By David Wolman
It was a banner year for Plano East.
The Panthers enjoyed success across the sports spectrum, including in winter sports.
The Murphy Monitor will take a closer examination of boys and girls basketball, swimming and wrestling.
Boys basketball
Matt Wester’s final season as Panthers head coach proved to be another successful one.
Despite losing the team’s all-time leading scorer and current Texas State forward, DJ Hall, to graduation, the Panthers fired on all cylinders.
Plano East won a share of the District 6-6A title and finished with a 27-8 record. It was the fifth straight season of at least 20 wins for the Panthers.
Defense was the catalyst for Plano East’s run to the district title. The Panthers held opponents to an average of 47 points per game.
Senior point guard Jayden Parker fueled Plano East’s defensive efforts, earning 6-6A Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts.
Plano East was unable to keep pace with Coppell in a 69-56 bi-district playoff loss.
Girls basketball
One year after Plano East made a historic run to its first-ever appearance in the state semifinals, the success continued for the Lady Panthers.
Fueled by a stingy defense that held opponents to an average of 48.4 points per game, Plano East finished 28-8 overall and perfect 16-0 in District 6-6A play to capture an undefeated championship.
Although the Lady Panthers’ season ended after a hard-fought 50-44 loss versus eventual Class 6A Division I state runner-up Flower Mound in bi-district, it was another big year on the court for Plano East.
Plano East had a total of eight players earn nods on the All-6-6A team.
Incoming junior guard Arianna Robinson claimed individual MVP honors after averaging 26.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals.
Swimming
Plano East incoming senior William Prasetyo outlasted a tough field at the Region II-6A meet at the Lewisville ISD Westside Aquatic Center to earn second place in the 200 free with a personal-best time of 1:41.99.
At the state meet, Prasetyo finished 20th in the 200 free preliminaries with a 1:42.77.
Prasetyo was one of several Panthers who swam at the regional meet. He, Ben Tran, Paul Chu and Winston Le placed seventh in the 200 free relay and eighth in the 400 free relay. Le added an eighth-place finish in the 100 fly and 11th in the 200 individual medley, while Chu took fourth in the 100 breast and 14th in the 100 free.
On the girls’ side, Emma Looney placed seventh in 1-meter diving. Skylar Garris finished in 11th. Abby Wesneski placed seventh in the 100 backstroke and teamed with Kaitlyn Vo, Christine Bui and Purbaaz Chahal to earn 11th in the 200 medley relay, while Malini Mulford placed 11th in the 500 free.
Wrestling
After missing the cut for the state tournament by one win during his freshman and sophomore seasons, Plano East incoming senior Bilal Habib earned fifth place at 106 pounds at the Class 6A state tournament at the Berry Center in Cypress.
Habib finished his junior season with a 30-5 record and won both the District 6-6A and Region II-6A titles at 106 pounds.
Cameron Tran (113 pounds), Ian Garcia (165), Andy Santamaria (190), Jacob Caranfa (138) and Daniel Hartai (150) also qualified for the regional tournament.
On the girls’ side, Jessica Mathew won the district tournament title at 155 pounds. Natahlia Iztep took third at 115 pounds and Sania Kasturi captured fourth place at 125.
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By David Wolman
Dasan Harris and the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team have already knocked off No. 2 seeded Georgia Tech and No. 15 Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
Harris and the unseeded Sooners will look to continue their postseason magic in the NCAA World Series. Oklahoma draws No. 7 Alabama in the opening round at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 13 from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The Sooners are making their 12th all-time appearance in the World Series and second appearance in five years.
Oklahoma advanced to the World Series after crushing Kansas 13-2 Monday in Game 2 of the Super Regional in Lawrence, Kansas.
With the score tied 1-1 in the second inning, a six-run bottom half of the second fueled the Sooners’ offense and turned what was a close game into a rout. Harris, a 2023 graduate of Plano East, broke the deadlock with an RBI single through the left side of the field. Harris later punctuated OU’s dominant efforts with a two-run home run in the sixth inning for a commanding 12-1 lead.
Harris delivered in clutch situations at the plate for the 38-22 Sooners throughout the Super Regional.
