In a fast-paced bout of renewed aggression, the Warriors faced their most anticipated rivals of the season, the Cedar Ridge Raiders, for an intense  Homecoming game on Friday Sept. 19. What began as a slow start morphed into a high-tension game with the Warriors pouring in power, strategy, and confidence to swiftly rack up points on the board. Although the teams remained neck and neck the majority of the game, the Raiders brought a last-minute surge of forceful offense that led to a disheartening Warrior loss 31-40. 

The night’s game held high tensions as the Warriors looked for an opportunity to bounce back from their crushing Mcneil loss. While the Warriors may not have claimed victory in the end, they exhibited newfound coordination, technique, and targeted growth on both offense and defense, putting up a valiant fight against the Raiders. 

“We proved today that we have all the talent there, we have all the might and the energy, all the juice,” Jack Kelley ‘26 said. “It’s just the small things we got to work on week in and week out, whether that’s special teams, some small mistakes on defense, some small mistakes on offense, but altogether, we’re there. We got a playoff contending team.”

Starting on offense, the Warriors begin their drive at their own 25 yard line, pushing swiftly past a robust Raider defense to claim a first down despite the commendable opposition. Assessing the season so far, offense has consistently displayed powerful aggression, however, this aggression alone wasn’t enough to win against a technique or strategy-oriented team. A turning point in the Warriors’ efforts, this game saw that aggression transformed into proactive plays that displayed how the Warriors were targeting their areas of growth and executing them on the field. For example, while the Warriors often relied on rushing plays — falling short on successful passes to enable movement down the field — last night, the Warriors showcased back-to-back complete passes, making good distance. 

“Our run game was very good today,” Zeke Brock ‘26 said. “We were able to carry the ball and we were able to play physical on offense. Some things we need to work on [though] are just finishing our games. We start out kind of slow and we just need to be able to start out fast.”

Defense also demonstrated massive growth from their shaky play against the Mavericks last week. They came back with a renewed sense of confidence and power, posing a solid line of defense against incoming Raiders. However, while Warrior defense pushed the Raiders consistently to third downs, the Raiders offense persevered and earned the first touchdown of the evening. With Warrior offense now on the field, they made steady progress, consistently making first or second downs. However as they inched closer to the end zone, Raider defense began testing offensive limits, by forcing the Warriors to third and fourth downs. However, the Warriors thrive under this pressure — a trend that stays consistent throughout the game. Cooper Waits ‘26 remains clear-headed, a quality that enables him to break through Raider defense, and prompt a facemask penalty on the Raiders. This earned the Warriors an additional 15 yard gain, and boosted their confidence as they peered closer to their endzone. However, with both teams still struggling to find solid footing against each other, the rest of the first quarter bleeding into the second saw both teams’ defense posing unavoidable barriers and both offenses getting pressured into incomplete passes.  

“[In terms of] strengths, I think we did a good job maintaining a flat line in terms of just keeping our composure,” Kelley said. “[If] something bad happened, we got back up and were ready to play. [If] something good happened, we didn’t get our heads up in the clouds, we were ready to play. [In terms of weaknesses], just small details, and that just comes with practice.”

With the Warrior offense shaky on the first and second downs, they riskily moved down the field in on-and-off bouts of rushing breakthroughs and occasional passes. However, the Raiders eventually capitalized on one of those weak first downs, intercepting the ball and winning a second touchdown. With the score not at 14-0, the growing point disparity triggered vigorous determination in Warrior offense; taking a strategy-first approach, the Warriors began using seamless fake passes and diversions that seemed to work until they lost that advantage to overly-rushed passes. However, the Warriors remain persistent, clearing through the defensive line with consistent third downs. Inching closer to the end zone, Warrior offense brought back their newfound complete passes, with Weston Franz ‘27 repeatedly making good catches. However, the Warriors began to fumble the ball, losing yards on the play. This forces them to go for a field goal on fourth down, getting their first points up on the board and bringing the score to 3-14. 

Continuing this bout of newfound strategy, the Warriors return on offense after the Raiders mirror their opponent with a field goal of their own. Exhibiting fluid teamwork to drive the ball effectively down the field, Colten Case ‘26 makes a huge run for Warrior offense, with Drew Norrell ‘26 catching a risky long pass, and Waits scoring an exceptional first down that brings the Warriors to the edge of the end zone. This series of bold movements is continued by a mighty touchdown by Wade Allen ‘26, and a powerful kick by Josh Jack ‘26, eliciting loud cheers from the student section. The Warriors finish off the second quarter with defense also ending strong, only allowing lateral, out-of-bounds Raider movement. 

“We just changed our mentality and had a lot of fire under our defense,” Brock said. “That was able to keep us closer in the ball game and make it more of a competitive game. Our goal was to beat [the Raiders] physically and [keep] that sharp physicality on offense and defense, and to beat them with our power.”

