Hunched down in an active stance during a scrimmage earlier this spring at McLane Stadium, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda wasn’t shy to say how he really felt about a drill the linebackers had just run.

“Frick.”

Only he didn’t say Frick, but rather a common refrain that also starts with F and rhymes with “truck” that is uttered when something goes wrong on a football field.

For Aranda, the stoic and philosophical fourth-year coach of the Bears, to have such an outburst in a setting unprotected by locker room walls or a headset on the sidelines, represents a clear shift.

Of all the traits that make Gyasi Zardes one of the all-time forwards in MLS history, one of the most important is his perseverance.

Things haven’t always come easy for the 31-year-old striker, especially over the first two and a half months of his career with Austin FC, but he never lost faith in his teammates or, more importantly, himself.

“No matter what’s going on, I’m always looking to keep pushing through, and I think that’s helped me throughout my career,” Zardes said.

Atlee Olofson wasn’t going to let any of her Westwood teammates be overwhelmed by the sadness of a season coming to an end.

As soon as the final whistle sounded after a 4-0 loss to Lewisville Marcus in the Class 6A girls’ semifinal Friday at Birkelbach Field, she immediately encouraged her teammates to pick their heads up.

Rodney Terry has had many titles in his most recent stint with Texas, but how he coaches hasn’t changed.

The 55-year-old joined the program as an Associate Head Coach in 2021, was named Acting Head Coach last December and was later named Interim Head Coach in January, a position he held for the rest of the season.

Finally, after leading the Longhorns to a Big 12 Tournament title and Elite Eight appearance, he was named the 26th Head Coach at Texas on Monday.

“I’ve prepared my whole life for this opportunity,” Terry said.

It took less than two years for Audrey Onyeonwu to get addicted to wrestling.

The McNeil senior took up the suggestion of a friend to come by practice before her junior year started, and in her first two seasons of high school wrestling, she has two state appearances and a silver medal in the 152-pound class at this year’s UIL Wrestling Championships.

“The first year, I didn’t know how the sport worked,” Onyeonwu said.

When things got tight for Vandegrift on Saturday, the Vipers leaned on the one group they knew would never let them down: Each other.

“We have this rule: players trust players, players trust coaches, coaches trust players and coaches trust coaches,” junior wide receiver Miles Coleman said. “We always follow that and trust each other.”

Kayla Caffey might be the only Texas volleyball player without a name on the back of her jersey, but that doesn’t mean she’s less important.

It’s quite the opposite, really.

Westwood junior Simryn Jacob wasn’t afraid to let out a thunderous yell after every point she won on Thursday night.

The last one, however, had a little extra passion, and it unleashed a mob of burnt orange and white.

Jacob’s match was the clincher as Westwood dominated Houston Memorial 10-0 in the finals of the UIL State Team Tennis tournament on Thursday to win the state team tennis title for the third time in five seasons.

Emma Regan might not be the flashiest on the Texas soccer roster, but there might not be a more important player to the Longhorns’ success.

The fifth-year senior, who has led the team in minutes played over the last two seasons and made her 61st consecutive start, scored her first career goal from the run of play on Sunday, helping Texas beat Florida 3-2 at Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

“I don’t need to be flashy,” Regan said. “At the end of the day, I just want to win games.”

One thing stands out the first time you see the Vandegrift offensive line together.

“We’re all massive human beings, that’s pretty obvious,” junior right tackle Blake Frazier said.

The nearly impenetrable front for the Vipers starts with 320-pound Ian Reed at left tackle and continues with left guard Sam Perry, center Gage Garrison, right guard Ryan Jeffries and Frazier.

Every starter is at least six feet tall, and they total nearly 1,500 pounds as a unit.

When Kayla Lopez first put on the No. 2 jersey for Rouse volleyball two seasons ago, she felt a responsibility to continue the legacy of success.

The tradition of dominant outside hitters wearing No. 2 started in 2015 when élan McCall wore the jersey, Grayson Schirpik put it on beginning in 2018 and Lopez took over as the ceremonial role in 2020.

“I’m my own player, but I want to be able to help the team out just as much as they did,” Lopez said.

