Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

The QuillPleasanton High School, Eagle Drive, Pleasanton Tx. 78064

Issue 5, Volume 1 * April 12, 2013

The JROTC program has now entered the world of marksmanship. For the past few weeks Ser-geant Major Harry Greene and Sergeant Arturo Arce have been training cadets on the proper usage and skills needed to be successful marksmen. Duringthethree-weekcourse,cadetsaretaughthowtoproperlyusearifle,learntocareforweap-ons, learn multiple shooting positions and most importantly, aim. “For the most part, it’s all about self discipline,” Greene said. To put all the cadets’ acquired knowledge to use,Greene requested a rifle range on campus.Thanks to the administration and Jody Poth and his shop classes, they were able to make it happen. Constructing and obtaining this range was not an easy task. Before things could be put in full swing, therangehadtofirstbeinspectedbyCivilianMarksmanshipProgram(CMP).Inaddition,Sergeant Major Greene and Sergeant Arce themselves had to engage in several training sessions to becomecertifiedinstructors. Beforethecadetscanenjoythenewriflerange,theymustfirstpassanaccuracyandsafetyexamwithaperfectscore.Thetestconsistsof25questionsonsafetyand50questionsonthepartsofarifle. “TherifleryprogramisarequiredcomponentoftheROTCcurriculum,”DirectorofPostGradu-ate Studies Allison Rentfro said. “PISD has carefully considered the offering of this program and the construction of the range.” Thus far, the range has been well-received. “Atthistime,wehave280studentsenrolledintheprogram,”Rentfrosaid.“Weareextremelyproud of the education and leadership skills ROTC provides our students.”

Voting for the bond to build a new high school and upgrade all existingcampuseswillbeginnextmonth. If the bond is passed, the new high school will have a 1,200 to 1,600 student enrollment space for grades 9 through 12 and cost about $57.5 million to complete. The current PIC, Junior High, and High School campuses will be remodeled and changed to grades 2 through 8. This would cost around $21 million. The Pri-mary campus would then hold grades Pre-K through 1 and cost about $3.5 million to remodel. The current Elementary cannot beexpandedduetoitslocationinafloodplain. The plans of the bond and

The music sextet Cameratafrom the San Antonio Symphony performed at twice the Perform-ing Arts Center on April 3. The musicians were brought to Pleasanton by Wayne Beyer of Pleaanton. One of the school district’s initiatives is to provide enriching experiencesandnurturelifelonginterests infinearts,DirectorofPost Graduate Studies Allison Rentfro said. “We believe that fine artsare a critical component of the graduateprofileanddeveloptheintellectual capacities required for students to be successful in today’s education,” Rentfro said. Rentfro also wanted to thank

Beyer: “This educational op-portunity is sincerely appreciat-ed and adds a wonderful quality ofexcellencetoourmusicpro-gram. We have had great, posi-tive feedback from our students and staff.” Camerata consists of two violins, two violas, and two cel-los. Pleasanton’s music program consists of brass, woodwinds, and percussion, but no strings. However, these players perked the interests of all music lovers. The lead cello player from thesextettookthetimetoteachthe students some basic things about music.

JROTC teaches marksmanshipwith new rifle range curriculum

by Jenna Yow

Sergeant Major Harry Greene supervises JROTC cadets as they train in their newly constructed rifle range.

what will take place if passed is located on the PISD website. The current high school is over 50 years old and many feel is in need of an upgrade. Maintenance Director Tim Carpenter said that the bond is a great thing. “We have built many other facilities but haven’t really done much at the campuses where it’s needed,” Carpenter said. Principal Dr. Matthew Mann said that the bond would be a great change for the district and Pleasanton overall. Early voting begins April 29 and will continue until May 7. Regular voting begins May 11. Both voting times will take place at Pleasanton’s Central Office.

