Sports Update

Crowded+under+the+basket%2C+juniors+Elijah+Gonzalez+and+Regan+Weiss+and+seniors+Bobby+Gough+and+Logan+Morrissey+all+look+for+the+rebound+Jan.+22+in+the+gymnasium.+The+boys+basketball+team+beat+Sickles+High+School+64-51.+

Gracen Rivera

Crowded under the basket, juniors Elijah Gonzalez and Regan Weiss and seniors Bobby Gough and Logan Morrissey all look for the rebound Jan. 22 in the gymnasium. The boys basketball team beat Sickles High School 64-51.

Boys Soccer 

The boys soccer team wrapped up their season with a 14-3 record under coach Janessa Taddei. They scored 65 goals, only giving up 10. 

“Overall we played really well this season as a team and our coach did a really good job giving everyone equal playing time,” freshman Hayden Judge said. “It was just a really good experience for everyone.” 

The season ended when they lost in the district semifinals Jan. 30.  

“My favorite part of the season was honestly the games and how well we were able to perform in them because this year was probably the best year I’ve played with the team,” senior Jack Casey said. “We were able to endure a lot of adversity, and we were always pushing ourselves even when we were getting a lot of success. We had a really great season, and I think it was the best record we’ve had in all of Plant history, so we were able to keep that work rate up and maintaining intensity.” 

 

Girls Soccer 

The girls soccer team finished their season with a 12-3-1 record under coach Alex Venegas. 

“I think we grew a lot because in the beginning of the season we didn’t know how to play with each other,” sophomore Claire Rain said. “By the end we got really good. I felt like we should have gone farther, but we didn’t sadly.” 

They lost 1-0 in the districts tournament against Wiregrass Ranch High School Jan. 31, ending their advancement to States. 

“We went in very confident,” senior Mia Bush said. “All of us were very surprised and upset when we lost because that was a team we shouldn’t have lost to.” 

 

Boys Basketball 

Boys basketball advanced to the district semifinals tournament after earning a victory against Alonso High School with a score of 62-59.  

“The toughest part of the tournament for us is going to be bringing the same energy for all three nights this week,” senior Zach Brown said. “It’s going to be hard to be able to play at our best consistently for the whole game and not give up at any point.” 

The boys basketball season concluded during a home game Feb. 13 against Freedom High School. With the final score being 61-38 Freedom, the team will not advance to finals.  

 

Girls Basketball 

The girls basketball team is still advancing through the regionals tournament after becoming 8A District 8 champions.  

“I think we’ll do good because we have been putting in some more difficult games this season and so I think we are going to be ready for the harder teams that we are going to see in Regionals.” 

The team has suffered from two torn ACLs and the alteration of players being brought up from the junior varsity team. Despite this, the girls have a 23-4 record and an undefeated district record of 14-0. 

“The season has gone really well,” sophomore Kendall Cheesman said. “We’ve had some ups and downs with injuries and stuff, but no matter what we have played the same consistently. I feel like we have definitely grown as a team.” 

 

Special Olympics 

The Project Unify basketball team won a gold medal in their division Feb. 9 at the state Special Olympics. The soccer season has recently kicked off, too. 

“My favorite part is probably just being able to hang out with the athletes and just being a part of a program like that,” sophomore Emma Welch said. 

 

 Wrestling

The wrestling team has competed in nine matches this season and qualified for counties. 

“We’ve been doing pretty well,” senior Gabe Givens said. “At tournaments we’ve been placing top three and we’ve had a lot of guys place.”  

With four injuries this season, the Varsity team needed to call-up JV players in order to compete. 

“We have a lot of younger guys, freshman and sophomores, that are stepping up for the challenges if we don’t have a wrestler at a certain weight class,” senior Luccas Papa said. “Also, the seniors are killing it in our final season.”  

 

Hockey

The boy’s hockey team finished the season with a record of 13-9-2, under coach Dax Burkhart.  

“It was probably our strongest season my two seasons with the team,” sophomore Lewis Priestley said. “We made it the farthest in the playoffs.”  

They entered the playoffs and won the first two games but lost 2-3 in overtime of the semi-final game against Steinbrenner High School at Brandon Ice Sports Forum Feb. 8.  

“My favorite part of the season was playing the semi-final game,” Priestley said. “It was intense.”