Wylie East players react after the Lady Raiders scored a goal during a 2-0 win over Longview in a Class 6A Division II bi-district playoff game at Mesquite Memorial Stadium on March 19. Photo by Kim Dill Higginbotham / C&S Media
By David Wolman
This season brought about significant change for the Wylie East soccer teams.
The boys’ team had a new voice at the top. Chay Brown took over as head coach after Trey Vaut accepted the same position with Walton County School District in Santa Rosa, Florida. And on the girls’ side, the Lady Raiders had to replace 10 seniors that led the Lady Raiders to another appearance in the Region II-6A Division II final.
Despite those personnel changes, Wylie East experienced success on the pitch, as well as on the golf course, where two Raiders took aim in the regional tournament.
The Wylie News will take a look at each sport and highlight the individual and team accomplishments.
Boys Soccer
After the Raiders finished with eight district wins in Vaut’s final season at Wylie East, Brown’s Raiders won three of their last four 9-6A games. However, a sluggish start proved too much for the Raiders to overcome. Wylie East didn’t record its first regulation win in district competition until its fifth game, a 4-1 win over Rowlett.
The Raiders got wins over South Garland, Naaman Forest and Garland to remain in the playoff hunt, but Wylie East came up just short of making the postseason.
Wylie East got great leadership from senior midfielder Dylan Falay and senior center back Ethan Henderson, who were named to the All-9-6A first team.
The Raiders finished the season with a 6-12-3 overall record and a 4-9-3 mark in district play.
Girls soccer
Postseason success has been a constant at Wylie East – and this season was no different.
Despite losing 10 seniors from the 2025 season’s team that went 19-3-1 and 68 of Wylie East’s 116 goals, in addition to first-team all-state goalkeeper Maddie Jones, it was a quick rebuild for the Lady Raiders.
Head coach Kody Christensen and his staff pushed all the right buttons. Their decisions paved the way for a fourth consecutive appearance in a regional final for Wylie East and a 22-5 overall record.
Wylie East cruised to a pair of shutout wins over Longview and Mesquite Horn to commence the postseason, then followed that up with a 2-0 win against previously unbeaten Tomball. However, for the second consecutive season, Wylie East’s season ended with a loss to Forney.
Following the conclusion of the season, senior Trystan Wischnewsky was named the district’s Defensive Player of the Year. She also scored a goal in Wylie East’s 3-1 loss to Forney in the Region II-6A Division II final. Freshman Sarah Schwarte was named Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
Golf
Senior Ethan Berg and incoming junior Bailey Steiger both led the way for the Raiders, and their respective seasons ended with an appearance in the regional tournament.
Berg capped his high school career at regionals, placing 71st with a 177. That effort came a few weeks after he shot back-to-back rounds of 75 at the 9-6A tournament, with a final score of 150 being more than good enough to advance Berg to the second event of the postseason.
Steiger continues to be a golfer on the rise. She carded a two-day score of 190 at regionals, good for 55th place. That score was one stroke better than the 191 that she shot at the 9-6A tournament.
Charlotte Duckworth (199), Lily Simmons (213) and Olive Nguyen also competed for the Lady Raiders at district, while Berg was one of eight Wylie East boys to compete in the first round of the postseason.
Jonathan Gutierrez (171), River Bradberry (172), Tyler Graham (173), Ethan Contractor (177), Angel Truong (184), Blake McMurdie (185), Mason Estrada, Keaton Hart and Carson St. John were also amongst the field for the Raider boys at the district tournament.
Wylie East’s boys shot a team score of 680.
Read the full story, stay informed, and support your local community newspaper, subscribe to The Wylie News.
0 Comments