Returning from halftime, the Warriors continued their momentum, with defense successfully cutting off incoming Raider offense with a new strategy of repeatedly swarming the ball carrier. With defense relatively consistent in their efforts, it was now up to Warrior offense to tip the scales in their favor. Maps Mehis ‘28 makes an admirable, long-range catch, shooting down the field to close in towards the end zone. Gaining the advantage over their counterparts — Raider offense, Warrior offense took over the play and immediately scooped the ball to weave past defense. Executing a smooth blocking maneuver, this allowed Warrior offense to claim their second touchdown, again by Allen. 

“My 60 yard touchdown was [definitely] a highlight for me,” Allen said. “We’re a physical team, and we just [have] to carry that on every game.” 

The remainder of the game sees a rapid series of both teams putting their best foot forward, surging past one another to gain the lead. While Warrior defense only enabled Raider movement in small increments, the Raiders managed to tumble into their third touchdown of the night. This move was quickly mirrored by Warrior offense, with a long run by Allen and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Raiders bringing the Warriors closer to the targeted end zone. Culminating this effort, Waits swiftly passed the ball to Norrell, who swooped into the end zone to claim yet another Warrior touchdown.  With the score now at 23-27, the Warriors continued this momentum with an action-packed interception by Finn Chaney ‘26, who, spurred on by the boisterous cheering from the student section, shot into the end zone to mark another Warrior touchdown, and giving the Warriors their first lead of the night. Both offense and defense were on incredibly solid ground now, meshing power, technique, and confidence. However, the Warriors lost their lead almost immediately to a touchdown by the Raiders due to a shaky Warrior kicking team. 

“We ran the ball really well today, in the second half [especially], we turned it on, and later on in the game we did a nice job of getting stops,” Allen said. “We just struggled on special teams. We got to work on how we pass the ball and we need to work on special teams.”

With the Warriors now mourning the loss of their lead, offense becomes pressured into regaining it, losing some of their tactic in return for sheer aggression. However, this only resulted in incomplete passes, and the ball fumbling out of bounds. Meanwhile, the Raiders managed to score yet another unprovoked touchdown, surging past Warrior defense in a quick rush to the end zone. This growing point disparity paired with a ticking clock prevented Warrior offense from making any more significant progress, eventually falling short to the Raiders 30-41. 

“I thought we did amazing,” Josh Jack ‘26 said. “We didn’t give up, and I’m just excited for [Homecoming]. I saw a lot of people I know [show out here].”

The varsity football team will face off against the Hutto Hippos in their next home game on Thursday, Oct. 2.

In a back and forth showdown filled with long rallies and powerful plays, Freshman Volleyball secured their hard-earned win 2-1 against the Stony Point Tigers on Friday, Sept. 19. After their loss against Cedar Ridge, the Warriors took the court fierce and united against the Tigers, scoring points through striking saves and dominant blocks.

“I think we did really good with covering,” Caitlin Steenrod ’29 said. “It’s something we’ve been working on and we’ve definitely improved on it a lot [this game].”

Opening the first set, Daisy Segura ’29 secured the first point for Westwood with a kill. This lead did not hold easily for the Warriors as following the early kill,multiple long, challenging rallies occured. However, even through this adversity, the Warriors remained unphased, helping maintain Westwood’s leading position with  strong defense and speedy digs by Aahana Desai ’29. Westwood sustained their lead, although not easily as Stony Point remained determined in every offensive possession, until they were neck and neck with Stony Point at a score of 24-24. Needing to win by two, a strong kill followed by a disappointing miss by the Warriors led to the first set ending with a win for the Tigers and a final score of 26-24.

“Our coach makes us pretend like we’re goldfish,” Emme Sims ’29 said. “They have bad memories, and she tells us to forget the previous game or set we had and have a new mindset [for the next set].”

With a shifted focus and newfound determination, the Warriors pushed themselves even harder in the second set. Both Segura and Sims made clever passes and forceful spikes to open the second set and to help hold the Warriors lead of 8-7 through the first ten minutes. The Tigers repeatedly hit errors and out of bound serves forcing Stony Point to call the first timeout while the score was at 17-15, with the Warriors in the lead. After the timeout, both teams played with intensity, keeping long rallies but allowing for constant turnovers, making the second set just as nerve-racking as the first. These tense plays caused Westwood to call their first timeout of the night with only one point needed to win the . After a fumble by the Tigers, the Warriors won the second set, putting the set score at 1-1.

“We did a lot of hustling,” Ava Punalekar ‘29 said. “We knew Stony Point serves a lot of unexpected balls for our team so [I] tried going for the ball, calling it, and just [playing] with my best effort.”

