The recent cold front that blew in has helped us forget about the extremely hot days that we endured just a few short weeks ago. So it is with sports. The season had its share of hard practices, challenges, and disappointments. Like the cooler weather, our spirits were lifted and players and coaches alike were refreshed by the growth and successes that showed forth at the end of the season.

On Tuesday, October 31, we honored those successes and recognized our student athletes. Click here to see all of our award recipients!

Go Dolphins!

Fall Season Team Recaps

Boys Volleyball

The boys volleyball program showed unbelievable growth and participation. This year, boys volleyball had three teams: 6th grade, JV, and Varsity. The teams were coached by Coach Johnson and Coach Begg. Coach Johnson was new to AOS and brought a tremendous level of knowledge and skill to the program.

The 6th grade and JV teams learned and challenged themselves to get better all season long. The 6th-grade boys had an impressive win over SFE during the regular season, winning 2-0. In the final game of the season against ROBS, the team played their best volleyball yet. They won for the second time, 2-0, and closed out the season with an exciting Spirit Game victory! The JV boys also had a dominant 2-0 victory over SFE. They competed and gave great effort in every game all season long.

The Varsity team, once again, was one of the top teams in the conference from start to finish. They ended the regular season with 6 wins and only 4 losses and had an overall record of 7-5. One highlight of the season was their dynamic 2-1 Spirit Game win over ROBS. Going into the HJPC Tournament, the third-ranked Dolphins had high hopes of a championship run. Those hopes were lifted more after a dominant quarterfinal win over SFE. During the semifinal game against Awty, the team started strong, winning the opening set. Unfortunately, the Awty Rams were an experienced and focused team. They did not lose their cool and battled back to take the match in 3 sets. Despite the results, the Varsity Boys had a tremendous season and made AOS proud.

Girls Volleyball

We thought our girls volleyball program was robust last season. We grew even stronger this year with 8 total teams: 6 Blue, 6 Gray, 6 White, JV Blue, JV Gray, JV White, Varsity Blue, and Varsity White. The teams were coached by Coach Austin and Coach Steph, along with new coaches to the program, Coach Addison and Coach Harrison.

Our 6th-grade girls had a solid, growth-filled year. The 6 Blue, 6 Gray, and 6 White teams finished the season with 3-4, 4-2, and 5-2 records respectively. 6 Blue had impressive wins over CHSM, FBA, and Duchesne. Each player on the team showed incredible improvement over the course of the season. 6 Gray had a thrilling win over St. Michael to go along with their 4 regular season wins. 6 White was impressive, winning over 70% of their total games, including 2 big wins at the EHS Tournament over SFE and Westbury.

JV girls volleyball showed steady and consistent improvements all season long. Whether the victory was on the scoreboard or in the satisfaction of knowing they gave their very best effort, day in and day out they gave it their all. JV Blue finished the season with an exclamation mark win over Duchesne, 2-0. JV Gray did the same, closing out the final game with a win over Emery Weiner. And last, but certainly not least, the JV White team had an unbelievable Spirit Game victory over Grace. One of the highlights of the JV White team was winning the EHS Tournament early in the season. 

Both Varsity teams had seasons to be proud of. Varsity White finished the year 5-7, but the final game of the season against Grace was a game to remember. Grace had defeated AOS earlier in the year; however, in the final game, the Gators of Grace faced a totally different opponent. The White team was focused, determined, and they were relentless, winning the Spirit Game 2-1. The Varsity White team also had a great chance to win the EHS Tournament. They started the tournament with victories over SFE and Presbyterian. The championship didn’t happen, as they lost their final game to Ft. Bend Christian. Even though they lost the championship of the tournament, they played with grit and represented AOS well. Just like the White team, Varsity Blue displayed the AOS Spirit all season long. Varsity Blue finished the season with 8 wins and only 3 losses. They entered the HJPC Tournament ranked as the number 3 seed. The Dolphins dominated SBS in the opening round of conference play. In the second round of the tournament, despite losing 0-2 to St. John’s, the score did not accurately reflect the effort, hustle, and determination with which the team played. It was an extremely close semifinal game, and Varsity Blue girls were impressive throughout the match. While there is always disappointment in losses, there is never regret in giving your best. The Varsity girls volleyball teams of AOS definitely did that all season.

Cross Country

AOS Cross Country, led by Coach Reeves and Coach Young, demonstrated from the start of the season to the end their consistency and focus to work as a team and improve. At many of the meets, they faced competition from much larger teams. Although this can be a disadvantage in cross country, our AOS runners didn’t let that stop them. The boys team, composed of 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade runners, finished over half their races in either second or third place. At every race, the runners steadily improved each time they stepped onto the course. The girls team, made up of only 7th- & 8th-grade runners, finished 5 of their races in the top 2. They were the top team in 2 of the races during the season. In the final meet, the HJPC Championship that took place at Burroughs Park, each runner set a personal record. It was a very good season and the cross country kids proved once again that the cross country team is one of the strongest at AOS.

Field Hockey

With outstanding leadership from Coach Shah, and new coach to the program, Coach Wright, the AOS Field Hockey teams once again played impressive hockey and finished the season as one of the top teams in the conference.

The JV team worked hard at practice each day and improved their skill drastically from the first game to the last. They closed out their 2-3-1 season with a 2-0 victory over Presbyterian. Another highlight of the year came when they defeated ROBS, 3-0. 

The Varsity Field Hockey team finished the regular season with only 1 loss. It was amazing to watch the skill and precision the Dolphins displayed in their passing, stickwork, and defensive dominance. The goalie play throughout the year was unbelievable. AOS was the 2nd seed going into the HJPC Tournament. In quarterfinal and semifinal games against Duchesne and St. Francis, AOS was unstoppable winning those games 9-0 and 5-0. The championship game was a rematch against Kinkaid, the only team that had beaten them all season. The Dolphins started the game strong, keeping the ball on their side of the field the majority of the time. Midway through, the ball found its way into the goal, putting Kinkaid up 1-0. The team did not hang their head but kept playing great defense and were persistent on offense. Later in the game, AOS found a way to hit an incredible shot past the Kinkaid goalie to tie up the game, which finished in regulation. In the 7v7, sudden victory, overtime, the play was back and forth. Despite their best efforts, Kinkaid found a way to score a goal and win the game. The Dolphins finished the season as HJPC Runner-ups, and we couldn’t be more proud of their character, effort, and successes of the season.

Football

Our football program showed growth this year with increased numbers in both the 6th grade and Varsity programs. Led by Coach Turely, and assisted by Coach Posoli, Coach Muschalik, and Coach Brooks, the football teams had it all together.

The 6th graders worked hard each morning to develop skill and technique to build a foundation for future success. The fruits of that work pleasantly came early as their team had two exciting wins. The 6th-grade team not only put points on the board, but their ability to tackle and play good defense grew dramatically from start to finish.

In football, having an undefeated season is extremely difficult. In the NFL, only one team has ever done it. I am not sure how many times it has happened in the HJPC, but I do know that our AOS Varsity Football team did it this year. The team, in dominating fashion, finished the year 6-0. Throughout the season, the Dolphins outscored their opponent 164-51. This is a testament to both their offensive and defensive play along with their hard work and dedication through grueling practices and film sessions. Highlights of the season include the team's impressive 24-0 win over Presbyterian School in the Battle of Main Street that was played this year at Rice Stadium, which was also the same venue where Super Bowl VIII was played. The Varsity Football team closed out the season with the team’s biggest accomplishment, the 2023 HJPC Division II Championship. Way to go Dolphins! AOS Yes!