By: Farah Standley and Letizia Perrino

You know what time it is… with the JV baseball team’s season coming to a hard-fought close, the Varsity team pushes onto Regional Quarterfinals, the second round in the playoffs. Your Eagles went completely undefeated in District with a record of 12-0, including huge wins such as,  a 22-0 win against Carrizo Springs, and a 11-0 win against Uvalde. The team swept Orange Grove in Bi-District 5-2 and 13-9 to advance to Area, and won 2 games to 1 against Zapata to advance to Regional Quarterfinals against Sinton. We are excited to see what the future holds for this very talented group of athletes.

Diego Luna and Ryan Benevides, two of our Senior starters on the team, both feel Pleasanton baseball has so far been an amazing experience in their lives. Both of their favorite things about their high school baseball career is playing with friends they grew up with and just enjoying every moment as team bonding, especially on trips. They also both agree that their biggest accomplishment in high school baseball is being able to make plays and cool diving catches in the outfield for their team. Diego’s goal for the season is to have his best batting average so far, and Ryan’s is to continue to contribute to the team the best he can. 

The team plans to not let off the gas and beat everyone that stands in the way, and we all sure hope that is exactly what happens. Every single player on the team is extremely pumped and ready to take on the Pirates. Really big things could be ahead, so be ready…because the team is!

By: Brian Avery

Welcome to the last Soccer article of the 2022-2023 school year! For this article, we are combining the Women’s and Men’s soccer articles into one! Without further ado, let’s get right into it.

First, let’s check in on the Men’s Soccer Team. Both teams traveled to Uvalde where the JV tied 1-1, and the Varsity lost 1-3. After that, both teams went to Floresville, with the JV losing 0-1, and the Varsity tied 1-1. Both teams played Somerset, and the JV won 3-2, with the Varsity the varsity winning 2-1. Now, the varsity boys were in the play-offs, and the boys played La Vernia in the first round. It was a long tough fight, and with the regular time of the game ending 0-0. They went into overtime, an extra 20 minutes, and they were still tied after that, so they went to penalty kick shootouts. Unfortunately, the Eagles lost 3-5 in shootouts, and the boy’s season was over.

Picking up where we left off , the varsity team played Uvalde at home, unfortunately losing 1-2. Dusting themselves off, they traveled to Floresville, tying the home team 0-0. They came home to play Somerset, and lost again 0-2. After all these losses, the girls picked themselves up and beat Poteet 5-0 at home. The girls were now in the playoffs, going against Gonzales in the first round. After a long game, the girls were barely beaten 0-1, ending their season. 

To conclude both seasons, I reached both head coaches, and a varsity player from each team. For the Women’s team, I spoke with Coach Joseph, but unfortunately was unable to get in contact with one of the players. When asked about the lady’s season, Coach Joseph said “Overall, I am happy with the season. Coaching a young team with over 50% first-year varsity players as a first-year head coach proved to be a challenge, but I felt as though we handled the challenge well and began building something special this season.” He also praised the leadership of Grace Keylich and Paige David, “Those seniors truly upheld both the program’s core values and their coach’s standard on and off the field.” Coach Joseph did express his disappointment that the ladies didn’t get as far as he hoped, but held his head high, stating that he feels good about the future. “That loss will continue to serve as a reminder that we have work to do this off-season and next pre-season. Humility fuels hunger!” Looking forward, he spoke of his excitement for next season, as the majority of the team will be at PHS still next year, and he expects another level of understanding and drive next year, “I am retaining nearly my entire squad who now has an excellent understanding of what I expect from them in their play and conduct.” 

As for the Men’s Team, they had similar things to say. Coach Breiten expressed satisfaction with the season’s results, praising the team’s chemistry on and off the field, but had a hunger for more. Stefan had similar sentiments, stating “I didn’t have any regrets, it was a process going through the season with all the younger guys, and I think that we didn’t finish too bad.” Coach Breiten was impressed with Keeton Diaz, a Freshman, and his rapid improvement throughout the season, “I didn’t know he had that type of ability as a Freshman.” Coach Breiten and Stefan were very happy with the last game of the season and stated that even though they lost, it was an amazing game. Stefan mentioned that he wished that more pressure was placed on the players to focus up and take things seriously, such as drills during practice, which Coach Brieten agreed with, “Some of the little things added up and caught us in the long run.” Stefan believes that if the upcoming team gets into the right mindset and follows the new process and training that Coach Brieten has set out for them, they will do well. Coach Brieten felt optimistic about the team for next year but admitted that the remaining players have a lot of work to do, “It’s going to be interesting, we’re going to see who steps up.” He wishes the Class of 2023 success in their future endeavors!

