It was more than just another District 1-3A win for the Bushland Lady Falcons at home Saturday afternoon.
Yes, the Lady Falcons did what was expected and that was dominate Dalhart 25-9, 25-13, 25-14, extending their remarkable league win streak to 107 straight dating back to 2011.
However, Saturday’s victory was made special by the significance behind it. One of the state’s top coaches Jason Culpepper earned his unprecedented 900th career win in the Bushland blowout. The 900th is the most wins for active coaches in the Texas Panhandle and ranks second all-time behind Amarillo Highs former head coach, Jan Barker (1,116).
“This means I’ve had some great players that have played for me,” said Culpepper, who is 900-196 all-time. “For me to be able to coach them is special. There were a lot of former players here to watch this win. There are a lot of great programs in the Texas Panhandle, so to say you’ve won 900 in this area is special.”
It’s ironic Culpepper’s 900th win came against Dalhart. Culpepper, who has been a head volleyball coach for 27 years, won his first 100 games with the Lady Wolves.
“It’s by luck of the draw we played Dalhart,” Culpepper said. “It was special to get my 100th victory there and then to get 900 against them at home was amazing.”
Culpepper went on to get his 200th through 500th win at Randall High School where he built his reputation leading the Lady Raiders to two UIL state championships. He then took over at Bushland eight years ago where he’s led the Lady Falcons to 295 wins during that time and four UIL state titles.
“Bushland fits my personality,” said Culpepper, who is 295-30 at Bushland. “I’m a better coach now, and that’s probably because of my age. The girls say I don’t yell enough anymore. I think the personality fits and this program continues to get better. Let’s give credit to these girls as well. This program was built when I got here and they know what winning takes.”
Lady Falcon assistant coach Jaycee Adams has been a part of a lot of Culpepper’s wins. Adams, a 2020 Bushland graduate, was a part of Culpepper’s 600th and 700th wins and was on two of his state title teams at Bushland. Adams now sits next to her mentor every game and gets to take in what this program is all about.
“It’s been fun to see coach Culpepper on different levels,” Adams said. “He’s changed over the years and it’s been a privilege to be a part of this program. I’ve learned so much from him whether it’s volleyball or about life. He’s been a huge impact on my life.”
As for the Bushland (28-5, 2-0) win against Dalhart (20-11, 1-1), Berklee Billington had a great game for the Lady Falcons with 13 kills and 15 digs for a double-double and tacked on seven aces. Teammate Laynee Adams, the youngest sister of Jaycee, had 13 kills and 10 digs for a double-double with six aces.
Photo gallery by Carter Pirtle:
