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Photos by Nicole Flowers
March 14, 2025
Salas, Bergfeld earn first team all-district honors
Sports Staff
The Bandera Prophet
After a season full of battles in one of the toughest districts in Class 4A, the Bandera boys basketball team had five players recognized on the District 26-4A All-District team, including seniors Elijah Salas and Beau Bergfeld as first-team selections and junior Jeffry Thomas earning second-team honors.
Salas and Bergfeld anchored the Bulldogs all season and left their mark on the program. Salas, who was a four-year varsity letterman and three-year first team all-district point guard, was a consistent playmaker and strong scoring threat while averaging 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Salas also joined the exclusive 1,000-point club early in the year, and finished his career with 1,373 points, 602 rebounds, 431 assists and 227 steals.
“Elijah has been a huge part of this program since he stepped on campus as a freshman,” Bandera Head Coach Brady Keane said. “He embraced a bigger leadership role this season and set the tone for how we wanted to play. His ability to impact the game in so many ways made him one of the top players in the district for a third straight year.”
Bergfeld was among the top post players in the area as well, averaging 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in his first full season as a starter. Bergfeld had eight double-doubles as a senior, and posted 393 rebounds in two years.
“Beau took a big step this year and I think everyone saw how dominant he could be when he got going,” Keane said. “He improved on both sides and really gave us a lot of options offensively with his versatility as a forward.”
In addition to the two first-team selections, Bandera’s Jeffry Thomas earned a second-team all-district designation. Thomas averaged 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his first full season as a starter, showing plenty of promise as a returner next season.
“Jeffry played a big role for us this season and he’s just getting started,” Keane said. “He is a high-energy player who can defend at a high level and has the ability to both score and make plays for his teammates. I’m excited to see what he can do after another off-season of hard work.”
Sophomore Cooper Franklin (3.8 points, 4.1 rebounds) and junior James Bower (5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists) earned honorable mention honors as well and will join Thomas as the core of next year’s team.
“Cooper and James both stepped up in big moments throughout the year,” Keane said. “They’re going to be important pieces for us moving forward, and I know they’ll embrace the challenge of taking on even more responsibility next season.”
In addition to the honors received on the court, the boys basketball program achieved the unique distinction of having all 11 members of the program and both student trainers named to the academic all-district team. Salas, Bergfeld, Thomas, Bower, Franklin, Anden Tentis-De Grote, Gattlin Winkler, Hayden Winters, Riley Moran, Jackson Satterfield, Layne Bourgeois, Taylor Hamilton and Eric Meija-Cortez combined to post a combined team GPA of 92.18 during basketball season.
“There’s no question that this is a huge accomplishment for our team,” Keane said. “We had no academic issues this year and they handled their business in the classroom at a high level. It speaks a lot to the type of young men they are and really sets a high standard moving forward.”
As a team, the Bulldogs won 20 games for the third time in the last four seasons while facing a tough schedule that included non-district wins over regional finalists Poth and Crystal City, regional semifinalist Floresville, and District 22-4A champion La Grange.
Bandera finished one game out of the playoffs, and will have a new look next season with Salas, Bergfeld, Winters, Winkler, Bourgeois and Satterfield graduating this spring.
“This senior class was special and they were a lot of fun to coach,” Keane said. “Our expectations have continued to grow each year, and now it’s time for our younger guys to step up and leave their own legacy.”
Salas and Bergfeld anchored the Bulldogs all season and left their mark on the program. Salas, who was a four-year varsity letterman and three-year first team all-district point guard, was a consistent playmaker and strong scoring threat while averaging 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Salas also joined the exclusive 1,000-point club early in the year, and finished his career with 1,373 points, 602 rebounds, 431 assists and 227 steals.
“Elijah has been a huge part of this program since he stepped on campus as a freshman,” Bandera Head Coach Brady Keane said. “He embraced a bigger leadership role this season and set the tone for how we wanted to play. His ability to impact the game in so many ways made him one of the top players in the district for a third straight year.”
Bergfeld was among the top post players in the area as well, averaging 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in his first full season as a starter. Bergfeld had eight double-doubles as a senior, and posted 393 rebounds in two years.
“Beau took a big step this year and I think everyone saw how dominant he could be when he got going,” Keane said. “He improved on both sides and really gave us a lot of options offensively with his versatility as a forward.”
In addition to the two first-team selections, Bandera’s Jeffry Thomas earned a second-team all-district designation. Thomas averaged 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his first full season as a starter, showing plenty of promise as a returner next season.
“Jeffry played a big role for us this season and he’s just getting started,” Keane said. “He is a high-energy player who can defend at a high level and has the ability to both score and make plays for his teammates. I’m excited to see what he can do after another off-season of hard work.”
Sophomore Cooper Franklin (3.8 points, 4.1 rebounds) and junior James Bower (5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists) earned honorable mention honors as well and will join Thomas as the core of next year’s team.
“Cooper and James both stepped up in big moments throughout the year,” Keane said. “They’re going to be important pieces for us moving forward, and I know they’ll embrace the challenge of taking on even more responsibility next season.”
In addition to the honors received on the court, the boys basketball program achieved the unique distinction of having all 11 members of the program and both student trainers named to the academic all-district team. Salas, Bergfeld, Thomas, Bower, Franklin, Anden Tentis-De Grote, Gattlin Winkler, Hayden Winters, Riley Moran, Jackson Satterfield, Layne Bourgeois, Taylor Hamilton and Eric Meija-Cortez combined to post a combined team GPA of 92.18 during basketball season.
“There’s no question that this is a huge accomplishment for our team,” Keane said. “We had no academic issues this year and they handled their business in the classroom at a high level. It speaks a lot to the type of young men they are and really sets a high standard moving forward.”
As a team, the Bulldogs won 20 games for the third time in the last four seasons while facing a tough schedule that included non-district wins over regional finalists Poth and Crystal City, regional semifinalist Floresville, and District 22-4A champion La Grange.
Bandera finished one game out of the playoffs, and will have a new look next season with Salas, Bergfeld, Winters, Winkler, Bourgeois and Satterfield graduating this spring.
“This senior class was special and they were a lot of fun to coach,” Keane said. “Our expectations have continued to grow each year, and now it’s time for our younger guys to step up and leave their own legacy.”