In OU’s 8-1 Game 1 win on Saturday, June 6, Harris plated the game’s first run with a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning. Harris finished the series with three hits and four RBIs. The Sooners’ next six runs came courtesy of three home runs. Brendan Brock increased OU’s lead to 8-0 with an RBI single in the seventh.
Harris has driven in 10 runs during the NCAA Tournament and has 23 RBIs this season.
Oklahoma rallied from deficits of 8-2 and 7-2 to stun Georgia Tech 15-8 and 8-7 (10 innings) in the final two games of the Atlanta Regional. In the June 1 winner-take-all game, Harris lined an RBI single into center field to give the Sooners a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Tech rallied with seven unanswered runs to take a 7-3 lead in the top of the sixth.
However, OU refused to see its season end. The Sooners rallied with three runs in the seventh before tying the score at 7-7 on Jaxon Willits’ RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Dayton Tockey capped off the wild comeback with a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th.
Harris has appeared in 55 games for Oklahoma during his junior year, making 31 starts. The Plano native has an impressive .362 average and .986 OPS with four homers and 23 RBIs. He’s also a weapon on the basepaths for the Soooners, as he is third on the team with 18 stolen bases. At Plano East, Harris was an All-District and All-State talent.
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By David Wolman
Plano East has made the decision to hire from within in its search for its next head boys basketball coach.
Michael Godwin, the lead varsity assistant during the last four seasons, has been promoted to head coach – a decision that was announced on the X account of Plano East athletics director Tony Benedetto on Saturday night.
Godwin takes over for Matt Wester, who announced his resignation on May 5 and was hired to the positions of JV boys basketball coach and varsity assistant for the Lake Highlands Wildcats.
Wester spent 15 years with Plano East. He joined the program as an assistant coach in 2012 and was promoted to head coach six years later. He turned around a struggling program that finished with just five wins in the year prior to him being promoted to head coach.
Godwin has been on the sideline for the most dominant run in Plano East history. The Panthers went 105-20 over the last four seasons, including a perfect 40-0 record and the team’s first-ever state championship in 2024. This past season, Plano East finished 27-8 and clinched a share of the District 6-6A championship.
Godwin has worked his way up the coaching ladder in Plano over the last decade. He guided the Otto Bobcats from 2014-18, winning a city championship in 2018, then was promoted to Plano East and served as the junior varsity coach from 2018-23.
Prior to his time at Plano East, Godwin worked as an assistant coach at Parish Episcopal School and was the head coach at North Dame Catholic High School in Wichita Falls.
As a player, Godwin was a four-year varsity letterwinner and a first-team, all-district selection at Rockwall High School. He went on to play at Midwestern State University and was a three-time Lone Star Conference champion.
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By David Wolman
For the second straight summer, Plano East incoming junior guard Arianna Robinson will compete for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.
After a four-day tryout in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Robinson earned a selection on the U17 National Team on May 24. The 12-member team selected from 46 trials participants, was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Development National Team Committee and will reconvene for training camp in Colorado Springs in early July. The team will then travel to Brno, Czechia, for the 2026 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup, July 11-19.
Last year, Robinson helped lead the U16 National Team to gold in the 2025 FIBA U16 AmeriCup. Robinson played a significant role in the United States’ domination. She averaged 9.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.7 steals in six games played.
The blue chip recruit has also been a dominant force ever since she first stepped onto the court for Plano East.
Robinson averaged 23 points and seven rebounds per game during the Lady Panthers’ historic run to their first-ever appearance in the state semifinals as a freshman, and she built on that success as a sophomore.
The 5-star recruit poured in a whopping 26.4 points as a sophomore, as Robinson helped lead Plano East to an undefeated district title, in addition to scoring a team record 40 points in a win against Prosper Rock Hill while also becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer.
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By David Wolman
Baseball and softball coaches in District 6-6A recently cast their votes for the all-district team, and a total of 14 players from Plano East were honored on that prestigious list, seven from the Lady Panthers softball team.
One of the youngest players for the Plano East softball team, freshman catcher/infielder Emerson Bailey, was tabbed the district’s 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 total chances for a .938 fielding percentage and was credited with 57 putouts and 19 assists.
