How do you feel about making it to state?

Allison Agbasoga:  I feel really good and that all of our work that we’ve been doing since August has paid off.

Natalie Tedesco: It is very overwhelming because I am just a freshman, and I feel very privileged to have made it this far.

 Marielle Plunk:  I’m excited, I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity and I hope that it pays off.

 Marissa Naab: It is such a blessing, especially since this is the second time I’ll have been there.

Have you ever been to state before?

Agbasoga: I went last year for the same events which I think prepared me for the competition I’d see at state.

Tedesco: I am beyond nervous. I feel so lucky though that my team has carried me here, I wouldn’t be here without them.

Plunk: This year is my first time going, and I’m really nervous to see the stadium where so many great people have ran before me.

Naab: Yes, I do think that it prepares you because the crowds and the stadium and just the sheer amount of pressure you feel can be overwhelming, but now that I know what to expect, I think that the nerves won’t be as big of a factor.

Are you going to Prom which is Saturday?

Agbasoga: I am going to prom, and hopefully with some good cool down I won’t be sore.

Tedesco: No, I wish.

Plunk: Nope, and I’m going to sleep in all day.

Naab: Yes, it doesn’t matter much, considering we run the night before. We’re lucky we aren’t 5A, or we wouldn’t get to go to prom.

Who are your biggest competitors?

Agbasoga: I think myself and Cedar Park.

Tedesco: Lake Travis, their third leg is really fast— I just want to stay ahead of her.

Plunk: Myself because I’ve struggled this season with being confident in my running abilities.

Naab: Lake Travis, they’ve been our competition since district. Lancaster as well, we barely beat them last year and they’ll be out for blood.

Why do you think the relay team has done so well this year?

Agbasoga: When Justine [Franklin] and Adriana [Reyes] got hurt others had to step up to the plate and I think that is the reason we have been so successful.

Tedesco: We switched people a lot to try and find who is the best at what positions and we have had lots of practice with technique.

Plunk: We’ve done well because we are all talented runners and we want it.

Naab: All the legs are so close this year. We act more like sisters and that adds to the team’s chemistry.

What areas have you worked on since regionals?

Agbasoga: My running for the triple and I have also worked on my handoffs a lot trying to get them faster and cleaner than ever before.

Tedesco: We’ve worked on handoffs, and getting out fast was major, as well as finishing all the way through the line.

Plunk: Handoffs has been a big thing and pacing ourselves throughout the race so we have a strong start and finish.

Naab: Our handoffs have improved; we’ve been working mostly on mentality and telling ourselves that we can do well, we can succeed, we are capable of success, and now we just need to work on realizing it.

What are your team goals and personal goals?

Agbasoga: I would like to jump 39 feet and run a low 55 split in the mile relay.

Tedesco: I want to break 60 on my 400, even though I know it’s hard, but really I just want to stay ahead of the other third legs.

Plunk: To run a 57 or 56 in the mile relay would be awesome and also, hopefully, to impress some college recruiters that will be there.

Naab: Breaking our district record from last year and placing so that we get to stand on the podium.

Second at regionals.

And state bound.

 Junior Allison Agbasoga will compete in the triple jump at her second state meet in a row this Friday at The University of Texas. All events will be broadcast live online at www.flotrack.com  for everyone to see. Agbasoga’s event will be broadcast at 4:30 p.m.

At regionals, Agbasoga jumped 37 feet, 6 inches; her goal for state is 39 feet although coach Kelly Thompson is hoping for her to jump 40 feet.

 “I think she is a great competitor that will be jumping this year with the experience and knowledge of jumping there last year,” Thompson said. “It really helps to know what to expect of the meet. She enters competitions with the expectation of doing her best and knowing that if she does that, she gives herself a chance to win.”

The junior hopes last year’s experience will help her be prepared for this year’s competition.

“Last year I sprained my ankle before the event and got ninth,” Agbasoga said. “So I’m hoping to stay calm, get a personal record and end this year with a bang.”

Agbasoga  and eight girls will compete in prelims, with their jumps deciding the order for finals.

“I think the Houston girls are going to be my biggest competition,” Agbasoga said. “They tend to jump around 42 feet.”

The competition isn’t the only thing that’s changing from regionals to state.

“At state you have to narrow down your flaws, making sure everything is set to go,” Agbasoga said. “You have to be flawless.

“The coaches have been making me do better,” Denmon said. “I’m pushing myself really hard, and trying to keep myself well for state.”

In order to prepare for state, Denmon has been working out as usual, but increasing his training a little.

“I want to at least place,” Denmon said. “And try to get my time down to 48 seconds, and just make everybody happy.”

Coach Luke Harrison has been helping Denmon prepare.

“I think he has as good a shot as any of the other guys,” Harrison said. “It all comes down to the race.”