By: Jaelyn Morales

Kayla Salazar at the State Meet with her coaches.

On Feb 15th, the Pleasanton Girls Powerlifting team took 4th place at the Texas Strength Systems. Kayla Salazar finished 1st place in her respective weight class and qualified for regionals! Laura Deleon and Yasmeen Diop finished 3rd and Abigail Hotchkins, Alyssa Castellar, Anna Castillo, Kylie Breier, Karina Perez, and Makenna Pelle also had excellent lifts.

On March 2nd, the team took 2nd place at their regional meet in Edinburg, Texas. Kayla Salazar finished 2nd place in her respective weight class. Abigail Hotchkins and Makenna Pelle finished 8th in their respective weight classes. 

The Pleasanton Boys Powerlifting team took 2nd place at the Texas Strength Systems on Feb 16th and Diego Valdez and Sebastian Aguilar placed 1st in their respective weight class. Roman Hernandez and Zeke Gonzlaes finished 2nd, Kaydin Olle finished 3rd, Andrew Murillo finished 4th, Paul Bernal and Keagan Holes finished 5th, and Damon Morales finished 6th. Valdemar Herrera also had excellent lifts. The boys then placed 2nd at the Regional Meet in Kingsville, Texas. Diego Valdez placed 2nd in his respective weight class and qualified for the State Meet in Abilene, Texas on March 24th. Sebastian Aguilar placed 3rd in his respective weight class, Roman Hernandez, Andrew Murillo, and Zeke Gonzlaes also represented Pleasanton at the Regional Meet and had excellent lifts.

Kayla Salazar proudly qualified for the State Meet on March 17th held in Frisco, Texas and capped off her season with a 7th place finish at state! Diego Valdez also qualified for the State Meet on March 24th held in Abilene, Texas and finished his season placing 5th in his respective weight class. Both Kayla and Diego ended their historic season on a great note and made everyone at PHS very proud. Congratulations to the powerlifting team on their incredible season. They all competed very well and had many accomplishments throughout the season! Pride! Pride!

By: Ariana Johnson 

Mark Thornton making his swing at the Devine Tournament

On February 13th, the Pleasanton Varsity Boys Green and White teams played at the Devine Tournament. Pleasanton Green scores are: Brandy Steven 80, Mark Thornton 85, Grant Moos 86, and Levi Turner 93. The Pleasanton White scores are: Aiden Contreras 103, Holden Hagen 105, Pablo Lara 105, Max Rangel 109, and Nathen Din 118. 

April 19th, the boy’s golf team competed in a two-day tournament on our home course at Pleasanton Country Club. The Green Team shot a team total of 699 and finished 1st. They also had Brady Stevens finish 2nd and Mark Thornton finish 3rd individually. Brandy Steven scored 80-87 total 167, Mark Thornton 85-84 total 169, Levi Turner  93–91 total 184, and Grant Moos 86–86  total 179. There were also two medalists, Pablo Lara 105–103 total 208, and Holden Hagen 108–111 total 219.

February 22nd, the Pleasanton Golf Team went to Devine and they finished 3rd with a team total of 359. The boy’s scores for the Devine meet are as follows: Brady Stevens 85, Mark Thornton 87, Levi Turner 85, Grant Moos 102, and Pablo Lara 104. They also had one medalist, Aiden Contreras 103. 

March 2nd, the golf team went to Jourdanton golf tournament and finished second with a score of 348. The team’s individual scores are: Brandy Stevens 86, Mark Thornton 83, Levi Turner 91, Grant Moos 88, and Nathen Din 114. Mark Thornton finished 4th overall and Holden Hagen was a medalist with a score of 118. 

The boy’s Gold team competed in a golf tournament on March 10 & 11th in Uvalde which was their District meet and came away as the tournament Champions. They shot a two day total of Day 1: 336,  Day 2: 326, with a score total of 662: 1st place. The boys individual scores are as follows: Jake Casias 75, Mark Thornton 75, Luke Thornton 81, Levi Turner 84, and Brandy Stevens 88. Jake Casias got first place and Mark Thornton got second place with medalist Grant Moos with a score of 91. They are going to Regionals in Colony Creek in Victoria April 19th and 20th. Make sure to wish our Eagle Golfers good luck! 

Keep up to date on PHS Golf scores by following the “PHS Tee it Up” Facebook page, and read our next issue!

By: Jayden Palacios

Robert Gonzalez swings and heads to first base!

