How many student athletes are in America? According to NCAA,” But of the nearly 8 million students currently participating in high school athletics in the United States, only 480,000 of them will compete at NCAA schools.” Wow! Almost 8 million high school students participate in a sport. Compared to the total amount of students enrolled in grades 12-9: 15.1 million (nces.ed.gov) That is over half of the student population in all high schools.

But what encourages these mass amounts of athletes? A study performed by ‘changing the game project’ discovered that, “because it brings them enjoyment.” That’s it, it brings them enjoyment. It’s fun! Exciting! A challenge! Why not? Students become athletes to be apart of something bigger than them, they are automatically put into a group with people who will become there friends. They will work together, struggle together, and win together. Being an athlete  means you have a passion and skill for a sport that you want to do because it brings you satisfaction. This is what we want to here when we think about student athletes.

Westside had many athletes honored, Volleyball player Maiya Pena, who signed to UT Tyler, expressed her congratulations to everyone who signed, “It’s a huge accomplishment. We get to go to school to do what we love.” Alex Bihn, a baseball player who signed to Trinity University, expressed his excitement for him and his teammates who will also be playing ball in college, “It’s a great feeling. We have been working hard for this for a long time and we are excited to play with each other this last year.”

The volleyball and basketball girls celebrating on signing day!

In the audience there was both tears and smiles, Basketball player Jordan Lewis, who signed to La Salle University, said,”On the court you know it’s competition, but off the court we’re very happy for everyone signing today”.

Westside would like to say congratulations to all those who signed, you’ve all earned it!

Football:

Allanya Lister: Missouri Valley University / Olivet College

John Joseph:  Kilgore College

Bennie Clark:  Louisiana College / Howard Payne University

Christian Rogers:  Bayou Prep School / Olivet College

Kerry Smith:  Texas Lutheran University

Jalen Waddy:  University of Texas Permian Basin

Traelyn Marsh:  Texas Lutheran University / Austin College

Hockey:

Austin Hill:  Dallas Baptist University

Lacrosse:

Max Mazoch:  Southwestern University

Ethan Zornosa:  Texas A&M University

Volleyball:

Shaska Davis:  University of Louisiana Monroe

Maiya Pena:  University of Texas at Tyler

Caytlin Willis: Edwards Waters College

Girls Basketball:

Helena Johnson:  Blinn Junior College

Kayla Pilson:  Air Force Academy

Triniti Charles:  Neosho Junior College

Jessica Soders:  Blinn Junior College / Nevada University / Prarie View A&M

Jordon Lewis:  LaSalle University

Girls Soccer:

Faith Farmer:  University of Texas in Dallas

Baseball

Alex Bihn

Trinity University, Cedar Valley Junior College, Panola Junior College

Sam Dedivitus: Letourneau University

Zarian Forde: University of St. Thomas , Cedar Valley Junior College, Alabama St. University, Panola Junior College, Angelina Junior College

Gerik Grabowski: University of Texas at Dallas

Conley Strange:Frank Phillips Junior College

On Thursday after school a Farewell ceremony was held to honor these seniors. We had a good amount of senior boys this year, however for our girls we only had two this season. Each Senior has dedicated a great amount of leadership to our underclassmen. But a big recognition goes to the Captains who have led the pack tremendously well:  The boys captains are Evan Fowler-Cook, Sam Buely, Ryeen Farangi, and Frank Gibbons. The girl captains are Eva Maxcy and Daniella George-Gracia. These handful of seniors have lent a big help to the team and there coach, Coach Alex Sikkema.

Diving took a big splash with two Westside girls competing against memorials several divers. Senior Daniella is one of the only two divers for Westside so SHOUT OUT….next season come on over and dive for your high school team!

