Not many people envisioned Atascocita reaching the state tournament this year.

Atascocita’s Anthony Pagano, one of 16 juniors for the Eagles, was named the Region II-5A MVP.

Atascocita’s Michell Johnson is one of 16 juniors for the Eagles this season.

After losing 18 seniors to graduation a year ago, many people saw the Eagles as a fringe playoff team at best – now they’re two wins from a Class 5A state championship.

“The expectation level from outside sources wasn’t extremely high,” Atascocita coach Eric Matthews said. “We just stayed the course and we understood that just because we lost a group, that we can still compete and get better.”

Now the Eagles face their toughest challenge of the year as they travel to their first state tournament appearance in the school’s young history. Atascocita will face San Antonio Reagan in the Class 5A state semifinals at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock at 3 p.m. Friday. Read more…