SECOND-YEAR HEAD COACH JENNIFER WILSON IS CHANGING THE MENTALITY OF KLEIN FOREST VOLLEYBALL, AND IT STARTS IN THE LOCKER ROOM.
“I was brought in to change the culture here,” Wilson said. “It takes a lot of hard work, but the girls have bought in since day one. Last year, we were really working on overcoming the past. We had to change our mindset and start to believe that we are good enough to win. Moving forward, we expect more wins.
While the Golden Eagles were 2-27 and 0-12 in district play, there was a silver lining. “Opposing coaches told us all year long that you would never know what the score was – that we fought the whole match,” Wilson said. “We are building off of that.
“It’s the little victories. We won our first match for the first time in a few years. The girls haven’t seen success like that in a long time. For them, winning sets along the way proves that we can win. It’s a mentality. It’s building and that should move us to another level this year.”
Alejah Phillips will run the offense at setter while twin sister Aleyla Phillips will provide offense from the outside and serve as a defensive specialist. In the middle will be Nadazia Simien, who can control a match. Outsides Aniah Jones, London Sam, Aaliyah Gonzales and Kiearra Haynes will also put down points for the Eagles. Betzaida Garcia will dig volleyballs from her defensive position.
“We have eight returners back who were key players for us last season,” she said. “People have been sleeping on Klein Forest for a while. We are really athletic and talented, and we are going to surprise people this year. But it’s going to take 110-percent effort all the time and for us to realize we are good enough to win.”
There are plenty of marquee football matchups this week in the Austin area. Plenty of folks will be curious to see how Cedar Ridge holds up against Lake Travis or just exactly how many points Cedar Park and Hutto are going to score between them in their battle for 24-6A lead.
But the vast majority of games each week slip under the radar, largely unnoticed by anyone except the teams themselves and their fans. That doesn’t make those games any less important. And this week’s VYPE Central Texas Game of the Week between McNeil and Stony Point at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex is a perfect example.
There are similarities between these two longtime Round Rock ISD rivals. Both are operating under new head coaches. And both are trying to build new cultures around those coaches and return to playoff form.
McNeil’s journey has been the most harrowing of the two. The Mavericks (0-2, 0-6) returned to the playoffs in 2024 and were one freakish play away from repeating that accomplishment last season under former head coach Scott Hermes. The program then went through the process of replacing Hermes twice, ultimately landing Jerry Gardner from Wylie East late in the summer.
Between the late change and seriously rebuilding after losing a ton of talent to graduation, the Mavericks have gotten off to a slow start. Senior quarterback Orion Covault has worked through the air (52-100, 646 Yds., 5 TD, 3 INT – stats through 5 games) while tacking on 261 rushing yards with a touchdown. Senior Zylen Hall (48-255, 9.5 YPC, 4 TD) has provided a spark on the ground with young receivers Quincy Sampson (13-194, 14.9 YPC, 2 TD) and sophomore Jeremy Powell (12-143, 11.9 YPC, TD) emerging as his favorite targets.
It’s a similar, if more conventional story at Stony Point (1-1, 2-4). Former Hutto offensive coordinator Dustin Pleasant travelled west along Hwy. 79 to land in Tigerland, taking over from legendary head coach Craig Cheshire. Unlike McNeil’s recent playoff appearance, the Tigers haven’t been to the postseason in a minute or two. And while the path to postseason is difficult in a district with Lake Travis, Westlake, and Round Rock, the path potentially exists with a win over Cedar Ridge (or a huge upset of either “Lake” team.)
Senior quarterbacks Brady Davis (49-89, 670 yds., 5 TD, 2 INT) and sophomore Kadin Smith (29-55, 324, 2 TD, INT) have both seen time behind center while junior Aiden Lloyd (98-475, 4.8 YPC, 8 TDs) anchors the running attack. Senior Olamide Aroworade (28-456, 16.3 YPC, 3 TD) has been the Tigers’ leading receiver.
It’s easy to hype the drama between two powerhouse teams. These two – McNeil and Stony Point – each have their own goals and agendas. At the most basic level, McNeil is simply looking for their first win of the season and of the Coach Gardner era; a chance to reap the rewards after months of hard work.
The Tigers’ slender playoff path relies on winning all their game against the rest of the district while punching one of the favorites in the nose down the road.
But mostly, it’s just one of the 10 nights these kids get to experience the thrill and joy of playing Texas High School Football. The fact that it’s our VYPE Austin CenTex Game of the Week is just icing on the cake.