Voting for bondto begin Apr. 29

Camerata brings culturewith performance, lessons

by Shelbie Carpenter

by Matt Reyes

Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

The Quill’s goal and purpose is to provide a forum for student opinion and expression. Views and opinions are not necessar-ily those of the school district or its administration. Letters to the editor are welcomed and appreciated. However, the edito-rial staff will determined if they will be printed. All entries are subject to editing. We of the staff want to acknowledge our appreciation to the administration for their trust. We would also like to invite all students and faculty to participate in our major goal.

Policy Staff

Photographer

Feature Editor

Emily Collins, Gabriella Gonzales, Jenna Yow

Reporters

Jordan Tello

Gabriella Martinez

Journalism I Classes

Editors

It is the policy of the Pleasanton Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis of sex, handicap, race, color, age, or national origin and to take steps to assure that the lack of English language skills will not be a barrier in its educational and career and technology programs, services, activities or employment as required by Title IX, Section 504 and Title VI. Es la poliza del districto independiente de la escuela de Pleasanton de no discriminar sobre la base del sexo, alguna inhabilidad o deshabili-tacion, raza, color, edad, u origen nacional y para tomar medidas para asequrar la nececidad de que el lenguaje de ingles no seá una barrera en sus programas educativos de carrera y de tecnologia, los servicios, las actividades o el empleo según los requisitos del titulo IX, la sección 504 y el titulo VI.

Our Opinions Page 2

As of late, both faculty and students have been searching for healthier alternatives when it comes to snacks. Fortunately, there are a variety of options to choose from, many of which are both convenient and appealing. The H.U.M.A.N. vending machine is a prime example of a speedy, healthy snack choice and should be added to the school. H.U.M.A.N. pairs new

technology with versatil-ity to make a customer-friendly vending machine. The machine is equipped with a credit and debit card reader for customers who prefer not to use cash. H.U.M.A.N. also includes a self-diagnosing internal PC and increased capacity compared to average vend-ing machines. In addition, the products offered in H.U.M.A.N. are both likeable and healthy.

After Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick’s bill successfully passed in 1995, it created a new type of public school known as a charter school. Since then, Texas has found-ed over 500 charter cam-puses with almost 154,000 students enrolled and looking to continue further. Charter schools were es-

tablished to improve student learning, increase the choice of learning opportunities within the public school system, create professional opportunities that will attract new teachers to the public school system, establish a new form of accountabil-ity for public schools, and encourage different and in-novative learning methods. When compared to typi-

cal public schools, charter schools receive thousands of dollars less in funding from the state. On average, charter schools receive $1,500 less per student than independent school districts. Because of this, charter schools are given the privi-lege to run their campuses differently, focusing on the needs of students more di-

rectly. Charter students have the advantage of engaging in curriculum that specializes in certain fields such as art, mathematics, and science.

But Texas has reached a dilemma, putting a tempo-rary halt to further develop-ment. In the original bill, our state is limited to 215 charter school districts. Currently, we stand just two charters under the bill’s cap at 213.

To meet the demands, Dan Patrick has revised his initial draft to eliminate the cap. In addition, it will make it easier to close poor performing charter schools while making them tougher to obtain and easier to shut down.

The revised bill will allow a certain amount of additional charters each year but will permit more as years progress. “It’s still the most ambi-

tious effort to strengthen the charter school law in Texas since charter school law was passed in 1995,” David Dunn, executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association said in an article in the San Antonio Express News.

The panel voted 7-0, sending Senate Bill 2 for-ward.

“If I were to sum up what we really are trying to do,” Patrick said, “is to close down bad charters and create high quality charters. At the end of the day, if we accomplish that, the cap won’t matter. Nothing else will matter because we will have served our students.”

