The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
After a thrilling point, senior Katie Byergo and junior Elle Lanferseick high-five each other on Oct. 8. With teamwork and camaraderie, Byergo worked together in the game against Lafayette High School. “[Byergo’s] is really positive with a good spirit,” Lanferseick said. “I set her [the ball] and she hits it [or] gets the kill.”

Smashing records

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Editor-In-Chief • 5 days ago

Shoes squeaking and eyes scanning the court, senior Katie Byergo smashes the volleyball into the court. Byergo earned her 1,000th kill of her high school career on Oct. 6 against Parkway South High School.  Soon...

The varsity boys cross country team poses for a photo at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, Tenn. The Memphis Twilight Classic is the largest event the team attends. “[I enjoyed] hanging out with the team every day at practice,” Patten said. “I wanted to be the best I could for my team; I really wanted to help out.”

A race to remember

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Editor-In-Chief • September 4, 2025

With the crack of the gun, 300 runners embarked upon a 5K loop at the City Auto Memphis Twilight XC Classic on Aug. 30, 2025. One of these runners, and the winner of it all, was senior Wade Patten. Inspired...

Working hard and focusing on the game, juniors Katie Byergo, Leyton Usry, Annie Deckelbaum, Wade Patten and freshman Greyson Smith lock in on their sport. ¨I love home games because I can always feel the energy from the crowd,¨ junior Leyton Usry said.

Athletes to watch in the 2025-2026 season

Owen Ulmer, Staff Writer • May 21, 2025

Celebrating their landmark victory, the Parkway West Boys Hockey team gathers together on the ice. Over the course of the season, the team grew closer together while pursuing their final goal: winning the coveted Wickenheiser Cup. “[Winning the cup] was awesome. [As] a senior, it was super rewarding to end on a high note. It had to be the most memorable part of my career,” varsity hockey player and senior Hunter Beach said.

History on ice

Samir Shaik and Ruthvi Tadakamalla • March 5, 2025

On Feb. 28, Parkway West boys hockey became the Wickenheiser Cup champions for the first time in school history.  Playing against the Rockwood Summit hockey team in the Centene Community Ice Center, the...

Sitting courtside and observing the game, basketball coach Rich Rogers tries to help his team win in any way he can. Rogers has coached all levels of basketball at Parkway West for over 57 years and still has maintained a constant level of dedication and focus throughout his career. “If you're going to play basketball, you have to be willing to work as hard as possible and be ready for things to go wrong,” Rogers said.

A legacy of leadership and excellence in sports

Owen Ulmer, Staff Writer • February 18, 2025

57 years ago, Parkway West opened, but there has been one constant figure in it other than the building: basketball coach Rich Rogers. Coaching for so long takes commitment and passion for the game, making...

Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.

Ultimate spirit

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • December 11, 2024

Every year, on the first Saturday of December, ultimate frisbee players, or flying disc enthusiasts, around the globe come together to celebrate International Spirit of the Game Day through hosted clinics,...

Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.

Kicking off

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Editor-In-Chief • October 31, 2024

Friday night lights sparkling bright, senior Josie Grunzinger lined up with the field goal. Her foot swung into the ball, sending it spiraling through the air and flying through the goal. Grunzinger had...

Posing at Murray State University, junior Kathryn Hardy confirms her Division I commitment to play soccer in college. Hardy played soccer for the majority of her life, but over the summer, her dreams of playing college soccer were fulfilled. “Going into junior year, I went to a couple of identification camps. I went to the Murray State ID camp, and that’s where the coach saw me playing,” Hardy said.

Golden boots, golden dreams

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Editor-In-Chief • October 2, 2024

Weaving the ball through the field, junior Kathryn Hardy makes her way to the goal. With a touch to the right, she sends a shot through to the corner of the net, and… score! These moments have been...

Dressed in West High’s signature red and Carolina blue jerseys, the eighth grade (left) and varsity (right) football teams take the field for their respective home openers. Varsity played on Aug. 30, and the eighth graders on Sept. 7. “Each year brings new excitement and a new challenge. Bringing everyone together to work to achieve one common goal is something that is exciting each and every year,” physical education teacher and varsity football head coach Jeff Duncan said. (Payton Dean and Nikhita Cherukuri)

Kickoff to high school season

Payton Dean, Opinions Editor • September 26, 2024

Feet stomping. Hands clapping. Arms rolling. “Everybody rumble!” The fan favorite cheer, dubbed the ‘Longhorn Rumble,’ echoes through the air during a fall football weekend where the Longhorns...

With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.

Behind the net: Junior Jenna Rickelman’s journey on the girls water polo team

Zoya Hasan, Staff Writer • May 23, 2024

As the final buzzer echoed throughout the pool arena, junior Jenna Rickelman fixes her eyes on her opponents as they launch the ball. With her quick reflexes, she deflected the ball from entering the goal....

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. ...
  10. 45