MORE AROUND THE AREA
SOCCER
The Elkhart Lady Elks followed up their 2023 state championship with a silver medal finish in the 2024 state meet , falling one point shy Early High School , 22-21 , just missing out on back-to-back state championships .
Two Lady Elks did earn outright state championships on the day , with Addi Boren and Tatum Wallace both improving their finishes from last year to claim gold in 2024 . Boren , 181 , posted a total weight of 975 lbs ., squatting 420 lbs ., benching 235 lbs . and deadlifting 320 lbs . Wallace won her class with a 385 lb . squat , 255 lb . bench and 350 lb . deadlift , giving her a total of 990 lbs .
Other state representatives for the Lady Elks included Ryleigh Glenn , Samantha Agan , Hannah Foster and Chyanna Cannon . On the boys side for the Elks , Austin Pittman was the lone
The Palestine Wildcats , LadyCats and Westwood Panthers both found success in the 2023-24 soccer season , with Palestine continuing their dominant ways , and Westwood finding traction and taking major steps on their journey to becoming a soccer power .
The Westwood Panthers and Lady Panthers continue to grow their young programs , which are both still relatively new for Westwood .
After two straight nine-win seasons , the Lady Panthers took a small step back this season , finishing 8-15-1 , but fielded a team of almost exclusively young and growing talent , and should come back with a strong 2024-25 campaign .
The Panthers , on the other hand , had their best season in school history , and collected the programs first ever double digit win season , going 10-12-3 . The Panthers fell just one spot shy of qualifying for the UIL soccer playoffs , falling in a play-in game to the Hudson Hornets , 3-2 . The Panthers will be losing some of representative to make the trip for the state meet , representing his program well with a top 20 finish .
Across the county , the Westwood Lady Panthers also sent a full group of lifters to the state championships . Westwood saw four of their own go on to compete led by returning state lifters Cora Osei-Adjei and Amani Tinnion .
Zaylean Gonzalez and Kaylie Stanhope rounded out the foursome , and the entire team competed well . The Lady Panthers would not bring home a state championship , either for the team or individually , but proved they belong with the strongest programs in the state .
Finally , the Grapeland Sandies saw a pair of their own make it to the state competition , with brother Jesse and Justin Ellington . The brothers finished in fourth and sixth place in their respective weight classes . Jesse , the fourth place finisher in the 308 class , is only a sophomore , and should be in contention for a state title in the next two years .
The Sandiette ’ s also sent one of their own to the meet , sophomore Isabella Lane . Lane finished in 11th place in the state meet .
The future is bright for area sports , as highlighted by the success of the powerlifting and track teams in the area . Strength and speed are two of the most important aspects in sports , and it seems there is plenty to go around in Anderson and Houston Counties .
their top talent to graduation this year , but under the guidance of up and coming head coach Matt Smith , the Panthers could be a serious contender for a playoff spot next season .
In a surprise to no one , both the Palestine Wildcats and LadyCats turned in stellar records this season , with both finishing second within District 16-4A / 3A . Soccer is not as common as other sports in Texas high schools , so classifications may be grouped together , such as Westwood , Diboll and Crockett being placed with Palestine , Jacksonville and Madison , all of whom compete in District 16 .
The LadyCats season came to an end in the Area Championship this season , falling to the Sulphur Springs LadyCats in Lindale , 5-2 . The LadyCats were one of the most feared teams in East Texas this year , as per usual , and posted an incredible 20-7-3 record , and had a goal differential of plus-126 .
The Wildcats made it a few rounds deeper this year , with their season coming to an end in the Regional Semifinals , falling to the Frisco Creek Panthers , 2-1 , in a game that went to double overtime . This year ’ s Palestine soccer team was a resilient one , with no match showing more than the 2-1 defeat of the states top ranked 4A soccer team , the Wildcats longtime rival Jacksonville Indians . After falling 4-0 to the Indians in the first matchup of the season , the Wildcats bowed to the kings of 4A soccer , handing the Indians their first loss in over two months , and first loss to a 4A team all season .
Both the LadyCats and Wildcats will be graduating key members of this year ’ s teams , but with the tradition of excellence , and the return of Coach Absalom for the Wildcats , and Coach Hernandez for the LadyCats , Palestine fans can expect another deep run next season .
POWERLIFTING
SPRING EDITION 2024 19