The machine is stocked with an impressive line of nutritional products that are void of many artificial sweeteners and preservatives. Customers have a variety of different foods to choose from, including granola bars, juices, lemonade, tea, baked chips, cookies, popcorn and many other tasty options. It is apparent that food offered in H.U.M.A.N. com-plies with school nutritional standards, as there is one

installed in La Vernia High School. Moreover, the installa-tion of H.U.M.A.N. would provide students with an opportunity for a snack even if they are short on time. A stop at a vending machine takes less than a minute, and provides students with a nutritional pick-me-up to get them through the day. As an added bonus, the price range of the products offered in these machines is well within

the means of the majority of students. Clearly, installing a vending machine similar to the H.U.M.A.N. would be a fantastic addition to the high school’s growing food service department. Both students and faculty would benefit from the machine, and it would be an effective way to educate the commu-nity of the benefits of eating healthy, even during snack-time.

New healthy vending machines could broaden snack optionsby Emily Collins

Charter schools offer communities more choicesby Jenna Yow

The SpillComing in Next Issue!

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Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

Our Opinions Page 3

The UIL Academics team competed at their District meet at La Vernia High School where they took second place in Sweepstakes behind LaVernia. Leading the way for Pleasanton was the Journalism team which amassed over 130 points and took home the first place team. They won two first places, four second places, four third places, and two fourths. Fourteen students will advance to Region. The top three places in each event advanced to Region. Region is on April 20 in Corpus Christi. In Calculator Applications, Michael Brinkman placed 5th, and the team received 3rd place over-all. In Number Sense, Lillian Unger placed 3rd, and the team won 3rd place. Eric Amador placed 4th in Mathematics, and the team won 2nd place overall. The Science team performed admirably, receiving 2nd place overall. Individual members Eric Amador and Michael Brinkman received 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Brinkman received 1st place in the Biology and Physics categories, while Amador placed 2nd in Chemistry and Physics. In Computer Applications, Emily Collins placed 2nd and Daniel Hernandez placed 4th.The Journalism team swept several categories during the competition. Gabi Gonzales, Emily Collins, and Sarah Elmer received 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively in Editorial Writing. In Feature Writ-ing, Erica O’Riley received 2nd place, Gabi Gonzales won 3rd place, and Shelbie Carpenter took the 4th place spot. In the Headline Writing category, Emily Collins took 2nd place, Sarah Elmer won 3rd, and Erica O’Riley received 4th. The News Writing category was another sweep for the team, as Sarah Elmer, Emily Collins, and Luke Stewart took the top three spots. Jessica Herschap and Sara Morales claimed the 5th and 6th places in Ready Writing. In Informative Speaking, Jordan Tello won 4th place. Cassie Ortiz won 3rd place in Persuasive Speaking while Rene Perez placed 4th. Sarah Lotas placed 7th in Poetry. In the Prose category, Matt Reyes won 6th place, and Savanna Stewart took the 7th place spot. Sarah Lotas and Emily Collins received 2nd and 3rd places in Spelling. In the Current Issues category, Cassie Ortiz and Dustin Oliva received 7th and 8th place. The One Act Play troupe also competed at District with their play Twelve Angry Jurors. They advanced to Area and are competing tomorrow at Madison High School.

The Driver’s Ed class has entered the driving phase of the course. The 105 students who are enrolled are learning to put their skills to use on actual roads. Taking Driver’s Ed throughout the school year has many advantages. Due to the ever-changing rules and guidelines of driving, a student taught by a parent is likely to miss out on new and updated information. However, the class offered at PHS is completely up-to-date. The students also don’t have to worry about the added pres-sure of driving with parents and the constant input parents tend to give. Rzeznik also teaches a formalized program and works defensive driving into the class. Sign-up for Drivers Ed is going to be during the last week of May. After that, the classroom phase will begin so the students will be able to obtain a learners permit over the summer and start driving when school resumes. Teacher Debra Rzeznik notes the benefits of taking a Driv-er’s Ed course from the school district. “The course is made up of structured curriculum with focus on driver safety as well as defensive driving,” Rzeznik said. Pursch Motors helps sponsors PHS Drivers Ed and donates the school car.

