Plano East sophomore running back Treyce Seldon (28) is raised in the air after scoring a touchdown during an Oct. 3, 2025, home game against McKinney Boyd. Seldon finished the 2025 season with 870 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Plano East recently completed its final season in District 6-6A, capping another successful year across its athletic programs.
The Murphy Monitor is proud to introduce the first 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) includes 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 first installment of the series.
Biggest Story: Plano East prepares for new District
The sports landscape will look a lot different going forward for the Panthers.
At the University Interscholastic League’s bi-annual realignment meeting, Plano East will say goodbye to District 6-6A and join Plano and Plano West in District 7-6A, and also renew rivalries with Coppell, Lake Highlands, Richardson and Berkner. JJ Pearce will also compete in District 7-6A.
Plano East was last in the same district with Lake Highlands, Richardson and Berkner from 2006-08, and was with Coppell in District 6-6A from 2020-24. The girls’ soccer team faced Coppell in the bi-district round in 2025, while the boys met the Cowboys in the first round this season. In February, Plano East lost 69-56 to Coppell in bi-district in boys’ basketball.
Breakthrough moment: Girls’ cross country team wins 1st district title since 2017
Several minutes after the conclusion of the girls’ varsity race at the District 6-6A cross country meet, Plano East head coach Robert Reed was still parsing through the results.
The Lady Panthers had already secured a team berth in the Region I-6A meet, but Reed wasn’t sure whether Plano East had won the district title or if a tiebreaker would decide it.
Ultimately, that tiebreaker went in Plano East’s favor.
Plano East and Prosper both finished with 52 points, but Plano East claimed its first district title since 2017 thanks to a faster time from its sixth runner.
Reagan Noel finished fourth with a time of 18:46 to pace the Lady Panthers. Meena Mulford was seventh in 19:21, Brooke Tierney took 12th, Louisa Christensen was 14th and Alina Nguyen took 15th. Dyan Tecuatl’s 22nd placing proved to be the tiebreaker that allowed Plano East to finish in first place. Kate Salyer captured 47th place.
On the boys’ side, incoming sophomore Levi Rowe placed sixth in 16:11, earning his first trip to regionals.
Co-Newcomer of the Year: Emerson Bailey, softball; Treyce Seldon, football
Although both the Plano East football and softball teams missed the playoffs, each squad had a freshman that made a solid impression.
Bailey stepped in at catcher and in the infield and was a difference-maker both at the plate and in the field.
Named the District 6-6A Utility Player of the Year, Bailey finished her first season in high school with a .342 batting average, 25 RBIs and 10 runs scored. Defensively, she committed five errors on 81 chances for a .938 fielding percentage and was credited with 57 putouts and 19 assists.
Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for Seldon to emerge as the go-to option on offense for the Plano East football team.
Named the district’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year, Seldon rushed for at least 89 yards in each of his first four games with one touchdown in each game. He had three straight 100-yard rushing performances, including a season-high 185 yards and three touchdowns in a 57-55 double-overtime loss to Princeton. He finished the season with 870 rushing yards and 10 scores.
Best team: volleyball
When the seniors for the Plano East volleyball team stepped on the court for the first time four years ago, they walked into a program that won just two district matches the previous season.
They helped engineer one of the area’s quickest turnarounds.
After helping lead Plano East to back-to-back appearances in the third round of the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, the Lady Panthers took things one step further last fall. They advanced to their first regional final in 17 years.
Although Plano East fell to nationally ranked Byron Nelson in the regional final, the Lady Panthers finished 31-11 and won at least 30 matches for the third consecutive season.
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