The crowds roar on all sides of the gym. Students and parents alike are gathered together to watch the two rival teams battle it out on the court. The national anthem plays, the players are announced and the starting five from each team walk out onto the court. The ref holds up the ball and two players get ready to jump.

The boys basketball team recently kicked off their district season with a win. The team has an overall record of 13-7 and a district record of 2-1. The team played their third district game against Jacksonville last Friday coming out with a win and they have a game Friday against John Tyler.

“I really like how the team has started the year off,” head boys’ basketball coach Scott Albritton said. “The team seems to be playing together and with good chemistry. It is going to be a very competitive district season with any team able to win any game throughout district.”

The boys have been playing with heart and improving at each game.

“I think we’ve had a pretty successful season so far,” sophomore Kale Ridge said. “We’ve played some tough teams and come out with wins so I feel like it’s going pretty well.”

The district includes Jacksonville, Whitehouse, Corsicana, John Tyler, Nacogdoches and Lufkin. Lufkin is new to the district this year.

“The competition this year is stronger than last year because we added Lufkin to our district,” Albritton said. “They are really good team along with all the other teams in our district from last year. It is going to be a very competitive district season with any team able to win any game throughout district.”

Although the team consists of a variety of ages, the boys take the concept of a team to a whole new level.

“Its a brotherhood, honestly – we’re a family,” senior Dietrich Fry said. “We all love each other.”