For this month’s athlete spotlight, we decided to choose no other than Robert Gonzalez. Robert is a stud on the diamond. Rob leads the team in the following categories: Batting Average, On Base Percentage, Stolen Bases(Second in D1 4A) , Runs, Hits (Leads D1 4A), RBI’s, Doubles, and Triples. While doing all of the following, Rob maintains a 4.0 GPA in all AP, and honors classes. When asked the question “What motivates you”, Robert had this to say:” “What keeps me motivated is that my parents pay lots of money for me to get the best training and the best food. I wouldn’t be as successful as I am today without them.”

This season, Robert has contributed to the Eagles 19-5-2 record, with 9 of those games being won in district leading to their undefeated district standing. When asked, Roberts core values as a baseball player are to “…be a leader on and off the field, always give 110%.” Outside of school sports, Rob likes to hunt, fish, and  better himself overall. Robert is an outstanding player who sees baseball as a reward itself. It’ll certainly be nice to see how Robert thrives through the upcoming playoff bracket. Next time you see Robert, make sure to congratulate him for being recognized as this month’s Athlete Spotlight at the Quill! 

By: Carol

The PHS spring tennis season is started with a bang. The first game of the season took Pleasanton to the Somerset Varsity Invitational where Pleasanton won overall as a team. On January 27th Pleasanton hosted the first home tournament of the new year with over 5 teams in attendance. Our team took a full sweep placing 1st and/or 2nd in all brackets. On February 3rd Pleasanton attended the 44th annual Uvalde Varsity Invitational, no teams placed but head tennis Coach Everett said he could not be more proud of his players and their effort in such a competitive tournament. On February 17th Pleasanton played at the Navarro Varsity invitational, where boys doubles number one took home gold. Most recently our Eagle Tennis team played at the Cecil Vasquez Varsity invitational, placing second main draw with girls doubles, first main draw boy doubles, and first in mixed doubles. 

This month the PHS journalism staff had the opportunity to speak with the Head and Varsity Coach Everett as well as varsity girls doubles player Evelynn Caraway. Coach Everett the head tennis coach here at PHS for the past 2 years, has an amazing passion for tennis and wishes to pass that on to his players. The coach said he felt confident in the upcoming matches, the team was coming together and pushing each other to get better and better every day. He notes that there is progress to be made and the tennis program is nowhere near perfect but he is more than proud of his players and their commitment to the sport. 

Evelynn Caraway is part of the varsity girls number one team. As a junior, she is looking forward to the time the team still has with seniors and the major tournaments yet to come. Every day from 3 to 5:30 Evelynn is at the practice putting in the hard work. She says “This year we are coming together as a team. Everyone supports everyone and no matter what we can always have a great time.” Evelynn wishes the best for her and her teammates as they move further into their spring season. 

By: Jaelyn Morales

Varsity Eagles at Llano Tournament.

The season of Spring is almost here which means baseball and softball season is starting as well. The varsity softball and jv-varsity baseball teams are all looking forward to having a great season full of new memories and new traditions. The lady eagles started off their season with a game against La Vernia on Feb 13th and unfortunately lost to the bears with a score of 18-5. The team then participated in the Navarro Tournament, Feb 16-18, to get more practice before district. Their next game was on Feb 21st against George West and the lady eagles came out with the win, 11-10. They then had their last tournament in Natalia, Feb 23-25, and then had their first district game on Feb 28th against a tough contender, Floresville, and unfortunately the lady eagles lost 17-0. “I’m looking forward to just having fun and doing what I love, which is playing softball,” said Abby Sosa. 

The varsity baseball team started off their season with a win against SA McCullum, 8-6, on Feb 20th. The team then had their first tournament in Cuero on Feb 23-25 and with a record of 4-0-1 they tied for 1st place. Their next game was on Feb 28th against Jourdanton, Pleasanton’s rival team, and they won with a score of 5-0. The boys played next in the Llano tournament on March 3-5 and ended the tournament with 2 wins and 2 losses. “ I’m excited for District play to begin and hopefully we can win every game and be district champions,” Ryan Morales quoted. 

While the season has started, both teams still have plenty of time to progress and get better and stronger before District and playoffs. Good luck to both teams this season and if you have time, come on down to the fields to support and cheer them on. Pride! Pride!

By: Jaelyn Morales and Letizia Perrino

The Pleasanton Women’s Soccer team started off their season on a high note, winning the bronze match championship at their home tournament, on Jan. 5th-6th. The Lady Eagles earned their spot in the bronze championship after beating YWLA with a score of 2-0 in bracket play. The Lady Eagles played San Antonio Southside in the championship game and won after a foul was made just outside the box with a few minutes left in the game. Kara Medina, as the surprise kicker, successfully kicked it past the opposing team’s goalie, giving her team the lead (2-1) as time expired. 

