Wylie East rising senior Madison Akers won first place in the District 9-6A cross country meet last October. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
From the gridiron to the football field to the hardwood to cross country to the wrestling mat to the track to the tennis courts and to the soccer, baseball and softball fields, the Wylie East Raiders were a force to be reckoned with during the 2024-25 school year.
The Wylie News is proud to introduce the first installment in a three-part series celebrating the top athletic moments, student-athletes, teams and performances from the past year. Categories for the inaugural C&S Media High School Sports Awards were selected by sports editor David Wolman, with winners published over three weeks.
Part 1 (July 10) includes the Biggest Story, Breakthrough Moment, Newcomer of the Year and Best Team.
Part 2 (July 17) will feature Best Game, Best Finish, Biggest Upset and Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year.
Part 3 (July 24) will wrap up the series with Coach of the Year, Most Improved Athlete, Best Female Athlete and Best Male Athlete.
Here are the winners of the second installment of awards – best game, best finish, biggest upset and multi-sport athlete of the year.
Best game: Wylie East vs. Wylie, baseball (April 22, 2025)
In what was a wild back-and-forth game that featured two lead changes and two ties, it was the Raiders who emerged victorious.
With the score tied 7-7 going in the bottom of the eighth inning, alumnus Caleb Vaclavik reached on a one-out double to ignite the rally. Alumnus Nash Aylor, who came on to pinch-run for Vaclavik, advanced to third base on a bloop single that was hit off the bat of rising junior Levi Scroggin and came around to score on the same play after the throw back into the infield by a Wylie outfielder sailed wide of the third-base bag, lifting the Raiders to a thrilling 8-7 victory on their home field.
Wylie East raced out to a 4-0 lead after a Vaclavik sacrifice fly in the home half of the second inning and later took a 6-3 lead on a Victor Zandate RBI single.
The Pirates continued to hit the ball hard, tacking on four more runs in the top of the fourth, including run-scoring hits by rising junior Koji Paul and alumnus Ben Lindsey, to take a 7-6 lead.
The scoring flurry continued a short time later. Raiders incoming sophomore Jaxon Ylda leveled the score at 7-7 with an RBI double, setting the stages for a dramatic finish.
Best finish: Wylie East vs. Wylie, volleyball (Oct. 8, 2024)
The Lady Raiders sought revenge after being swept by the Lady Pirates in three sets in the first match-up of the season between the crosstown rivals.
The second match of the season between Wylie and Wylie East needed longer to complete.
Wylie East had Wylie on the ropes after winning the third set by three points to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the best-of-five match.
The Lady Pirates regrouped and proceeded to win the fourth set by four points, forcing a fifth set to be played.
Wylie appeared to seize control earlier in the fifth set after rising senior Mallory Kendrick recorded two service aces in a row for a 6-3 lead, but Wylie East’s determination allowed the Lady Raiders to finish the match on a 12-8 run and earn a 3-2 win (21-25, 25-19, 25-22, 20-25, 16-14).
Alumna Erika Hernandez capped off a 30-kill performance with a kill in the fifth set that gave Wylie East a 15-14 lead. The Lady Raiders won the match on the following point.
Biggest upset: Wylie East girls’ soccer ends Wylie’s unbeaten start (March 14, 2025)
Coming into the final match of the regular season the District 9-6A title had already been decided.
Wylie clinched the district championship just three days prior following an 8-0 rout of Lakeview Centennial.
But given it was the Crosstown Showdown, Wylie East was plenty motivated. Wylie East came into the match with an 18-0 record and gave up just three goals all season. The Lady Raiders proceeded to spoil the Lady Pirates’ perfect start. Alumnae Arianna Darquea and Brooke Shields each recorded a goal and alumna goalkeeper Madelyn Jones turned in a clean sheet to lift Wylie East to a 2-0 win from Wylie ISD Stadium.
Darquea gave the Lady Raiders a 1-0 lead with 31:14 left in the first half.
Shields gave Wylie East a 2-0 lead with a goal with 10:58 remaining in regulation.
Multi-sport athlete of the year: Madison Akers, cross country/girls soccer
In the fall of 2023, the Wylie East girls won their first-ever district championship in cross country.
Akers made sure that the Lady Raiders stayed on top.
The Wylie East incoming senior helped to lead the Lady Raiders to a second straight district championship during the fall 2024 season. She won the individual title in a time of 19 minutes, 48 seconds. Wylie East amassed a winning team score of 21 points.
Akers was also a standout on the soccer field. Named to the District 9-6A second team, Akers, a defender, helped run the flank and kept balls out of the box. She recorded two assists during district play. The Lady Raiders went on to play in the regional final for the third consecutive season.
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