![Jumping off the ground, senior linebacker Bennett Patton snatches the ball out of the air for an interception at Thursday’s game against Chaparral. Patton had two interceptions in the 56-14 victory, tying the school record for interceptions in a game. “I was just playing the game,” Patton said. “[I’m] going to go into next week, forget about it and stay humble.” Photo by Harper Chapman](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/bennett-interception.jpg)
![The fire department came to the school after students were evacuated when smoke started coming from the ceiling of a classroom. All students and staff are safe. “All of my friends left their stuff too, so we couldn’t contact our parents, and it was stressful,” senior Brynn Fowler said. “It was scary because I didn’t know [what was going on], and I couldn’t find anyone because it was a big crowd.” Photo by Anthony Garcia](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/firetruck.jpg)
![As he sprints with the ball, senior running back Trae Hill breaks a tackle during Friday’s 35-14 loss against the Vandegrift Vipers. Hill ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns during the game. “[Scoring] was electric,” Hill said. “It always feels good to score, but the O-line did everything.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_0795allie.varfb_-1200x799.jpg)
![Sitting with her friend senior Sohpia Struve at last year’s Austin City Limits Festival, senior Ava Zuniga poses for a picture under a pavilion. They are frequent attendees at ACL, an annual music festival at Zilker Park. “I would recommend seeing a bunch of people,” Zuniga said. “This past year, we camped out for Chappell [Roan] for a really long time. I think the whole point of ACL, [which] is a lot of fun, is that you can go see so many different people, even if you don’t know them. So by camping by one person, it really limits yourself from being able to go see a bunch of people.” Photo courtesy of Ava Zuniga](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/EE9E9484-FE6F-4AA0-B5F5-0C177AB32841-1200x857.jpeg)
![Looking down at his racket, junior Hasun Nguyen hits the green tennis ball. Hasun has played tennis since he was 9 years old, and he is on the varsity team. "I feel like it’s not really appreciated in America as much, but [tennis] is a really competitive and mentally challenging sport,” Nguyen said. “I’m really level-headed and can keep my cool during a match, and that helps me play a bit better under pressure.” Photo by Kyra Cox](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/hasun.jpg)
![Broadcast, yearbook and newspaper combined for 66 Interscholastic League Press Conference awards this year. Yearbook won 43, newspaper won 14 and broadcast took home nine. “I think [the ILPC awards] are a great way to give the kids some acknowledgement for all of their hard work,” newspaper and yearbook adviser Paige Hert said. “They typically spend the year covering everyone else’s big moments, so it’s really cool for them to be celebrated so many times and in so many different ways.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/edited-ILPC.jpg)
![Bringing her arm over her head and taking a quick breath, junior Lauren Lucas swims the final laps of the 500 freestyle at the regionals swimming competition on date. Lucas broke the school’s 18-year-old record for the 500 freestyle at regionals and again at state with a time of 4:58.63. “I’d had my eye on that 500 record since my freshman year, so I was really excited to see if I could get it at regionals or districts,” Lucas said. “ State is always a really fun experience and medaling for the first time was really great. It was a very very tight race, [so] I was a bit surprised [that I medaled]. [There were] a lot of fast girls at the meet in general, [and] it was like a dogfight back and forth, back and forth.” Photo by Kaydence Wilkinson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kaydence-2.7-23-edit-2.jpg)
![As the support team sits and poses for a photo in the cafeteria with the counseling team they eagerly wait to start their day. "We [all] seem to be a team, I get up every day and there's days where I don't want to go to work today, but I'm thankful that I have a job and I'm blessed to have what I have," Christopherson said. Photo Courtesy of Julie Weltens.](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AF9E8470-10D7-4C91-BF28-EC8F86BAB66C-1200x852.jpeg)
![Officer Stephanie Cash is in her second year as an SRO at CPHS. “Seeing [students] grow over the years has been kind of cool,” Officer Cash said. “Freshmen that [are] all over the place and then in the next couple of years get a little more squared away and go to class and do work and start thinking about the future. Being a part of a student's growth is the best way to measure my success as an SRO.” Photo Courtesy of Cedar Park Police Department's PIO, Alicia Gallagher.](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CPHS-SRO-900x1200.jpg)
![Clutching the ball to his chest, senior running back Trae Hill takes a handoff from junior quarterback David Cooper in last year’s 49-46 victory against Vandegrift. This year, Cedar Park plays Vandegrift Friday at Monroe Stadium, with both teams entering the game at 0-1. “[There were] a lot of good things but also some bad things that we could work on,” Cooper said after last week’s loss. “Our offense is going to keep on working and so is our defense. We’re going to be a different team next week.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Addie-24-1200x801.jpg)
For first-time attendees, preparing for the annual Austin City Limits Festival at Zilker Park (ACL) can feel overwhelming. From choosing outfits and arranging transportation to navigating what items are allowed or not, such as oversized or non-clear bags.
ACL is coming up, with weekend one on Oct. 3-5 and weekend two on Oct. 10-12. The lineup changes every year, with artists ranging in fame. Frequent attendee senior Ava Zuniga said she has tips to help newcomers make the most of the experience.
“Making sure that you’re with your people the whole time and that everybody’s safe and getting there and getting back is probably the most difficult part,” Zuniga said. “We saw Kendrick and that day I wore boots, and that was the worst decision of my life. I had to go barefoot.”
Attendees who are going all three days are provided with a wrist band which must not be taken off once it is put on or entrance to the festival will be denied. Last year, it was senior Dominic Garcia’s first year attending ACL.
“All my friends went off to Blink 182, and I left them all to go see Chris Stapleton because I just had to, like, it’s Chris Stapleton,” Garcia said. “That was just crazy because we were going towards Blink 182, and they’re on opposite sides. We were in the Blink 182 crowd, and I could hear Chris Stapleton, and I just had to go. You should [stay with all your friends].
Zuniga and Garcia said to bring a water pack to utilize the hydration station instead of a water bottle, get an uber to and from the event, or park far enough to avoid traffic if going by car and prioritize comfort over style.
“When it comes to shoes, don’t worry about how they look,” Garcia said. “You just want to wear comfy shoes every single day because at the end of the day, you’re not going to [want to] be wearing uncomfy shoes. No one is gonna care what they look like. You’re gonna wanna be comfy the entire time.”
This year’s headliners are Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, Doechii, Doja Cat, Luke Combs, The Strokes and John Summit.
“I would recommend seeing a bunch of people,” Zuniga said. “This past year, we camped out for Chappell [Roan] for a really long time. I think the whole point of ACL, [which] is a lot of fun, is that you can go see so many different people, even if you don’t know them. So by camping by one person, it really limits yourself from being able to go see a bunch of people.”