The third set started shaky, with the Tigers opening with a quick run of 3-0, and Westwood losing opportunities for points by shanking the ball. However, with determination and passion, the Warriors kept the ball alive during long rallies, and communicated well with each other to move smoothly around the court.After many shifts in possession as both teams played fiery offense, an ace by Sims allowed the Warriors to close the gap and bring the score to 15-16. After a couple more well placed serves and effective blocks, the Warriors lead the score at 23-21, causing the Tigers to call their first timeout of the set. Coming out of the timeout the Warriors score the first point, immediately giving them the one up by building confidence. With only one more point needed to take home the Homecoming victory, a long rally that lasted almost 3 minutes, ended with a kill for the Warriors, giving them the victory of the set and the game. The final score of the third set was 25-21.

The Warriors will prepare to play their next game on Tuesday, Sept. 23 against the Manor Mustangs.

Clearing the court, the varsity volleyball team swept the Cedar Ridge Raiders with a winning score of 3-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The Warriors, coming off of a loss, used this game as a comeback after tweaking their plays and solidifying their routine. Using sharp serves, strong kills, and tight communication, the Warriors managed to squeeze out the win.

“I think overall, being able to win three sets and being able to fight back even when we were down were big highlights,” Coach Madison Smith said. 

Starting the game strong, Emma Waghorne’ 27 opened the first set with an ace giving the Warriors the early lead. However, the Raiders were quick to follow this with a short run of three before quickly being met with strong Warrior defense to tie the game at four. With another kill and a few more blocks, the Raiders were forced to take the first time out of the night. Coming out of the timeout, both teams held high momentum with many quick rallies and back to back possessions. After a few Raider points in a row, the Warriors called a timeout to discuss their game plan. Coming out of the timeout, the Warriors scored the first point, proving their timeout to be a successful play. With skillful dives from Dakota Hodge ‘26 and a shifty back row, the Warriors managed to pull out the win after a tight back to back set. The final score of the first set was 25-23.

“I think our defense, serve receive, and back row are all very strong,” Coach Smith said. “I feel that our defense overall did a great job at setting our front row up for success.”

Bouncing right back into groove, the Warriors scored the first two points that opened the second set. Quickly advancing their score, the Warriors held the lead until the Raiders took a timeout to regroup and bring the score up to 11-15. Frazzled, the Warriors called a timeout hoping to adjust their game play. Coming out of the timeout, the Warriors shanked multiple balls and were unable to keep up with the Raiders’ continuous hits. Pulling Westwood out of their funk, Lila Wellington ‘27 tipped the ball over to break the Warriors scoring drought. After a few Westwood possessions, the game tied at 23. Cedar Ridge, unable to take the pressure, shanked two balls in a row, allowing Westwood to take the win. The final score of the second set was 25-23.

“[Communication] is a lot of knowing what you’re supposed to be doing,” Wellington said. “We don’t really have a lot of time to speak, but we just know where we are, where we have to be, and if we’re not there, then that’s a communication error and we’ll definitely talk about that after.”

Carrying over the same energy conveyed in the previous two sets, the Warriors began the third set with a strong streak of 9-0. Cedar Ridge, late to a timeout, allowed Westwood to slip through and hold their momentum. Coming out of the timeout, the Raiders were able to pull through, scoring two points to add to their side of the board. The Warriors, however, continued with their strong communication and sets, advancing the score 12-2. Determined to come back, the Raiders scored multiple quick points to throw the Warriors rhythm off. Now only up by four, the Warriors’ offense stepped up for their team, continuing to set up shifty net plays to hold their lead. Cedar Ridge, anxious at Westwood’s grit, called another timeout at 24-19. This timeout proved to be pointless, as Westwood scored the set point right out of the break. The final score of the third set was 25-19. 

“[The win] was great,” Wellington said. “It was the motivation that we needed, especially going into the next game on Friday. Stony Point is one of our big games that we always play. We had a rough year with them last year, and we’re coming back for a better season. It’s going to be a rough week, but this is definitely the motivation that we needed for that.”

The Warriors will take the home court again on Friday, Sept. 19, to face the Stony Point Tigers in a fierce battle.

Fighting through a high-pressure game, the JV White Volleyball team played against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Despite a strong start, the Warriors fell short in both sets. The final score of the game was 2-0.

“Before the game, I felt pretty pumped, hyped and confident,” Kimmie Menendez ’28 said. “After, I thought [I wanted to] be more consistent and hype up my teammates.”

After a few hits out from both sides of the net, Cedar Ridge began pulling forward and took the lead at the start of the game. The Warriors, alerted by the Raiders lead, still kept focus and exhibited  calm, organized communication.This allowed them to build back their confidence and in turn, advance their score. An effective kill from Liberty Hargave ‘29 strengthened their motivation, bringing the score to 3-5. After a series of close rallies kicked off by a serve from Hargave, a powerful kill from Sophie Chen ‘29 brought the teams to a tie, 6-6. As the Warriors began a streak of consistent kills and advantageous serves, they reached 10-6 before timeout was called by Cedar Ridge. However, the Warriors began to show weakness with serve receive, leading to a takeover by Cedar Ridge. Losing momentum, the team’s communication began to falter due to growing doubts within the players. Even with a valiant slide by Menendez, the Warriors’ first set finished at a loss of 12-25.

