Carmen Garrett-Armistead
During VYPE's Media Day at St. Pius X, Chief Content Editor Matt Malatesta caught up with Head of School Carmen Garrett-Armistead.
The hottest topics? Sports in high school, Social Media and today's student.
Alief Elsik's Bissinatt Abdelasis
In what feels like the blink of an eye, the final cross country meet of the year is already upon us.
Given the superfluous number of runners who stood out in their respective Regional races, it is a likely possibility that H-Town could take gold in the coming days.
On the boys' side, both Katy and Bridgeland feature several individuals -- such as Ryder Darcey (Katy) and Benjamin Montgomery (Bridgeland) -- who could potentially wind up on the winner's podium.
Humble ISD is representing as well, with Atascocita, Summer Creek, Kingwood, and Kingwood Park sending multiple competitors to State.
Additionally, Caroline Barrow (Katy Taylor), Jamie Klander (Mayde Creek), Bissinatt Abdelasis (Alief Elsik), Lily Fawcett (Bridgeland), Addison Scott (Houston Memorial), Brooke Marshall (Lake Creek), and Rowan Saacke (Bridgeland) are just a few names to headline the girls' entrants.
As teams around the state prepare to travel Old Settler's Park in Round Rock, TX, here are the Houston-area contestants we expect to shine in the ensuing UIL State Cross Country Meet this week.
...
Top Contenders out of Houston
*Numbering is based on how runners finished at Regionals (5K)
UIL-6A Region III (Boys)
1. Benjamin Pearce - Stratford (15:08.32)
2. Ryder Darcey - Katy (15:23.96)
3. Eli Mugambi - Atascocita (15:26.66)
4. Chris Creedon - Clear Creek (15:27.96)
5. Mathias Pitzel - Tompkins (15:29. 86)
6. Da'Juan Allison - Summer Creek (15:41.71)
7. Evan Couture - Katy (15:41.80)
8. Shepherd Steen - Fulshear (15:44.44)
9. Zachariah Morin -- Fort Bend Elkins (15:46.54)
10. Alex Hahn Vadstein - Cinco Ranch (15:49.79)
11. Emilio Garza - Kingwood (15:50.09)
12. Michael Klahn - Katy Taylor (15:51.30)
13. Joshua Perez - Katy (15:52.90)
14. Elijah Emerson - Paetow (15:53.40)
15. Zach Madsen - Clear Lake (15:59.11)
...
UIL-6A Region III (Girls)
1. Caroline Barrow - Katy Taylor (17:35.21)
2. Jamie Klander - Mayde Creek (17:42.00)
3. Addison Scott - Houston Memorial (18:04.63)
4. Eliana Contreras - Kingwood (18:12.07)
5. Sophie Peterson - Houston Memorial (18:35.71)
6. Victoria Guerrero - Katy (18:36.05)
7. Katherine Valentine - Clear Falls (18:39.23)
8. Bissinatt Abdelasis - Alief Elsik (18:44.69)
9. Lauren Acopa - Katy (18:44.85)
10. Clara Dye - Kingwood (18:48.55)
11. Claudia Klander - Mayde Creek (18:53.83)
12. Casey Scherpereel - Katy Taylor (18:57.04)
13. Sophia Hamdani - Bellaire (18:58.65)
14. Vienna Fish - Katy (19:09.89)
15. Jimena Cavazos - Deer Park (19:12.41)
...
UIL-6A Region II (Boys)
1. Benjamin Montgomery - Bridgeland (14:56.81)*
2. Griffen Saacke - Bridgeland (15:16.57)
3. Elton Martin - The Woodlands (15:19.74)
4. Camden Gibson - College Park (15:30.43)
8. Yannick Broos - College Park (15:45.47)
9. Kyle Pawlak - Bridgeland (15:45.73)
10. Tyler Weston - Bridgeland (15:46.03)
12. Tyler Hedgepeth - The Woodlands
13. Maddox McCallister - Bridgeland (15:47.26)
15. Dylan Yarbrough - Klein Collins (15:51.83)
...
