![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)
With basketball in full swing, the entire school had an interest in this year’s team, so as you head out to the varsity games, here are some players to look for:
Senior Doug Bateman has played basketball since freshman year. He started playing on varsity his junior year as guard. Bateman wants to play basketball for Southwestern Assembly of God University.
“My goal is to be an asset to the team and just have fun with the rest of the players,” Bateman said. “I love the game and it is an amazing feeling when you score the first point of the season.”
Senior Jamie Xia has been playing basketball since he was only nine. He started playing on varsity as a freshman and plays the position of the wing. His goal for the season is to do everything he can to the best of his ability. Unlike Bateman, Xia plans on getting a business major at UT, A&M, SMU or Baylor, but no basketball.
“Through the years there has been a lot of memorable experiences, especially just hanging out with the guys on the team,” Xia said. “One that sticks out is making it to the state semifinals last year and getting to play at the Frank Erwin Center.”
Cole Price is a junior and plays guard for varsity. He has been on the team since his sophomore year, but has been playing basketball since he was six. Price plans on attending and wants to play basketball at Stephan F. Austin University.
“My biggest goal is to go on and continue playing basketball in college,” Price said. “What motivates me to play is my grades and just to be able to go out and have fun playing with all the guys.”
Come see these players as they take on Marble Falls on Jan. 25 at home.
