Meet Your Raider Athletes

There are so many amazing athletes in Rangeview that we didn’t know about. Last year due to covid-19 we weren’t able to attend any of the games and meet any of our new or returning athletes. They do so much inside and outside of school. Every raider has their own story and here goes a few about our Rangeview athletes.

Boys Basketball
In the interview with Varsity player Elijah Thomas , we got a better understanding of who he is and why he plays the way he does. “My dad motivates me because he pushed me so hard to be great and always try my hardest and now it is time for me to return the favor and make him proud,” said Thomas.
Elijah begins his third season on the varsity team this year and knows he has grown so much as a person. Outside of basketball, he enjoys fishing, something he was able to do during the summer at least once a week.
This year, Thomas is a senior and has so many goals he set for himself and plans to accomplish. “I want to win the championship and get a ring. I want to do this with all my family and teammates supporting me throughout this journey,” he said.
Elijah has set high goals for himself to achieve by the end of this year and believes that he can do it. In the next few years he sees himself in the NBA working harder than ever. He plans on going to a D1 college on a sports scholarship.
“I will continue to put in hard work and stay focused on and off the court,” said Thomas. What he most enjoys about basketball outside of just getting buckets is working hard and cooperating with his whole team.

Girls Basketball
Daijah Wakins is going on her 3rd year on the Rangeview Raiders Girls Varsity Basketball Team. She has been playing since elementary school and is an overall team player. “The people around me push me to be great, and plus all the time I’ve put into this sport; I’ve been playing for way too long and there’s no way I’m going to just throw away what I love most,” Daijah states.
During Daijah’s 9th grade year, she had to make a decision of whether she loved basketball or volleyball. She wanted to put her main focus on one of the sports, which put her in a tough position . However, she eventually had to come to a conclusion that she wanted to focus on basketball more.
Watkins is an all around great athlete and is able to adjust to any situation. She feels she has more freedom when playing basketball. Off the court she enjoys spending time with family while being adventurous.
“In 5 years I see myself starting to build up stability and longevity in my career,” Daijah says. After high school she plans to get a scholarship, regardless of where to or what for.
Basketball helped Daijah build a family bond with her teammates who she now is able to call family. Overall, she is able to adapt to anything that life throws at her. This year, Daijah’s personal goal for this basketball season is making it to the final four with all her family and team’s support.

Boys Track
Last school year, Rangeview Raider Bryce McCutcheon, became 5A Boys 4×4 State Champions. During the interview with Byrce, I got a better understanding of why he pushes himself so much. During his freshman year at Rangeview Bryce didn’t plan on coming to run track.
“Every day I would walk into school the track coaches would always spot me out and ask me if I am running track. One day I was just over them asking so I decided to go to one of the practices. Ever since that practice I’ve fallen in love with running track,” he said.
When Bryce is not running track, he is either playing basketball, lifting, or working. Bryce has been working since he was about 16, and on top of that, he plays two sports and goes to school. Last year, Bryce and his teammates won the 4×4.
He plans to go to college for sports medicine. “I love sports and even if I don’t go to college on a sports scholarship I plan to go to college for sports medicine. This year Bryce plans to have another successful team and his team winning the EMACC Championship.

Girls Track
Zane Bullock is a junior at Rangeview High School. She is an overall athlete who runs track, plays volleyball, and basketball. Outside of school she enjoys braiding hair and shopping with her friends.
Zane has a lot on her plate and whenever she needs something, she hustles to get it. “When it comes to track I mostly enjoy winning and working with my teammates,” she says. Zane comprehends well and is able to adapt to everything that life has to throw at her. Zane runs track to keep her body right throughout the whole year.
With playing multiple sports she has to make sure that she is fit for it all. “In the next few years I see myself on an athletic scholarship while through the journey being successful,” Bullock states. With playing all these sports she has been getting multiple looks through them all. This year she has set a goal for herself and plans to overcome the high standards she set for herself. “This year I want to beat my own personal scores. I want to better myself while bettering everyone around me.”

Football
Olekan Odunoye loves football and enjoys the competition and the trash talk that comes with the sport before, during, and after the game. “The intensity between the two teams always has you on your toes and ready for everything,” he says. Outside of the football season Lekan enjoys doing his homework, sleeping and saving all his energy for the weekends, when he chills with his brother and friends.
Football is Lekans life and he puts all his time and effort into it. “I’ve been playing for about five years. And everyday I play, I fall more in love with it. The man above motivates me to play.” he says, “Without him I wouldn’t be playing. He has been with me when no one else was, he was there with me when no one believed in me and look where I’m at now.” Lekan has put in so much work on and off the field and is ready for his work to start paying off.
He wants his coaches to see that he deserves a starting spot and plans on getting it. He wants to prove to his coaches that he is better than what they see. This year Lekan and his team plans on getting a championship ring. In the next few years Lekan plans on playing college football and then eventually playing in the NFL. “I will be putting in extra hours in the weight room while also putting in extra hours on and off the field.” This year we hope to see Lekan on the field and at his best.

Volleyball
Isabella Garcia has been on Rangeview’s varsity team since her freshman year. We’ve watched her skill level improve every year as she accomplishes a higher step. “Volleyball is fun to me, it’s what I see myself going professional in and getting paid to play,” she says. Isabella is a great athlete and has a bright future.
“One of my teammates, Catherine Plummer, used to play club ball with her. She inspires me, she keeps me pushing and bettering myself on and off the court.” Outside of volleyball, she likes to work and color. She says, “I think it’s calming.”
Inside the sport she enjoys winning with her team and working hard. In the next few years Isabella plans on being in college. Her dream college she wants to get accepted into is UNC and plans to graduate from there with a degree in medicine while also playing volleyball. Though the volleyball season has already begun, by the end of this season she wants to accomplish two goals that she has set for not only herself but her teammates also. This year she plans to play as a team and fight hard for everything while they all work together.

Softball
Eva Lemus is on the Raiders varsity softball team. Outside of school she enjoys reading and writing but most of all, she enjoys sleeping. Eva loves the game of softball and fell in love with it due to her step dad. “My step dad makes me who I am. He has been playing baseball since he was a kid and his story every time I hear it is so inspiring to me.
Ever since I told him I want to be like him, he pushes me to be the best.” Everyday Eva pushes herself to be a better person on and off the court. “In 5 years i see myself successful and becoming a millionaire,” while doing all of this Eva also plans on being in school.
She plans on finishing up her senior year with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. “On the court I mostly enjoy teamwork. I love the fact that we work so well together and the chemistry we have built is unbreakable.” The raiders softball team fights all their hardest battles together as a team.

There are so many more Raider athletes that haven’t been introduced yet, so Raider fans we’ll need to catch them on the field, court, track, or elsewhere. We will meet some of our other Raiders later on in the year. These athletes do such great things and have such great futures. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.