Wylie alum guard Camden Love helped lead the Pirates boys basketball team to a fourth consecutive district title, followed by a dominant 63-36 bi-district playoff victory over Rockwall-Heath. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Wylie has long been one of the most successful athletic programs in northeast Collin County.
The Wylie News is proud to introduce the second installment of a three-part series celebrating the best teams, athletes, moments and performances from this past school year. The categories and winners for the second annual C&S Media High School Sports Awards were chosen by sports editor David Wolman, with winners being published over three weeks.
Part 1 (July 16) included the Biggest Story, Breakthrough Moment, Newcomer of the Year and Best Team
Part 2 (July 23) will highlight the Best Game, Best Finish, Biggest Upset and Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year.
Part 3 (July 30) will wrap up the series with Coach of the Year, Most Improved Athlete, Best Male Athlete and Best Female Athlete.
These are the winners of the second installment of the series.
Best Game: Pirates volleyball team outlasts Waxahachie in five-set thriller
Wylie went through district play without losing a set.
For a moment, the Lady Pirates appeared headed for another three-set victory, but their first-round playoff opponent, Waxahachie, proved to be tougher to put away.
Waxahachie rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth and deciding set, but Wylie’s experience and determination was on full display when it counted the most.
Wylie outlasted Waxahachie 3-2 (25-17, 25-15, 23-25, 21-25, 15-10) to win its Class 6A bi-district match and earned its third postseason win in two years as well as its second straight playoff win over the Lady Indians.
Julia Hudgins finished with 28 kills to pace the Lady Pirates’ offense, while libero Jolene Bao finished with 34 digs to key Wylie’s defensive efforts.
Best Finish: Butler’s two goals lift Wylie past Rockwall in double overtime
Kennedy Butler was Wylie’s leading goal scorer in 2026.
The Mississippi State pledge showed her knack for finding the back of the net at the most opportune time in Wylie’s 3-1 double-overtime Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff win over Rockwall-Heath, scoring two goals in overtime to advance the Lady Pirates to the area round.
Just 17 seconds into the first overtime, Butler broke through. After absorbing contact from a defender, she regained control, cut back toward the middle and struck a left-footed shot into the net for a 2-1 lead.
Less than two minutes into double overtime, Butler struck again. She kicked the ball past the reach of Rockwall-Heath freshman goalkeeper Sarah Webb and into the open net for a 3-1 lead.
The match lived up to its billing, featuring two strong teams that entered with a combined 37-7-2 record — Wylie at 19-5 and Rockwall-Heath at 18-2-2. Despite Wylie generating more scoring chances in regulation, the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of the second half. But the Lady Pirates scored twice in overtime to emerge victorious.
Biggest upset: Wylie ends Sachse’s 18-game district win streak in football
Wylie rising senior quarterback Jabriran Blake scored untouched from the one-yard line late Friday to cap a wild 34-27 win over Sachse in District 9-6A play.
The game-winning drive began when Blake found star running back Daylon Gordon wide open in the middle of the field. He carried the ball to the one-yard line with 1:11 left in the game and on the next play, Blake scored for the game-winner with 1:08 left.
The Pirates’ victory before a packed homecoming crowd at Wylie Stadium snapped an 18-game district winning streak for the Mustangs. Sachse’s last district loss came against Wylie, a 19-17 setback on Oct. 28, 2022.
Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year: Camden Love, boys’ basketball/track and field
Love came into this past school year as one of only a few players on the Wylie boys’ basketball team with previous varsity experience.
Not only did he have previous experience, but he also possessed a relentless motor and was one of the standout defenders for Wylie, which finished as the District 9-6A champion for the fourth straight season and earned a dominant 63-36 bi-district playoff win over Rockwall-Heath.
Love’s on-ball defense was noticed by other coaches in the district as he was named the 9-6A Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
On the track, Love competed in the 300-meter hurdles, but his biggest impact came in the boys’ 4×400 relay. He, Bryce Ogola, Aiden Harlow and Aaron Lewis helped lead Wylie to a berth in regionals. They placed 13th in Waco with a time of 3:23.68.
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