UIL-6A Region II (Girls)
1. Lily Fawcett - Bridgeland (17:32.28)*
2. Rowan Saacke - Bridgeland (17:51.12)
3. Lydia Butler - Klein Oak (18:08.17)
4. Sophia Phillip - Magnolia (18:11.45)
5. Susana Rawls - Bridgeland (18:13.64)
7. Alexis Garza - Tomball Memorial (18:15.52)
8. Marian Mann - Klein (18:27.09)
9. Stoya Laydevant - The Woodlands (18:30.29)
10. Keara Zver - Grand Oaks (18:32.93)
11. Naomi Weller - The Woodlands (18:34.20)
12. Sophia Goerlich - Klein (18:42.04)
14. Haley Hill - Bridgeland (18:43.90)
15. Brynlee Weston - Bridgeland (18:44.81)
...
UIL-5A Region III (Boys)
1. Aiden Fitzgerald - Friendswood (15:19.73)
2. Matthew Binkley - Montgomery (15:39.60)
3. Amisadai Yanez - Texas City (15:40.96)
4. Jaxon Asbill - Dayton (15:48.82)
5. Elijah Merino - Kingwood Park (15:51.00)
7. Carson Brown - Kingwood Park (15:58.74)
11. Alex Hillier - Friendswood (16:14.99)
15. Aiden Lowery - Friendswood (16:27.62)
...
UIL-5A Region III (Girls)
5. Lauren Semeniuk - Montgomery (19:09.91)
6. Brooke Marshall - Lake Creek (19:15.25)
12. Charlie Tran - Friendswood (19:35.38)
Allen Eagles
Head Coach: Clark Cipoletta
District 6-6A
The Allen Eagles have been a mainstay in the playoffs for the past 20 years. A program of consistency.
Last year ended in the Regional Quarterfinals and with a record of 32-6.
Now, in 2024-25, under the guidance of fourth-year coach Clark Cipoletta (234-108 in 10 years as head coach), these Eagles that return four starters to the floor look to make a deep run.
Defensive MVP Nehemiah Lawrence and first-team, all-district picks DeAndre Thomas (11 ppg) and Trent Pane (15 ppg) will lead the charge for Allen. Thomas is verbally committed to the University of North Texas.
Another player to watch is second-team, all-district pick Antione Shannon, who averaged eight points per game. Other players to watch include Antonio Shannon, Isaiah Dozer and Nnamdi Ubawike, who are all garnering college interest.
Keys to success for Cipoletta’s team include playing fast, being disruptive on defense and playing together.
Nothing really changed atop this week’s Power Rankings as the Top 6 teams all cruised to largely dominant wins this past week.
The only changes occurred near the bottom. Liberty Hill moved up a notch, thanks largely to Georgetown’s impressive wins over Weiss and again over 6A Round Rock. Hard to get a bead on non-district play at this late stage so Round Rock remains firmly inside the Top 10 despite the loss, as does Weiss. A five-set road loss against another ranked team can’t hurt anyone too badly, after all.
Tuesday night’s matches close out the regular season, save for any seeding and tie-breaking matches later in the week. Also of note, #2 Austin High gets a rematch with top-ranked Dripping Springs in their regular season finales on Tuesday. Talk about tuning up for the playoffs!
Here’s a look at our Top 10 as of October 28th as we head into the final week of the regular season:
VYPE's Public School Volleyball Rankings
1. (1) Dripping Springs Tigers (6A) -- 43-2 (swept Akins, swept Del Valle)
2. (2) Austin High Maroons (6A) -- 39-5 (swept Del Valle, BYE)
3. (3) Buda Johnson Jaguars (6A) – 36-6 (swept East Central, N/A @ Judson)
4. (4) Wimberley Texans (4A) – 35-3 (swept Fredericksburg, swept Bandera)
5. (5) Vandegrift Vipers (6A) – 28-14 (BYE, swept Hutto)
6. (6) Cedar Park Timberwolves (5A) – 28-15 (swept @ Leander, swept Glenn)
7. (8) Liberty Hill Panthers (5A) – 37-7 (swept Hays, swept Lehman)
8. (10) Georgetown Eagles (5A) – 36-8 (W 3-2 vs. Weiss, W 3-1 vs. Round Rock)
9. (7) Round Rock Dragons (6A) – 31-14 (swept McNeil, L 3-1 @ Georgetown)
10. (9) Weiss Wolves (5A) – 36-10 (L 3-2 @ Georgetown, swept Pflugerville)
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