Prom is approaching quickly. Girls, start picking out your el-egant dresses and guys, figure out what kind of masks you and your date will be wearing, because this year’s prom theme is a Masquer-ade a Paris. It will be held at the Marriott Plaza Hotel on Saturday, May 4 at 8. Cheaper tickets? Yes. Tick-ets will be sold at $40 each this year. Seniors should go by Patti Edward’s room, 512, to pick up prom tickets. Juniors need to go by Noel Garcia’s room, 609, to pick up their prom tickets. Pur-chase prom tickets April 8-April 24. Attention ladies, dress code will be the same as last year. Make sure you’re covered up, no long slits, or big cut outs. Try to stay within the length of school dress code for dresses, skirts and

shorts. Strapless tops and dress-es are allowed but make sure they are not too revealing. Of course, most attending prom usually eat out before the night starts, but just in case you get hungry or dehydrated, prom committee will be serving drinks, desserts, and cheese and fruit hors d’oeuvres. Those who are wishing to take someone younger or older than a junior or senior to prom, be sure to go to your assistant principal and turn in your ap-proval card. Don’t forget to bring money for prom pictures. The price range will be from $10 to $50. Prom is a wonderful memory to capture. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to go by Ed-wards’ room.

UIL teams dominate District,many advance to Region

by Sarah Lotas

The Journalism team swept several categories during the District meet at La Vernia High School.

Students navigatethrough Driver’s Ed

by Octavia Ramos

May the fourth not only Star Wars Day

by Cheyenne Bandy

Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

Our News Page 4

FFA Pleasanton FFA chap-ter teams compete and place at the recent Career Develop-ment Event Contest. The Wintergarden District hosted the annual South Texas Invitational contest held at the Cowboy Fellowship Church Arena last Friday. Schools from different FFA districts all over South Texas came to compete and prepare their stu-dent for upcoming Area con-tests. The Pleasanton chapter members placed well in the overall contest and in their district. Farm Business Manage-ment- Team 2nd overall; 1st in DistrictMikaela Myrin- 2nd high point

individual; 1st in DistrictEllen Gouws- 3rd high point indi-vidual; 2nd in District Kaylin Culpepper- 10th high point individual; 5th in DistrictFloriculture- Team 4th overall; 2nd in DistrictKianne Rowinsky- 3rd high point individual; 1st in DistrictMadison Shed- 5th high point in-dividual; 2nd in District Abby Dumas (as alternate)- 5th in DistrictLivestock- Team 3rd overall; 1st in DistrictTaylor Shearrer- 4th high point individual; 1st in districtJustin Smith- 8th high point indi-vidual; 2nd in districtMilk Quality- Team 8th overallBrooke Rutherford- 3rd high

Students who are interested in law enforcement are given an op-portunity to learn about the career options of this field in the PISD Law Enforcement Explorer program. The Law Enforcement Explorer program is part of the Boy Scouts of America and has recently come to Pleasanton in the last year. The program helps students build character, develop leader-ship skills, gain appreciation for the community and learn about the duties of police officers. Both male and female students are encouraged to join the Ex-plorers. Students who are between the ages of 14 and 20 and that have completed the eighth grade can qualify. Students under the age of 17 will be required to have permission from a legal guardian. All students must pass through a background check, and cannot have any serious police records. Students in the program will have the chance to receive train-ing in many areas of law enforcement. These areas include conflict resolution, traffic stops, physical training, self-defense and radio procedures. Participating in community service and fundraising ac-tivities is also part of being an Explorer. “The program is fun, but is also taken very seriously,” Chief of School Police Charles Salsedo said. “Students will be presented with real life scenarios and will need to know how to handle a situ-ation in the real world of law enforcement.” Students sign up in the beginning of the school year and meet up monthly. Flyers of the Explorers are usually posted on the hallway walls. “A program like this has been long overdue in Pleasanton,” Salsedo said.

point individual; 1st in DistrictNursery Landscape- Team 1st overall; 1st in DistrictMackenzi Thompson- 5th high point individual; 1st in DistrictCameron Robles- 6th high point individual; 2nd in DistrictSydney Delgado- 8th high point individual; 3rd in District “I’m very proud of our performance at this contest,” Pleasanton Chapter advisor Amanda Hargrove said. “Our members have put in a lot of hard work and dedication these past few weeks and it showed in the results and we’re looking forward to Area contest.” FFA members are prepar-ing for upcoming Area contest on April 11 in Kingsville.

