Football
Football coach Bill Lowe is eager to take on the challenge of creating a strong, united team in order to tackle the season head on.
At the beginning of every season, it’s important for teams to become a family and learn to mesh in order to accomplish goals. Lowe is hoping the team can make these connections quickly because they have strong senior leadership.
In addition to becoming a family, it is essential for the team to regain its health. With a couple injuries marking the beginning of the season, Lowe is hoping the boys can stay strong throughout the rest of the fall.
The guys will have their district play in the final weeks of the quarter. Depending on how they play this may lead them into the playoffs.
“While every game is important, the district play is what we are really working toward,” Lowe said.
The next football game with be the Homecoming game against Bishop Miege on Sept. 28.
Boys Soccer
The football team is not alone in struggling to maintain health at the start of their season. Coach Jason Pendleton shares the same concerns about this season. The boys soccer team has been “banged up” and has faced several injuries, including concussions and broken bones.
However, Pendleton is still hopeful in the boys’ ability to play their game and work toward their season-goal of the EKL.
“We want to string more victories together and be better than last year,” Pendleton said.
In order to gain these wins, the team will rely heavily upon key players, including seniors Brandon Betsch, JD Kendrick, Aaron Lippert, and sophomore Payton Gore. Oct. 18 is a date to keep on the calendar, as they face off Blue Valley High School, whom assistant coach Tyler Alexander thinks they have good chance of defeating.
Cross Country
While some teams are struggling with a lack of depth, other teams are overflowing. This is proving to be a challenge in itself, at least for the cross-country team.
The team has 58 runners, and only 2 coaches. Head coach Richard Wilson and coach Aaron Ballew have accepted the challenge of managing such a large team, and are hoping to lead them to victory.
Key runners this year include Grant Poje and Tristan Eastham for the boys, and Maleigh Pagenkopf and Alyssa Yarbrough for girls.
The next big race will be “Rim Rock” in Lawrence on Sept. 22. Following Lawrence, the team will be hosting a league meet at Lone Elm on Oct. 11.
Volleyball
Cross-country is not the only team with substantial depth this season. While it’s a challenge for the runners, the volleyball players are using their depth to their advantage.
With strong senior leadership, seniors Megan Becker and Alyssa Phelps set the bar for the rest of the team. Coach Scott Dowis is hopeful for their season to bring home more victories.
“The girls have a really tough conference with a lot of new girls, and a lot of girls are returning,” Dowis said. “It’s important that the team learns how to mesh.”
Their practices have been more intense this season in order to become a family and to enhance their skills.
“The difference between starters and non-starters is very minimal, which we can use to our advantage,” Dowis said.
The next big game will be on Sept. 20 at 5 p.m.. against Blue Valley Northwest.
Girls Tennis
Coach Kristin Niehus is excited and hopeful about the girls’ tennis season, despite losing players.
“We lost a few top players to graduation and transfers, but we also added a lot of new players to our roster,” Niehus said. “Every season has its own personality and qualities-I look forward to see what this season will bring.”
On Sept. 11, the varsity team took first place at the Gardner-Edgerton quad.
The girls will play one of their biggest tournaments of the season, EKL on Sept. 29, with doubles teams playing at Blue Valley West and singles teams playing at Blue Valley High.
Girls Golf
Girls golf coach Courtney Weber is excited about the level of commitment her girls are showing, and is confident that some of the golfers will achieve a Top 10 finish at State.
Weber hopes sophomore Nikki McCurdy reaches the Top 10. She has improved her average from last season by removing over 20 strokes.
“Many of the girls have stopped playing other sports to commit themselves 100 percent to golf,” she said. “Their dedication is showing with an improvement at each tournament this season.”
Despite golfing for six to seven hours in unbearable heat this fall, the girls have stuck it out and continue to improve with each round. In doing so, the girls placed 2nd at the Blue Valley Cup on Sept. 4.
“I am looking forward to seeing how well our team can perform against the best teams in the state,” Weber said.