VYPE caught up with Grace Anderson of Regents Girls Tennis at the VYPE Regents School of Austin Spring Media Day about the new season and more!
Check out the interview below!
VYPE caught up with Grace Anderson of Regents Girls Tennis at the VYPE Regents School of Austin Spring Media Day about the new season and more!
Check out the interview below!
Concordia Lutheran's Imerie Jones
OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST DECADE, CONCORDIA LUTHERAN HAS GRADUALLY BECOME THE GOLD-STANDARD IN VOLLEYBALL.
The program has reached the state Final Four seven times in the last nine seasons – including a championship in 2016 – which speaks for itself.
Given that several of last year’s major contributors have since graduated, soon-to-be senior Imerie Jones emerges as one of the faces of the program from the middle-blocker position.
“I love the team dynamic here and the necessity of perfecting your skill over time in order to succeed,” she said. “There are so many other people from different teams trying to play the same position, which ramps up the competitiveness of the sport and makes everyone better.”
2023-24 Concordia Lutheran Volleyball Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
There have been a bevy of state-recognized volleyball stars to advance from coach Kim Odinga’s squad in years past. The names Brooke Frazier (SMU), Sophia Keene (Baylor) and Isabel Zelaya (Pepperdine) hang on the 'Saders at the Next Level' wall.
Jones is the latest to have her sights set on carrying on the tradition, after earning second-team, all-district honors a year ago.
“It’s been a lot to take in at times,” said Jones. “I love playing with my teammates, and I’ve just grown within the program. I used to watch the incredible athletes who have played for this team over the years.
I’ve always looked up to them and wanted to make my own legacy – to be known as a good player and a good teammate when I do eventually leave.”
Jones intends to do that and more.
“Five years from now, I see myself being in pre-med,” she said. “I’ve always liked helping people, and I feel like being a doctor or nurse would bring new challenges every day for me to help others overcome. In terms of schools, I’ve really wanted to go to John Hopkins University, since they have an excellent medical program.”
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Joining the medical field requires a certain level of dedication and commitment to one’s craft.
Fortunately for this Crusader, that particular mindset is right up her alley.
“I’m constantly striving for excellence, both on and off the court,” Jones said. “At first, that mentality was brought on by my parents but now it’s more of a personal goal I set for myself. “There are times when I just don’t want to keep juggling those two priorities, but that’s where the work-ethic that has been instilled in me comes into play. I know that I have to get things done in order to compete and succeed in life.”
Count on that same tenacity to come into play when Jones and company return to the court this Fall and the begin their crusade to State.
Concordia Lutheran's Tanner Huckfelt
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN’S FOOTBALL PROGRAM ENJOYED ARGUABLY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON THE PROGRAM HAS SEEN IN RECENT YEARS IN 2023, HAVING WON THEIR FIRST PLAYOFF GAME WITHIN TAPPS-DI.
With dual-threat superstar Lou Lamar having since moved on to Dartmouth, it will now be up to the incoming senior class to fill in the gaps.
Enter Tanner Huckfelt.
“I know my role and what I need to do in that position,” he said. “The coaches have laid the groundwork for me to succeed. It’s going to be fun to fill the shoes of the people who have graduated and to help leave a legacy with our senior class.”
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
As the Crusaders signal-caller, it is only natural that he takes on the role of a leader, which is something he’s strived for since joining the program.
Consequently, the work he’s put in on the field and at camps has garnered attention from college recruiters.
Most recently, Huckfelt finally got his first offer to play D1 college football, when he got the call from Butler in May.
“I wasn’t even ready for it,” said Huckfelt. “I was just at my house and the quarterback coach from Butler (Eddie Schott), who I talk with all the time, told me that he and the staff were looking over my film and that they wanted to offer me.
I ran right to my Dad’s office and we started talking over everything. It was kind of surreal and it still hasn’t quite hit me yet, that I got my first offer. Knowing that I’ll have a place to play Division-I football, wherever it might be, is a great feeling. I’m just going to keep working like I have been, to prove to other schools what my team and I are capable of.”
'Working’ is putting it lightly.
Over the Summer, Huckfelt will have attended camps with some of the premier D1 college programs such as Houston, Texas State, Lamar, Iowa State, Houston Christian, SFA, Davidson, and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, which should only improve his chances of picking up more offers.
However, once the new school year begins, he will come back to Concordia Lutheran to help guide the Crusaders back to the postseason.
After transferring from Magnolia West his freshman year, Huckfelt knew that he found a place to call home.
2023-24 Concordia Lutheran FootballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“When I was thinking about enrolling, it all started when my Dad and I talked with coach (Willie) Amendola,” he said. “He explained what Concordia Lutheran was all about and what opportunities it could provide me, and from then on, my family and I were bought in.
School-wise, all the staff and students are welcoming and I’ve gone on to make new friends because of it. Regarding the football program, the coaches are with us every step of the way, but they also allow us to be a player-led group and take ownership of everything. Overall, the experience has helped me to find a family away from home.”
The ‘one family’ mentality that Concordia prides itself on, certainly allowed Huckfelt to thrive.
As he enters his final year with the school, it should be made perfectly clear that he will have left his mark.
Liberty Christian football finished the football season on top as the TAPPS Division II State champs under the direction of head coach and NFL legend Jason Witten.
Though the famed Dallas Cowboy tight end-turned-coach might steal a lot of the headlines, another Witten is starting to make a name of his own.
Cooper Witten, a 2027 Athlete, has had quite the offseason picking up offers from Baylor, Duke, Missouri, Oklahoma, TCU and UAB.
I caught up with Witten about his recruitment, his big freshman year and upcoming season
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Witten had a big freshman year on varsity for Liberty Christian as a key piece to the Warriors' defense finishing the year as a first-team, all-state selection.
“It was a great year going undefeated and winning State, and there were a lot of great memories made,” he said. “I’m looking forward to building off of last year and have a bigger impact on the field going both ways.”
After a big freshman fall, Witten burst onto the recruiting scene in June picking up his first offer from Oklahoma after attending a camp in Norman.
“It was amazing, I really enjoyed the whole camp and felt like I did pretty well,” Witten said. “Getting to know the coaches and getting rewarded with an offer was just a blessing.”
Football is a family affair for the Witten family. Cooper, the youngest of the bunch, gets to do something very few players get to do, play with his older brother CJ while being coached by his Dad, Jason.
“It’s a great experience to go to practice every day and come back and talk ball when we get home,” he said. “CJ and I got to watch him play growing up in the pros. Seeing how hard you have to work to get to that point was a big lesson. Having him coach me is also a big blessing.”
Now with camp season over, the young prospect is focused on his upcoming sophomore year.
“I’m really looking forward to go back-to-back as State champs which is rare to do in your first two years of high school football,” he said.
Cooper Witten is a star in the making at Liberty Christian, and looks to write his own chapter in the Witten football storybook.
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