Art on Main Gallery hosted their first Artacopia competition and reception on March 22. The event featured the artworks of many talented PHS students. The idea for this event came about earlier in the year when the owner of Art on Main, Ann Solis, sug-gested that she display student work at her gallery. At the time, there weren’t many artworks complete because it was still early in the school year. However, as soon as this year’s VASE competition was concluded, Solis met with art teacher Sharon Kotzur to work on entering all the artworks that competed at VASE in what she called Artacopia. Artacopia gave students a chance to display their artworks to the public and put their pieces up for auction. The students really enjoyed getting the chance to feel like real artists. “It’s nice that Ann Solis has brought art to this community,” Junior Cheyenne Bandy said, “I was very excited to put my artwork up for sale.” Those who participated in the event received gift bags with art supplies, as well as refreshments and snacks. Also, the winners of the competition received rewards such as plaques, medals and cash prizes. Abby Kinsel took first place for her mixed media called “Egghead”. She received a plaque and a $50.00 reward. In second place was Rachel Van Deusan who also received a plaque for her stippling piece. Gabriella Gonzales won third place with her abstract watercolor piece entitled “False Prophecy”. Receiving fourth place was Emily Chapa with her Batik called “Opening the Door on Happiness”. Fifth place went to T.J. Aquero for his oil pastel piece. The judges also gave additional awards. Ashley Webb won Best Fabric Design and she received a gift certificate for Spoonflower.com. This website will enable her to have her design printed. Gerald Garcia won an award called Art on Main Best and was awarded $50.00. Best Photography went to Tay-leigh Wilkerson and she received $25.00 to Nest Feathers. The winning artworks and an additional piece done by Kinsel will be displayed at City Hall for the next two weeks. Art on Main plans to hold this event again next year. The art department looks forward to returning with even more remarkable pieces.

Students share artistic talents in Artacopia at Art on Main

Abby Kinsel’s winning piece entitled “Egghead”.

by Gabi Gonzales

FFA fares well at Invitational,members prepare for Area

by Kianne Rowinsky

Future law officers ‘Explore’ career field

by Victoria O’Connor

Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

Our News Page 5

The Eagle Band will again be marching in the Fiesta Flambeau, America’s largest illuminated night parade. Flambeau will be celebrating its 65th anniversary on April 27 with a theme that cel-ebrates San Antonio. Reynolds Andericks, creator of the Flambeau, was elected to the board of the Fiesta San Jacinto Association in 1948. Few mem-bers were interested in the idea of fiesta as they didn’t deem it neces-sary to have another parade. From this, Andericks decided to have the parade at night. He believed with help he could create an event as unique as San Antonio. William Petmecky, of Freder-icksburg had for years spent his working days as the tax assessor and then postmaster for Gillespie County. Over the course of half a century he spent his free time

participating in county fairs. He was widely recognized as a “Fes-tival Impresario”. By the time that Andericks was planning Fiesta Flambeau, Petmecky had become nationally known as a creator of folk festivals. He was delighted to be asked to help create Fiesta’s first illuminated night parade. Long after their deaths, the responsibility for the parade was tossed around until 1988, when a volunteer group now known as the Fiesta Flambeau Parade Asso-ciation, took over the event. They continue to carry on the tradition to this year’s 65th anniversary. Bands from the surrounding area and sometimes even out of state come to participate in this 2.6 mile parade in downtown San Antonio. Considering that the band hasn’t marched since November,