Junior infielder Kayleigh Miller, sophomore shortstop/outfielder Chloe Lee and senior pitcher/infielder Savannah Leonard were placed on the second team. Junior right fielder Avery Hopper, junior center fielder Julia Wilson and junior utility La’Courtnia Butler were chosen to the honorable-mention team.
Miller hit a career-best .323 with 20 hits, 15 RBIs, seven doubles and one home run while fielding at a .903 rate. Lee batted .333 with 20 hits, 20 runs, 15 stolen bases and seven RBIs. Leonard had a .333 batting average with 22 hits, 20 RBIs, six doubles and one home run while striking out 74 in 94 innings.
Hopper drove in 10 runs and scored 17 runs. Wilson finished with a .314 batting average with 11 RBIs, six doubles, three triples and was second on the team in stolen bases with 10. Butler scored 12 runs and collected 12 hits with seven RBIs in her first full season playing varsity softball for the Lady Panthers.
In addition to their dedication and hard work on the field, Bailey, Hopper, Lee, Leonard, Miller, Aisha Nawaz, Audrey Hopper, Ella Anderson, Gina Martin, Jayla Taggart and manager Jade Coleman were rewarded for their efforts in the classroom as they were named to the academic all-district team.
The Plano East baseball team had seven players earn their way on the all-district team.
Senior outfielder Landon Weeks was a unanimous selection on the all-6-6A first team. Senior Landon Leedy, sophomore Ben Stultz and junior Kellan McWhinnie were placed on the second team at pitcher. Junior outfielder Xavien Salas cracked the second team in the outfield. Junior left-handed pitcher Diego Moran, junior right-handed pitcher/outfielder Colt Wisniowski and senior shortstop Tristan Parker were selected to the honorable-mention team.
Weeks capped off a standout high school career by finishing second on the Panthers in batting average (.354), in addition to 20 runs, 10 RBIs and 11 walks. Parker led Plano East in batting average (.372), hits (35), RBIs (22) and runs (23).
Salas drove in eight runs, scored seven runs and finished with a .255 batting average.
Pitching was also a strength for Plano East.
Leedy finished 4-3 and surrendered 22 earned runs in 42.1 innings and had a 3.63 earned-run average.
McWhinnie was on the mound for a team-high 55 1/3 innings, struck out 52 in 55 1/3 innings and surrendered just 16 earned runs.
Stultz struck out 22 in 16.2 innings against 13 hits and 10 earned runs.
Moran went 2-3 and allowed 14 earned runs in 23.1 innings with 22 strikeouts. Wisniowski also had a strong season on the mound, allowing 10 earned runs in 27.1 innings with 15 strikeouts.
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By David Wolman
Plano East had two runners compete at the Class 6A state meet in Austin last Saturday.
Senior Caitlyn Tran placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a wind-aided time of 13.90. Senior Malachi Terry took eighth in the boys 200-meter dash with a 21.05.
Tran finished her senior season as the area 5-6A/6-6A champion, qualified for state after taking second in the regional meet and broke the school record in the high hurdles three different times.
Terry broke the school record twice in the 200 and qualified for state after placing second at the Region I-6A meet with a time of 21.06.
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By David Wolman
Thirteen seniors at Plano East High School signed a National Letter of Intent with their respective college of choice during a ceremony that was held in Archie McAfee Gymnasium on Wednesday, May 13.
Sarah Romero will compete in cheerleading at Navarro College.
Romero brings a championship resume to Navarro. She was named an NCA All-American cheerleader, a Cheersport champion, an NCA All-Star champion and two-time ACC national champion. In February, Romero helped the Lady Panthers to bring home wins in four divisions at the ACC National Championship in Orlando, Florida.
Navarro has won the NCA National Championship 17 times and this year achieved its first-ever NCA National Championship with a final score of 91.0.
Carter Cox signed with Texas Wesleyan for men’s golf. As a senior, Cox won two tournaments – the 2026 Gopher Spring Classic at Prairie Lakes with a 73 and the Lewisville High School Spring Classic at Prairie Lakes with a 69 – took second at the Lewisville Fall Fighting Farmer Tournament at Indian Creek Golf Course and was fourth at the Fall District Preview with a 75.
