Throughout the year, athletes have worked tirelessly for the sport they love. They gave it their all and fueled their team with passion and drive as they set goals.

The Rider Chronicle tallied a list of the top five highlights to show the dedication these athletes have put into their sports this year.

1)Girls soccer team nearly qualified for state: After winning district handily, the Lady Raiders won four playoff games to set up a regional final against Grapevine.

The Lady Raiders came up short in their bid for state, but finished with a 26-4-2 record. Goalie Allie Vasquez, defender Kendall Toliver and forward Jimena Rodriguez received all-state honors.

2)Football team had a great season: They faced many tough opponents this year in finishing with an 8-4 record. They had dramatic wins over Decatur and Lubbock Coronado, and even in the games they lost, they fought until the very last second. The season ended with a 7-0 loss against No. 1 Argyle.

3)Five powerlifters go to state: Girls powerlifting took all of its team members to regionals and four people to the state competition. The qualifiers were Kensley Almanza, Ashley Anderson, Taegan Correll and Emma Reitan. Boys powerlifting sent Kirk Finnell to state as well.

4)Baseball has strong playoff showing: After being in the hunt for a district title, the baseball team swept Everman and then battled tough against No. 1 Grapevine. The Raiders won a 6-5 thriller in Game 2 at Hoskins last Friday, but had their season end in Game 3.

5)Golf, tennis represent at regionals: The boys golf team advanced to regionals in a tough district and placed eighth in I-5A in Lubbock.  The tennis team sent five singles/doubles representatives to regionals in April with seniors Eleny Sandoval-Almuna and Kotomi Nishihara finishing fourth in girls doubles.