The next weekend, the Lady Eagles traveled to the Wimberley Lady Texans soccer tournament. Pleasanton opened the tournament with a loss to Gonzales, after battling and being tied almost all game the apaches unfortunately found a goal and won 1-0. The Lady Eagles played again the next day and took on the San Antonio Saint Mary’s Hall Barons. Pleasanton stayed on top the whole game and ended it with a score of 3-0. Adeline Collins, Slayde Huggins and Melinda Randolph all scored one goal each. On the last day of the tournament, the Lady Eagles played against the KIPP Austin Collegiate Cardinals and tied with a score of 1-1. The only goal came from a penalty kick scored by Kara Medina. The girls finished the Wimberley tournament with a record of 1-1-1.

The Lady Eagles hosted YWLA on Jan. 17th and beat them with a score of 2-0. They scored off an own goal and a goal for Adeline Collins. Emerie Lopez contributed an assist as well. “So far the season has been good, we continue to do better each game as we are super close as teammates which makes everything so much fun,” said senior, Slayde Huggins, “I’m looking forward to district and seeing how playoffs will go and just getting closer on and off the field.” The Lady Eagles next home game will be on Jan 31st against Hondo at 7:00 pm. This game will be a district game so if you can, go support our Lady Eagles and show them that we support them and are rooting for them. Pride! Pride!

By: Libby Sanchez & Carol

Photo Credits to TheFrontPage.

Paige David is the epitome of a phenomenal student-athlete here at Pleasanton High School. Sitting in the top 10% of this year’s graduating class, Paige also holds two officer positions in our student body and is one of three captains for our Pleasanton Women’s Varsity Soccer team. She has worked hard all four years of high school to get where she is now, and it is beyond admirable to watch her put her mind to something and not stop until she gets it.

In junior high, Paige had no interest in partaking in the sport of soccer, instead opting to be team manager. When reaching high school, a flip switched and she tried out for the team, ultimately beginning what got her to where she is today. “Paige’s story is one I’ll tell my future athletes for years to come. She started her freshman year having never laced up a pair of soccer cleats, and she is finishing her senior year as a varsity captain,” states Coach Joseph. He is beyond proud of the progress Paige has made in this sport, her work ethic does not go unnoticed. “She’s easily one of my biggest role models in this sport and in life, always pushing me to be a better version of myself whether we are on or off the field,” said Maddie Brymer, sophomore. 

On top of her athleticism and her captain position, Paige holds two more leadership positions for our student body. Always pushing herself over the top, Paige is treasurer of the National Honor Society and secretary of Student Council. “As a student council officer, Paige has many duties such as leading meetings, making decisions for the club, attending additional meetings and making deliveries on behalf of the club. Paige brings her unique flair to the club with her quirky ideas and humor. Some of the best ideas this school year were Paige’s. She has definitely made a distinctive mark on the 2022-2023 student council,” says StuCo sponsor and librarian, Mrs. Moos.

Planning ahead has always been one of Paige’s most admirable traits. Which is why when senior year began, she already knew what college she was attending. Paige is planning on attending Texas A&M University to major in Psychology and hopefully become a child psychologist. With the way Paige sets high goals for herself and stops at nothing to achieve them, the journalism staff has no doubt she will do amazing things in her future. Way to go Paige!

By: Jaelyn Morales 

The varsity football team is currently at an overall record of 3-5 and a conference record of 1-2. The Eagles have had their ups and downs throughout the season, but that has only made them stronger and hungrier to win more games and be ready for playoffs. The Eagles took on the Poteet Aggies on Sept 23rd for the Oaken Bucket. The Aggies started off strong scoring first, but Pleasanton answered with a 76 yard touchdown by Diego Luna. The Eagles defense was spectacular throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarter where they were creating turnovers. Pleasanton scored again when Issac Henrichson scored a 32 yard touchdown and not long after Luna again scored a 45 yard touchdown, and to finish it Michael Castillo had a 22 yard touchdown. All touchdowns were connected to quarterback Sean Ramos and defense leaders were Joe-Manuel Ortiz, Adrian Garcia, Ricky Alcorta, and Jayce Krauskopf. The Aggies did score once more, but the final score was 28-13 in favor of the Eagles. 

The next game was against Rockport-Fulton on October 7th, which was their first conference game and also homecoming for Pleasanton. The first half of the game was slow with the Eagles scoring 3 and Pirates scoring 9. After halftime, the Eagles scored 14 points with a touchdown by Ramos and a fumble return for a touchdown. The Pirates then answered back with 15 points and right after the Eagles scored 7 points with a touchdown by Garcia. The game then went into overtime with the Eagles scoring a touchdown, but the Pirates scored their own with a 2 point conversion, winning the game. 