“I thought [I could work on] my energy,” Sophie Chen ’29 said. “Overall, it’s my [mentality]. When we’re down, or when I’ve done a bunch of bad things, and then I’m just in my head and my energy brings everyone else down, I want to work on, when I’m in that situation, how to get out of it.”

Shaken by their loss, the Warriors struggled to get back on track as they started their next set.  An impactful serve from Lucy Aldrete ’28, allowed them to bounce back and tie the score at 4-4. Rebuilding morale with a series of solid kills, the team cheered for each other as they climbed back up the scoreboard with a growing lead. Nevertheless, a break in communication created holes amongst the Warriors, and they began to fall back despite multiple attempts at blocks. Once behind, the Westwood team’s struggle only grew, distracted by [move of ball hitting top of net]. This momentary weakness did not go unnoticed by the Raiders, using similar tricks to barrel forward in points. Discouraged, the Warriors were unable to regain their lead, ending at 15-25.

“I [need to] make sure I’m getting hype after points, always cheering on my teammates, and being kind to myself,” Lucy Aldrete ’28 said. “But I was proud of my team, [especially] Sophie, I think she got so many good swings and had great hustle.”

The JV White Volleyball team will take their home court again Friday Sept. 19 against Stoney Point.

Continuing their early season success on Tuesday, Sept. 16, the varsity tennis team took the victory against the Vandegrift Vipers, a team ranked by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association to be 11th overall in Texas. Playing precise tennis from start to finish, the Warriors outmaneuvered and outhit the Vipers in one of their biggest and most challenging games of the season.

These early games serve as a proving ground for a new roster, where the coaches are able to give their first pieces of advice to a new generation of players and begin to build strong team morale. This year’s varsity team introduces new, talented freshmen to the roster, giving them the opportunity to play with more seasoned upperclassmen and gain valuable experience in the process.

“Westwood is doing pretty well. [We continue to be] undefeated, [ranked] number one in the state,” Ethan Wang ‘29 said “We are a well rounded team, and as I see the games play out, I think we are up in every game.”  

Some games did pose the Warriors a challenge, with Vandergrift taking early leads in multiple different matches by playing consistent groundstrokes and minimizing unforced errors. However, keeping their composure even when down allowed the Warriors to take the stride. With perseverance and adaptation, Westwood emerged victorious. 

“We had a bad start but we [managed] to push through and finish the game very strong,” Gavin Wang ‘27 said. “We were serving very good, we played very aggressive and I think that’s why we won.”

Aside from multiple big wins for the Warriors, the game against the Vipers also served as a training ground for the team to work on their soft skills and grow as a community in the process. 

“[I found that] communication was the most important part. I played with my brother and [communication made us] play well,” Kavish Parikh ‘29 said. “[The game] is fun and we are able to mess around and try new shots on court. The other freshman and us were close before, but we’re even closer now.”

The Warrior won against Vandergrift in an impressive 15-4 fashion. Slaying the Vipers, the Warriors will take on the Westlake Chaps in their next home game on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Settling it on the court, Westwood JV Orange Volleyball played the Cedar Ridge Raiders on Tuesday Sept. 16. The Warriors played an exceptional first set, fought hard in the second, and brought the energy in the third set. The girls dominated the court, concluding the game 2-1.

“We were very prepared for the game,” Isabelle Call ‘28 said. “And last week too, we talked about how communication could have been better, so we knew what to do this time.” 

The Warriors set the standard high, advancing 4-0 within the first few minutes. Quinn Ewert ‘28 played crucial both in front row and back row, landing a number of spikes and kills. Additionally, in the back row Grace Toledo ‘28 contributed to the fast pace of the game by making numerous important digs to avoid Cedar Ridge points. The Warriors emphasized communication and being organized, executing each play with composure and strategy. The team was able to find gaps within the Cedar Ridge defense helping them advance 10-3 within the first 10 minutes of the game. Important serves by Call, Aurora Simmons ‘28 and Henley Hammonds ‘28 helped to add more points to the scoreboard. Nearing the end of the first set the Warriors were feeling it. Determined to take home the victory, the Lady Warriors flew past Cedar Ridge, ending the set 25-8.

“The first set we came out ready to fight,” Call said. “Our serves were on fire, and no one was messing up. We saw how they were hitting during warm ups [because of that] we knew exactly how to read them and where their weak spots were.” 

