battle of Hays County.

As for the Bobcats, Texas State will look to finish out their outing in the Sun Belt before transitioning into the Pac-12.

Sunny days look to be on the horizon with the sports in San Marcos going into 2026 and you can rely on us to continue covering the amazing stories and journeys all of the athletic programs will have next year.

Next week, be on the lookout for the best San Marcos sports stories of 2025.