(AP) — Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs is over.

The Spurs said that the 7-foot-4 French phenom will not play in Sunday’s season finale against the Detroit Pistons, ending a year that will almost certainly see him take home Rookie of the Year honors. The Spurs won the game easily, 123-95, as Detroit rested Cade Cunningham, the top pick in the 2021 draft.

The Spurs (22-60) matched last season’s record, which was the third worst in franchise history but enabled them to draft Wembanyama.

His final numbers: 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and an NBA-best 3.6 blocked shots per game. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich suggested after Friday’s win over Denver that Wembanyama might be held out for the finale, and the team confirmed that decision Saturday. The official reason cited was right ankle injury management.

“What’s really been interesting is when you watch him from the beginning of the year to now is how much better he’s gotten,” Denver coach Michael Malone said of Wembanyama earlier this month. “I mean, it’s noticeable. He came in as a really talented player, but when you watch him now … Pop’s done a hell of a job building him up in one season.”

Along with Wembanyama, the Spurs were without Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, Cedi Osman and Dominik Barlow. The Spurs lost veteran big man Zach Collins two minutes into the second half with a right shoulder injury.

Wembanyama had 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and five 3-pointers in what was his last game as a rookie, a 121-120 win over defending NBA champion Denver on Friday night. The Spurs rallied from 23 points down to win the game — their biggest comeback win of the season, and Wembanyama gave the ball a celebratory spike as time expired.

“As a growing team, a young team, it’s big for us,” Wembanyama said after the game. “We’re going to need these kind of wins in the future. We’re going to need any win. But big-time wins against big teams, first seeds, we’re going to need those in the future.”

He became just the fourth player, and first rookie, to finish a season with at least 1,500 points, 250 assists and 250 blocked shots. The others: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it five times, Hakeem Olajuwon did it twice and former Spurs great David Robinson did it twice. Nobody had done it since 1993-94, when Olajuwon and Robinson both had such a season.

Wembanyama won’t play again for the Spurs until next season, but fans will presumably see him play long before that. He’s expected to be part of the French roster for the Paris Olympics this summer.

And he’s said many times that he feels the Spurs are on the right path toward becoming a contender again.

“We’ve got the potential to be great,” Wembanyama said. “The fact that we have the chance to live this, with the fans, I can only hope it’s as incredible as it can be.”

The ABC television coverage of Sunday’s United Football League game between St. Louis and San Antonio showed one of Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron’s sons telling his dad before the contest: “We’re going to win this.”

Turned out he was right, but as with all St. Louis games this season, nobody could be sure until the closing seconds.

McCarron guided the Battlehawks offense to points on six of its eight full possessions against the Brahmas. St. Louis lost a fumble on its first possession of the second half, and the Battlehawks punted for the only time with 1:43 left to play. That opened the opportunity for another game decided by a score in the waning seconds.

But this time, the St. Louis defense stopped San Antonio on downs at the Battlehawks 44-yard line with 16 seconds remaining to preserve a 31-24 victory. The Brahmas had gone three-for-three on fourth-down attempts before the final failure at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

“You wish as an offense you can tuck that game away on your own,” McCarron said. “But that’s how the game goes sometimes. But hell of a win. Proud of the guys.”

St. Louis scored on all three of its first-half possessions to take a 17-9 lead. The opportunities were limited because San Antonio had a 17-play touchdown drive that used 8:59 of the second quarter.

The game’s first touchdown came on an 11-yard run by McCarron as the former Alabama All-American stepped through pressure in the backfield to break free with 4:33 left in the first half.

The touchdown run was the third of McCarron’s pro career. He also ran for touchdowns in the Houston Texans’ 35-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the NFL on Dec. 29, 2019, and the Battlehawks’ 20-18 victory over the Seattle Sea Dragons in the XFL on Feb. 23, 2023.

St. Louis ran for 113 yards against San Antonio, with running back Jacob Saylors contributing 62, including a 19-yard touchdown run as the Battlehawks took a 31-18 lead with 8:33 to play.

McCarron finished with 21 yards on four rushing attempts.

“In last week’s game, we kind of got on AJ a little bit because he’s not fleet of feet, he falls down a couple of times, he doesn’t run the ball,” St. Louis coach Anthony Becht said. “Today, a couple of key runs by him. And just in the pocket, I think he’s been extraordinary with his movement in the pocket extending plays, but also using his legs had a couple of key runs in this game, breaking some tackles and where he pulled it out of the back’s belly and came around and got us a nice little run as well. So those things are going to big because now when you talk about our offense – five-wide, two tight ends, quarterback run, all those different things, that’s a lot to handle week to week.”

