Hey, sports fans,
The Roadrunner soccer team offered up a last-second miracle to advance to the conference tournament championship (and now will await another miracle to see if the team will head to nationals), the men’s basketball team won its season opener and the women’s basketball team notched its very first win for its new head coach.
And the Roadrunner baseball team had some big-time fun to wrap up its fall season.
This next week will feature four home basketball games at Shands Gymnasium, so grab your hoopin’ shoes and come on out. Our Roadrunner Pep Band will make sure you don’t sit still for long.
We are AC, and we’re ready to Run ‘Em.
Here’s a quick rundown of the past week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
Roadrunner Soccer Falls to No. 1 Tyler in Tournament Final
The Roadrunner men’s soccer team now has to play a waiting game.
The ‘Runners advanced all the way to Friday’s Region XIV Conference Tournament championship game at Tyler Junior College, only to fall 1-0 to the nation’s No. 1 team. The Apaches had averaged nearly six goals per match before Friday’s contest, and the Roadrunner defense gave them all they could handle. But Tyler’s goal in the 27th minute was the deciding factor.
To make it to Friday’s final, the ‘Runners pulled off one of the most miraculous wins in program history Tuesday in Brenham. Facing the No. 8 Blinn College Buccaneers, AC pushed the game all the way through double overtime – until Jhosua Jory took a lob pass in the box from Kanta Maruyama, headed the ball into position and blasted home the golden goal with just five seconds to play in the second OT for a 1-0 win.
The ‘Runners are hoping for an at-large bid to the upcoming NJCAA Division I National Tournament kicking off next week in Daytona Beach, Florida. The NJCAA will broadcast its selection show at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11 on the NJCAA Network.
We’ll send out more information as we get it.
No. 16 Roadrunner Basketball Wins Season Opener over Hinds CC
The Roadrunner Pep Band was loud, the Student Section was louder and the Angelina College Roadrunners used it all for fuel to top Hinds Community College 56-49 in AC’s season opener Monday at Shands Gymnasium.
AC, ranked No. 16 in the NJCAA’s pre-season national polls, boasted the nation’s top defensive last season, and the team showed it hasn’t lost its step on that end of the floor, holding the Bulldogs to just 25 points in the first half.
The problem for the ‘Runners was that Hinds was just as proficient on the defensive side, limiting AC to just 26 points over the same 20-minute period.
However, the Roadrunners used a layup from Kai’Ree Murry and a three-pointer from Zacc Sells to build an 11-point cushion midway through the second half, and the team relied on its defense to hold off a late Hinds rally for the win.
Clarence Payia led the Roadrunners in scoring in his AC debut, finishing with 16 points. Jordan Mathews added 10 points and Murray eight in the win. Daemon Ely added eight rebounds and three assists.
Daveon Henry led Hinds CC with 18 points, while teammate Austin Ratliff added 14 points.
The Roadrunners (1-0) next will face Southern Arkansas University Tech on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Shands Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball Earns First Win Under New Coach Lees
Missing its two best offensive players because of injury, the Lady Roadrunners struggled in the season’s first two games to generate enough offense to equate wins. After dropping last week’s season opener at McLennan CC, AC fell 69-51 to Collin County CC at Friday’s Tyler Classic in Tyler.
The Lady ‘Runners then bounced back on Saturday to pull out a thriller of a 75-71 win over National Park College, giving AC’s first-year head coach Addie Lees and first-year assistant coach Mercedes Corona their first wins with Angelina College.
The Lady Roadrunners (1-2) will host their home opener against Temple College on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Shands Gymnasium. The game will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
On Friday and Saturday, the Lady ‘Runners will host the Angelina Classic at Shands Gymnasium. While other participants and their schedules are still in the works, AC’s two-day schedule is as follows:
AC vs. Western Gulf CC, 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.
AC vs. Hinds CC, 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.
We’ll send out other information (including any changes) as the information is provided.
Roadrunner Baseball Ends Fall Season with World Series
The Crusaders have won the World Series!
OK, so it didn’t exactly draw national attention, but the Roadrunner baseball team had a lot of fun putting together the end of its fall season. The two teams – the Orange Crush Crusaders and the Big Blue Bombers – consisted of AC players, and the teams held a draft inside Hudgins Hall on Monday. Then the teams embarked on a best-of-three series starting on Tuesday, and the Crusaders pulled out two wins to claim bragging rights.
The Roadrunners will open their 2026 campaign at home on Friday, Jan. 30 against Temple College.
Meet the Roadrunners and Lady Roadrunners
New rosters for the upcoming AC basketball seasons are now available on the Angelina College Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com.).
All AC Teams Have Schedules Up and Running Online
Lady Roadrunner and Roadrunner fans can now find their favorite teams’ schedules on the Angelina College Athletics website (www.angelinaathletics.com). For now, only the fall schedules for baseball and softball are in place (with the potential to add more events later), but all other teams, including both women’s and men’s basketball, are ready for viewing and planning.
We’ll update any changes as we receive them.
We can’t wait to see you at the games.
Live Streaming Reminder:
All AC Athletics regular-season home games are live streamed on TSBN Sports (a free streaming service for fans), with most of the conference road games also available for streaming. (This does not include baseball and softball fall games, as those are not considered official games.)
Once TSBN posts its schedules, AC fans simply need to visit the AC Athletics web site, look at the scrolling schedule in the middle of the page and click the blue “Video” link.
TSBN also offers an app great for smart phones, devices and smart TVs. (You’ve GOT to see those matches and games on the big screen.)
Reminder II: Admission to ALL Angelina College Athletics sporting events is free, as is the TSBN live streaming. Any other links offering streaming are scams.
Reminder III: For the most current schedule updates (especially for potential weather issues) visit the official Angelina College Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com). Fans can also receive updates on the AC Athletics Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Upcoming schedules:
Tuesday, Nov. 11:
No. 16 Roadrunner Basketball vs. Southern Arkansas University Tech, 7 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer National Tournament Selection Show (live stream on NJCAA Network), 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 12:
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Temple College, 5:30 p.m., Shands Gymnasium.
Friday, Nov. 14:
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Western Gulf CC (Angelina Classic Day 1), 2 p.m., Shands Gymnasium.
No. 16 Roadrunner Basketball at Western Texas College (East/West Challenge), 6 p.m. in Plano, TX.
Saturday, Nov. 8:
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Hinds CC (Angelina Classic Day 2), 1 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
No. 16 Roadrunner Basketball at Collin County CC (East/West Challenge), 8 p.m. in Plano, TX.
For any other information, contact Sports Information Director Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu.
We’ll see you at the games.
Gary Stallard
Email: gstallard@angelina.edu.
Phone: (936) 465-4614
