Serenity Valdez
Junior Jacqueline McClain goes for the kill.
This year, our Hornets have continued cementing their legacy as a premier school in North Texas. Under the direction of our new athletic director Michael Sain, our teams have and will continue to prosper into a force to be reckoned with.
This year, football, volleyball, tennis, and, as of this writing, baseball and softball all made it to Bi-District, and volleyball even made history as the first Lady Hornet team to reach the Regional Semifinals since 1998.
Star outside hitter, junior Jacqueline McClain, was also named to the 5A Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State team.
On a state level, wrestling dominated the competition. Brothers Tyler and Chase Yancey, a freshman and junior, respectively, both placed second at UIL State, while senior Mariah Dillard and sophomore Noah Kovach both clinched the title. This is Mariah’s second year to win the title.
Other state appearances came from both the powerlifting teams, where standout lifter senior D’Lathian Young broke the state record for squat with a lift of 700 pounds, and other Azle lifters performed well.
Tennis also saw two players reach new heights with senior Addie Torgesen and junior Emily O’Neill becoming the first female District Champions from Azle Tennis.
Cross Country performed well this year, with both boys and girls placing second as a team at District and competing at a regional level.
In Track and Field, junior Paisley Jeter stood out by breaking her mom’s 23-year-old long jump record and being the only Hornet to make Regionals by placing third in the 100m at Area.
Several teams saw freshmen in their varsity ranks with Hudson Carroll in tennis, Fallon Inglet in softball, Garin Bissonnette in baseball, Angel Sifuentes in girls’ basketball, King Stephens in football and Abbie Yochum in volleyball.
All in all, our amazing sports programs here at AHS have continued to flourish, and we’ve had an amazing year in high school sports.