McCarron threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hakeem Butler with 10:56 left in the second quarter as St. Louis took a 14-3 lead.

Only two other plays from scrimmage in the game gained at least 20 yards.

For the game, McCarron completed 19-of-27 passes for 152 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also had two 2-point conversion completions, including a nifty shovel pass to tight end Jack Sutherland after the second TD.

“They really weren’t giving us anything deep,” McCarron said. “It was just a be-efficient type of day. We were hoping they’d give us a chance deep. They just didn’t. I was just proud of the guys matriculating the ball down the field, sustaining drives. That’s big in a game like this where the defense is not really giving you anything deep.”

St. Louis lost its season-opening game when Jake Bates kicked a 64-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to lift the Michigan Panthers to an 18-16 victory on March 30.

Last week, the Battlehawks beat the Arlington Renegades 27-24 on Andre Szmyt’s 22-yard field goal on the final snap of the game.

San Antonio sustained its first loss of the season to leave the XFL Conference standings tied at the top. The Battlehawks, Brahmas and D.C. Defenders have 2-1 records.

“It’s big,” McCarron said of the road win. “… To be able to have back-to-back wins within the division is big. We’re a 64- or 65-yard field goal away from being 3-0.”

The Battlehawks play the Memphis Showboats at 11:30 a.m. CDT Saturday at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis in their next game. ABC will televise the game.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

Discounts available for students, seniors, military; children under 5 can ride for free

SAN ANTONIO – VIA Metropolitan Transit will have its Park & Ride service available for Fiesta 2024′s biggest events in San Antonio, and riders can receive a free Fiesta medal.

The service will be available from Friday, April 19 to Saturday, April 27 for $1.30 each way, though discounts are available for students, seniors, military members and other populations.

>> Your guide to road closures, construction and parking for Fiesta 2024 in San Antonio

Here’s the Park & Ride schedule and everything else you need to know about the service.

Park & Ride schedule

Friday, April 19

Saturday, April 20

Sunday, April 21

Monday, April 22

Tuesday, April 23

Wednesday, April 24

Thursday, April 25

Friday, April 26

Saturday, April 27

Primo Route 100

The Primo Route 100 will provide service to Fiesta De Los Reyes at Market Square, which runs from Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 28.

The eastbound route travels on Buena Vista to include Market Square for $1.30 each way.

Fiesta medals

VIA Fiesta medals will be handed out to customers who purchase a Park & Ride service.

Medals will be given out at the transit center location at the time of purchase, while supplies last. If the service is purchased online, customers will need to show their receipt at the transit center to receive a medal.

Park & Ride cost

Park & Ride service is provided for $1.30 each way, or $2.60 for a round trip. VIAtrans customers and children under 5 years old can ride free.

Discounts are available for the following customers:

Tickets can be purchased with the VIA goMobile+ app, at Park & Ride locations, or at any Customer Service Center.

Click here for more information.

Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

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Running back Jacob Saylors was inactive for the St. Louis Battlehawks’ second game of the season after rushing for 7 yards in the opener.

Receiver Hakeem Butler didn’t leave a huge mark on the first two games either, making five catches and playing a supporting role.

Both emerged Sunday to further reflect the growing depth of offensive weapons as the Battlehawks beat previously undefeated San Antonio 31-24 in the Alamodome.

Saylors rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown, and Butler had six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, contributing to an attack that scored points on six of seven drives in the United Football League contest.

“We left a lot on the field the first two weeks,” Battlehawks coach Anthony Becht said. “I could start seeing it turn. The engine starts picking up a little, and the timing is there.”

The Battlehawks have won their past two games after a stunning opening loss on a 64-yard field goal. Little clicked in that game, leaving them short on the scoreboard despite a late rally.

That momentum has continued under the guidance of quarterback A.J. McCarron, who effectively countered the San Antonio defense with a short passing game that set up three touchdowns and three field goals by Andre Szmyt.

Despite having less total yardage and fewer first downs and being dominated in time of possession, the Battlehawks scored early and often, taking a quick lead they never surrendered.

“I wouldn’t say this is a coming-out game for me,” Butler said. “I think our team is super-dynamic. We have a lot of talent. We have talent you haven’t even seen yet.”