The meet is being broadcast live online at www.flotrack.com. Denmon will run in the 400 Friday at 7 p.m.

“It was a very challenging season and the girls worked very hard and battled hard every game, but came up short,” varsity coach Jamie Wiggins said. “I was extremely proud of how the girls stuck together as a team and fought hard for each other.”

The Vandegrift game on March 27 was a big district win for the girls. They finished the game 11-9 in overtime.  Down nine runs, they made a comeback during the seventh inning to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

“It was an exciting game,” junior Jordan Glenn said. “But [it was] definitely stressful at first because we had to come back in the last inning to win.”

After their success at Vandegrift, the hardest part of the season came when the JV girls got back on the bus after their game at Cedar Park and found all of their belongings gone, including homework and class assignments.

“I was shocked and I didn’t believe it at first,” freshman Morgan Ritter said. “Thankfully, I brought my stuff to the dugout because all they left for us on the bus was two sweatshirts. It was really sad.”

The two teams wrapped up the season against Vandegrift, April 20 at home. Varsity lost 10-0 and JV won 8-4. The varsity girls finished district 1-11 while the junior varsity team was 1-10-1 in district. Three seniors are leaving the varsity team.

“We were excited to go do something new after the last game,” senior Tiffany Birdwell said. “And we felt like we were one step closer to graduation.”

“There’s a lot of people who contributed to the formation of the lacrosse team, but if I had to name one, it would be the Gross family,” sophomore Alexander Gaskill said.

Sophomore Chandler Gross and his brother freshman Jared Gross have been playing lacrosse for six years. After realizing no lacrosse teams were formed in the area, they decided to form one, the Rouse Raider Lacrosse team.

“Lacrosse is a growing school sport,” Jared Gross said. “I think people will realize how fun it is and want to join.”

Lacrosse is an intense sport which players use sticks with nets on the end of them to throw a plastic ball from one to another. Players are supposed to ultimately get the ball into one of the nets on both sides of the field, scoring a goal.

Since they started in February, they’ve played seven games, including against Vandegrift, LBJ and Cedar Ridge. The team played at Noack Field in Austin and also at their home field at Vista Ridge. They won one game and wrapped up their final game last week. The team hopes to add a junior varsity team next year.

 “I love lacrosse specifically because it’s a fast paced sport,” junior Eli Shaw said. “It’s physical and you can be aggressive, you also get to meet new people at tournaments and games who share the same love for it as you.”

“The girls were a young team this year without any seniors,” golf coach Billy Clay said. “They practiced hard every day, and that will eventually pay off for them. The boys won two tournaments, a first for Rouse.  I was very proud of the boys.”

The girls competed at district April 3-4, where sophomore Hannah England led the team, finishing  19^th with a score of 183. Junior Madison Bridges and sophomore Lauren Lairsey came right behind her with a 186 and 195. Also at the tournament were junior Stephanie Hofmann and sophomore Emily Pace which brought the team to a total of 773.

“The team is very diligent in what we do,” England said. “We are a very try hard team and we are really competitive against the really good teams. I feel very at home with them.”

The boys competed at district April 9-10, with junior Wyatt Rae being the top finisher for the Raiders, taking 39^th with a total score of 167. Sophomore Jackson Wood and senior Hunter Price were next with scores of 169 and 171. Also at the tournament were junior Grayson McAllister and junior Jordan Vise, making the team total 676.

“It was a fun season,” Price said. “We got our first two tournament wins, which was pretty cool since we made history. We have a great team bonding and no one really didn’t like each other.”

Sophomore Taylor Ward is one of the pitchers on the team. Ward has been playing baseball since he was four, and started pitching at age eight.

“The game is determined by whether you throw strikes or not,” Ward said. “The pressure’s on you.”

Ward is learning how to be a better player both on and off the field.

“If everyone plays together, we almost always win,” Ward said. “You can only control the things you can, and you just have to figure out the things you can’t.”

Fellow pitcher sophomore Tim Frances agrees with Ward.

“Next year, I hope to become more of a teammate,” Frances said. “Not just for myself.”

Frances has been playing baseball for nine years, and pitching for eight of those years.

“I love the feeling after you strike somebody out,” Frances said. “Baseball is not just a one-man game, it’s a cooperation of multiple people, you can’t do it by yourself.”

That cooperation has paid off this year as the team won 10 of their 13 non-district games.

“The season has gone really well,” junior Trey Taylor said. “We’re having a lot of success on and off the field, and we’re really starting to gel as a team.”

In district play, the team started strong winning the district opener 3-0 over Marble Falls. After losses to Cedar Park, Dripping Springs and Lake Travis in the first round, the team bounced back with a 4-0 win over Vandegrift. In the second round, the Raiders would win games against Cedar Park and Dripping Springs.

