![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)
The game was against the McNeil Mavericks. During the pre-season experts analyzed the Timberwolves, and predicted their ability to contend in the State Playoffs. Cedar Park opened with Westlake. The Westlake Chaparrals upset the Timberwolves, beating them 24-14. Questioning the Timberwolves talent, Central Texas sports critics bashed the players and coaching staff.
The next week, Cedar Park faced the Temple Wildcats and one of the top running backs in the country, Lache Seastrunk. Nine out of the fourteen schools he’s got offers from rank in the Associated Press top 25. Cedar Park went into the game the underdog, and within the first two minutes Seastrunk showed off his talent when he gained major yards for the Wildcats. Despite his miraculous run, for the duration of the game Seastrunk wasn’t mentioned. Cedar Park beat the Wildcats on the road 28-14.
Following the Temple victory Cedar Park faced Lake Travis. Lake Travis is the two time defending state champions. This was Cedar Park’s first chance to play the Lake Travis Cavaliers without quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who now plays for the University of Texas. His replacement, Michael Brewer, has proven himself and is doing as well as Gilbert, and continues to lead the Cavs to victory. Lake Travis hasn’t lost a game since 2007. In defeating Lake Travis, Cedar Park could prove themselves as a top state contender. Throughout the game Cedar Park’s offense was shut down, as Lake Travis’ Michael Brewer threw for a total of 366 yards, as opposed to Cedar Park’s Nathan Thornhill’s 75 yards. In the end, nothing could stop the Cavaliers from coming out on top yet again, with a score 54-17.
After the devastating loss against Lake Travis, Cedar Park encountered the Georgetown Eagles. Having not won a game thus far in the season, Georgetown was hoping for their first victory. Throughout the game, Cedar Park made up for their previous loss. The Black Rain defense stopped the Eagle’s passing game, making their quarterback Ian McCoig run all night, placing Georgetown out of their element. Holmes Onwukaife and Collin Middleton both sacked McCoig, which helped Cedar Park’s offense get back on the field quicker. Onwukaife blocked a punt, which provided Cedar Park great field position to score. Timberwolf quarterback Nathan Thornhill became his old self again, passing for 424 yards. He looked like a running back leading the Timberwolves with 201 rushing yards. Cedar Park came out on top 51-13.
Cedar Park’s homecoming game was Friday October 2nd, against the McNeil Mavericks. The Homecoming game is always a must win game for every football team. Fortunately, Cedar Park took care of business and handled McNeil without a problem. Before the Cedar Park game, the Mavericks were 1-3 on the season, but after their previous win they begin district 16-5A play with a 1-0 record. McNeil has the top Running back in Central Texas Adrian Smith, who going into the matchup had accumulated 800 Rush Yards and 7 touchdowns from the start of the season. Smith however, had to face Holmes Onwukaife and the Black Rain defense. Onwukaife is one of the best Linebackers in the nation, and is feared by every offense he has come up against. Last year, Holmes got nine sacks over the course of the season. Onwukaife is a Florida State commit, and continues to prove the Seminoles right in their choice of recruiting him. On the offensive side for Cedar Park, had quarterback Nathan Thornhill who has significantly improved his game and continues to expand his skills. He resembles University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, as Thornhill ran for six touchdowns prior to the McNeil game. The Timberwolves contained multiple options at running back with Darren Thornhill and Brad Willard, who had both scored throughout the season. Besides Adrian Smith, McNeil was accompanied with Quarterback Cole Smith who this season is the only returning quarterback that was a starter last year. Cedar Park acquired a huge advantage with the crowd on its side. With that Friday being homecoming, the fans were extra loud and rowdy, which was just what the doctor ordered for Cedar Park. The Timberwolves got off to an awesome start in district and with the support of their fans behind them, are bound to keep improving their record.
Cedar Park was favored in the game, and together the team beat the Mavs 41-14. Go Cedar Park!