The defense came up big on San Antonio’s final drive after the Brahmas got within striking distance with a touchdown with 2:10 remaining. The Battlehawks went three and out but stopped San Antonio on downs at the St. Louis 44.

The Battlehawks took a similar offensive path last season after a slow start but might be clicking sooner a year later. The Brahmas surrendered 31 points combined in their first two games before Sunday.

McCarron continued his praise of offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski, who is a former NFL quarterback.

“We’re playing better and better on offense,” McCarron said. “We’re finding our identity. Bruce is awesome and calling a hell of a game. We have a feel as a group for what he’s going to call in certain situations. It’s great communication all around.”

With the defense limiting the Battlehawks’ deep threats, McCarron chipped away and passed for 152 yards with a 20-yard TD connection with Butler. McCarron scored the game’s first points on a 10-yard run into open space up the middle.

The Battlehawks converted five of nine third-down plays and the only fourth-down attempt they made. When Becht opted not to be overly aggressive, he put the ball on the foot of Szmyt, who connected from 44, 54 and 46 yards.

Saylors capped the scoring with a 19-yard run in the fourth quarter before the Battlehawks made key defensive stops.

The only things that bothered Becht were two overzealous penalties that helped San Antonio score points. Lakiem Williams had a late hit on QB Chase Garbers as he ran out of bounds on a third-and-14 play. T.J. Pesefea was called for roughing the passer on second down. The drives ended with a field goal and touchdown.

“It (angers me) because we talked about that. We don’t want to be that team,” Becht said. “I thought the one on the sideline was close. T.J. hit him late. If we’re going to get to the quarterback, we have to beat our guy and get there on time. We took both guys out. We hold them to a standard. But they both made bigger plays throughout the game.”

McCarron completed passes to eight targets. He entered the game completing 65% of his passes and improved on that by going 19 for 27.

One completion was to Saylors, who added a run of 25 yards to his scoring run.

“He didn’t deserve not to be dressed last week,” Becht said. “But we want to give our guys a chance to bounce back. I was impressed by some key runs. He’s hard to find in the hole. We were running the ball well inside, and he bounced a couple outside. We had a heart to heart talk about what was going on when he didn’t dress. I told him to keep focused and keep working.”

Like many school districts in Texas, the largest one in Bexar County is expecting to adopt another deficit budget as it looks for ways to retain high-demand teachers — and even students.

Trustees of the Northside Independent School District, the fourth-largest in the state, last week got a look at a draft $1.05 billion general fund budget for the coming school year with a nearly $84 million deficit built in — and not including any pay increases.

Some parts of the spending plan are likely to change before it’s adopted in August. The proposal didn’t include any pay increases, and Northside, like many districts, is struggling to compete with charter schools and hire enough bilingual and special education instructors.

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And like every Texas district, Northside will be operating amid two harsh realities, the drying up of federal pandemic funding and the lack of any immediate prospect that the Legislature will use its substantial surplus to boost state education funding before next year’s regular session.

Northside trustees approved a budget last August for the current school year with a $29 million deficit. It has since grown to almost $51 million, as additional expenses have been tacked on through two budget amendments. Those included $6.8 million for video scoreboards and updated technology at its swim center and two outdoor stadiums.

Meanwhile, the last of some $173 million the district has received since 2020 through the federal pandemic Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund will expire in September. The district also expects a $19 million shortfall in Medicaid reimbursements for services provided to special education students.

“It’s going to be challenging this year,” Superintendent John Craft told trustees during the recent budget update. “You’re probably hearing about the multimillion-dollar deficit budgets that other districts, particularly those that are on a July fiscal year, are already in the process of reviewing and will shortly be adopting.”

Northside’s funding woes are further compounded by a growing demand for special education services, declines in student enrollment and attendance, which affects its state funding, and slower-than-projected population growth on San Antonio’s far West Side. Craft didn’t foresee any employees losing their jobs next year, but he’s worried about the district’s long-term outlook.

“My greater concern at this point is actually fiscal year ’26 and fiscal year ’27,” he said. “What actions we take collectively right now with fiscal year ’25 absolutely segues and really stages fiscal year ’26 and ’27, not fully knowing what is going to happen with the upcoming legislative session.”