The 2013-2014 school year is already looking up. A variety of new classes have been added to the curriculum for next year. These classes include Music History, Photography, AP Chemistry, Video/Audio Production, Woodshop, Construction Technology, Technical Theatre, College Algebra, Statistics and many more. Administration has been working on getting all these classes for several years. They’ve wanted to add classes that students are in-terested in and that will prepare them for the career paths their plan-ning on pursuing. This year they have finally gotten teachers with the right certifications needed for these classes. Counselor Yvonne Norman is looking forward to having stu-dents participate in the new classes. “Students have been asking for these classes for a long time,” Norman said. “They were curious about these types of classes after they had seen them offered at other schools. They’re really excited to get the chance to take them next year.” Not only are students looking forward to attending the new classes, but also teachers are looking forward to teaching them. “I am very excited to teach next year’s Photography class,” art teacher Heather Arnold said. “It will allow our students another cre-ative outlet to explore while at Pleasanton High School.” Many students have shown particular interest in the more prepa-ratory classes such as College Algebra, Statistics, Engineering and Problem Solving, Oil and Gas Production and Newspaper. “Having a Newspaper class with Journalism I veterans will im-prove the quality of the newspaper,” English/Journalism teacher Bob Rentfro said. “Also, it will allow us to publish more issues.” Future PHS students will have many opportunities to explore different interests with all the new electives and career oriented classes. It’s too bad these class choices weren’t available just a few years earlier.

PHS is taking another step forward into technology. By next year, all math teachers will have a new Calcu-lator Navigation Systems. What’s so special about new calculators? First off, they are not calculators. These are attachments that connect to the back of the current calculators. These attachments will broaden the abilities of math teachers through technology. By using the Cal-culator Navigation Systems, the user will even be able to project what is being performed on the calculator through wifi using a teacher’s projector. The school is also going to be getting new front plates for our calculators. Both of these exciting im-provements will be here and ready to use by fall of next school year.

preparing the students is the hardest part in getting ready for the event. “A lot of marching is neces-sary to getting back in shape, and for the larger instruments getting used to the weight,” Head Director Ralph Unger said. “The muscle structure is gone and they have to rebuild it again, so for the first time marching again it’s kind of painful.” Many people from all over Texas come to watch each year, streets are filled and there are even people crowding rooftops.“It’s a fun parade. Of all the parades that I go to that’s the most enjoyable,” Unger said. “You get to really look around and see how the people are and what’s out there.”

NHS students enjoying helping out at Relay For Life last Sunday at Jourdanton Stadium.

Math departmentgets new hardware

by Matt Reyes

Broader curriculumoffers new opportunities

by Gabi Gonzales

Eagle Band preps for Flambeau Parade

by Kayleigh Moreno

Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

Page 6Our Sports

Tennis is ending great this year as the varsity boys took District for the second year in arow. Junior Trevor Calvert took first place singles. The doubles team of juniors Layton Pool and Zavier Rodrigues also placed first. They beat out the team of senior Alex Post and junior Kaleb Barrs, who took second and also advanced to Region. The mixed doubles team of senior Colton Stobbs and junior Maddie Shed also placed second and advanced

Starting at two and half years old, junior golfer James Sando-val has had a very successful golf career. Sandoval has won over 75 percent of the tournaments he has played in high school. Sandoval has a dream of becoming the first professional golfer. Tiger Woods is his idol. “He makes me want to work harder and work out harder, do whatever it takes to get my game to the next level,” Sandoval said. The best score he has ever gotten was a 64 on his home course in Pleasanton. “The team is doing well. They’re getting better as the year pro-gresses,” Sandoval said of the Varsity Golf team. Pleasanton took first place in District and advanced to Region. “Our team last year was a great team and this year is the same; we have a lot of potential,” Sandoval said. “Uvalde is a tournament we always look forward to every year, but I have to give it to dis-trict this year because we went into a four-man playoff and it was very unique and fun.” Region is in Corpus next week and they are taking the top 3 to state this year, instead of two. Last year Sandoval got third.

to Region. Region will take place April 17 and 18 in Corpus Christi. The tennis team appears to be pointed in the right direction. Three more players placed in Dis-trict this year than last year. “I am proud of every one of our tennis players,” Coach Greg Schwab said. “They practiced hard and played with intensity all year. They have been well re-warded for their efforts.” “I feel great about advanc-ing,” Stobbs said. “A lot of hard work and dedication got us here. I think we will do just fine if we

keep our heads up and play like we do at practice.” Shed is proud of the way the team has grown throughout the season. “Tennis was really fun,” Shed said. “Colton and I worked really hard and grew strong as a team.” Overall, the tennis team has had a successful season so far and hopes to keep up the good work as the year progresses. “I feel great,” senior Alex Post said. “I’m glad to be con-tinuing the season and moving on to Region.”