Fired up, the Cedar Ridge Raiders began the second set with a 5-0 run; many of the points were a result of Westwood blunders. However, Westwood got back up and gave the Raiders something worth fighting for, shortening the point differential to one.The Lady Warrior’s front row played an important role in the second set, as tip offs and spikes helped garner points and keep each play alive. Unfortunately, the Raiders saw past Westwood strategy and were able to find holes within the Westwood backrow, therefore, conceding many consecutive points. Frustration was clear and Westwood girls were fighting hard, although the composure was a little less as that of the first set, the Warriors continued to execute beautiful balls across the court. The Warriors made their way up to 16 but were outnumbered by the Raider’s 25 points. The finale score of the second set was 16-25, taking the Lady Warriors to set three.

“[The second set] was very stressful, and I think we had a few down moments,” Toledo said. “[However] we also had some really good blocks, and we were still placing pretty well.”

Coming off of set two, the Warriors were determined to take home set three.Throughout the third set the Warriors focused on closing in on the pockets, especially the left pocket to prevent the Raiders from sneaking in sharp hits. Toledo and Call worked wonderfully, setting up spikes and stopping balls. The Warriors and Raiders were fighting for every point. The front row continued to run the show serving hard spikes and great tips. Great rallies, great saves, and a roaring crowd  gave both sides determination to take the win. Despite falling short in the beginning Westwood came back tying the game at eight. Westwood continued to protect the gaps and serve accurately, giving them the lead 14-11. From then on, Westwood was cruising, expanding the lead 17-11. The Warriors continued to dominate the game, inching closer and closer to winning set 3, 22-14.  A shanked ball by Cedar Ridge, secured Westwood the victory of set three, finishing the game 25-17.“[In the second set] we [the front row] didn’t do our jobs very well,” Hammonds said. “But we picked it back up in the third set, and got our energy back. We started working together as a team again, and started hitting them in the court and down.

The Warriors set out to bring back the energy, work, and fire once again this upcoming week. The Lady Warriors will show down for their Homecoming game on Friday Sept.19, against Stoney Point.

In an intense match, Freshman Volleyball fought against the Cedar Ridge Raiders on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Even with aggressive kills and valiant saves, the Warriors ultimately met defeat after a two set match.

“Without your team being encouraged, it’s gonna be hard to get the next point,” Julia Kushnirsky ‘29 said. “Celebrating is what brings us up and keeps up the good energy so we can continue to do good.”

Launching into the first set, the Raiders took the lead off the first point with an out of bounds serve. However, the Warriors fought back with a point earned by Sloane Martin ‘29, tying the score early at one. Consistent steady serves from Daisy Segura ‘29 and quick save from Gissel Gavina ‘29 secured Westwood’s dominance. Despite the strong head start in points, the Lady Warriors’ defensive blunders and out of bounds hits allowed Cedar Ridge to quickly catch up, with the lead constantly switching between the teams. Motivated by the encouraging chants from the bench, Westwood was fired up to take back points. Strong spikes from Ellie Silkey ‘29 gave Westwood the spirit needed to gain the momentum back needed to push ahead. Despite the Warriors’ fiery energy, their mistakes quickly caught up to them and allowed Cedar Ridge the perfect opening to sneak in and steal the first set 25-19.

“I have a method [to reset after errors] where I [tug on my shirt] when I’m in my head,” Grace Kinnison ‘29 said. “It resets my brain, so I get out of whatever loop I’m in.”

After a team huddle, Westwood was pumped up, hoping to make a comeback against  Cedar Ridge. However, the Raiders exonerated the same, and were fired up stealing three points before the Warriors could score. Cedar Ridge’s missed serve allowed Westwood to break the streak and get back in the game. A fierce spike from Kushnirsky combined with a powerful ace from Layla Guerra ‘29 sent the Raiders into a miscommunication mess, allowing Westwood to take the lead. Keeping energy high throughout the rest of the set, the Warriors kept up, neck and neck, with the Raiders.. The Lady Warriors were relentless in their attacks, however in a devastating final point, Cedar Ridge won the second set 25-23 and the game 2-0.

“It’s a big accomplishment when you fully trust your team,” Kushnirsky said, “and know that they’re there for you to get the balls.”

The Warriors will take the court again in their next home game against the Stony Point Tigers on Friday, Sept. 19.

On Wednesday, Sep. 10, the JV Black Tennis smashed the Round Rock Dragons, with a score of 15-4. The Warriors started their third home game of the season off with a bang. From the opening point to the last serve, the Warriors stayed composed and competitive in both singles and doubles matches, adding another strong home victory to their record.

Opening the tournament, the Warriors were undefeated. Jensen Hare ’27 and Ananth Sridhar ’27 set the tone for the Warriors, opening the day with a quick win against the Dragons. Hare and Sridhar not only won the doubles match, but did it in by keeping the Dragons under four points between both of their victorious sets. The scores of each set are: 6-2, 2-6, and 10-3. Following this match, Tiffany Cheng ‘29 took home another Warrior win in the singles category. With no competition, Cheng’s sharp receives held the Dragons to zero points. Cheng won with a total score of 8-0. 

