Chasing History
With a trip to the playoffs, the varsity baseball team has added yet another impressive season to its long resume.
The season began with a 3-2 win against Cy-Fair and then a strong outing at the CFISD Tournament, where the team went 3-0-1. Senior Stu Myers, who rounded the bases on opening day, realized early the potential that this team had.
“Starting off the season beating ranked Cy-Fair gave us all the confidence we needed,” Myers said. “Starting the season with this fire we had really helped us know the talent we have.”
Performances like that don’t come from nowhere; every single player on the team contributes to the team’s success.
“The team really focuses on doing their personal job in every game, whether it’s cheering your teammates on, moving the runner over, or scoring a runner when needed,” Myers said. “When we have players that lock in on their specific job, the team is able to produce wins.”
However, they couldn’t keep it up forever. Over 11 days, the team competed in the Klein ISD Tournament and Strake Jesuit Tournament back-to-back, going 2-4-3. Top 30 recruit, junior JT Darden stayed composed through it all.
“We ran into some tough luck, but we just went back to work and really didn’t complain,” Darden said. “Baseball is a brutal game and we never let it affect us. We just moved on.”
With losses in the rearview mirror and foot on the gas, the team started to take over; to start off district play, the team won eight straight games. Junior Ross Sullivan, who threw 17 strikeouts across four appearances in the stretch, attributed it to the team’s hard work.
“No matter who we play, we have to play with full intensity,” Sullivan said. “We knew that from the start, we all just had to come together as a team and focus on the little things because they make a big impact.”
However, the team knew their ceiling. Despite the hot start to district play, junior Brandon Stoebner, who led the team’s offense in their playoff-clinching win, still knew the team had a lot of work to do.
“We still didn’t feel like we were playing our best baseball,” Stoebner said. “I think we were all just focused on getting better so when we got to the more important games later in the season, we could be ready and hopefully come out with some more wins.”
Their play eventually caught up to them. To end the season, they suffered losses to Cypress Ranch, Cypress Park, and Bridgeland, losing their chances at winning the district championship.
“The team was too comfortable in those bigger situations, which caused a lack of focus to close the game out,” Myers said. “We had moments that we could’ve scored more runs or closed games in easier ways and we just didn’t execute.”
To lose in such heartbreaking fashion could bury a team in doubt. For the Wildcats though, they just used it as more fuel to their fire.
“After those brutal losses, it really impacted us as a team,” Sullivan said. “But we knew we had so much left in the tank and we just had to keep working hard, come back the next day, and improve as a team.”
Their grit immediately showed. For their final response of the regular season, the team shutout Bridgeland in a 3-0 victory, ending the Bears’ chances at the district championship.
“It felt like nothing was going our way, but I think we knew that it would eventually turn around,” Stoebner said. “Winning that game made us feel better about our situation when we went into the playoffs.”
With that final win of the season, the team was ready for anything. They knew how good they could be, but now, it was just about showing up with the season on the line.
“We have to be ourselves and try not to do too much,” Darden said. “I feel we have a great chance to do something special, but everybody has to buy in to it and realize the severity of this moment.”
At press time, the team just kicked off its playoff run with a sweep against Magnolia West, getting a comeback win in the sixth inning of game 1 and then a dominant 10-0 victory, tying their largest margin of victory of the season. The team is pumped for the playoffs.
“Our goal for the playoffs is to take it one game at a time and not look too far into the future,” Stoebner said. “If we do that I think we expect to make a deep and exciting run.”
No matter how the season ends, what’s evident is that the team is all working together toward the same goal. Despite having some of the best players in the district, the Wildcats glow with selflessness.
“We’re just trying to see each other succeed,” Darden said. “If we are all behind each other and everyone does their job, we will be successful.”
Annual Tournament
On April 12th, Cypress Woods hosted its 16th annual Kickball Tournament, continuing a long-standing tradition of fun, teamwork, and community impact.
Over the years, this tournament has become a favorite, drawing a huge turnout from every corner of our school. From tight-knit friend groups and athletic teams all the way to the debate team, students once again came together for one of the most anticipated events of the year.
Among those teams was Degeneration X, a group inspired by none other than WWE’s iconic wrestling stable.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved WWE,” said senior Declan Moreno. “So I thought it’d be kind of cool to commemorate my love for that by making the team name Degeneration X.”
For Moreno, the connection between the dramatic flair of wrestling and the chaos of kickball was a perfect match.
This year marked Moreno’s final time playing in the tournament, a tradition he’s been a part of since sophomore year.
“It’s a blast. I recommend it for anybody, not just seniors,” he said. “It’s a good time.”
While he noted that the number of teams this season was slightly lower—around seven or eight compared to the usual 14 due to other sports in season-enthusiasm still ran high. For the 2024-2025 school year, all proceeds benefited Jackets for Life as well as various other non profits, The tournament raised approximately $4,000.
Despite not having a background in traditional “kicking” sports, Moreno credits his general athleticism for his performance.
“I actually did gymnastics,” he said. “But I’m very all-around athletic. So I was able to kick pretty strong.”
When asked about the challenge of learning the rules of a new sport, Moreno was quick to say it came naturally.
“I knew the rules,” he said, stating that being in a more competitive bracket actually helped keep things structured. Still, he mentioned that sometimes he had to remind teammates about certain rules to keep them in check.
At the end of the tournament, the Competitive Division winner was “The Bomb Squad.” Meanwhile, the Rec Division saw “The Babes” rise to the top.
District Champions
For the first time since the 2019-2020 season, the Wildcats won the district championship. Going 12-1-1, the team tied with Bridgeland atop the standings.
Going into the season, head coach Amy Trocquet knew that this team was special. However, with her players in mind, she let the girls set their own expectations for themselves.
“One of their first goals was to win district, so they have set out to do that,” Trocquet said. “We want to go as far as we can.”
To be on top though, the Wildcats had to go through some learning time too. They started out 0-5 and scored just three goals across the span. For Troquet though, it was all about perspective; and from her view, all she could see was one thing: the district championship.
“Whether you’re 0-5 or 5-0, you can’t walk into district and trade those wins for something else,” Trocquet said. “Nothing matters until you start district.”
Her philosophy was smart. With their first five games, the team scheduled themselves to face some of the best teams in the state so that they could prepare themselves for what was to come.
“We always schedule a bunch of hard teams to get us ready for the season,” Trocquet said. “What really matters is that we’re getting better in those games. … We kind of all knew that once we got it clicking, it was gonna go.”
Trocquet’s strategy was killer. After losing back-to-back nailbiters against Kingwood to finish their early gauntlet, the team started firing on all cylinders. With a nine-game winning streak, the team went on a 42-4 goal run.
“We’ve done a good job of taking it one game at a time,” Trocquet said. “And we just ask, ‘what can we do to get better this game?’ and then keep working on sharpening up those little things.”
Going 12-1-1 in district play, the Wildcats secured the district championship. Though it was easy to get complacent throughout the season, the girls still maintained the same mentality every single game.
“We come out each game and we say, ‘this is a district championship game,’” Trocquet said. “To win it all in this district, you have to be perfect … every game is the district championship.”
Though the success of the team can be attributed to the challenges that they fought through at the beginning of the season or the mental fortitude of the players, the beautiful play on the field was always a direct translation of what was happening off the field.
“The one thing that’s really contributed to our success is our chemistry,” Trocquet said. “So I told them they have to protect that and not let anybody in the way. Because that’s what sets you apart from other teams.”
