• Catherine Grether (March 2021)

The track team size has dwindled substantially this year. Where most years there would be about 60 distance and 80 non-distance runners, those numbers are down to about 40 of each. The majority of those students are connected learners, which is very helpful for recovery according to Varsity head coach Brock Simmons.

“You have a lot more wiggle room for how you’re doing your work,” Simmons said. “You can be lying down all day, which really comes into play for recovery. ”

Because of COVID regulations, Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity members cannot go to meets together. In the past, that would be a large part of JV kids’ experience.

“By the time you’re a varsity member in our program you have it all dialed in, you know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing and when and you’re taking ownership of what you’re doing,” Simmons said.

“Their race planning and execution has been mostly perfect, which is great for them but now the younger kids don’t get to see that which presents a challenge as a coach because I’m not able to show them that.”

There are positive impacts of COVID regulations as well.

“Racing less definitely helps, one of the biggest problems with high school runners is they race too much. One of the hidden benefits with COVID regulations is that there have been fewer meets so we can train harder, recover harder, going into the next meet,” Simmons said.

“There has been some greater progress for that reason, and more personal records being broken every meet. For me, the good has outweighed the bad. That’s not necessarily because of regulations but I think that’s because of the kids and the way they positively responded to their challenges.”

On Feb. 29, sophomore Wyatt Athey broke a 37-year-old school record for 3200 meters (2 miles) with a time of 9:28. This is currently the top time in Texas in 5A for this distance.

“I trained for that by listening to what my coach told me to do and running the workout he provided me. I was aiming for the school record, I was told to go out there and do it so I did,” Athey said. He also set a record over 5000 meters at the Texas Distance Festival, clocking 15:24.

• Celia Rubalcava (February 2021)

Senior night quickly approached for Varsity Softball, as they took on the Argyle Eagles. The Lady Broncos were dominant on defense, and took the win 3-1. With this victory, they now have a record of four wins and three losses in this season.

“We have an outstanding group of softball players,” Head coach Maggie Stephenson-Cross said. “We are very happy to be back on the field together.”

Senior pitcher, Ashanti McDade, struck out 13 Eagles hitters. This was a crucial stat for the victory.

“We prepare our players for each game by putting them in game-like situations in practice,” Stephenson-Cross said. “Because of this, we have a very strong pitcher and catcher duo that give us a chance to win a lot of games.”

With district play on the horizon, players and coaches are getting ready for what is to come

“I am working on being the best I can be at staying cool and collected always,” Stephenson-Cross said. “People feed off our emotions so I try my best to always have a positive attitude.”

• Miles Meador (January 2021)

The Broncos season came to an end on December 4th as they fell to Frisco Memorial 62-13, and finished the season with a record of 1-9. It certainly wasn’t the type of season anyone in the program wanted to have, but that didn’t take away from the experiences for the underclassmen and the pure joy of playing the sport you love to play and coach.

“It was overall disappointing because we thought we had a good squad, Tight End and H-Back coach Branden Melson said. “But with COVID, players sitting out, injuries, and the new district it made it a very tough challenge.”

There were a plethora of younger players moving up to varsity and making big impacts, but one player that stood out a lot was Sophomore Quarterback Blake Courtney. After playing on Junior Varsity his freshman year, Courtney improved and showed that he was worthy of starting at Qb after the first game against Lake Dallas.

“ I felt very nervous and a bit scared the first time I went into the game and when I first started, Courtney said. Once I got into the groove a few games in, I got more comfortable and the nervousness went away.”

With all of the obstacles that took place for this season, there was still a lot to learn and take away from the games that were played.

The Broncos were moved into a new district with schools that produced a large amount of Division one talent in football, but that didn’t stop the team from improving all around with a younger core.

“ I thought we improved on both sides of the ball from last year, but we were young in key spots, Head Coach Billy Miller said. “I think it’ll help us in the future by playing the younger kids because they will continue to grow.”

With 25 seniors will have to be replaced for next season, but in the end there are definitely things to look back at. Mainly with what talent does return, and one year under their belt in this tough district, next year has coaches and players optimistic about the future.

• Mayra Diaz (February 2021)

Although we are amidst a global pandemic, the Lady Broncos have pulled through and started their basketball season with a promising look. The first game was an away game at Denison High School, where both Varsity and JV won.

“It was a great feeling to start the season off with a win,” Head Girls Basketball Coach, A'trivaya Thomas said.

