Plano East alum Myles Dennis (16) helped lead the Panthers’ boys soccer team to a 2-1 win over Plano and their first playoff berth since 2018. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Plano East remained one of the premier athletic programs in Plano ISD during the 2025-26 school year.
The Murphy Monitor 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: Plano East volleyball team defeats Lake Highlands in five sets
Beginning this fall, Plano East and Lake Highlands will compete as rivals in District 7-6A.
If their previous match was a sign of things to come, the rivalry could produce many more memorable matches.
Last fall, during a Class 6A Division I area-round match, Plano East trailed Lake Highlands by eight points in the fourth set, but Simone Heard said there was still plenty of belief amongst the Lady Panthers. That same belief was noticeable when Plano East trailed by two points on three different occasions in the fifth set.
All that belief and discipline paid off, as Heard provided the finishing touches on a thrilling 3-2 win (24-26, 25-13, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12) over Lake Highlands at Sachse High School.
Plano East struggled to defend Lake Highlands’ taller hitters at times, but the Lady Panthers put everything together midway through the fifth set. Trailing 5-3, Plano East finished on a 12-7 run, with a Marisabelle Sias dig near the net helped swing the momentum in her team’s favor.
Best finish: Dennis’ late goal clinches playoff berth for Panthers boys’ soccer team
First came a Gatorade bath for first-year Plano East head boys soccer coach Justin Bailey.
Then came the words that the Panthers had been waiting to hear since 2018.
“We’re going to the playoffs,” he said.
Plano East’s players erupted in celebration after earning a 2-1 playoff-clinching win over Plano at Clark Stadium on March 6.
After a one-hour delay for lightning in the area stopped the game with 12:12 remaining in the second half, Plano East faced its tensest moment of the night.
When play resumed, the score was tied 1-1. Plano East needed just nine seconds to score. A throw-in by alum Jordy Rocha was headed back into the field of play by a Panthers forward. Alum midfielder Myles Dennis ran aggressively toward the ball in the middle of the field and placed a header into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead.
Biggest upset: Defense paces Plano East boys’ basketball team to win over No. 6 Plano
Plano East earned a lot of significant wins during Matt Wester’s eight seasons as head coach.
Although the Panthers’ 47-37 win over Plano on Dec. 6 didn’t match the magnitude of Plano East’s 2024 Class 6A state championship victory over Stony Point, any win over a crosstown rival is significant. It was especially meaningful because the Wildcats entered ranked No. 6 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 6A poll.
Defense helped Plano East to defeat Plano and earn first place in the 13th Annual Craig Bowers Memorial Tournament in Royse City.
After the Wildcats jumped out to an 11-10 first-quarter lead, the Panthers outscored Plano 37-26 over the game’s final three quarters while limiting the Wildcats to 15 points over the second half and 27.3 percent shooting for the entire game.
Moustafa Abualneel, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the way offensively, finishing with 13 points in 14 minutes.
Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year: Simone Heard, girls’ soccer/track and field/volleyball
Even though soccer wasn’t Heard’s primary sport, coaches not only recognized her athletic ability, but also asked her if she can play for them.
Such was the case this spring when Plano East head girls soccer coach Cristy Cooley asked Heard to join the team and play goalkeeper for the first time in several years.
Heard didn’t miss a beat as she made timely saves during the Lady Panthers’ run to their first regional semifinal since 2018.
Of course, her primary sport is volleyball. Her senior season was her best. Named the District 6-6A MVP for the second consecutive season, Heard, an outside hitter and a Georgia Tech signee, provided an offensive spark for a Plano East team that finished the 2025 season in the Region I-6A Division I Final. She finished with 679 kills, 47 blocks, 436 digs and 40 service aces.
Heard was a standout track and field athlete, helping lead Plano East’s girls 4×100 relay to first place in the district and an appearance in the Region I-6A meet final.
Stay informed, and support your local community newspaper, subscribe to The Murphy Monitor
0 Comments