The Eagles played Calhoun on October 14th, which was their 2nd conference game of the season. The game started off slow for the Eagles with Calhoun scoring 19 points, but the Eagles came back with a 12 yard touchdown by Castillo,  Luna followed with another touchdown, and because of an error Alcorta was allowed to recover the ball and score. The score was now tied and heading into overtime. The Eagles started strong right away with a touchdown by Luna and Calhoun failed at their opportunity to score which helped the Eagles win 25-19. 

On October 21st, the varsity team played the La Vernia Bears in their 3rd conference game. The Bears were the only team to score in the first half and were up 14-0. By the second half the Eagles were out of their slump and back in the game with a touchdown by Michael Castillo. Chance Hehman then intercepted the Bears ball and Ramos scored a touchdown. The Bears then unfortunately scored again making the final score 21-14. 

The Varsity team will need to win another conference game to earn their spot in the playoffs and will have the opportunity this Friday when they play Floresville. “Our team needs to work the most on focusing on the little things in order to do big things,” said senior Giancarlo Garcia. If you can, go support your varsity eagle football team and cheer them on from the sidelines. Pride! Pride!

By: Jauslyn Ramirez

The Lady Eagles have been dominating and working hard on the court and have a current record of 40-2. On September 21st, the Lady Eagles traveled to Somerset and fought hard to hold the opposing team from scoring. The girls had a rough start but got the hang of it holding Somerset 3-0. Then Pearsall came to play at home and the Eagles won 3-0. On September 28th, the girls traveled to Floresville with a mindset of winning, and had a nail-biting game that ended with the Lady Eagles winning 3-2. The following week the team played against our well known Uvalde team and once again came out ready to work for the win. Uvalde gave a fight, but our Eagles were ready for anything that came at them. The score was 3-1, a win for our hard working ladies. The team found their rhythm as they worked on flaws and fixed their issues before they took on Carrizo Springs and dominated once again with a win 3-0 with plenty of great sets and assists.

After a couple days of working on drills and plays the Lady Eagles went on to face La Vernia at home in a non-district match-up. The Eagles fought hard but ended with a 1-3 loss, but they knew this wasn’t the end. The Lady Eagles then traveled to Devine to battle it out with the Arabians which led to a 3-1 win. The Lady Eagles then went on to beat and shut-out Somerset and Pearsall before playing Floresville on senior night and shutting them out as well. Their last district game was against Uvalde and the Lady Eagles again shut them out and were awarded undefeated district champs. Way to go girls! The Lady Eagles have been doing great and work so hard trying to perfect their plays and their progress has shown throughout the games. Good Luck to the Lady Eagles as they start playoffs with a game against Orange-Grove on October 31st. Pride! Pride!

By: Lillian Krause & Jaelyn Morales

On October 5th, the Pleasanton Cross Country teams competed at the Devine Invitational. Our varsity girls started off strong and brought home first place as a team. Kassidy Vickers, the lady eagles top runner came in 2nd place with a time of 13:09 followed by Shaylynn Gutierez with a time of 13:55 placing 6th place earning them both a medal. Following Kassidy and Shaylynn would be Aryana Partida (14:16 in 11th place), Isabela Osorio (14:22 in 13th place), and Evalynn Garza (14:27 in 14th place). Kara Medina (14:57 in 16th place), Lilly Krause (15:09 in 19th place), Jauslynn Ramirez (15:13 in 22nd place), Shanna Hime (15:13 in 23rd place), and Mallory Fey ( 15:48 in 28th place) would be the final members of the team to cross the finish line for the Varsity girls team. 

Following the girls race would be the Varsity boys who placed 2nd as a team at Devine. Timothy Klein placed 3rd with a time of 18:33 followed by Ian Rodriguez who placed 8th with a time of 19:06. Xavier Rodriguez (19:58), Joseph Cuellar (19:58), Jayden Ogg (20:01), Gilbert Martinez (20:29), Zeke Garcia (21:06), and Logan Knox (21:36) all contributed as well to the boys placing. 

On Oct 12th, both teams competed at Floresville High School for the District 29-AAAA meet. “Our goals for the season were to all do well at district and become district champs, and hopefully the next step will be regionals followed by state,” said Coach Foster. The varsity girls accomplished their first goal when they won 1st place with 39 points and were given the title of District Champs. Kassidy Vickers placed 1st and was named our District Champ helping advance our team to regionals. Shalyn Guitierrez placed 4th with a time of 12:26, followed by Shanna Hime who placed 9th (12:53), and Aryanna Partida who placed 10th (12:58). Evalynn Garza (13:13) and Kara Medina (13:51) were also contributors to the Lady Eagles victory. 

