VYPE caught up with the Fort Bend Marshall Track and Field teams at the VYPE Houston Track & Field Photoshoot powered by Whataburger.
Check out these interviews and photos with the champs from Mo-City!
Kone's commitment comes following his official visit with Maryland and a familiar feel as well as connections with the coaching staff and players helped him make his decision.
"When I went down there it reminded me a lot of Philadelphia where I'm from and the offensive scheme there is very similar to what we do at North Shore," Kone said on why he made his commitment. "The people around there were great and I met other players that are from Houston when I was there and felt an instant connection."
Talking more about his official visit, Kone mentioned seeing Maryland's network for life after football also played a big factor in his commitment.
"One thing that I found important for me was seeing the program they have for athletes who don't end up making it to the league," he said. "It's Washington D.C. and they have things in place for you for if you don't make it to the league."
The North Shore offensive lineman commits ahead of his big senior season and after winning a state title in 2026, Kone is ready to get to work this off-season and help lead his team back to Jerry's World.
"Last season I weighed in at 350 and now I'm at 305 pounds so I feel like I have more flexibility and can play all over the offensive line," Kone said. "We had some guys graduate so the only thing I'm focused on is winning another state championship, going 1-0 everyday and just getting better everyday because that helped us reach get the state championship last year and it can do it again this year."
With his commitment now out of the way watch out for Kone and the rest of his Eastside teammates as they prepare for another deep playoff run to defend their state title in 2026.
PUBLIC SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
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PUBLIC SCHOOL BOYS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
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PRIVATE SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
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PRIVATE SCHOOL BOYS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
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Watch the video below to find out who won the Public and Private School Boys and Girls Tennis VYPE Awards presented by Houston Methodist Orthopedic & Sports Medicine
WHERE: Red & Charline McCombs Field -- Austin, TX
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KATY TIGERS
The long-anticipated breakthrough has arrived for Katy (38-5). In just her second season as head coach, Meghan VanEtta has guided the Tigers back to the pinnacle of Texas high school softball, as the ballclub now prepares to compete in its first UIL State Championship since 2019.
VanEtta (formerly Meghan Burrell) is no stranger to the standard Katy carries year after year. Before taking over the program, she spent 12 seasons as an assistant under Kalum Haack and was part of the Tigers’ 2015 and 2019 title-winning squads along the way.
While Austin had long been viewed as the destination entering the season, the possibility of bringing home a third state trophy truly began to crystallize after Katy swept defending 6A Division II champion Kingwood in the third round of the playoffs.
From there, the Tigers handled business against Clear Creek in the Region III Final before securing another hard-fought sweep over Pharr-San Juan-Alamo in last week’s State Semifinal series.
It’s no secret where Katy’s firepower originates. The “Death Valley” portion of the batting order—seniors Ella Kate “EK” Smith (Oklahoma signee) and Maddie Smith (NC State), alongside junior Auburn commit Evie Willemssen—is formidable enough on its own.
Add in the veteran presence of senior outfielder Lexie Waugh (UT Arlington), along with the emergence of freshman pitcher Haley Schmitt (16-1 in 2026) and sophomore second baseman Nevaeh Phillips, and this Tigers squad looks destined to make history on Saturday.
Some of the stars of 2025-26 Katy Tigers SoftballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
FORNEY JACKRABBITS
From one established state power to another, Forney returns to the 6A Division II title game for the second year in a row. Since assuming command of the program prior to the 2016-17 campaign, head coach Pat Eitel has guided the Jackrabbits to four UIL State Tournament appearances, with last week’s impressive sweep of Guyer also marking the seventh trip in school history.
Needless to say, Forney (37-3) is operating at full throttle and now sits one victory away from adding a second state banner to the trophy case alongside the one secured in 2018, when the team competed at the 5A level.
The Jackrabbits boast the luxury of not one, but two ace-caliber arms in their pitching staff, namely sophomore Avery Pitts and junior Emmie Santos. Pitts has pieced together a phenomenal 20-1 record while piling up well over 200 strikeouts in the circle, while Santos—an Eastern Kentucky commit—stands at 17-2 and has also made her presence felt at the plate, hitting .316.
On the batting side, shortstop Carlee Rabal and outfielder Bailee McGhee pair reliability with big-play potential, as the sophomore duo is hitting .448 and .416 at the plate, respectively. The same can be said for sophomore Sophia Heredia, who is batting just under .400 while stepping up in the catcher role.
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