Girls Weightlifting— Story by Sarah Black

The Girls Varsity Weightlifting Team, led by Head Coach Erik Schulz, currently boasts an undefeated 4-0 record. With only two more in-season meets left, the girls are already looking toward the postseason.

Returning after a season-ending injury, Senior Captain Ashley Black said that hard work has been the core focus of the year.

“This year the girls, especially the new ones, have been working and grinding harder than ever before.”

After a big win against Lakewood Ranch, they are finishing the year strong. The girls competed at Braden River Thursday night, and will conclude their regular season with senior night on Jan. 9.

When asked about tomorrow’s Braden River meet, Black noted, “This meet is always going to be a really good look into what counties will look like because they are our biggest competitor,”

Counties will take place on Jan. 18 at Manatee High School and the District meet will be hosted here, in the Hoagland Arena on Jan. 25.

Boys Soccer— Story by Bode LaBelle

The Saint Stephen’s Varsity Boys Soccer Team has been on a roll so far, with a 6-1-1 record to start off the season and, with a win against Keswick this Monday, are placed 1st in the district.

Starting midfielder Jackson Pakbaz has been a big contributor to the team so far. He spoke on the early success of the team.

“Last year was a rare down-year for boys soccer, and this year we’re just bouncing back with many team members stepping up…the team also now has more experience”

The boys will try to bring the momentum into the next game, when they square off Friday the 13th against Manatee High School.

Girls Soccer— Story by Sophia Azzopardi

The Saint Stephen’s Varsity Girls Soccer Team, led by Head Coach, Tyler Cotton, and Assistant Coach, Trey Horne, currently holds a  4-1-2 record, ranking them 2nd in the district.

The girls recently played 1st ranked District team, ODA, on Tuesday with a 0-0 tie score. The next game will be tonight, Friday, Dec. 13, against Manatee High School. And with the way the season is headed it’s looking like the Falcons will be making it to the district finals for the 4th year in a row.

However this season has had its ups and downs. With many unexpected injuries and new players the team has gone through many changes this year.

Freshman starter, Piper Pullen says, “Going forward it’s gonna be the most important thing we have to do this season even for returning players just learning how to work together.”

Boys Basketball— Story by Blake Lynch

Saint Stephen’s Varsity Boys Basketball has had a rough start to the season. As it currently stands, the team is 1-7 with their only win being against Out of Door Academy on Dec. 4.

The team prepares to face off against Evangelical Christian this Friday, Dec. 13 following a hard loss against Keswick Christian taking a 71-40 blow.

With plans to bounce back from their previous losses, sophomore Marcus Motwani explained his team is revved up for Friday and going in with a strong mentality.

“I think we just take it game by game,” Motwani said. “And realize that it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish.”