The varsity boys finished 2nd with 50 points at the District meet and are advancing to regionals as well. Timothy Klein placed 4th with a time of (18:02) followed by Micah Klein who placed 7th with a time of (18:22). The following boys also contributed greatly to the boys success: Jayden Ogg (19:04), Ian Rodriguez (19:05), Xavier Rodriguez (19:09), Gilbert Martinez (19:31), and Joseph Cuellar (19:53).

“The amount of work they’ve put in towards running, hundreds of miles a month, they’re a different type of breed,” said Coach Foster. The varsity girls and boys team both competed at the UIL Regional IV meet on Oct 24th and you can find the results in our next month’s edition of the quill. Good luck to our cross country teams as they continue to run their hearts out and compete at the next level. Pride! Pride!

By: Brian Avery & Jayden Palacios

A Challenging Start to the 2023 Eagle Football Season!

As everyone is settling into the new school year, the Eagles are getting up and ready to take on the new season! Over the summer, they had their football camp, where they got to know the freshman athletes and get prepared for the upcoming season.

Before the first game of the season, we had the opportunity to interview a senior athlete, Diego Luna, and Coach Arevalo. Diego Luna shared his thoughts on the upcoming season, “I feel like we’ll do good this year, and when we face other good teams we’ll have good battles.”

The Eagles had their first game at home on August 26th against Antonion. The Eagles gave it their all, but unfortunately lost 27-13. The Eagles played Boerne for their first away game, the defending district champs, and it was a tough battle, ending in a loss 41-7. The following game was against Jourdanton, a long-time rival, and they were determined not to go down without a fight. The Eagles went into 5 overtimes, barely losing 27-25. Coach Arevalo had great advice, “[The] Number one[thing to do] is to stay calm. Getting out of hand mentally will never enhance the particular moment you are in. I like to stay composed so I can best be prepared to analyze the situation.” On the 16th, the Eagles played Gonzales and secured their first win of the season 37-14. 

The Eagles started off rough, but that just gave them more resolve to play harder and to push. We are looking forward to what the Eagles will do next! Pride, Pride!

By: Jaelyn Morales & Lilly Krause

Victoria Urbanzyk hits 1000 digs and 1000 assists!

The Varsity Volleyball team has been on fire since the start of the season, and they are currently at a record of 27-1. After losing their first game of the season to Johnson City in 3 sets, the Lady Eagles regrouped and came out focused and ready for their next game against Poth, coming out with a victory of 3-1. After only one game, the team found their groove and maintained it throughout the games that followed. On Aug 11-13th, the Lady Eagles won the Edgewood Tournament, placing 1st for the second year in a row. Kiley Wiechring and Madelyn Estrada made the all-tournament team, Victoria Urbanczyk was Offensive MVP, and Sadie McAda was named MVP of the tournament. On Aug. 16th the Lady Eagles played Southside and beat them 3-1. The following Thursday was the start of the Devine Tournament and our team played every game without losing a set. The championship game was against the host of the tournament, the Devine Arabians, and the Lady Eagles came out strong and beat the Arabians in 2 sets leaving the score at  2-0. Victoria Urbanczyk and Angel Tucker made the all-tournament team and Sadie Mcada was MVP of the tournament. 

On Aug 24th the team played YWLA and won 3-0, and started the Southwest tournament that Thursday. The team went undefeated throughout the tournament while playing some good competition and played the host, Southwest, in an intense match that the Lady Eagles fought in ‘till the end and won 2-1. Grace Keylich and Victoria Urbanczyk made the all-tournament team and for the 3rd time this season, Sadie Mcada was named tournament MVP. On Aug 30th, the girls were back on the road to play Randolph and came out with another win of 3-0, then played Fox Tech on Sept 3rd and won 3-0, keeping their winning streak alive. Their last non-district game before district was against D’hanis and the girls did start to struggle throughout the game, but quickly pulled themselves together and won the game 3-1. On Sept 9th, the Lady Eagles played their first district game against Carrizo Springs and with ease won the game with a score of 3-0 to start district off strong. On Sept 13th, the team had a day off from district and played John Jay in a very hard-fought game. After the girls lost their first set, they stayed focused and won the next 3 sets to beat them 3-1. On Friday, September 16th, the Lady Eagles had their 2nd district game of the season against one of their toughest opponents, the Devine Arabians. While the girls did beat them in the Devine Tournament, they still had to stay focused and come out strong to make sure they got the win. 

