![The cross country team poses for the camera after finishing the district meet. The varsity boys, JV boys and JV girls all placed third and the varsity girls placed fourth. “Coach put in the right training for us for this season, so I think we will be peaking this week and the next couple of weeks,” varsity runner and junior Nathan Kukla said. “The chances of making it to state are very high, but we don’t settle for the lowest and there is always going to be that chance, so [we] race for the best.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heidi-831-1200x900.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, Author Ehigbor Okosun, members of Page Turners, and other students reflect on the author's visit. “I thought the visit was great,” Senior Amia De Leon said. “It was interesting talking to her and [getting to know] her process and her thoughts and books in general. But I think the reason it went well [was that] people got to ask questions. I'm glad that she said so much in response to the questions and it wasn't just one and done. [The author’s responses] felt very articulate.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sebastian-5-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing in front of the field at a freshman football game, cheerleader freshman Jacob Gaudreau along with teammate freshman Bella Gibson pose for a photo during halftime of game. “[Cheer has] definitely given me a much more outgoing personality,” Gaudreau said. “I used to be very introverted, so it's definitely made me more extroverted towards people.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ingrid-204-1200x800.jpg)
![Holding a wooden pizza toy, senior Taylor Peterson plays with small children in Bucaramanga, Colombia. During the summer, Peterson traveled to Colombia to help build an elementary school that only had two classrooms but five or six grades with one teacher. “We add[ed] two more classrooms,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of hard when you have two or three grades in one classroom and you only have one teacher. It’s very hard to actually get some beneficial learning. [The extra classrooms will give the students] a better quality of education because they’ll actually have a place specific for their learning.” Photo by Taylor Peterson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-P.png)
![Swinging with his arm extended, senior Nolan Park hits the ball smoothly over the net and to the opponent’s side. Park is one of four varsity tennis captains and helped the team win district championships. “Winning district champs was a pretty awesome feeling,” Park said. “We had lost to Liberty Hill a couple of weeks before, but when we played them [again], we came out and really took care of business. We took them out and it was just a really awesome night.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kassidy-419.jpg)
![Standing proud, varsity senior athletes Rafael Escobar, Griffin Jacobs, Jakob Martin, and juniors Jackson Springer and Jack Morris pose with their newly earned medals. The varsity team finished third out of 14 teams on Sept. 25. “The team's primary goal is to win the district championship,” head coach Cody Price said. "We're confident that with our action plan in place, we can accomplish this mission. [For the next tournament], our preparation involves assessing our strengths and weaknesses, celebrating milestones and creating individual development plans." Photo courtesy of Cody Price](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/golf.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, the Varsity Tennis team celebrates winning districts. They played against Liberty Hill on Tuesday night and won with a final score of 10- 5. “We improved a lot even from the last game,” senior Blake Hillis said. “We lost against them the last time we played [Liberty Hill], but it was really close. It was just really important for us to win this match since it was the district finals. [When we won I felt] overwhelmingly happy, especially being there with my teammates and it being my senior year. It was just really great. It [felt] like a community.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tennis-Districts-e1728060882260.png)
Girls Basketball Looks to Roll into the Playoffs
Senior Chika Onyia shoots a free throw during Cedar Park’s game against Pflugerville on Nov. 8.
January 30, 2017
As the spring semester rolls on, the girls basketball team is hard at work, cruising through their schedule along the way. With a 23-9 record, the Lady Wolves are enjoying another successful season, this time under first-year head coach Jessica Smith, who took over for Mark Myers shortly before the season’s commencement. The team has emphasized the importance of team chemistry and togetherness this year, getting behind Coach Smith and rallying to string together several periods of winning basketball.
Coach Smith marveled at some of her players’ abilities to stay strong through so much change.
“I think everyone on the team has done a great job bringing the team together and supporting one another,” Smith said. “Our focus has always been on us as a team. We couldn’t be where we are today without one of our twelve players.”
Opening the season with a shocking upset of then 6A #9 Westwood in an overtime thriller, Cedar Park won ten of their first twelve games, including a convincing victory over Vandegrift. After a string of tough games against top-notch opponents like Ft. Worth Boswell and Waco Midway, the team opened district play dominantly, beating Hutto by over 50 points. Overall, the team is 10-2 in district, sitting second behind district undefeated Georgetown. With two league losses by a mere combined nine points, the Timberwolves are still very much in play for a district championship.
Unlike many other teams in the area, Cedar Park boasts a cleverly balanced varsity roster. With six underclassmen and six upperclassmen, the Lady Wolves are poised for immediate success, and look to be a promising squad in the future. Senior Cami Rettinger reinforced the importance of this balance.
“It’s important to balance because the more experienced players help the ones who are younger,” Rettinger said. “It allows them to get better and also prepare for the coming years they play.”
Even with so many changes at the helm of the program, the team still has high aspirations for the season. Still within reach of a district championship and a favorable place in the playoffs, the Lady Wolves are looking to continue their dominant district play. Getting contributions from all four grade levels, this team looks poised, not only to make way in the playoffs this year, but also to continue to make deep runs into the postseason for many years to come.
“We strive to play united as a team, with a goal of playing 100 percent every single time we walk out onto the court,” freshman forward Nicole Leff said. “We are also very excited for the playoffs and the journey ahead.”
The Timberwolves beat Hutto this past Tuesday in a nail-biter, 47-44. Their next home game, the last of the season, is Friday, Feb. 3, against district-topping Georgetown. The colossal matchup with district title implications will tip-off at 7 p.m. at the Timberdome.