“It definitely was a tough match,” said Sridhar. “We’re definitely the ones that beat ourselves up [causing the one lost set].”

During their match against the Dragons, Hare and Sridhar faced tough competition, with both duos battling point for point. The match grew intense as it moved to the third set, where neither side backed down. Ultimately, Hare and Sridhar held their ground, turning the final set into a hard fought showdown between the Warriors and the Dragons.

“[I want to improve on] mentality throughout the match and just keeping myself in check throughout the match,” said Sridhar. 

At the start of Cheng’s match, the rallies began at a steady pace as both players worked to find their rhythm. As the match progressed, the ball began to go back and forth intensely, but Cheng stayed composed and in control. Her sharp receives and consistent placement left her opponent struggling to keep up. Dominating from start to finish, she swept the court with a success 8-0 victory for the Warriors.

“[Throughout the match,]I learned to be more patient and consistent while I was hitting against my opponent,” said Cheng. 

Looking ahead, the Westwood Warriors showed strong teamwork and steady play, with confident performance from everyone. Their ability to stay calm in long rallies and adjust to their opponent helped secure the win. With this momentum, they are set up well for their next matches and aim to keep building on their success. 

The JV Black team will play against Vandegrift High School on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the Warrior’s Home Court.

In three extremely close sets, varsity volleyball gracefully fell to their long-standing rivals, the Round Rock Dragons, in a 3-0 sweep during Hero Night on Friday, Sept. 12 in the field house gym. Numerous timeouts called by both teams set the tone for the game as each set remained close throughout its entirety. 

The first set started off rough, with the Warriors shanking the ball, giving the Dragons the first point of the evening. Going into this game, the Warriors knew they were the underdogs against the undefeated Dragons — so when the Warriors scored their first and second points with an out ball and a powerful block by right-side hitter and middle blocker Piper Evans ‘27, the players and crowd exploded with energy. Tied at two, the Warriors and Dragons played neck-and-neck. Keeping the point differential low, the score was often tied or within a few points difference between the two teams. Multiple shanked balls by both teams advanced the score on both sides. Breaking the trend of shanks, a nonconsecutive kill and sideset from Wellington brought the Warriors up 9-5 as they attempted to catch up to Round Rock. As the Warriors continued to fall behind, they called a timeout in an attempt to gain back confidence to end out the set. Right out of the timeout, the Warriors scored from an outball, closing the gap 13-9. Two back-to-back lengthy rallies led to points for the Dragons and Warriors respectively, reliant on Evans’ quick hits and libero Dakota Hodge ‘26’s crowd-hyping saves; with every spike across the net, both sides of the stadium were out of the seats as the volley was anyone’s ball. After a long rally resulting in an additional Dragon point,  the Warriors called a timeout at 20-14. Right out of the timeout, the Warriors returned with a powerful kill from middle hitter Grace McCluskey ‘26. With saves from Hodge and a kill from outside hitter Caroline Miller ‘28 — who would go on to be the kill leader of the game — tensions were high as the Warriors lagged behind 24-18. The final score was the result of a long rally. Although Hodge impressed with a shocking dig, the Dragons inevitably won the rally and first set 25-18.

“We told ourselves it was going to be a fun game going into a good defensive game,” setter Lila Wellington ‘27 said. “We know how we play, and I think it was going to be a good game either way. I don’t think we expected any outcome. We can always show up and play our game, see how it ends. We know that we can do it, and I think it’s just about executing that. That’s where the IQ and all of the knowledge goes aside, and it’s really just skill. We know that we have it, and we totally could’ve won that game. We know how to do it, we just didn’t execute.”

The second set marked a shift in the Warriors’ mindset, evident through their more refined strategy as they matched the Dragons’ playing style. Although the Dragons took the first point after a long rally, defensive specialist Claire Toupin ‘27 got two aces in a row, snatching the lead and bringing Westwood up 3-2. Following this, McCluskey scored two points — including a clever set to the back court after noticing the Dragons pushing heavy into their front court. After McCluskey’s two quick points, the Warriors managed to secure the largest lead over the Dragons thus far at 5-2. Tied at 12 after a few long rallies, the Dragons noticed a flaw in the Warriors’ strategy — they were struggling to cover the court in its entirety. Taking advantage of this, the Dragons propelled themselves forward in a 4-point lead of 18-14, forcing the Warriors to call a timeout. Changing tactics, McCluskey got a kill straight out of a timeout, immediately followed by another kill from outside and right-side hitter Sriya Chakravarthy ‘27. These back-to-back kills nearly closed the gap for the Warriors, now only trailing by one.  Following a dead ball from Round Rock, a timeout was called at 18-18 as the Dragons recognized the Warriors’ comeback. This didn’t shake the Warriors however, as  straight out of the timeout, Chakravarthy got her second kill of the game, taking the lead 19-18. McCluskey followed suit with two kills in a row, bringing the Warriors up 21-19. As the Warriors grasped the lead 22-19, the Dragons called a timeout as the stakes rose. Following this timeout, the Dragons scored two solid back-to-back points, once again tying the game 22-22.  This tie led to yet another timeout called — with such a close score near the end of the set, it was anyone’s game. Out of the timeout, setter Emily Xue ‘27 set to Chakravarthy who delivered a spike to the Dragons that they shanked, tying the score once again at 23-23. It seemed there was hope for the Warriors, but despite their perseverance and spirit, the Dragons won the second set with a kill, bringing them up 25-23.

