![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)
![Sucking in a breath of air, freshman Lily Pope competes in the 200 yard individual medley. On Oct. 25, the swim team competed in the AISD Swim Invitational. Overall, the girls team took second place and the boys team came in eleventh. “My favorite stroke is butterfly because I do the best in that stroke,” Pope said. “I feel like [butterfly] can test how [your ability] to convince yourself to keep going. The hardest part of swimming is convincing yourself to stay strong and keep pushing during a hard race [when] everything is tired.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/POPE-1200x804.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)
Cedar Park baseball has struggled in the past, fighting hard to overcome all obstacles in their way. The talent has always been present but sometimes the team falls short of expectations. This year is no exception with the guys having another hurdle to overcome; inexperience. With only four returning starters, the guys lost half of their team and the chemistry that they had.
“We were all close friends and had been on varsity for two years,” Charlie Seesselberg, senior first basemen, said. “Right now [the chemistry] is not that great.”
The guy’s lack of familiarity with each other showed on the field in their first few games. They gave up 33 runs and lost two of three games which makes this year a rebuilding season. However, this isn’t the first time the Timberwolves had a rough start to the season.
“[Last season was] frustrating because we had a lot of talent but fell short,” Nathan Thornhill, senior pitcher, said.
What they do have going for them is the hard work the team is willing to put in. In the offseason alone they lifted weights and ran nearly every day. The grueling workouts made the team stronger and fast which will translate on the field. They also have diversity within the team.
“[Our strength is] depth. We have lots of players that can play different positions,” Seesselberg said.
That ability for players to be switched in and out can be deadly against unsuspecting teams. It could be the key to taking down the Georgetown Eagles, the first district game of the season and the one team that the Timberwolves haven’t been able to defeat in the past four years.
“Our biggest opponent is probably Georgetown because they’re always good and have strong players,” Thornhill said. “They’re also the first game of district.”
The team has also improved since the start of the season. Their offense has gotten better by working on their batting skills and their practices have become more serious. The more the guys play together, the more they’re likely to gel on the field.
“As the season goes on and we become better friends I think [the chemistry on the field] will improve greatly,” Seesselberg said.
Their main goal for the season is the same as most other sports – playoffs. Last season they went 7-7, barely missing the fourth spot to advance.
“It was disappointing. We started off well but didn’t finish off how we wanted,” Collin Raddack, senior center fielder, said.
With that as motivation, the guys are more then willing to put in the extra effort to be the best and make it to playoffs. The team may be young, but they are willing to listen to each other to improve. There are six seniors leading the team, guiding the underclassmen in playing varsity ball. The team last year fell short of expectations driving them to be the best this year.
“We’re about the same [as we were last year] but we play better as a team so hopefully we’ll end up further along,” Raddack said.
The team has high hopes for the season, wanting to make it to playoffs and maybe even the state championship. The seniors are looking to leave the team with a winning season and start living up to their potential. They continue to grow and work hard to exceed expectations and reach their full potential.
