Spikes, touchdowns, aces, halftime shows – the fall is an exciting time for all sports fans as high school sports kick into gear after a long summer. Although Spartan fans may be packing the stands for the first time in months, their favorite athletes have taken no such break. Athletes participate in brutally challenging club sports in an effort to prepare for the school season and possibly get recruited for college.

“Club volleyball, I’d say, is definitely more concentrated,” senior Grace Lanier said. “There’s a lot more attention there for colleges to see you; they can come to games, tournaments, and qualifiers.”

Lanier, a leader on the Spartan volleyball team, plays for Houston Skyline during the off-season. Her particular squad, Skyline Royal, was ranked as a Top-25 team in the country and participated in numerous competitive tournaments nationwide.

“Two years ago when I played up with the 17s team, we went to Nationals and placed 5th in all of the US, and that was a really awesome experience,” Lanier said.

Club and travel sports represent an entirely different atmosphere than high school sports. Instead of stands full of crazed students, college scouts armed with clipboards analyze the players and their every move. Senior Lawson Moreno, who helped lead the Spartans baseball team to the playoffs last year, had his fair share of exposure over the summer.

“I played in a lot of invitational tournaments in Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida,” Moreno said. “You’re playing the best teams, and usually there are a lot of junior college coaches. You’ll see Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, or LSU every now and then, and it’s pretty cool to see. For summer ball, every single guy is trying to get recruited, but for high school ball, it’s competitive, but not as competitive.”

Performing well in front of coaches and against such high level competition is the best way to play at the next level, the dream for countless student-athletes. Moreno and Lanier’s prowess on the mound and the court, respectively, has resulted in them garnering the attention of numerous colleges. For Moreno in particular, his skill and effort landed him a commitment with Stephen F. Austin University. 

“I marketed myself, I started talking to more coaches, and I had people put in a word for me at SFA, and it made the [recruitment] process a lot easier,” Moreno said. “It was really stressful overall though.”

College recruitment isn’t the only purpose of the summer season, however. Instead, athletes like senior Piper Click competed on the international level at a chance for prestigious awards. This past summer, Click was selected to join the The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, a prestigious competitive band based out of Concord, California with a legacy of success on the international stage. Click was a member of a Blue Devils team that won their 20th Drum Corps International Championship. 

“[Blue Devils] are more like a high level performance, with older people. The age range is from 17 to 21, so of course its people with much more experience than just high school years,” Click said. “For the Blue Devils, we practiced every day, pretty much all day from 8 AM to 10 PM, and then for high school usually just like for three hours every other day after school, so it’s way less of a time commitment.”

Even though the nature of summer athletics makes them more competitive, district rivalries and fan support for high school sports creates an electric environment and is just as important to the players. 

“On both teams, I have a lot of really great friends,” Lanier said. “I like school because all of your friends from school that aren’t in volleyball can see you play.” 

The athletes have dazzled all summer for coaches, judges, and scouts. Now, it’s their time to shine under the Friday night lights.