Varsity won 49-35 at Denison and since have two wins and two losses, but the members keep their spirits high and continue practicing for future games.

“Like every year, we want to do our best no matter what,” Varsity Lady Broncos team member, Maggie Wainscott said.

Though cases continue to rise in the county, games, and practices are still being held. They play following the safety guidelines, while members and coaches continue to check up on themselves to avoid outbreaks.

“We all continuously keep in contact to make sure no one is feeling any symptoms” Varsity Lady Broncos team member, Seimone Griffin said.

Fortunately, the team has had a smooth start to the season and expect for future games to follow the same. The next Varsity game will be at Irving High School on December 11th and the season is expected to run for two more months.

“We’re all looking forward to seeing what this season brings,” Coach Thomas said.

• Celia Rubalcava (December 2020)

Varsity Volleyball had another great tournament. With twenty victories and only four losses, they ended their season on a high note.

“We are experienced, very talented, and have a great work ethic as a team,” Head Coach Cassie Headrick said. “We played together for 3 years, and are trying to take this program to another level.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, they managed to bond together and play as a team, helping each other on the court to succeed.

“My motivation to play was my teammates,” junior Kylie Williams said. “I think the love we have for each other allows us to be better than our opponents because we have a deep understanding of each other.”

Although they almost didn’t make it to the playoffs because of the pandemic, that didn't stop them from finding a way to bounce back, causing them to advance multiple rounds and participate in the state semi-finals against Grapevine.

“We weren't sure if we would have a season,” junior Alexis Headrick said. “You never know if someone will get exposed but you have to control what you can control to make sure that you get the most out of it.”

• Celia Rubalcava (October 2020)

Varsity Tennis won their first match of the Fall season against Lake Dallas. This was their first game since March when everything was put to a halt because of COVID-19.

“The main reason I along with the rest of the team have decided to keep playing tennis is that we love the game,” senior Jack Alagood said. “Most student-athletes feel the same way; we play these sports to escape the stressful school environment by doing something we love.”

Although The UIL rules didn’t require players to use their masks during the match, they still did, despite the other team not using it.

“We took a lot of precautions during the match, such as wearing masks even when we are playing and washing our hands after serving,” Head Coach Carlos Blanco said. “I wanted to be extra cautious because it would be so catastrophic if someone got infected and died because of the virus.”

Despite the fact that they used their masks, Varsity Tennis managed to win with a score of 12-7.

“For many players, the mask makes it more difficult to breathe and drops their performance,” Alagood said. “While I may not have felt weaker during that match, I certainly have felt that way in more tedious ones.”

This match also marked the debut of Pamala Fairbrother, the assistant coach. She moved from Orange County, California last November.

“The players and I get along pretty well,” Fairbrother said. “They are aware I have no formal tennis training experience but they still seem to respect me as a coach as I’m now able to do more for them.”

Thanks to the precautions they are taking, no one has been tested positive for COVID-19. However, they couldn’t play for the next two weeks because a member of another Tennis team had a test come back positive.

“The whole thing was different and unusual,” Blanco said. “I know parents, students, teachers and staff in general are working extra hard in order to make this school year happen, my thanks and admiration to all of them.”

• Miles Meador (October 2020)

When the UIL announced that 5 and 6A schools would have their season delayed but would still have a season, everyone inside the program relaxed and got to work to prepare for their first game against Lake Dallas.

“I think we were prepared going into the first game and we knew what they were going to do,” Defensive line coach Kevin Francis Francis said. “Now we have more confidence and now we know how physical we have to be to compete.”

It was sophomore Running Back, Coco Brown’s first varsity start against Chisholm Trail, and he exploded onto the scene by rushing for nearly 200 yards and eclipsing the 100 yard mark for the first time in his career.

“Playing on varsity as a sophomore is a huge responsibility that I have, and it comes with being serious and playing to the best of my ability,” Brown said. “I’ve learned so much from the seniors and coaches, and I know I have to work hard to maintain the starting spot.”

Denton HIgh will enter district play Friday against The Colony, and after last week's win, the momentum has changed drastically for the Broncos to keep up the success with the two new faces on offense in Quarterback Sophomore, Blake Courtney and Running Back, Coco Brown.

“Every game is important, and there is no room to breathe,” Varsity Head Coach Miller said to the DRC. “It’s a grind, and it’s great. That’s what football season is all about, we embrace the grind.”