Lady softball fought their way into a a tie for first place in Dis-trict when the beat the LaVernia Bears 1-0 last Friday. The game started off with senior Emma Garcia giving yet an-other show of her incredible talent and wit in her pitches. Though Garcia was pitching brilliantly, the Bears managed a rally in the second inning. With runners on first and second, a hard shot was hit to senior Gabberz Hernandez who was playing short. She quickly threw to sophomore Torey Dumont at third who rifled a relay to sec-ond baseman Keri Harris for the double play. That play took away all momentum from the Bears. In the third inning, with Harris on first base, it was yet again Garcia’s turn to bat. Garcia laid a hit into far right field, letting Har-ris run home for the only score of the game.In the fifth inning, the Eagles almost scored another run. got two outs easily, preparing for the next hit that was shot out into the out-field. “Tonight’s game [LaVernia] was a very big one for us. It puts us back in tied place with LaVernia for the District championship,” Head Coach Rhonda Savage said after the game. “The girls did a great job and they got the back-to-back hit when needed to get the runs across the plate.” Pleasanton played Poteet on Tuesday, but scores were not avail-able at press time. They play Sam Houston here tonight at 7.

Softball tied for District lead

Tennis boys prepare for Regionalsby Dena Jennings

Eagles-1, La Vernia-0Team revenges early loss

by Alyssa Salazar

Sandoval leads golf to Region;Girls and Boys teams advance

by Katy Wells

Claire Hubert slides safely into home, but umpire calls it out.

Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

Page 7Our Sports

All great things must come to an end, but members of both the girls and boys soccer teams will never forget the memories they made this season. The Lady Eagles’ season came to an end, as they were defeated 3-2 by Corpus Christi Ray on March 28 during Area playoffs. The Lady Eagles were down 2-0 after a few early goals from CC and nearing the end of the first half, but they kept fighting. With five minutes left in the first half, sophomore Seleste Griego headed a ball over the keeper’s head to make the score 2-1. “We came out really flat and were getting beaten to balls very early on,” Head Coach Brant Bird said. “The second half we started playing much better and started gaining more momentum.” The Lady Eagles kept persevering through the second half and managed to find the back of the net with six minutes left in the game to tie the score. “When we tied it up right at the end of the game, I was confident that we were going to end up winning the game in overtime,” Bird said. “But as soon as they scored that last goal at the very end, all the wind was taken out of our sails.” Even with the sting of disappointment, Bird commended his team on their overall season performance. “I think we surprised a lot of people, including ourselves, winning the district title,” Bird said. “We learned a lot, being so young, and gained a lot of experience. The girls took to the new formation quite quickly, and we can only learn from this experience. Next year should have a lot of bright spots.” His players heartily agree. “Our whole season really overcame all of our expectations,” Captain and junior Hadley Schwierking said. “By gaining eight new players, everyone expected this to be a rebuilding year for us, but then we won the district title.” The Lady Eagles finished with an overall season record of 12-8-2. They will keep the same district next year. They are the favorites to be District Champions again, be-

