Bel Air varsity athletics had a very successful year.

In male team sports, basketball, soccer and football all made it to playoffs after having a positive season in their respective districts. In female team sports, softball, basketball, and soccer also made it to playoffs.

The boys varsity basketball team finished the year 32-1 and brought home the district, bi-district, and area championships. The Highlanders finished the regular season undefeated.  Accompanied by all their success as a team, a few players distinguished themselves earning individual honors. Two players were awarded first team all-city honors. The two recipients were Josh Gallegos and Jordan Enriquez. Jeremy Rios, Isaiah Aguilera were awarded all-district for their year-long success.

The team is returning only five players from this years team. For three out of the five players on that team, it’s going to be their third year playing varsity. The team should not lack experience.

On the girls side of basketball the Lady Highlanders also had a good season. They finished the year 24-7 and 12-2 in district. They beat Jefferson High School to clinch their fourth straight bi-district championship. They were eliminated in the playoffs the following round to the eventual state champion, Canyon High School.

They are returning only four players, but for two out of the four, it’s will be their third year playing varsity. They are also getting a good group of JV girls who only lost one game.

In soccer, both the boys and the girls teams made it to playoffs as well. On the boys side, the team finished the year 18-7-1 and a district record of 10-3. They were crowned district, bi-district and area champs. They also qualified for sweet 16 and were elite 8 runner up.

They are returning six players who also have varsity experience.

On the girls side they finished 16-6 and 11-3 in district.

In softball, the team also had a successful season. They finished the year 24-11-2 and 10-3-1 in district play. They clinched the bi-district championship beating Canutillo High School 2 games to 1 in a best of 3 series. They lost in the following round to Canyon high school 2 games to 1 in a best of 3 series.

Next year won’t be any different from this year. The softball team is returning 10 players that got a lot of varsity experience this year.

In football, the team made an unforgettable accomplishment by making it to playoffs for the first time in 17 years. They finished the year 4-6 and with a district record of 4-3. They ended the year on a three-game win streak and beat Parkland High School in the final game to punch their ticket to the 2014-2015 Texas State Playoffs. They lost in the bi-district round to the Andress Eagles 42-14.

This upcoming year has to be the one for Highlander football. The team is returning 25 varsity players. Fifteen out of those 25 are starters. Also, five of those players who are going to be seniors have been on varsity since their sophomore year.

Next year should be even better. The reason for this is because of the class of 2016. In every sport there has been at least one player playing since their sophomore year. Class of 2016 has lots of varsity experience and they have been successful. Next year shouldn’t be any different.

By Samuel Workman