Wise County added a pair of state championships to its volleyball capital resume last week. Pictured are Decatur coach Stormi Snider and 4AI tournament MVP Ava Green, and Boyd 3AII tournament MVP Addy Delgado and Boyd coach Clark Oberle in front of the Wise County Courthouse.
In this week’s paper, we planted Wise County’s flag as the volleyball capital of Texas. Here’s why.
Wise County volleyball teams have brought home 15 state championships since 2013 — with Decatur and Boyd adding two more last week.
The Decatur Lady Eagles own seven of those. That program has always felt like a dynasty to me. So it’s easy to forget that they haven’t been playing volleyball for very long.
The Decatur Lady Eagles fielded their first varsity squad in 2002, coached by a librarian, Karen Potts, who just so happened to have assisted on a few great Windthorst teams. That first team went 3-9. Decatur didn’t lose for long.
Decatur won state in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024 and now, 2025. The titles come in bunches.
The seasons that look like down years sometimes end up with state rings for Decatur, and I highly doubt that this will be the last for several of the underclassmen who stepped into big roles.
The Lady Eagles welcomed Boyd to the Wise County champions club last week.
I couldn’t be happier for that squad and coach Clark Oberle, who, fittingly, also led Decatur to its 2018 championship, and before that, turned the Argyle program into a juggernaut of its own.
The Lady Jackets have made four state tournament trips since 2017. Injuries, bad luck and plain old postseason heartbreak kept the Lady Jackets from closing the deal — until now. They’ve fielded some great teams over the years.
Boyd’s breakthrough on Friday was a reminder of just how difficult it is to win one of these things.
Since Wise County is — in our editorial opinion — the volleyball capital of Texas, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that the only real scare Boyd faced in the entire 3AII bracket came from Paradise, a fellow Wise County foe.
They pushed Boyd to the brink in the regional final — and with the talent that’s coming back, Paradise should be next in line. They’ll just have to go through the defending state champs first.
Local private schools in Wise County have gotten in on the state success, too.
Victory Christian Academy won seven consecutive TCAF state titles from 2016 to 2022. Say what you want about TCAF competition, but those VCA teams were legit.
I remember a few of those squads beating teams like Graham and giving a Bridgeport team with a Division I volleyball player everything it could handle — while graduating classes of like two or three kids across the whole school back then.
With all of that success — averaging more than one state championship a year for the last 12 years — I have to remind myself that this doesn’t happen everywhere.
I’d like to think something is in that Lake Bridgeport water.
But it’s really a credit to the special athletes and coaches who have made Wise County such an awesome place to cover sports.
Thanks to the Boyd Lady Jackets and Decatur Lady Eagles for giving us something to be proud of in Wonderful Wise, again.
The Messenger has been there for all 15 of them, and we’re happy to celebrate two more in this week’s paper.
Our Decatur and Boyd state special sections are online now, and you’ll be able to pick up a print copy later this week.
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