“[Emily and I] are best friends,” Chakravarthy said. “We’ve played since [we were] 13 together. We usually book courts outside of school to just work on our connection. Knowing each other’s habits [and] knowing each other so well helps to work really well together.”

Going into the third set, the Warriors knew they had to emerge victorious from the set if they wanted a chance at winning the game. This ultimatum fueled their fire, with kills from McCluskey and Chakravarthy — who was quickly establishing herself as a key player — bringing the Warriors up 5-4, securing the lead once again. After the Dragons shanked a ball, Evans executed a block, tightening the score gap 14-13 as Westwood lagged only slightly behind. Team spirits high, a successful spike from Hodge finally bridged the gap, getting the Warriors up 14-14. Halfway through the set, both teams were neck and neck as they vied for the win — tensions were high, and the crowd knew it too. An ace from Toupin brought Westwood the lead 15-14, and as they scored again, a timeout was called at 16-14 as the Dragons began to feel intimidated. Despite the Dragons’ almost impenetrable strategy, the Warriors weren’t letting go of their lead. Following the timeout, a few more shanks and strategic plays from the Warriors widened their lead 19-15. The Dragons, annoyed at the Warriors grit, began to catch up, tightening the lead 21-20. After the Dragons hit an out ball, a timeout was called by Round Rock as the Warriors led 23-20. Coming out of the timeout, the Dragons scored the first point, and as they scored their second point, a timeout was called at 23-22; similar to the previous set, both teams were maximizing their timeouts to perfect their strategy in this close game. Out of the timeout, Miller’s serve hit the net, giving Round Rock another point to tie the game 23-23. After the Dragons got a kill, bringing them up 24-23, a timeout was called by the Warriors once again. With a score this close, it was uncertain who would emerge victorious. However, following the trend of their last two sets, the Dragons won the third set 25-23 and shut out the Warriors 3-0.

“We knew that Round Rock was going to be probably our hardest competition in District at all, and I’m extremely proud of how our team just played against them,” Hodge said. “I do think that they are beatable — the scores definitely show that they are. We had the lead multiple times, so I am glad that we had the lead at some point. I’m really glad that we kept our composure and didn’t just shut down.”

Returning for redemption, varsity volleyball will take to the home court against the Cedar Ridge Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, for Future Warrior Night.

Butting heads against their district rivals the McNeil Mavericks, the varsity football team fell short on Friday, Sept. 12, suffering their second loss of the season 70-45. With defense weakening throughout the game on both sides leading to a massive point buildup, it was up to the offense to take the lead — and while the Warriors put up a valiant effort in the first half, the Mavericks swept in to claim a victory on their own Homecoming game. 

“[Overall], I feel like we did all right, but we just need to be better [about] fixing some [little] things up,” Canon Olofson ‘27 said. “We just need to have better discipline, [which we plan on fixing] by watching film and listening. We [definitely] have things to work on, and we’re building up to get better.”

The Maverick’s first touchdown was within the first minute of the game, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. However, the Warriors were determined to put up a strong fight. They strategically played out the first few minutes of the quarter, making a field goal to get some points up on the board. This maneuver gave the Warriors some confidence, with offense advancing their game and gaining the lead with a run and touchdown by Wade Allen ‘26. With McNeil now on offense, the Warriors continued their powerful defensive tactics seen in their game last week against Austin High. They pushed back strongly against incoming Mavericks, with Dre Kyles ‘28 playing a pivotal role in cutting off the opponent’s attempts at a pass down the field. But this high aggression from the Warriors resulted in a foul, delivering a significant blow to the Warrior’s defensive success for the remainder of the game. 

“They were a great team — we knew that coming in, but we didn’t come off strong from the get go, and that kind of came back to bite us,” Maps Mehis ‘28 said. 

Although the Warriors continued to get struck down with many flags thrown at them, they  continued to maintain their composure and focus on the task at hand. According to Mehis, this will help the Warriors supplement their strategic training with a positive mindset shift that will earn them holistic success in the future. 