Girl captains Eva and Daniella

After diving came to a close, the main event of the night came under way. Swimming! Thursday nights swim meet was not a ‘normal’ meet for high school swimming. Events were shortened and many seniors were allowed to do out of the ordinary things for

Seniors pose for the camera after being recognized

there events. Some senior swimmers chose to do 100 IM in reverse order. This means instead of swimming Butterfly, Back, Brest to Free these swimmers did it in the opposite order. The most popular event was the boys 200 freestyle relay because SURPRISE!! our seniors made a decision to do a COED relay alternating boy girl, these seniors even managed to beat a boys memorial relay!

All of this fun has really pumped up our swim team and given good memories for our seniors. Be sure to come out and support our Westside Wolves swimmers at there Varsity District meet on January 25th at Lamar!

Here at Westside High school, we have a variety of opinions on the frequently asked question, Is Water Polo better than Swimming? I had the opportunity to speak with a variety of team members who participate in both sports.

Swimmer and Water polo goalie Evan Fowler-cook (12) stated, ” Swimming is hard and kind of boring. Water polo is where it’s at. You get to have fun!” Although, he makes a good point swimmer and new water polo player Carmen (10) states, ” I do feel that swimming does get a little boring at times but its a challenge. Water polo is just a death match. It’s scary!”

We also had the opportunity to speak with the one and only Coach Alex Sikkema. When confronted with the question, ” How do you prepare the transition between swimming and water polo?” Sikkema stated,” swimming and water polo are to entirely different sports so there really isn’t a transition. You just jump from one to another. Swimming is a lot of repetition and technique, you really have to focus on your self and the times you will make. Water polo, on the other hand, is a game. You’re physically competing with another team and constantly going over new plays. I ask my swimmers, do you want to play water polo? if they say no that’s it, see you next season. But if they say yes, cool I will see you at practice.”

Will it seems that this debate cannot be settled, swimming and water polo are just too different to be compared to each other. Swimming is a race, how fast are you? Water polo is a game, who can score more points? If you enjoy swimming laps and racing against the clock them swimming is your choice. But if you enjoy being aggressive, blocking a ball and shooting goals, then water polo is the sport for you.

With confidence boosting district wins over long time rivals Bellaire and Lamar, this team is positioned to make some noise as they go up against the power teams from the suburbs.  Strong senior leadership has led this team throughout the season.  Rounding out their final game with a bittersweet recognition for the seniors and their always supportive families.

Congratulations Lady Wolves!

Also in Volleyball news:

DefenderNetwork.com

Westside’s very own Coach King was recently featured on the Defender News Service.  Click on the link provided above to read the article, and interviews from our Varsity Volleyball players.  Howler News recommends it as a great read.

Westside volleyball coach Andre King brings intensity

In a back in forth between these top tier teams, Bellaire won the opening game, with Westside evening it up with a win in the 2nd game.  Bellaire came back to take the 3rd. Westside then forced the decider with by winning the 4th.

In the 5th and final game, the first team to 15 would be the winner.  Bellaire came our strong, but Westside stayed close.  A controversial call went Bellaire’s way, but this only proved to fire up the Wolves, who then began to pull away in the score.

It was a tough fight, with each game going to the maximum.

Practicing since January, the team committed to lots of time and hard work to create their award winning routine. When asked about the team schedule Erin Staskus had this to say, “We’ve had practice almost every day for the past month after school, keeping me very busy!” Being on a competition team takes up hours of after school time and call for lots of dedication. But that’s what it takes to be the best, and to beat the best.

Competition day was a tense affair. Westside Cheer was scheduled last, which meant seeing all their competitors go before them. So when they hit the floor, they knew what they had to do.  All the training and teamwork kicked in and they rocked their routine for the judges.  A slight bobble on one of their stunts, didn’t hurt their overall score from the judges. And they came away with the championship.

“I got so nervous before going on stage, but knowing that I’m performing with my best friends made the nerves go away,” Erin said.  The awrds ceremony came next, and Westside Cheer walked away with the National Championship Title. They were awarded a banner, and each team member received a national Champion Jacket to wear proudly around school.  After the long day and all the excitement, the team took a fun break to Starbucks, before they headed home. “It was a fun weekend and I’m so proud of my teammates. Today really brought us closer together as one and it’s something that I’ll never forget,” said Emily Butos.

