VYPE U Playoff Pics: Bush Dominates Taylor in the First Round of UIL 6A Playoffs
Olivia Raymond
The Woodlands' soccer is back and dead-set on returning to the postseason. Only, this time around, the Highlanders have no intention of going home without a trophy.
The Woodlands boys’ soccer program enjoyed a tremendous season going 16-1-2, earning them the title of District Champions (10-0 in District). This was followed by a postseason campaign that saw the Highlanders become Regional Champions, before being defeated in the State Semis by the soon-to-be State Champs -- Lake Travis.
After coming so close to earning their first 6A State Title, the Highlanders are prepared to resurge as the new season begins. Leading the Highlanders is coach Jason Fanning.
“With last year’s team's success, it kind of demonstrates what happens when you buy into a program and its beliefs,” said Fanning. “Whatever goals these players set for themselves, can be achieved. The great thing about our community is that we have really high expectations. I feel, from a coaching standpoint, that we can never set the expectation too high. Our kids relish that opportunity to push themselves to achieve things they didn’t realize they could.”
Photo Courtesy of Coach Jason Fanning
Despite several of last year’s players graduating during the offseason, several key returning players. Team captain Reinaldo Perera, will be expected to direct the younger talent on the pitch.
“He [Perera] is going to be a really big player for us,” Fanning said. “He’s a senior forward who’s entering his third year on varsity. I think he’s got a lot of potential to contribute in a bunch of different ways. He’s a top-level competitor and I think the team will feed off of that.”
Another player to look out for is junior center back Rodrigo Checa, who has quietly become a standout among the skilled Highlanders roster. He was a part of last year’s team but did not play. Despite that, Checa’s ability has shown through the preseason prompting the players to elect him as one of the team’s captains.
“It’s been about seven years since we’ve had a captain who wasn’t a senior,” said Fanning. “Because of the unlikeliness of it, that gives you an indication of what kind of person and player he is. He’s a fantastic player.”
Talent makes the team. But, according to coach Fanning, the community aspect of TWHS Soccer is what will drive the young men to success.
Photo Courtesy of Coach Jason Fanning
“We’re trying to create a high school experience for the guys,” Fanning said. “But that doesn’t always have to do with what goes on the field or in practice. We do a lot of community outreach where we volunteer our time with a couple of projects in the fall and spring (including working for the Montgomery County Food Bank every MLK Day). We like to think that our program isn’t just about soccer, but about shaping young men to understand their role in the community and how they can impact other people’s lives.”
Coach Fanning and TWHS will anticipate another stellar season. Highlander soccer begins their campaign for another trip to the postseason when they face Seven Lakes on December 30th at 7:30 pm in their first game of the regular season.
The Klein High Bearkat Wrestling Room is where legends are made.
Over decades, so many great wrestlers have honed their skills in the blue and gold mat room, and this season will be no different.
This year’s alpha is senior Timothy McGuire, who took bronze at the 2022 UIL State Meet in the 126-pound weight class.McGuire defeated South Grand Prairie’s Esteban Duran 15-4 and finished the year 47-8 overall. He also led the boys’ team to an overall third-place finish in the end-of-the-year event.
Klein High Wrestling Bradley Collier (Vype)
Now as a senior, McGuire looks back on what he has accomplished and when he flipped the switch on his career.
“I've been wrestling since the third grade, in-club, all the way through high school, but last year a light went on,” he said. “During our wrestling camp, we were playing dodgeball and I broke my ankle. I was done and couldn’t wrestle for a while. Wrestling had been my life for so long, so I just went to practice and watched. I'm a very committed person and I had to be there for my teammates. That was really hard, and at that point, I realized that I loved the sport and wanted to wrestle as long as I could.”
McGuire played a little football growing up and ran cross country for years. His father is the cross-country coach at Montgomery High School.
“Wrestling just became my thing for a couple of reasons,” he said. “I love how physical and tough the sport is. I also love the technical side of the sport, which gets overlooked all the time but is important. Finally, wrestling just keeps my life on track. From my daily schedule to keeping my grades up, to making sure my body is in great shape, wrestling keeps me focused.”
While he is laser-focused on the upcoming season, McGuire is also looking toward the future.
“My favorite wrestler is Austin Gomez and I love the Wisconsin program, but I’m looking more at a Division I school, where I can get on the mat,” he said. “I have to be on the mat and not on the sideline.”
Mabrey Mettauer is trading one “Red W” for another.
One of the nation’s top 2024 quarterback prospects has made his decision. The north Houston 6-foot-5, 215-pound signal-caller has selected the University of Wisconsin as his next destination spot.
“I really just wanted to relieve the stress on my shoulders and I felt the time was right,” Mettauer said. “Honestly, the atmosphere at Wisconsin was electric when I went there. And the love the fans show the school is the type of place I want to play.”
Another huge reason for his commitment is the new staff of head coach Luke Fickell and newly-hired OC Phil Longo from North Carolina.
“Coach Longo and I have been building a relationship for about a year and a half now. When he made the jump to Wisconsin with coach Fickell, they made me really feel like they wanted me to come there. That was really special. They have a plan for me.”
So, the Texas kid heads to the Midwest, where he will trade the heat and humidity of Texas for brisk winters and biting wind.
“It’s definitely a journey, but one I’m excited for,” he said. “You know most NFL teams have to go play in the cold. I’m just going to have to get accustomed to it."
The message to Wisconsin fans who now have their next QB, "Badger fans, be ready. Hopefully, I can be the missing piece of the puzzle.”
And what about that “W”.
“It’s definitely a coincidence,” he said. “I will always have that ‘W’ on my helmet, especially now."
Hopefully, that will bring Wisconsin some… Ws.
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