When Cole Ragans took the mound for the High-A Hickory Crawdads on May 5, 2021, it had been more than 1,300 days since he last threw a pitch in a competitive baseball game.

The right-handed pitcher saw his 2018 season end early when he had Tommy John surgery. He needed a second Tommy John operation that ended his 2019 campaign before it started, and the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His first pitch back after three lost seasons landed behind the right-field wall.

“I was just on the mound watching it, and I was just like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” he said.

Jared Southard turned around his season thanks in part to a frost blue Gatorade.

Not long after Rouse, his high school team, was eliminated from the playoffs in early May, the Texas relief pitcher went back to talk with the team he had a hand in making a perennial power.

Instead of talking about any struggles he might be having with the Longhorns, they gave him blue Gatorade that seemly had supernatural powers and asked if he’d keep coming back.

“I was having a tough time mentally with some things,” Southard said. “I went back and saw the kids there. They kind of gave me some hope. Just seeing those kids kind of look up to me, that’s kind of what changed.

“I only drink blue Gatorade now.”

Between barbecues, dancing and scoring goals, Maxi Urruti has boosted the good vibes for Austin FC this season.

Since joining the Verde & Black in the offseason, the striker has been ever-present in the starting lineup. He had his best game with the club on Saturday night, scoring two goals to help Austin FC down the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 at Q2 Stadium.

“We had a good locker room last year even if results weren’t going our way,” goalkeeper Brad Stuver said. “Adding pieces like Maxi and bringing in that lightheartedness and fun-ness can really turn everyone’s mentality into something different. It’s infectious.”

Gisella Maul wanted to get the full recruiting experience instead of quickly committing to her hometown dream school from the jump.

But the ability to play high-level college basketball close to family and friends proved too difficult to pass up.

Maul, the 2021-22 Gatorade Texas Girls Basketball Player of the Year who helped the Timberwolves win back-to-back state championships, committed to play for Texas on Monday morning.

“I really feel likes saying close to home and going to Texas is a perfect move for me,” Maul said.

Diego Fagundez is the Energizer Bunny of Austin FC.

The tireless midfielder went the full 90 minutes against D.C. United last Saturday, played 120 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup loss to San Antonio FC on Wednesday night and played 79 minutes in Saturday’s home win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

“I was in the game, and I was telling myself, ‘just one more play,’” Fagundez said on Wednesday. “I was trying to recover my legs to keep going at them. Towards the end, my legs were just giving up. It’s tough.”

Danny Hoesen could’ve given up after injuries derailed his first season with Austin FC. Instead, he doubled down with his commitment, and now, he's seeing his hard work pay off.

The Dutch striker scored his first goal in Verde & Black on Saturday, helping Austin FC overcome a two-goal deficit and come back for a 3-2 win at D.C. United, the first road win for the club in nearly a year.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Hoesen said. “It’s been a long, tough year for me. That everything comes together tonight, that’s pretty special.”

Greg Brown III is either playing basketball or dancing. Many times, he’s doing both at the same time.

From the weight room at Vandegrift High School to center court at the AT&T Center in San Antonio after making his third straight start for the Portland Trail Blazers, the spirits are always high when Brown is around.

“Whatever we were doing, if Greg wasn’t in the act of playing basketball, he was dancing,” Vandegrift head coach Cliff Ellis said. “That’s just his personality, he’s got a positive energy all the time.”

Scottie Scheffler used to wear long pants to practice at his local club growing up because he dreamed of being a professional golfer.

Right now, there’s nobody better.

The former Texas golf standout won the WGC-Dell Match Play Sunday with a 3&4 win over Kevin Kisner to move into the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career.

“I never really got that far in my dreams,” Scheffler said as he did his best to hold back tears. “I never made it that far. I just love playing golf. I love competing. I'm just happy to be out here.”

Megan Woods is content to find a spot on the beach on a sunny day and get lost in a good book.

But the Cedar Park senior will also spike a volleyball in your face, rip a rebound from your hands or beat you in a 400-yard footrace, and she’ll do it with a smile on her face.

At a time when many high school athletes dream of continuing their athletic careers in college, Woods is unique. An all-district honoree on the volleyball and basketball courts, and a regional finalist in track, Woods prefers to live in the moment.

“I want to simply be happy,” she said.