Head boys basketball coach Matt Wester spoke highly of the three signees from his team: Jayden Parker (University of Texas at Arlington), Keagan Ho (MidAmerica Nazarene University) and Moustafa Abualneel (Wayland Baptist University).
Parker has been the team’s starting point guard each of the last two seasons, helping lead Plano East to a 52-14 record over that span of play, including a District 6-6A championship this year. He was named the district’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.
Two of the first things that came to Wester’s mind about Ho were, one, he was a great shooter and, two, takes a lot of charges.
Abualneel leaves Plano East as a winner. The Panthers won 92 games over the last three years with Abualneel playing power forward and helped lead his middle-school team to the city title when he was in the eighth grade.
Another forward for Plano East, Madeline Bankhead, will continue her basketball journey at Judson University.
Bankhead helped lead the Lady Panthers to their first-ever state semifinals appearance during her junior season and to an undefeated district title as a senior. She earned a selection on the all-6-6A second team as a senior and won the co-Defensive Player of the Year team award.
Jaxsen Harris and John Paul will continue their playing football careers at Midland University.
Harris, a two-year starter on the Panthers’ offensive line, allowed zero sacks over 10 games as well as helping Plano East to rush for more than 2,000 yards. Paul, a defensive end, posted 36 tackles, was second on the team in tackles for loss (6) and first in sacks (4) as a senior.
Emma Martinez, a two-sport standout in volleyball and track and field, will compete in college for Southern New Hampshire University. Plano East head girls track and field coach Robert Reed spoke highly of Martinez’s leadership. Martinez is a member of the team’s Student-Athlete Leadership Program.
Martinez is one of three signees in track and field.
Caitlyn Tran will run the hurdles for Southern Methodist University, while Milton Davis signed with Dallas Baptist University.
Tran broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles three times and last weekend competed in the Class 6A state meet. Boys coach Jonathan Bannister spoke highly of Davis’s determination to battle through adversity.
Mari Sias helped to change the trajectory of the Lady Panthers volleyball team, whose rise was culminated with an appearance in the regional final last fall. Sias, an outside hitter, will carry over her winning pedigree to Southern Connecticut State University. She was second on the Lady Panthers in kills as a senior.
Outfielder Landon Weeks will continue his baseball career at Arkansas State University Three Rivers. Weeks, who was recently named a unanimous selection on the all-district first team at outfielder, hit .360 as a senior.
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By David Wolman
When a brief rain shower rolled through Tom Kimbrough Stadium during the fourth quarter of Plano East’s annual gold-black scrimmage Friday night, senior quarterback Josh Gordon welcomed the challenge.
The wet conditions did little to slow Gordon down.
Throughout the varsity portion of the scrimmage, Gordon displayed poise and maturity in the pocket. He escaped pressure multiple times, avoided negative plays by throwing the ball away when necessary and showcased his arm strength with several explosive completions, including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Seldon on a fade route.
“He’s stepped up and is a really good leader,” Plano East head coach Tony Benedetto said. “He’s played well and is not worried about making mistakes and having fun. He’s one of the best athletes in our school. He’s the only kid that does football and basketball at a varsity level. You’ll get to see the athleticism.”
Friday’s scrimmage marked the culmination of spring football for Plano East. The scrimmage featured two halves, with the junior varsity playing in the first half and varsity playing in the second half. A tug-of-war, 7-on-7 football game and other activities highlighted the festivities.
Plano East also received solid quarterback play from junior Kade Slaughter. Moments after the gold team took a 10-0 lead, Slaughter directed the black team on an impressive scoring drive. Sophomore Noah Pittman hauled in a pass from Slaughter and sprinted down the sideline for a touchdown that trimmed the deficit to 10-7.
Depth at wide receiver should be a strength for the Panthers.
“I think this will be the best receiving groups that we’ve had in a while,” Benedetto said. “We have some height now. Tyson Seldon and Colt Shannon are taller receivers. Cody Warner, Kariem Pittman and Braeden Quach are good slot receivers. We have some good weapons this year.”
Special teams also stood out during the scrimmage.