What a great way for this dedicated team to end the season. What’s next? Prepping  for tryouts next which start April 2nd with training, with the final judging panel on April 6th. Tryout packets are available in the Main Office or online at www.WestsideWolves.org , login and follow the link.  You must have a completed packet to tryout, this included teacher recommendations, so don’t delay.

Do you have what it takes to fill a spot on a National Champion team?  Well then, tryout, and join the tradition.

This season at their first tournament had their girls line one singles, Elisa Rodriguez scored first place and then boys line one (Jordan Jovtchev) and line two (Mario Urdaneta) scored second place in their matches. The team will continue their spring season until spring districts which date has yet to have been announced but will be sometime in April. Each tournament is a new experience because of the long ride to wherever it ends up being and then the new opponent they are challenged with.

Practice for the team starts at about 7 am every school day starting with conditioning and then moving out onto the courts for the rest of practice. Inside practice usually relies on strength training in the weight room or sprints in the gym. Every practice focuses on a different aspect of the game of tennis. Some days the team will work on drills for doubles and other days they will work on consistency. Each day is something different, but you can always see the team at Friday practice playing a fun tennis game together.

On the Saturday of the tournament, the wrestlers come in an hour before dawn to weigh in. Weighing in is critical for the wrestlers, because it determines if they’re going to be in the correct weight class. After this, their captains will give a pep talk to motivate and fuel up the wrestlers. During the waiting period before the tournament is about to begin, they walk around to get their mindset ready right before their matches and listen to their favorite music. The tournament ran from 6-4 , and in that time, Franklin Fitzgerald had 4 wins, Daniel Hernandez 3 wins, Takaya Matsuki 1 win, Teddy Andrade 3 wins, and Rendy 3 wins. “It’s a blessing when I put all my effort into my match and I end up with a win. All the training is worth it in the end” – Teddy Andrade, Junior.

The wrestling tournaments are never freebies or throwaways for the wrestlers. It requires time and effort, especially the preparation the day of the competition. Wrestling occurs with a furious pace and involves all muscles of the body, so each individual wrestler, along with the training of their coach, knows the magnitude of the sport. Between wrestling season, this isn’t considered a period of resting for the participants. That’s their chance to improve, redeem, and take care of themselves. Dedication is everything to a wrestler when they desire to win their matches, especially at a big event like a tournament.

Abdul Alatishe (12th)

Tournament MVP Abdul Alatishe followed his 24 points in the semifinal with 21 against Lamar. His dunk off an assist from Neil VanBeck put Westside ahead with the score of 23-15 in the second quarter. VanBeck later pushes the lead to 34-20. Lamar tried to catch up, but the Wolves were able to sprint to a 16-0 run and a 52-25 advantage. Point guard Anthony Peterson-Lockett, who scored 21 against Madison, had the hot hand during the run with three field goals. A fast-break basket by Ademola Kolawole and a three-pointer by Sam VanBeck led the Wolves to finish the run. Westside led 56-29 at halftime, the last points of the second quarter coming on an alley-oop from Kolawole to Alatishe. The Wolves led by as much as 37 in the third quarter. A three by Erik Evans and consecutive dunks by Chimaobi Ezekwesili finalized the tournament championship.

The wolves are now 21-5, 5-2 in district. They are now practicing for the rest of district play and playoffs. “I’m really pleased with the way we started the season. Going into Christmas break we had an 18-3 record, giving us the best start in school history. This is definitely the best team I’ve been a part of at Westside so I’m really excited to see how we finish district play and how far we can go in playoffs,” Coach Deon Williams stated. As of now, Abdul Alatishe is the leading scorer averaging 22 ppg and 12 rpg. Neil VanBeck is the second leading scorer with 18 ppg.

Neil VanBeck (12th)

It looks like this will be a great season for the varsity team!