![Walking through the tunnel created by the cheerleaders and Celebrities, senior Frances Tran smiles as the soccer team is sent off during DEN for their playoff game against Rouse tonight. Tran said the wins against Smithson Valley and Alamo Heights gave the team a morale boost to take on the Raiders tonight. “I know we were not 100% confident in those games,” Tran said. “But, Rouse is a big opponent for sure. We’re definitely going into tonight with a lot of morale [because of the previous wins].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/frances-tran.jpg)
![Holding a bucket of materials in one hand and a roll of tape in another, anatomy and biology teacher Tyler Terry prepares for a lab. Terry said his proudest moments are when his students are happy to see him. “When I take my wife to a football game or something and a bunch of students want to say hi to me or they like to smile and wave and it just makes me feel good that the students are really kind and supportive of me,” Terry said. “[I’m also] proud when I see students perform really well in their extracurriculars because I can see how hard they’re working in my classes, [so] when I see that they’re also working so hard in other things. Like they’re winning band competitions or they’re getting awards for their theater productions, or I see them put on their choir shows, that’s like, wow, you guys are incredible.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rags-6.png)
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901.jpg)
![Holding her dog, Nova, senior Ariana Balakrishnan poses for her senior pictures while Nova wears a bandana with her college decision. Balakrishnan applied to 18 colleges in total, but she decided on Columbia in the end. “Right before I clicked the button to open Columbia’s letter, I literally looked at the camera and go ‘This is just gonna really suck because I wanted it so bad,’ and I clicked it and all of a sudden you hear trumpets,” Balakrishnan said. “There’s a video that plays when you open it and I actually didn’t watch the video, I just watched the screen go black, because every day of December before ED [Early Decision] I would go on YouTube and watch the acceptance video to manifest it, so immediately when the screen went black, I started screaming and jumping up and down. And my parents in the video are like ‘What are you doing, where’s the letter,’ and I was just screaming ‘I got in, I got in.” I just started crying, and it just felt like everything in the world came together.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ariana-2-300x217.jpg)
Despite the downpour, the Timberwolves (3-2) pulled out a 14-10 victory against the Leander Lions (4-1) on Friday, Sept. 28 at Gupton Stadium.
The first T-wolf touchdown was scored by senior tailback Mikal Wilson.
“Execution is everything,” Wilson said. “I hit the holes and read my keys. I had a great blocking down front from my offensive line.”
Junior quarterback Nate Grimm completed a pass to senior running back Ethan Fry for a second touchdown. Fry’s successful two-point conversion put more T-wolf points on the scoreboard.
The rain proved to be in the Black Rain defense’s favor. Leander senior Caleb Woodward, a Texas Tech commit, was continually stopped by the powerhouse that is the Cedar Park defensive line.
Cedar Park has moved up to the No. 17 position on the AP poll of 4A teams, while Leander dropped from the No. 2 position to the No. 9 position.
Crosstown Showdown was anticipated to be a close game due to the two highly-ranked rival teams.
“I was motivated to play this week because of the doubts about our ability to win,” Wilson said. “I came back from an injury and was ready to go all-out.”
The CP band also braved the elements for the good of the team with a shortened half-time show. The Leander band did not perform due to predicted heavy rain in the area.
The fans did not disappoint. Without the band playing their signature Metal Shop, fans supplemented with spirit of their own. Dressed in black from head to toe for the traditional Blackout game, the vocal fans sang their own version of Metal Shop during halftime.
This Friday’s game will be held at Marble Falls at 7:30 p.m. For those who cannot attend, K-MAC will broadcast the game.
