![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)
Varsity football clenched their sixth consecutive win against classic rival Leander in the annual Crosstown Showdown game. In the district opener on Sept. 27 at Bible Stadium, the Timberwolves won 30-17 in overtime with a touchdown by junior Joey Carter and an interception and touchdown by senior Lane Waller.
With 2:34 left and the Timberwolves down in the fourth quarter, a climactic 34-yard field goal by senior Zach Hancock tied the score to 17-17 and extended the game into overtime.
“Before the field goal I was focusing on only the kick and zoning everything out,” Hancock said. “After the kick, I was still focused because I knew there might be another kick.”
Cedar Park had possession of the ball first, and Carter made a 5-yard touchdown run.
“I’m thankful I was able to get the opportunity to score,” Carter said. “I also thank the offensive line because I’m unable to do it without them.”
On Leander’s possession, Waller caught an interception and ran 85 yards for a touchdown. His “pick 6” ended the game with a final score of 30-17.
“I felt relieved after scoring, and gracious that I was able to make a play and help my team win,” Waller said. “I didn’t know it was going to happen when I made the pick. I was just focused on getting one more stop.”
The team faces Marble Falls in their next game on Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Gupton Stadium. During halftime, the Homecoming game will feature the announcement of Senior King and Queen. The football team has the same mindset of every week.
“We do what we do and we’ll come out on top of this next game,” Waller said.