We decided to spotlight the freshman team, this issue, and we met with the new freshman Coach, Coach Townsend, on September 8th to hear what she had to say about the freshman team’s progress this season. She began to tell us that her goal for this season was to get her athletes to be focused and play with each other. “I don’t care how many games we win, as long as we work together as a team.” Which she continued to say was also one of their biggest obstacles and that she has some team-building ideas to help work on that. As district play starts we want to wish all three teams good luck in the future and if you have time to catch a game and support, they would gladly appreciate that. Pride! Pride!

By: Shyanne Sexton and Kassidy Vickers 

Doubles Partners Evelynn Caraway (left) and Makenzie Richter (right).

Pleasanton High School’s tennis team started off the season with a tournament against Ingram on Wednesday, August 14th. Though they fought hard, the match ended with a 3-10 loss. On August 8th Pleasanton played La Vernia on home courts, and they finished with a 2-12  loss. The following Wednesday the team traveled to Somerset ending the night with their first team win of  12-3. Starting the month of September, Pleasanton faced Navarro in a tough fight ending with a score of 4-15. Later on September 14th, the tennis team got their second big win of the season against Gonzales with a final score of 18-1. 

With the start of this season, we have already seen some great athletes including sophomore, Farah Standley. We interviewed Farah and she sees the start of this season as strong and even though there have been a few losses there have been wins along with it. Her teammates are also important to her and left a great message to her fellow teammates saying, “Stay out of your head and keep going and never stop fighting because the biggest comebacks are possible if you just keep working.” This is a great mindset for all athletes, especially our tennis players as they go through their season. 

We wish the Eagle tennis team the best of luck as they continue on with their season and dominate on the court. 

By: Farah Standley

2022-2023 Cross Country Team

To start off the season, the Eagles went to Floresville, where all of the athletes fought hard to tackle steep hills and tough competition. The varsity girls got 7th place as a team overall in the 2-mile race, seeing amazing performances by all of the girls, including Kassidy Vickers (Finished 12th; Time: 13:19), Kara Medina (Finished 31st; Time: 14:02), and Shalyn Gutierez (Finished 33rd; Time: 14:03). Shortly following them came Shanna Hime, Evalynn Garcia, Aryana Partida, Jauslyn Ramirez, and Mallory Fey. The JV girls came in 7th place as a team, with contributions from Syrena Clark, Aleza Robledo, Xochitl Hernandez, Vanessa Chapa, Katelynn Garza, and Rebecca Martinez. The varsity boys came trucking through at 5th place as a team overall. The leading scorer for Pleasanton was Micah Klein at 17th place, with an 18:23 3-mile. Next came Xavier Rodriguez (Finished 37th; Time: 19:25), Ian Rodriguez (Finished 45th; Time: 19:45), Jayden Ogg(Finished 46th; Time: 19:45), Joseph Cuellar (Finished 73rd; Time: 21:00), and Logan Knox (Finished 85th; Time: 21:57).  Every athlete on the Pleasanton cross country team put in all of their effort, and pushed through mental and physical pain to better themselves and their teammates. They encouraged each other through long summer practices and early morning workouts before school, and now that the season has started, they plan to push each other all the way to regionals, and hopefully, the state meet in Round Rock, Texas. 

We had an interesting interview with Coach Foster about the season, and she seemed very excited to see what the team has to offer this year. She has been teaching/coaching for 6 years, and this is her first year here at Pleasanton. She graduated from Jourdanton High School and graduated college from Texas State University. When asked about how she feels this season will go, considering the brand new team, she stated, “I think the team is going to do very well this year, it’s a young team across the board, with only two seniors… they are going to do very well pre-season… we’re going to have a good chance to go to regionals, but also win district… girls and boys.” We also had a good conversation with Kassidy Vickers, the number one runner on the team. First, we asked how she feels about the start of her season so far, she said, “I feel like the start has already been good … It’s only been the third meet and I already have a new P.R., and I’ve just been getting better every single meet.” We asked how she feels about her new teammates, and she replied, “They’re doing really good, they’re really stepping it up, being new to high school, and they’re really strong competitors… I feel like we have a really strong team this year”. We asked how she feels about the new coach, Coach Foster, and she stated, “She’s a good coach… I would say she’s definitely helped us out… just conditioning and… working on… specific areas like endurance.” We questioned what some goals and mindsets she and the team shared for the year, she said, “Definitely a goal…for our team is to make it to State, I think we have a good chance of doing that this year, and then be District Champions… A goal for me is to be District Champ.” We also asked how far she thinks she as an individual will get in terms of competition this year, she stated, “This year, I honestly see myself making it to state because the times I’ve been hitting are… better than my state times.” Her current P.R. (Personal Record)  is 12:27, which is a seven-second jump from her P.R. last year, 12:34. The team looks forward to gaining a lot of success this year, and all of the athletes have a good outlook on the future.