At the end of district play, the team ended up in a three-way tie for fourth place in the playoffs. To earn a playoff spot, the team would have to beat Vandegrift and Marble Falls in one day, April 28. In the first game, the team had 11 hits in the 10-3 win over the Vipers.

“It was awesome,” junior Robert Martinez said. “Beating them by so much, it felt really good.”

After the win, the varsity team took on Marble Falls at the Vandegrift field with little time between games. The Mustangs would put up nine runs, winning 9-5 to seal their place as the final playoff team.

“Even though we lost, we still came together as a team,” Martinez said. “It was a really good experience; we’ve been playing with the seniors for three years now.”

“We have improved so much from last season,” senior Sarah Goodfellow said. “We are 3-2 this season, and have more games to play.”

Games are played every Sunday at Running Brushy Middle School. The team plays seven games in a season before going into playoffs, which are held in one day. It’s a win or go home type of playoffs, and the champion is named at the end of the day.

“We’re already winning, so our goal is to just have fun,” senior Amanda Sebring said.

Team members say playing has been a great learning experience and a chance to meet new people and make new friends. The girls are currently second in the league and hope to make the playoffs.

“The team is a learning experience, because it gives you an opportunity to show you what you can be in life,” sophomore Mikayla Howell said.

The girls have two games left with their next game on Sunday, May 6 at Running Brushy Middle School.

The boys varsity soccer team season ended on a strong note with a 5-2 win against Marble Falls, March 23. They finished 1-8-1 in district and 8-14-1 overall.

“The season was really well, even if the statistics don’t show it,” junior Brady Lambert said. “We came closer as a team, and so I am looking forward to next year.”

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS SOCCER

The boys junior varsity team season finished the season with a 2-0 loss to Marble Falls, March 23. They junior varsity team had a district record of 1-8-1 and overall record of 2-9-1.

“The game against Marble Falls could have gone better,” sophomore Dylan Bures said. “We just didn’t play as well as we could have. I think the junior-varsity team did well. There were a bunch of new freshmen that adapted really well.”

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER

In the last district game, the varsity girls soccer team defeated Marble Falls 4-1 at home, March 23.

“[It was] great, we kicked their butts,” sophomore Kelcey Kearns said. “They got a couple of goals they shouldn’t have, but overall we dominated them.”

The team finished 2-8 in district and 11-11-3 overall.

“It was a big improvement compared to last season,” sophomore Alyson Davis said. “We have different people.  We learned to work with each other more. We had lost by a lot last year and now we have improved.

JUNIOR VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER

The junior varsity girls soccer team scored seven goals in their final district game, March 23 against Marble Falls.

I thought it went really well,” junior Katlyn Thomas said. “It was really good for us to practice everything we learned and put it in action. It was really fun having our last game a victory.”

The team was 2-6 in district and 6-7-1 overall.

“It was pretty rough at first,” freshman Ashlie Cheverez-Rivera said. “We put in a lot of effort and were able to win a few games. We worked really well as if a family and really getting to each other.”

Junior Allison Agbasoga led the varsity girls, winning the district championship in the triple jump and taking second in the 100 meter dash.

“I think all of our time and hard work since August definitely paid off,” Agbasoga said. “We worked hard to make it through finals and we knew it wasn’t going to be handed to us.”

Senior Nicole Kastens also placed, taking fourth in the 1600 meter run and the 3200 meter run.

“I had an off day,” Kastens said. “But the team worked hard and did really well.”

Sophomore Michael Denmon led the varsity boys winning the 400 meter dash and finishing second in the 200 meter dash.

“I have the fastest time right now but the others are very close right now,” Denmon said. “I just have to work hard, stay disciplined and listen to coach.”

Both the girls 400 meter and 1600 meter relays took second place and advanced to regionals.

“I think we all did well, we just have to not let the competition get to our heads,” junior Marielle Plunk said. “I’m just excited to beat the girls that beat me at district.”

The boys 800 meter relay placed third and qualified for regionals.

“Districts were a blessing from God,” junior Chris Hendricks said. “Because we were in fifth and Demetrius [Hood] brought us back by getting us into third so we could go to regionals. It was an adrenaline rush.”

More than two weeks after district, the team competed at regional meet at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, April 27-28.

Five people advanced to  the state meet, including the girls 1600 relay team, comprised of Agbasoga, juniors Marissa Naab and Marielle Plunk and freshman Natalie Tedesco, which took second. Agbasoga also advanced in the triple jump, after taking second place.

In the boys races, Denmon won the 400 meter dash in 49.99 seconds and will also compete at the state meet.

“Regionals went very good. I think I will do well at state because I’ve practiced and I deserve it,” Denmon said. “I think I will make the coaches proud and I know that they know I can.”

The state meet is May 11-12 at The University of Texas.