Residents of San Marcos have voted Valentino’s the best pizza restaurant in the area.

Valentino’s, known for its buffet, is located on The Square. Since Valentino’s opening in the 1980s, the restaurant has striven to create a high quality atmosphere and food, said General Manager Richard Clower.

Clower said Valentino’s is the oldest pizzeria in town and everything on the menu is made to order.
Texas State alumnus and regular customer Shaun Matula said the freshness and taste of Valentino’s pizza is what keeps him coming back.

“The quality of the food is something that brings me to Valentino’s,” Matula said. “It’s nothing corporate, and the way they make their food is something unique.”

When it comes to a night out with friends for drinks and a good atmosphere, residents voted Harper’s Public House as the best nightlife attraction.

Located on The Square, Harper’s boasts a jukebox, five widescreen televisions and three bars combined into one building.

“With Harper’s you have three bars. You have the sports bar downstairs, then you have a second story bar called Slackers, and you have our newest addition, the Veranda,” said Harper’s general manager Shaun Neal. “No other place in town has three bars in one.”

Neal said the bars are alumni owned and are open to anybody 21 and up.

Harper’s has a variety of drinks ranging from regular draft beer to margaritas and a mixture of tequila. Every Monday and Tuesday they have $2.50 well and domestic drinks. On Friday and Saturday Harper’s offers $3.50 bomb shots.

“We have all kinds of shots, margaritas of your choice and of course, as I mentioned earlier, three bars in one,” Neal said.

Cajun Cruiser has gone from anonymity to being voted the best trailer hitch dining in San Marcos in eight months.

The Cajun Cruiser came to San Marcos on April 1 and has been expanding ever since. This award-winning trailer came to San Marcos after owner Jon White decided he wanted to prepare Cajun food for the community.

“I’m 26 years old and knew that I had worked long enough for me to start my own business,” White said. “I want to start my own thing because I knew that the San Marcos community did not have any Cajun food around town.”  

Cajun Cruiser began at Mimi’s Trailer Park and moved to the parking lot of Fuschak’s BBQ. White said he hopes to take its food to the next level. Starting next month, the trailer will be serving its food at Bobcat Nation Sports Bar and Grill.

In what proved to be a battle, the Texas State women’s basketball team beat the Belmont Bruins 82-76 in an up-and-down contest that was decided in the final 2 minutes of the game.

Jasmine Baugus, junior guard, breaks through Belmont defense Nov. 9 at Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats came out on top with an 82-76 victory over the Bruins.

“This team is no different from the past. They found a way to finish the game, and that’s always exciting as a coach,” said Texas State Coach Zenarae Antoine.

Senior Diamond Ford and junior Ashley Ezeh led the team to victory, combining for a total of 34 points. Ford finished the game with 21 points while Ezeh lead the team in rebounding and finished with a double-double, consisting of 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The Texas State women’s basketball team is looking to improve on the strides the program made last season following the hiring of new head coach Zenarae Antoine.

The women made their first Southland Conference Tournament since 2008 last season, winning the team’s first SLC tournament game since 2003. The Bobcats increased their win total from nine to 17 last year, which marked the second-biggest turnaround in school history.

Texas State plans to improve from last season and make a name for themselves with the transition into the Western Athletic Conference. With the Bobcats’ season just tipping off Friday, the team expressed excitement to see how things play out.  

“I have a great staff as far as preparation goes,” Antoine said. “I’m excited for our newcomers to come out and have an opportunity to go and play this season. We have a lot more excitement then jitters right now.”

Q: How did the offseason treat you as a team?

Coach: During the (offseason), I felt it was a great opportunity for the kids to recover, especially in areas of student improvement and to compete for a championship with the movement into the WAC. The girls went into the weight room, got better and were able to become a more comprehensive unit in terms of defense.

Q: Did you have any specific expectations in terms of recruitment?

Coach: With recruitment this (offseason), we were able to fill in gaps in areas of need and in terms of offense and defense. We want the best student athletes at Texas State: young women who fit Texas State’s athletics program and students who can compete at the level we need them to in order to win a championship.”

Q: How was recruitment this year overall?

Students from Texas State will be hosting Born 2 Hoop, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Oct. 27 at Jowers Center.

The tournament is in its second year, but this will be the first year Texas State plays host. The Born 2 Hoop tournament idea originated from the Hoop it Up tournament held each year in Dallas and in major cities across the country. This year, students from Texas State decided to collaborate and organize a tournament to bring the community of San Marcos together.

“With the passion I have for basketball and seeing the numerous amount of students who play ball at the (recreation center), I wanted to create a community event in which everyone could participate,” said Myles Kratzer, history senior and marketing director for Born 2 Hoop.  “We want to use the proceeds from the tournament to fix the scoreboard and get more athletic equipment such as basketballs for the Jowers Center.”

The Texas State wakeboard club competed in its first tournament three weeks ago not knowing what to expect. After a first place finish at the Red Bull Boarder Wars Oct. 6, Bobcat sports clubs have a new winner.

Jack Guenther, president of the Texas State wakeboarding club, competed at the club’s first contest Oct. 6.

In the club’s first year together as an official team, Texas State proved to be the dominant school in what turned out to be a Cinderella story at its first tournament. With all five of its top riders competing and four advancing to the final round, Texas State was able to take home first place overall.