By Taylor Conley
Wrestling
The TPA Wrestling season is off to a great start. Led by co-captains and seniors Ben Moriarty, Nick Murray and Texas Perez, the small but mighty team has already managed notable successes. On Dec. 7, the team went 3-1-1 at their first conference multi-meet of the season at Antelope High School. Texas said, “The season is off to a good start; most of the team is winning matches and the new wrestlers on the team are starting to get the hang of everything.” Additionally, On Dec. 3, the team placed 11th out of 23 teams at the Firebird Classic Invitational at Eastmark High School.
Looking ahead to the coming weeks, Head Coach DeSilva said, “I’m most excited about everything from the seniors capping off great wrestling careers to the development of some very talented freshmen and sophomores.” Now, the team is pursuing a sixth state championship appearance and is ramping up the intensity at practices. “It’s a 15-week grind full of tough life lessons and takes a very special kind of kid to get through it,” said Coach DeSilva. The wrestling team is ready to put in the effort to improve and succeed at its competitions this winter.
Girls Soccer
The high school girls soccer team tied its first game 0-0 against Poston Butte High School on Dec. 1 and lost its non-conference game 0-8 to Scottsdale Prep on Dec. 7. Senior player Naomi Palmer said, “Starting off the season, we’re really just working on our team chemistry and working as a unit. The team is improving daily and it’s really great to see!” Just a few weeks into the season, the girls soccer team is ready to enhance its skills for future matches.
Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team is optimistic about the future. “We have a bunch of new players this year which is really good for us,” said junior Natalie Epperson. With several new team members this year, the team is focusing on team building and bettering each player’s skills. Junior Zoe Lenz said, “I’m excited to see everyone grow as a team this season.” The Lady Knights plan to improve and work hard for the rest of the season.
Boys Basketball
Although the boys basketball team started the season with some challenging games, on Dec. 8, the team won against Scottsdale Prep 55-49, despite two starters being absent. “We had a couple losses, but we’re getting better,” said sophomore Austin Sampson. Austin said he is excited about the prospect of making the playoffs this year. With new assistant coach Dre Thurman, the experienced coaching staff hopes to help the team grow. With its recent win, the team expects to keep up its dedication for the next couple of months.