Texas High School Spotlight - O'Connor Panthers

Now that the high school season is well underway, we are starting our series of articles on those teams who have been lighting up the stat sheets and scoreboards.  We will be highlighting a few teams that have a chance to do something very special this year if it all works out.  Today we bring our attention to the O'Connor Panthers out of District 29-6A.   The Lady Panthers are currently 30-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in district so far on the young season.  These young ladies are no strangers to winning their district as they went undefeated in district last season.  They lost in the fourth round of the playoffs after having so much promise to challenge for the crown.  Although they did lose three seniors who played a huge part in last season's success, they bring back a wealth of experienced players who still have that taste of defeat in their mouths and are hungry for revenge.  This team is as complete as they come around the entire roster and truly play together as a team.  We have written about some of these players before and here is a little from our recent articles about them if you need to remember who they are:   [player_tooltip player_id='122893' first='Jenna' last='Garza'] [2023] 5-6 Setter (HS: O'Connor/Club: Alamo/ Verbal: Rollins College)   Jenna is currently ranked as the 70th best prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings.  She plays for O'Connor high school and also for the famed Alamo volleyball club.  I have written about her multiple times over the past couple of years and she still amazes me when I watch her run an offense.  While she might not be the biggest setter on the court, this young lady is afraid of nothing and plays very big in every aspect of the game.  She is tenacious on defense out of the right back zone and doesn't let a lot fall near her zone.  She is no stranger to success with how she led her team last year to how she has been on a monster club team for the last couple of years.  She runs a six-two offense and moves the ball around to a lot of hitters very easily.  Her understanding of the offensive system is why this team is so dangerous.  They have a multitude of weapons who are very efficient in scoring due the way Miss Garza distributes the rock.  If they go far, she should be the MVP of the run in my humble opinion.    Kelli Fording [2024] 5-9 Outside (HS: O'Connor/Club: [program_tooltip program_id='431254' first='San' last='Antonio Juniors']/Verbal: St. Edward's University)   Kelli is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but is on our watch list with how she is scoring this season.  She is a wonderful six-rotation pin hitter from O'Connor High School and she also plays for the up and coming [program_tooltip program_id='431254' first='San' last='Antonio Juniors'] volleyball program.  Miss Fording is scoring at a very impressive clip of .308 so far and is leading the team in kills.  I watched her this past club season and she had some explosive matches where she was scoring at will.  She hasn't stopped since the high school season has started and that bodes very well for this team who is hungry to repeat as district champs.  She is committed to St. Edward's University and should provide a lot of explosiveness to their squad in a few years.  Meanwhile we get to cheer her on as she dominates the high school scene on the pins.    Anabella Guevara [2023] 5-10 Outside (HS: O'Connor/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)   Bella is currently an unranked prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings.  Miss Guevara plays on the pins for O'Connor High School and also plays club for the Alamo volleyball program.  She is second on the team in kills and also ranks super high on the digs chart as well.  She can literally do it all on the court.  Her ball control is very similar to a libero as she is under complete control in the back row whether in serve receive or while digging.  Offensively she already has 162 kills and adds so much versatility to the way the Panthers can score from every location.  She is the glue that this team needs to go all the way this year with the way she can pass nails to her setters.  Bella is a stud for the Panthers and will help them go really far this year. She is a big reason why they are so dangerous this season.    Other notable players for this awesome team are junior libero [player_tooltip player_id='197081' first='Carly' last='Chavez'] who is as dynamic in the back row as they come.  She has a nose for the ball and flies all around the court to make sure her team stays in the rally.  Junior middle Naveah Smith leads the team in hitting efficiency and also in blocks.  Her defense is something that the Panthers really need once they get to the playoffs.  Junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='124137' first='Laney' last='Blake'] also helps run this stellar offense in a 6-2 system.  She has been pivotal to help stay competitive in every match.  This team definitely has what it takes to come out of their region on the road to the UIL State Title.    Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.  If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:nov8vb@yahoo.com">nov8vb@yahoo.com</a>.  Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.  Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.  Thanks for following Texas Family!

Now that the high school season is well underway, we are starting our series of articles on those teams who have been lighting up the stat sheets and scoreboards. We will be highlighting a few teams that have a chance to do something very special this year if it all works out. Today we bring our attention to the O'Connor Panthers out of District 29-6A.