Cross country whipped into gear on Aug. 18 in a meet at Cedar Park. It was the first meet of the year for every school, and everyone was ready to run their heat. The team prepared on a system in which they ran seven days a week, year-round, according to senior team member Leah Wilcox. This class of seniors is comprised of long-time runners, including Wilcox, as well as Alena Albertson, Sophia Roach and Liam Ballon. 

Football has been one of the more glorified sports in the school. This senior class is the winningest class in school history, with the varsity team compiling a total 47-7 record since their freshman year. With head coach Carl Abseck taking over the team in 2015, the program under him won State in his first year and made history as the school’s only undefeated season. The senior class has gone through many highs, such as senior quarterback Ryan Fiala leading a comeback against Georgetown in 2017, to the lows of falling short in the playoffs after the 16-0 season. With back to back losses to Manvel, and the most recent loss to Shadow Creek, the team wasn’t able to get back to having the “Texas Tested” title.

The senior class has been running behind strong players such as wide receiver Carson Neel, offensive line anchor Nico Green and secondary stud Stryder Laster. These are just a few of the powerful seniors on the varsity team.

“I’ve been playing [football] since elementary school,” Neel said. “I come from a family that played football, so I didn’t really have a choice. My favorite memory is probably coming back and beating Georgetown my junior year, or playing at Kyle Field my sophomore year.”

Sometimes, playing time isn’t all that important, especially when players are around teammates that are also their friends. Laster is a part of the secondary, and said what he has enjoyed most has almost had nothing to do with football itself.

“My favorite memories are when the whole team gets hype and dances in the locker room after a dub,” Laster said.

Green is guard on the offensive line, and has been playing football for most of his life. He said football has been an integral part to the way he lives.

“I started playing football when I was in second grade,” Green said. “Since I grew up around a football family, I wanted to start playing immediately. Whenever I felt that football was getting to be too much, I would remember all of my teammates going through the same struggles.”

The football season has been essentially year-round for all players, with summer workouts starting almost immediately after school releases for the summer. The “off” season consisted of workouts before, during and after school. All of that comes to a close for the seniors now that their last high school game has passed and the real off-season began.

Volleyball for girls on the team is not just a sport. The team is comprised with a lot of senior talent, such as Isabel Maib, Shelby Epley, Kennedi Lemmond, Abby Teicher and Ryan Kuharski. Most play club volleyball with a select team that plays during the high school off-season. Lemmond and Kuharski have been playing volleyball together since middle school. Lemmond said that the team’s chemistry has brought them closer not only as a unit, but as a group of friends.

“I’ve been playing for about 10 years, since I was eight,” Lemmond said. “I played a lot of sports when I was younger and my parents put me in volleyball. Since then, I fell in love with it and made it my priority sport. What kept me in volleyball was my friends. Going through the hard times with your teammates made it all worth it. My favorite memory from playing for the school was my sophomore year when we went to State. It was an amazing experience and it made me proud to be a T-Wolf. I will miss my teammates the most, the thrill of winning games with them and definitely the locker room jam sessions.”

Epley was also a big part of the team this season. As a middle blocker, her defensive presence was necessary to the team going 31-13. 

“I’ve been playing for six years,” Epley said. “I wanted to play volleyball because I had an older sister who played and going to her games and being in the gym 24/7 made me want to play. What kept me in it is my competitiveness and my love for the game. My favorite memory is the state tournament my sophomore year. It was so surreal and being apart of it was so incredible. Also beating Rouse this year was a great memory because so much prep for the game and determination was what pushed us.”

Maib is a player who has been playing volleyball since fifth grade. She said the memories that she has made in high school volleyball are unforgettable.

“I made sure to always hold myself accountable and attend practices, if not for myself, then for my teammates,” Maib said. “My favorite memory was definitely when we beat Rouse this past season. Everybody rushed onto the court and yelled and sung as we were all so proud of one another for working together to get what we needed done.”

Kuharski has been playing volleyball for a total of eight years, alongside Lemmond and a few other friends of hers. She said that although it was not always easy to stick with the sport this whole time, it was surely worth it.

“I initially wanted to play volleyball because all of my friends started showing an interest,” Kuharski said. “So we all started together. There were definitely times when I wanted to stop playing but I didn’t because volleyball has been a part of my life for so long. I knew I would regret it and wouldn’t know what to do without it. My favorite memory is going to state my sophomore year. It was an experience I will never forget.”

With a collection of gold, silver and bronze state medals, the seniors in fall sports have built a legacy since they were freshmen in 2015. 

Gallery • 5 Photos

Photo by McKenzie Hayak

Ryan Kuharski celebrates senior night with her family as sophomore Abbi Lemmond brings a senior gift.

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