Jax Traeger, Sean Fitzpatrick, Alex Petrovic
Photo by Bradley Collier
Here are some of the faces of Concordia Lutheran athletes!
THE FALL STARS
Gianluca Decillo
WINTER WONDERS
Arujun Umashankar
STARS OF THE SPRING
Tate Elder
Fort Bend Travis' Ava Williams
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Taking on that role requires not only the confidence in oneself to lead by example, but often the social prowess to instill that same confidence in one’s teammates. To encourage them at a moment’s notice.
Fortunately for the Travis Tigers volleyball program, their team captain junior setter Ava Williams has prowess to spare.
“Being the captain, I’ve become a very vocal person and I like to keep everyone involved,” she said. “I take my time to make sure I go out of my way to get to know every teammate that I have, so that we can all bond and play well together as a team. The best teams have the best connections.
2023-24 Travis Tigers VolleyballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“Other than playing volleyball, we will do our best to bond with each other outside of the game. For example, we went out into the woods together without our phones to see how we would manage. We’ll do team dinners and other things together to keep that dynamic strong.”
Volleyball is a full-time gig for Williams.
In addition to playing for Travis and the teams that preceded her time at the school, she competed at Houston Skyline with her sister until she was 15 years old, before moving over to her current club team Katy United.
“I started playing when I was really young and have just kept going with it,” said Williams. “Since then it’s always been a part of my life, with both my club and school teams. I just can’t get away from it. I also ran track in middle school, but when high school started I knew that volleyball was something I had to fully commit myself to.”
So what does the future hold for this junior Tiger?
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“I definitely want to play in college,” Williams said. “I’ve been leaning towards the Florida area, so I’ve been in contact with schools over there. I haven’t decided what I’ve wanted to major in yet, but I think I want to go into the Sports Entertainment industry at some point. As an athlete, you want to be around other athletes, and that seems like it would be an interactive and fun job for me.”
Williams is clearly a people person. That’s something she likely picked up in her time at Travis, which she holds in high regard.
“I think Travis is one of the best schools in Fort Bend,” she said. “The academics, athletics, and amount of diversity we have has allowed me to excel as a person because I've been exposed to different types of people and ideas. Travis has the environment that can prepare any student for the real world and that will be incredibly beneficial for me, further down the road.”
Keep an eye out for Williams as she and her team undergo their remaining district schedule. Given how vocal she is, it won’t be hard to miss her.
By Lorin Cook
Sure, it’s early, but coach Mike Rabe’s crew is in year two of varsity play and looks the part.
The Warriors are 4-0; 2-0 in district play and will have a huge challenge this week against the legendary Katy Tigers.
“I loved the opportunity of opening up a new school,” Rabe said of taking the Warrior job. “I was hired to take over rebuild jobs in the past, and this was something new.
“I don’t know if I would do it again, though,” he laughed. “Did I mention it was during a pandemic?”
Rabe is no-nonsense leader with a simple culture.
“It’s really six things,” he said. “Commitment and consistency, first. Holding each other accountable is key, while attitude and effort are pillars to success. Finally, you just have to go out and execute.”
Pretty simple, right? Especially when you have great kids and a ton of talent.
“These guys were thrust on varsity at an early age,” he said. “They are really passionate about the game and have just matured physically and mentally over the past three years. It’s been really rewarding to watch.”
Leading the "Air Jordan" offense is QB Colin Willetts, who has thrown for over 1,100 yards and 12 scores. He has some serious weapons. Junior RB Chad Gaspar is a national recruit with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Baylor, Oregon and Wisconsin positioning for his eventual commitment.
The receiving corps is special. Zechariah Sample is committed to Arizona State and has over 300 yards and five receiving scores. He also plays cornerback.
National recruit Andrew Marsh is just a junior but is arguably the best 2025 WR in Texas. He has nearly 500 yards receiving. VanKieth Brown transferred from Paetow and has double-digit offers, and Deacon Stanfield has committed to Houston Christian University.
“Colin has received varsity coaching for four years,” he said. “He understands the offense and executes very well. Our skill position athletes can go out and make plays. They are really fun to watch, while our offensive line has developed really well with another offseason.
“We are really explosive on offense, but we just take what the opponents are giving us. Our coaches make great adjustments during the game, which makes us tough to defend,” he said.
On defense, Jordan welcomed Katy transfers Jimmy-Phrisco Alo-Suliafu, Dallas-Patrick Alo-Suliafu, Jeremy Alo-Perry and Rocky Alo-Perry to Warrior-nation over the offseason… the Polynesian Pipeline.
Zion Jones is the QB of the defense at safety, while Brayden Coffie controls the linebacking box for the Warriors, according to Rabe.
As Jordan is on the eve of the “Katy Game”, Rabe steadies his message.
“We don’t treat any game differently on any given week,” he said. “We focus on our football team as we try and get better every day. The rest will take care of itself.”
Come on coach, it’s the “Katy Game”.
TRENDING
GAMES
Join the #VYPETEAM
Get up to date news from all over the country!
FROM THE WEB
