Plano East alumna infielder Kylie Grant, right, helped to lead the Lady Panthers’ softball team to their first regional final since 2012. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media

By David Wolman

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Another year has come and gone for student-athletes at Plano East High School.

It was a successful year in so many ways.

In today’s edition of The Murphy Monitor, we will look back at the highlights of the 2024-25 spring sports season for Plano East. 

Softball team reaches 1^st regional final since 2012:

Built around an offense that had a knack for working up the pitch count and a pitching staff that was anchored by District 6-6A MVP Jadyn Dawson, Plano East not only made the playoffs for the first time in six years but went on to make their first regional final since 2012.

That playoff run nearly didn’t make it past the first round.

Trailing 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, Plano East was down to its final three outs. However, the Lady Panthers weren’t ready to see their season end. Incoming junior Gina Martin drove in two runs with a triple to tie the score at 5-5. Following an intentional walk to Dawson, rising junior Julia Wilson, named the District 6-6A newcomer of the year, hit a walk-off RBI single to give the Lady Panthers a 6-5 win over Hebron.

Plano East rode the momentum from that come-from-behind victory to earn a two-game sweep of South Grand Prairie in the area round and then won two games against Euless Trinity in the regional semifinals. In the Region I-6A final, the Lady Panthers battled but came up short in a pair of losses to Flower Mound.

Boys’ lacrosse completes turnaround with state title:

One year after winning four games, Plano East went 11-3 this season, capped off by defeating George Ranch 15-11 in the Texas High School Lacrosse League Class C state championship game.

Plano East outscored George Ranch 7-3 in the second half after trailing 9-8 at halftime.

The Panthers went ahead for good four minutes into the third quarter after alum Austin Egler finished a 2-on-1 with rising senior Brian Johnson II for a 10-9 lead. 

Johnson II was named the game’s most valuable player after he netted four goals.

Alum Vance Flick earned offensive player of the game.

Big strides made by baseball team:

Tommy Sparks only coached at Plano East for three seasons, but the Panthers made massive improvement under his watch.

After winning just two district games during the 2024 season, Plano East won seven district games this season but came up just two wins short of making the playoffs.

Plano West went 3-1 to begin District 6-6A play, beginning with a two-game sweep of Princeton, The Panthers’ offense struggled over the next two weeks as Plano East scored just two runs over their next five games and lost all five games, dipping to 3-6 in district play. Plano East didn’t give up on its postseason hopes, posting back-to-back sweeps of Plano and McKinney to improve to 7-7 in district action. But the Panthers were eliminated from playoff contention after two straight losses to Allen, finishing district play with a 7-9 record and an overall record of 14-15-1.

Former North Forney head coach Carey Willingham was hired as head coach June 17.

Reed hurdles to another state berth:

Alum Philip Reed concluded his standout career by running to eighth place in the boys’ 110 hurdles at the Class 6A state meet in Austin with a time of 14.3 seconds. 

Two weeks prior at the Region I-6A meet in Arlington, he broke the 24-year school record in the 300 hurdles.

Plano East qualified for the finals in the regional meet in five events – Reed in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles, his sister, Hannah, in the 100 hurdles, Liana Wright in the 100, the girls’ 4×100 of Payten Cooper, Wright, Karis Jenkins and Ayaan Richardson and the girls’ 4×400 of Kosi Ngadi, Cooper, Goodness Dikeocha and Hannah Reed.

Incoming sophomore Kourtney Houston the freshman school record in the shot put.

Golfers capture 6^th place at district tournament:

The Plano East boys’ golf team finished in sixth place at the District 6-6A Tournament, held March 31-April 1 at The Courses at Watters Creek, with a score of 653.

Incoming senior Kristian Leask turned in the top individual score for the Panthers, placing 24^th overall with a 163. Finishing one stroke behind Leask was another incoming senior, Carter Cox, who placed 24^th with a 164. Alums Aadesh Sharma and Trevor Vecchio tied for 27^th place with a 165. Rising junior Jake Li captured 35^th place with a 166.

On the girls’ side, Plano East finished in ninth place with a 776.

Alumna Kate Polimeru turned in the top score for the Lady Panthers, finishing with a 177, good for 23^rd overall. The second-best score was turned in by incoming junior Michelle Phan, who finished 40^th with a 193. Alumnae Mackenzie Owen and Presley Elliott tied for 50^th, both shooting 203, while rising senior Georgia Martin placed 66^th with a 230.