The Samba Knights went out of their way to send off the girls varsity soccer team to the 5A state playoffs in style. After the percussion ensemble that specializes in samba, a style of Brazilian music and dance performed on March 25 as the girls soccer team left for Giddings High School and an area championship victory over Victoria West, the Samba Knights did an encore on Friday as the Knights again boarded their charter bus for their Sweet 16 showdown with Barbers Hill in College Station. Given their support of the soccer team, it is no surprise that girls co-captain midelfielder Maya Tackett, also the Shield’s people editor, would apply her writing talents to share the story of the Samba Knights in her latest feature story posted today to the Shield Online. The Samba Knights, Maya writes, are better and bigger than ever thanks to the efforts of seniors Sara Hamlet and Max Davis to make the musical ensemble an official school club. “I started talking to Mr. Pride about [starting...