GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEW

RETURNING PLAYERS: Starlyn F(1st Team All-District) / Amber P (Honorable Mention All-District) /Elien E
NEWCOMERS: Caren E, Elisa F, Liz M, Kennedy D, Nadya H, Alice O, Ana B, Melanie D
CAPTAINS: Starlyn F, Amber P, Elisa F, Elien E

The Lady Vikings basketball program is looking to build on last year’s progress, while also continuing to raise the bar. This is Coach Brotherton’s fourth year at the school, and the program has seen a growth in girls basketball participation numbers every year. The varsity team has also increased their win total in each of Coach Brotherton’s three seasons. The Lady Vikings have also taken care of business in the classroom, as they have never had a varsity player academically ineligible. For this year’s team to continue the upward trend, the Lady Vikings will need their newcomers to contribute, while their returning players lead the way.

“We have some talented newcomers, who should blend with our returning players, and this has the potential to be a special season for our program. Last year, we barely missed the TAPPS 4A State Tournament. While we will miss our graduated seniors, as they laid the foundation for our program, we also owe it to them to continue the improvement of our program. Success within our program is not about the end result. It is about trusting the process of getting better. This group has embraced that process, as they held the highest percentage of athletes in the weight room and also attended morning workouts before school in the fall. Despite having eight new faces to the team, this group is very tight knit, which is another reason that we are expecting great things. As long as we continue to trust the process and put the team first, we have a chance to accomplish some special things.”

Attention Viking Nation,

On Tuesday, NOVEMBER 3rd, from 4pm- close, Olive Garden is graciously having a fundraiser to help support Viking Athletics. They have decided to donate 10% of the sales that our Viking community spends at their location. This will go a long way to help our programs and our students. All you need to do is mention to your waiter that you are a member of the Village Viking community. If you are unable to dine in, you may also order takeout and the same benefits apply. Please enjoy a nice night out with your family and friends and enjoy some of their delicious Italian food.

Olive Garden Address:
West Oaks Mall, 2750 TX-6, Houston, TX 77082

There is also an opportunity to win prizes and giveaways. Tag your photos with #SPIRITNIGHT and mention @OliveGarden for your chance to win prizes!

After taking 3rd and 4th place respectively at TAPPS District 5A Cross Country Championships last week, The Village Boys and Girls Cross Country teams head to Waco Saturday for the TAPPS State Cross Country Championships. The boy’s team, disappointed with their performance last Thursday, looks for revenge against rivals St John’s XXIII and Lutheran South as well as hoping for a top 5 finish. Led by sophomore captain Ben A (3rd at Districts) and senior Alvaro I (5th at Districts), the Village harriers have been improving all season long and are peaking at the right time.

The Village girls team, led by junior Charlotte S (2nd at Districts) and junior captain Fernanda N (13th at Districts) all set personal bests at Districts. The team will need strong performances from sophomores Reshmi P, Nina R, and Melanie D as well as senior Alison C if they are to move up on District rivals Lutheran-South and Second Baptist. Go Vikings!

Friday, October 16th, marked the third Homecoming in Village School history. Every Homecoming is special, but it was clear, weeks earlier, that this particular Homecoming would be different. There is no doubt that everyone on campus has been eagerly anticipating the grand opening of Viking Field. We have seen it being built, piece by piece. Right before our very eyes, we saw the aesthetic beauty of the artificial grass being put in. We saw the sheer size of the scoreboard that dwarfed our previous one. We heard the new sound system blast music from one end of the campus to the other. It was, well…flat-out-awesome. It has been the perfect script. On the school’s 50th anniversary, we are able to unveil a brand new stadium for our community to enjoy.

Now lets fast forward to Homecoming day. The energy on campus was at an all-time high. The Village School drumline and Varsity football players paraded through the halls of each building on campus. The Viking youngsters were all shaking hands with our Varsity football players, who were handing out tickets to the game. The pep rallies in the afternoon got things more revved up for the excitement to come. School was out. The Party on the Patio had begun and good times were had by all. Oh, and a lot of food that isn’t very good for you, but who cares…it’s Homecoming!

Vikings started to pile into the new stadium by the dozens. The bleachers were packed with screaming supporters sitting shoulder to shoulder. At 5pm, the middle school football team got things kicked off for the first game of the double-header, which was a first in Viking history. The Vikings battled hard and went back and forth before falling to Texas Wind, 22-6. The boys fought hard the entire way, making everyone proud of their competitive Viking spirit.

It was almost time for the nightcap of the evening, The Varsity football team roared out of the tunnel, wearing their beautiful baby blue uniforms. The first score of the game went to the Wind, but it didn’t take the Vikings long to answer. The first Viking touchdown of the game came on a rollout pass from Lewis H to Alex M on a 70 yard play. The Wind scored again to take a 14-6 lead, but after that, it was all Vikings, all night long. The Viking’s second touchdown came on a 72 yard touchdown run by the teams leading rusher, Draylyn D. This touchdown made it 14-12, Vikings still trailing. Then the defense got involved. Senior, Earl W, made a huge play by stripping the ball loose and recovering the fumble! It was Vikings ball inside the red zone and poised to score again. A couple of plays later, Draylyn D would have his second touchdown of the night, which was capped off by a converted 2 point conversion by Dami O. Vikings now had their first lead of the night, 20-14. A Max P interception later, and the Vikings had the ball right back. The next score would come on a play action pass from Lewis H to Alex M, for their second hookup of the night. The Vikings now led 26-14. After another defensive stop, the Vikings would add one more score before the half, as Draylyn D rushed in his third touchdown. Lewis H would cap on the 2 point conversion, and the Vikings would take a commanding lead, 34-14. The Wind looked to answer quickly before the half would end, but Max P would come up with his second interception of the game to end the half.

The second half was more of the same. The next two touchdowns came via the pass. The first was from Draylyn D to Alex M. The second was from Lewis H to Andrea T. The Vikings had now scored 42 unanswered points, and now led 48-14. The final Viking touchdown came from Draylyn D, who tied his own school record with 5 total touchdowns in the game. He also set a school record by recording his 25th touchdown of the season. The Vikings ended up winning the game, 56-34. It was a dominating performance, with huge plays being made on both sides of the ball.

The Viking’s performance on the field was the ultimate culmination in what was a special day for the Viking community and family. The new stadium provided the added glitz and glamour to the amazing event, but the energy and substance came from the players, students, families, faculty, and our returning alumni. It was a great day to be a Viking. We are writing our history. 50 Years, Viking Strong.

This weekend, the Middle School cross country team competed in the Faith West cross country meet. The boys team came in 1st place overall out of 22 teams, earning themselves a trophy. It was a large meet, with over 200 runners competing in the boys division. The Vikings were led by 8th grader, Victor R-V, who ran 12:51 for his 2 mile event. 7th grader, Tristan A, was second on team and recorded a time of 13:02. The girls team also ran well, placing 5th out of 18 teams. The girls team was led by 8th grader, Doris M, who ran 13:58 in her 2 mile event. Second on team was 8th grader, Olivia G, who ran 14:52. The middle school team is back in action this weekend as they compete in the St. John’s meet at TC Jester Park. Great job and congratulations to both teams.