Five Athletes to Watch This Winter, Part 2

As the winter high school sports season gets underway, these five athletes are primed to lead their teams to victory.

Pedro DeLao
DeLao's speed on the wrestling mat helped him to a 43-7 record during last year's winter wrestling season, and Coach Will Short hopes to see similar things from this young athlete in the coming months.

DeLao, a 2010-2011 state champion in the 119-pound weight class, has matured and grown into a leader on the wrestling team, Short said. He will likely wrestle in the 120-pound weight class this year.

"He’s got great character, and he’s a great team guy as well; he cares a lot about the team," Short said.

Taylor Floyd
Many successful gymnasts begin the sport at a young age. But Simley senior Taylor Floyd got a late start, picking up gymnastics her freshman year at Simley. 

That hasn't stopped Floyd, whose prodigal gymnastics talents make her an athlete to watch this winter, according to Coach Deana Walsh. Floyd is a powerful tumbler and a hard worker, but she's also the team's cheerleader—the one who is most likely to be cheering loudest for her teammates at meets, Walsh said.

"She came out for gymnastics and she’s never been a gymnast, and she’s just developed these talents," Walsh said. "She’s never ceased to amaze me that she’s so powerful and wants to learn. You can’t stop her; she just says 'I’m going to learn that,' and she does."

Alec Kandt
At the state swimming meet last season, Alec Kandt swam to three lifetime bests, two school records and a pair of second-place finishes in the 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard butterfly.

It's a hard performance to top, but Kandt, a junior this year, will have plenty of opportunities this season and next year. An all-around athlete, Kandt will be the boys swimming team's utility player this year—swimming in a number of different events, Coach Lynn Newton said. But his strongest performances will likely come in the breast stroke, butterfly and IM events, Newton said.

"I think he has eyes on other records. He’s only a junior, he’s got time," said Coach Lynn Newton. "He is an all-around athlete, he can swim anything."

Alexis Boyd-Lockett
Last year, Boyd-Lockett led the girls basketball team in points, scoring a total of 342 points throughout the season—for an average of 12.8 per game. Look for plenty of aggression from this Simley junior again this year, according to Coach Tim Peper.

Boyd-Lockett, who also had the second-highest number of assists on the team and led in steals last year, is a versatile, energetic and emotionally-involved player, Peper said. She received all-conference honors last year, and after picking up plenty of off-season experience, Peper believes she'll return to drive the team.

"This year, she's going to be like a little spark plug," Peper said.

Jessica Pate
When the Simley High School girls hockey team is down and needs a goal, Coach Ashley Albrecht looks to Jessica Pate—who is one of the strongest, most consistent players in the Spartans offense, Albrecht said.

Pate, a senior, is also a strong leader on the team, and many of the younger players look up to her, Albrecht said.

"She's just a good kid, and she's always smiling," Albrecht said. "I can't say enough good things about her."