GROWTH ENGINE: Endless construction, rooftops, new arrivals: The far West Side is booming

A school district in Texas can adopt a deficit budget if it has reserves to cover the shortfall. As of Aug. 31, Northside has roughly $250 million in reserves. Another $200 million is set aside in a designated instructional continuity fund.

The draft 2024-2025 budget includes $13.3 million to continue paying 270 teachers and instructional assistants in Pre-K, special ed and behavior mastery programs whose positions previously were funded through ESSER, along with 37 middle school student service facilitators and clinic assistants. Most of those “indirect support staff” positions were created with the federal pandemic relief funds.

The proposed budget also includes about $3.7 million for other items covered by the soon-to-lapse federal funds: part-time payroll and other costs related to enrichment, tutoring, math and reading intervention and a bilingual summer program.

Another 123 special ed teachers and assistants, four bilingual English as a Second Language and language-support teachers, seven special ed campus coordinators and a fuel manager would be added, at a cost of $7.5 million.

Northside already has vacancies for 246 teaching positions that are currently funded — 153 in general education and 93 in special ed.

The district expects to be scrambling this summer to find 19 new high school English teachers, many of them to replace seasoned instructors who’ll retire this spring.

“It’s been a long time since we had that kind of shortage in the subject of English,” Craft said.

The draft budget includes $3.4 million for maintenance contractors, supplies, equipment, increased utility costs, additional custodial supplies and equipment and service trucks — things Craft said are tied to “inflationary pressures.”

Also budgeted is nearly $2.3 million to staff the new Chumbley Elementary School and startup magnet programs at Jordan and Hobby middle schools.

The district might consider a 1% to 2% staff pay raise, at a cost of $8.5 million to $17 million. Craft said he’d like to include a pay increase to keep the district “as competitive as we possibly can” amid teacher and staffing shortages.

Trustee Corinne Saldaña said she wasn’t sure any items funded through ESSER had to remain in the budget.

“This was all icing on the cake. It wasn’t meant to stay permanent, unless we could afford it,” she said, recalling budget discussions from 2020, when the federal dollars kicked in.

Board members also were vexed by the district’s drop in student enrollment, from 107,824 in the 2019-2020 school year to 101,095 currently. The student body grew from 2,500 to 2,700 at Taft High School, but shrank at most schools — from 2,800 to 2,100 at Jay High School and 3,200 to 2,600 at O’Connor High School.

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Ray Galindo, deputy superintendent, said the district is studying the state’s Region 20 data that suggests Northside has lost thousands of students to charter schools, including 41 within its boundaries. Some students have started home-schooling or transferred to other districts, sometimes to magnet or special programs or for virtual instruction, while still living in Northside.

“By and large, it’s charter schools, that we’ve known now for a while, that they’ve gone to,” Galindo told trustees. “Northside certainly is a popular area for charters to come in.”

The district’s average daily attendance, which is critical for state funding, peaked at about 96,500 as virtual learning ramped up during the pandemic, then bottomed out at 91,600 when in-person classes resumed in 2021. The district budgeted for attendance of 94,200 this year, but programmed a more conservative 93,500 for next year’s draft budget, as actual attendance has fallen in recent months.

At the same time, the number of special ed students has risen in the past four years by more than 2,000, to some 14,000, while English language learners have jumped by 2,825, to more than 10,500.

“Even though the enrollment has gone down, those populations have gone up,” Galindo said. “That’s on us, in terms of what we need to do to help those kids.”

RELATED: Northside ISD board denies union pay grievance

Charter schools often haven’t been able “to provide these specialized, high-need students with what they needed to be successful,” trustee Karla Duran said.

“In public school, we accept every person that comes through our door,” she said.

According to a 2022 legislative report, school districts statewide spend nearly $2 billion annually in special education service costs that are not reimbursed.

Craft compared the overall funding situation with the public education landscape of 2011, when legislators cut school funding by $4 billion during a recession. This time, he said, the Legislature “has money to adequately support public education,” but has found itself in “a big stalemate” over private school vouchers and public education.

“We are not alone in this camp. In fact, we were just talking about some of the surrounding districts, larger districts, (adopting) 60-, 70-million-dollar deficit budgets,” Craft said.

April 14, 2024

Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News

Scott Huddleston is a veteran staff writer, covering education, local history, preservation and the Alamo. He has been a reporter at the Express-News since 1985, covering a variety of issues, including local government, public safety, criminal justice, flooding, transportation, military, water and the environment. He is a native Texan and longtime San Antonian. Email Scott at [email protected].