Sophomore Dez Nguyen booted punts of 50 and 51 yards during the junior varsity session, with the latter rolling out of bounds at the 5-yard line. Sophomore Nahuel Moreno drilled a 44-yard field goal and consistently produced deep kickoffs.
The varsity kickers continued the momentum. Junior Arad Teflanab connected on a booming 56-yard field goal, while senior Logan Watkins added a 36-yarder on the final play of the scrimmage.
“There’s six of them competing,” Benedetto said. “We’re charting it down in practice and trying to decide based on numbers. They’re all good. We may see a rotation, so they have some sort of opportunity.”
The gold team ultimately claimed a 20-7 victory.
Plano East also generated several explosive plays in the return game. Sophomore Treyce Seldon had a lengthy kickoff return that helped set up a touchdown, while junior Caleb Harris produced a 38-yard punt return during the junior varsity scrimmage.
Defensively, the Panthers showed flashes of dominance throughout the evening.
Sophomore Saul Duelos recorded a tackle for loss on the opening drive after strong penetration by the defensive line. Sophomore Deon Davis later broke up a pass over the middle, and sophomore Oscar Cigorroa intercepted a pass at the goal line on the final play of the JV scrimmage.
Three-star recruit Javon Rogers made an immediate impact during the varsity session, blowing up a play on the opening snap before coaches limited his reps.
“Defense was good,” Benedetto said. “They’ve been hard to go against all spring. We had to hold Javon (Rogers) out after a play or two because we couldn’t block him.”
The Panthers are hopeful to bounce back from a 2-8 season.
Benedetto has been pleased with what he’s seen from his team.
“This group loves football,” Benedetto said. “Whether they’re more talented than last year or not, they want to learn and get better, which is good.”
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By David Wolman
Plano East has a rich tradition in track and field.
Last weekend, the Panthers added to their lengthy postseason success.
Senior Caitlyn Tran qualified for the Class 6A state meet in the girls 100-meter hurdles and senior Malachi Terry also is bound for Austin in the boys 200-meter dash.
Last week was a big week for Tran in more than one way. On Friday, Tran announced her verbal commitment to compete in track and field for Southern Methodist University. A day later, Tran finished second in the high hurdles at the Region I-6A meet in Arlington with a time of 13.94 seconds.
Meanwhile, Terry ran a 21.1 in last Friday’s preliminaries and improved on that time during Saturday’s final, where he finished in 21.06, good for second place and a state qualification. Earlier in the day, Terry placed fourth in the 100.
Plano East’s girls 4×100 of Lauryn Bowen, Liana Wright, Ce’Nyiah Brown and Simone Heard qualified for the finals and went into the finals ranked sixth. Heard was unable to compete in the final because of a previous commitment for her club volleyball team. Senior Kosi Ngadi stepped in to run in the finals and the Lady Panthers placed third to earn bronze. Plano East was a provisional state qualifier, but their time wasn’t the fastest time of any third-place team in any of the four regions.
Wright also took sixth in the girls 100-meter dash.
Kourtney Houston captured sixth place in the shot put and 10th in the discus.
Maya Shariff placed 10th in the 800 to cap off her senior season.
Naomi Williams took 11th in the long jump.
Plano East’s 4×200 relay of Bowen, Ngadi, Brown and Sophia Sawyerr finished in 11th place.
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By David Wolman
Two years after helping lead the Plano East boys basketball team to a 40-0 season and the first state championship in school history, Matt Wester announced May 5 that he is leaving the program to become a varsity assistant and head JV coach at Lake Highlands High School.
Wester formally submitted his resignation to the Plano Independent School District one week ago.
He cited family reasons for his departure.
Wester moved his family near Lake Highlands 20 years ago, and with one son competing in basketball and a daughter set to be a freshman later this year, he said the timing made sense to step away from Plano East, coach his son and be on the same campus as his daughter.
“It was a family decision,” Wester said. “When the opportunity opened up, I felt like I had to pray about it. I am really proud of what we have done at Plano East, but also content with what we have accomplished. With only a couple of more years with the kids in the house, it felt like a great opportunity to coach them. It was an easy decision, but it was hard to execute.”
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