cause rivals Harlandale and Beeville each graduate twelve seniors whilst Pleasanton only graduates two. In addition, the boys’ soccer team saw their season come to an end, as they were defeated 8-0 on March 28 by Rockport Fulton in the area round of the playoffs. The Eagles began the game with the wind to their backs and pressed the Rock-port Pirates defensively. They earned a few corner kicks in the first half, but just couldn’t seem to capitalize on their opportunities. Halfway through the first half, Rockport Fulton gained control of the ball and connected a series of passes to one of their forwards. The striker then juked past the Eagles’ defense and netted the ball past the Eagles’ keeper. With less than two minutes in the first half, the Pirates yet again worked their magic as a Rockport player took a long-distance shot to make the score 2-0. The Pirates maintained their momentum against the struggling Eagles in the sec-ond half and scored two goals within the first five minutes. As the Eagles battled to maintain possession, the Pirates scored four more goals in the half to secure their 8-0 win. Even with the rough loss, Head Coach Alex Hernandez commends his team on their improvements this season. “They started believing in themselves and playing like a team,” Hernandez said. The boys finished 10-13-2 overall and fourth place in district. They are expected to keep the same district next year. In order to be successful next year, Hernandez believes that the boys will need to improve on their technical work. “We will need to improve on ball control and passing as well as improving touch-ing the ball with the non-dominant foot in order to be successful,” Hernandez said. Both teams have had remarkable seasons this year and we look forward to seeing what next year holds for them.

Soccer season ends; both teams lose after first round of playoffsby Sarah Elmer

Girls soccer team rejoices in their District title win. Team lost to Corpus Christi Ray 3-2 in their first play off game.

Pleasanton High School April 12, 2013

Page 8Our News

WiththefirstroundofDistrictasuccessfulhistory,thebaseballteamistryingtomaintainthemomentumforaDistrictchampion-shipandadesiretokeepitsNo.3ratingintheState. Thebaseball teamfinished thefirst roundofDistrict infirstplaceandundefeated.However,theboysstillhavealongwaytogobeforethisDistrictrunisover. Pleasanton played Poteet last Tuesday, but results were notavailableatpresstime.TheplaySamHoustontonightat7attheComplex. “Iamnotworriedaboutplayoffsyet,becausewestillhavelotsofworktodoinourDistrict,”VarsitybaseballcoachChrisIngramsaid.“Wearepreparingforonethingatatime.Wearegoingtodowhatwedo.”Ingram,howeverisconfidentoftheEagles’chances. “WhenwedogettotheplayoffswewillpreparejustlikewehavesinceJanuary25ofthisyear,”Ingramsaid.“Ourplayoffre-gionisoneofthetoughest.Thereisnoeasyroadintheplayoffs.Wheneightofthetop25teamsinthestateareinyourregion,youhavetoshowuptoplay.”IngramsaidhewaspleasedwiththeStaterankning. “Iamproudthatourguyshavebeennoticedforhowhardweworkandhowhardweplay,”hesaid.“Theydeservedtoberankedthirdinthestate.Itisonlyanumber.Itmeansthatpeoplewanttobeatyouworst,becauseeveryonewantstoknockoffatoprankedteam.Wehaveatargetonourbacksanditisgettingbiggerwitheverywinthatweget.Weasateammustkeeptherankinginper-spective.Itdoesn’tmeananythingotherthanpeoplehaveseenlotsofgoodthings.Westillhavetoplayandpreparelikewearethirdinthestate.“ Teammembershavebeenusingtheirtimeandresourceswise-lyinpreparingforplayoffs.“Ourteamhasbeenworkinghardthepastcoupleofweeks,”Se-niorElijahEngelmannsaid.“Thetestinglastweekdidn’tdistractourfocusforourbiggameFriday.Wetookadvantageofthetimewehad.” JuniorJacobArevalostressed the importanceofworking to-gethertosucceed. “Ourteamwillgodeepinplayoffs,”Arevalosays.“Ourteamallhasthesamegoals.Thereisnoselfishplayingonourteam.Weareallinitforeachotherandjusttryingtomaketheseniors’lastyearsomethingtoremember.”

Eagles No. 3 in State

Round 1 - done; Eagles prepare for playoffsby Kevin Bazan

Above: Elijah Engelmann pitches in a recent home game. Below: Jake Mickaels, Brayden Bauer, and Justin Smith celebrate at La Vernia game.

Eagles looking forward to more domination

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