By: Noah Ramos

On May 1, our Men’s track team traveled south with their sights set for being able to qualify for the State Track Meet and later made it to Texas A&M Kingsville where Preston Piligrim made a magnificent pole vault of 14 -6 which won a gold medal along with a place on the podium. Our eagle runners also qualified for the finals on the first day. Juan Lopez was the first to compete for day 2 with long jumping where he made it to the finals and took 5th place helping to add to the day 1 total score. Then Justin Veale performed in the 110m hurdles where he got a hard fought 4th place while barely missing the podium. Jayden Palacios and Juan Lopez worked together in the run for the 400m dash against some of the best in the region which had Palacios start out with the first 200m with a strong finish with 2nd place and Lopez who scored second to last but still helped for both of them to hit the 1st & 3rd place in the race. Palacios also claimed the 400m Regional Champion title

By: Jaelyn Morales

On April 22, the Pleasanton Varsity softball team played their last district game of the season at Hondo. The score was tied 0-0 throughout the game with good defense from the Lady Eagles until the top of the 5th when Pleasanton scored 3 runs from good base hits. The girls stayed on top until the bottom of the 6th when the Hondo Owls scored 8 total points in one inning gaining the lead. The Lady Eagles had one more chance to make a comeback in the 7th, but unfortunately only scored 1 run ending the game with a score of 4-8.  Pleasanton placed 3rd in their district and were paired with Pearsall for their bi-district game.

On April 28, the Lady Eagles opened the best of three series in Pleasanton. In the top of the 1st inning, Pearsall scored 6 runs and Pleasanton was able to score when Elizabeth Salinas reached on a walk and scored on a single by Maggie Maddox. Kadence Delgado came in to pinch run for the pitcher and scored on an error. The Lady Eagle still had hope until the 4th inning when Pearsall batted around twice and scored 13 runs in one inning. By the end of the game Pearsall had scored 23 points overall and won 23-2 after the game ended early by run rule. On May 1, the Lady Eagles traveled to Pearsall to finish the series and lost 8-2 and finished the season with a 14-8 record.

Congratulations to the following Pleasanton Eagle Softball players for their awards-

Senior Taylor Bryant: Academic All-State Honorable Mention, Co-1st Team All-District 3rd Base, Academic All-District

Senior Autumn Guerra: Academic All-State 2nd Team, All-District Honorable Mention, Academic All-District

Junior Anai Romo: 1st Team All-District Outfield, Academic All-District, Texas Select All-Star Showcase Non-Committed Player

Junior Jaelyn Morales: All-District Honorable Mention,  Academic All-District, Texas Select All-Star Showcase Non-Committed Player

Junior Bianca Cruz: Academic All-District

Freshman Elizabeth Salinas: 1st Team All-District 2nd Base, Academic All-District

Freshman Gabrielle Ramos: 1st Team All-District Catcher, Academic All-District

Freshman Finley Hilburn: All-District Honorable Mention,  Academic All-District

Freshman Maggie Maddox: 2nd Team All-District Pitcher, Academic All-District

Freshman Aubry Cantu: 2nd Team All-District Utility Player

By: Brian Avery

The varsity baseball team had an eventful season this year. On April 22nd, The Eagles played Hondo at home. Unfortunately, it ended in a loss for the Eagles with Hondo leading 5-2. Shortly after, the boys played Devine on the 26th, and lost again 2-0. When their next game on the 29th rolled around, they were ready. The Eagles took the win away from Crystal City with a score of 10-0. They had a week of preparation before entering the playoffs

The Eagles kept the streak going into the playoffs and won the next two games against Uvalde on the 6th and 7th of March, winning 12-2 on the 6th and 11-3 on the 7th. However, they couldn’t come out on top against Robstown for the next two playoff games, losing 3-0 on the 13th, and 4-0 on the 14th, ending their season. Good luck on next year’s season Eagles!

By: Libby Sanchez & River Reyes

The Pleasanton Varsity Men’s soccer team finished their season out strong and are proud of the accomplishments and improvements made along the way. On Tuesday, March 8, the boys won their home game against Hondo 3-1. Soon after, on March 11, the boys hosted another home game against Somerset and won again 2-0. The boys advanced into the first round of playoffs where they agreed to meet half way to play against Gonzales on March 25. After a difficult game, the Eagles came out on top 1-0, to advance into round two of playoffs. The second playoff game would be their last, playing against Beorne on March 29, losing 0-5. The boys played well and made it far, hoping to build on their strengths and improve their weaknesses so that they can go even further in the coming years.