Archer City senior Mallory Maxwell was born into an athletic family. With parents that both played highend collegiate athletics, Mallory was quickly destined for athletic greatness.

“We’re very competitive, whether it’s playing games at home or something else,” Maxwell said. “I’m very thankful for my mom and dad. Not only did they give me athletic genes, they taught me how to work hard and how to be determined, how to be a leader on the team. I love coming from a family with my mom and dad both being really good athletes and good people.”

Archer City quarterback Ty Bates is among the best returning Class 2A quarterbacks in the state this season after accounting for 36 touchdowns and 2,824 yards of total offense last season.

This season, Bates is putting in the work it takes to be great and hopefully achieve his goal of a state championship.

Last year, Holliday volleyball coach Wendy Parker said she thought they would surprise people.

There’s no sneaking up on anyone this year as the Lady Eagles garnered a preseason No. 3 state ranking after advancing to the regional finals before bowing out against eventual state champion Bushland.

Despite losing all-state performer Bree Zellers and Brittany James to graduation, Parker believes this year the team is set up to be better.

Holliday has long been known to churn out quality running backs. From Collin Leggett in the early 2000s to Brayden Little in the late 2000s to Tyler Cole in the early 2010s to Justin Jones in the late 2010s, the Eagles have long had strong options to give the ball to in the running game.

Holliday senior linebacker and center Cason Foster lives and breathes football. When he’s not in school or at practice, he’s studying up on the playbook or going over film for that week’s opponent.

Foster knows what it’s like being a little kid looking up to the varsity players on Friday nights. He wants to leave a positive impact on them to continue the tradition and success of the Eagles.

When asked one word to describe Holliday’s Skylar Rivers, head coach Wendy Parker had no hesitation.

“She’s versatile. She can play anywhere on the floor. She sees the floor really well and she’s a threat from anywhere on the court.”

Last season, Rivers was forced into the libero role out of necessity. She excelled at the position, helping Holliday to the regional finals with 392 digs and 32 aces to earn first team all-district honors. This year, she’s making a move back to the front row and has surpassed expectations thus far.

The last time the Windthorst Trojans took the field they were hoisting a state championship trophy above their heads at AT&T Stadium last December.

Several of those key pieces are gone from that title run but Windthorst Head Coach Chris Tackett remains optimistic about what the Trojans have coming back.

Windthorst senior Haven Vieth is a model for perseverance.

The running back/linebacker suffered an elbow injury during Windthorst’s 21-20 win over Archer City on Sept. 11 last season. Four weeks later, he was back in the defensive rotation where he made significant contributions during the Trojans’ state title run.