Summer ends early every year for athletes. As soon as August rolls around, every day leading up to school starting is spent on the field, in the gym, or in the weight room. Setting goals and forming team relationships is a huge part of the early part of the season; tournaments and scrimmages give players and coaches a hint at what is coming up.

The varsity volleyball team participated in the annual Fairfield tournament and carried home third-place hardware, starting off their hopes for a winning season. Considering the girls had not won a single game in the same tournament last year, they considered it a step up.

The girls felt like their performance in the tournament showed they had turned a corner as a team.

“The Fairfield tournament was where we started to show improvement,” junior Marissa Jones said. “We all really worked together as a team.”

Jones said the team is has set a goal together to make to to the Area game. Early wins in the season have the girls hoping they will make it.

“We have come a long way from where we started and have improved a lot,” senior Taylor Rutledge said. “We are getting better and better every day and I expect big things this year.”

The football team had the heat to battle as they started on their summer practices, battling temperatures that reached the 100-mark most days. Practicing outside at all was a feat; doing it in football gear was even worse.

“Three weeks of summer football practice is tough in the Texas heat,” head coach Mark Read said. “I think the guys handled it pretty well.”

Even with a tough schedule to look forward to, Read was pleased with what he saw in the opening weeks of the season.