“We had a major talk about staying classy — there were some [hard times] in this game, [but] we got to keep up what we’re doing, keep proving that discipline,” Mehis said. “It’s not about the game really, it’s about our behavior, during the play, after the play. I thought we did all right with that tonight, but we can always get better, especially if we’re playing an unclassy team — if that ever happens down the road.”

While defense continued to make powerful efforts, they no longer contained the same degree of aggression seen earlier in the quarter and in past games. This allowed the Mavericks to move easily down the field with consistent first downs. Their offensive drive culminated in a touchdown, passing McNeil the lead again and bringing the score to 14-10. With Warrior offense now on the field and trying to fill in the gaps left by defense, the Maverick’s own defense finally found their footing, creating an unbreakable line and preventing the Warriors from sneaking through gaps.. Warrior offense consistently lost a few yards, with their offensive drives being pushed to fourth down. 

“Offensively, we [ended up] executing pretty well — it was a little shaky at the start, but we got it together pretty well,” Allen said. “[The biggest] challenges were just getting the run game and getting beat deep over the top — if we can fix that, we’ll be successful this season.”

Both Warrior offense and defense were on incredibly shaky ground. While the Warriors impressively pushed the Mavericks to begin their offensive drive from their own one-yard line, this success was quickly trumped by the Mavericks’ record-breaking play: a 99 yard run down the field on first down, earning McNeil their most popular touchdown of the game. Failing to recover from this blow, Warrior defense continued to enable easy points for McNeil, with the Mavericks scoring yet another touchdown off a run just shortly after. 

“Things like defense — its definitely different [from playing as a freshman last year]. There are a lot of similar guys, so we all bring good chemistry and we’re all good friends, [but] we just have to have [a lot] more teamwork on the field,” Mehis said. 

With defense now strongly hit, Warrior offense had to work overtime to make up for the loss.. But, their continued inability to successfully pass the ball lead to continuous runs instead. This resulted in the Maverick’s offense getting the upper hand as McNeil defense quickly read the Warriors running plays and was able to shut it down swiftly. The first quarter ends with yet another McNeil touchdown.  The second quarter opens to see the Warrior offense beginning to build sporadic momentum. Mehis seamlessly gains 12 yards on first down, weaving around Maverick defense efficiently to run the ball closer to their end zone. This progress is matched shortly by Drew Norrell ‘26 shooting down the field to score a much-awaited Warrior touchdown. The play was largely possible by the team’s cohesion, with the O-line successfully tackling incoming defense, allowing for Norrell to gain access to a clear path.

“A specific weakness [of this game] was that we just need to be more focused,” Mehis said. “We need more discipline [with] those small things — Westwood teams [are known] for their discipline, so we need to [work on that]. Personally, I just need to [focus on] the small things, because those can always come back to bite us. There’s never something you can’t get better on — you can always [improve] on something.”

Hopes of a rejuvenated Warrior defense are brought down after the third quarter kicks off to the Mavericks making easy progress down the field. While the Warriors certainly were obstacles in the Mavericks path to the end zone, they failed to successfully tackle any of the incoming offense, leading to McNeil’s first touchdown of the second half, Leading to a  41-17 McNeil lead. With the Warriors now on offense again, they began making decent progress in their drives, with Mehis instrumental in finally moving the line of scrimmage into the opponent half. As a determined Warrior offense faced off against a staunch Maverick defense at third down and seven, the Warriors claimed the minor victory by moving for a touchdown. A quick series of high-powered runs followed, with yet another Maverick touchdown, and then another Warrior one — made possible by a persistent Allen who drove the ball into the end zone. 

“For the team, we want to [strategically] keep the other teams under 30 points, and a personal goal: I want to rush for a 1000 yards and have 10 touchdowns,” Allen said.

The game now in the final stretch, Allen and Mehis singlehandedly continued the Warriors offensive attempts, with Allen bringing the Warriors to third down and one, and Mehis sweeping in to claim yet another Warrior touchdown with a hand off and run to the endzone. Following this, the Mavericks claim yet another touchdown due to complete, long passes paired with a scattered Warrior defense. Then, Weston Franz ‘27 scored a touchdown for Westwood, a feat quickly mirrored by the Mavericks after a commendable 63 yard run. The final quarter saw Warrior offense making powerful attempts, hinting towards a possible comeback, but without the simultaneous support of defense, a recovery slowly seeps out of grasp. The Mavericks end their Homecoming game with a touchdown and two-point conversion, raising the final score to a mighty 70-45. 

“Given that we executed well later on in the game, on offense we scored a lot of points and we [were able to] bring it back into a close game,” Allen said. “Our defense was struggling in the run game, so they just got to start filling the gaps, and that’s how we’re going to win games [in the future].”

The varsity football team will return next Friday, Sept. 19 to play their own Homecoming game against the Cedar Ridge Raiders.