Winter is over and spring sports are finally underway. After many hours of tryouts, the teams have been chosen and players are working hard. Soccer, baseball, lacrosse, track and field, golf, volleyball and tennis are all preparing for a much anticipated season.

Soccer:

The varsity girls coach, Mr. Koeller, is very confident in his team this year. With several returning players like Riley Ebenroth, Emma Staebell, Madeline Koeller, Sarah Harig, Lauren Jones and Annie Valenti, the team is sure to have a very successful season.

Senior Riley Ebenroth cannot wait for the season to begin, especially since it is her last year. She looks forward to having fun with all the girls and working together with them.

However, the main goal for the soccer team is to win, win, and win some more.

“We anticipate being one of the top teams in our class. We anticipate winning districts and moving into the final four.  That’s what we look forward to,” said Coach Koeller.

Baseball:

Despite the sloppy weather during tryouts week, Coach Schlenke is very pleased with the tryouts. The varsity coach is expecting a lot from his seniors this year, especially for them to lead the team.

Senior Colin Kenny looks forward to the season and hopes to meet all of their expectations.

“My personal goals are probably just play the best that I can play and try to be a good teammate, have fun and just play the best way I can,” said Kenny.

Coach Schlenke wants the team to win districts and even go as far as state.

“I think we’ve got a shot at that,” Coach Schlenke said.

Lacrosse:

With tryouts being extended because of the bad weather, the lacrosse team is finally ready to begin their season. The varsity coach, Mr. Hancock, is very pleased with his team this year.

“It’s going to be significantly better than last year,” Coach Hancock said.

Courtney Abt, a senior and one of the captains, is more than excited for the season to start. She is looking forward to growing as a team and wants to push herself to become a better leader.

Track and Field:

Track and field are working hard and pushing themselves to their limits this season. Since the team consisted of several seniors last year, they lost many members, but have gained some great freshmen. Coach Markway believes that the team has great potential this year. His aspiration for the team is to improve a lot this season.

“With it being a young team, the further they go, the more they are going to improve. Right now they are just getting their feet wet, but I say by the end of the season, we should be a completely different team than what we started off with in March,” Coach Markway said.

Sophomore Clayton Arnold also believes that the team will have a successful season. Arnold is hoping that the team will do well at conference and possibly have some athletes go to sectionals and maybe even state.

Golf:

Men’s golf is also underway. Coach Matusiak has high expectations for the team this year. As usual, he would like to win conference.

“I think that is something that is within our grasp,” Coach Matusiak said.

Golfers Griffin Grover and Joey Herget are both expected to perform very well this season. Coach Matusiak hopes that Griffin and Joey can qualify for sectionals, as well as some other players.

Sophomore Keaton Purdy is very excited for the season, as he has been waiting all year for it. Purdy is looking forward to playing all of the “cool courses” and hopes that the golf team will be able to do just as well as last year.

Volleyball:

The boys’ volleyball team has a new coach this year, Maggie Allen.  She brings great enthusiasm and knowledge to the team and is very pleased with her players.

“The boys we have making up the program are dedicated, coachable and athletic, so I’m very excited about the season,” Allen said.

Coach Allen expects big things from the team this year because of the high level of talent and fast strides that the boys are making. Zach Price and Luke Schnieders have already stood out as leaders and Coach Allen is confident in their ability to guide the team.

Sophomore Connor George is looking forward to the season and spending time with his teammates. His goal for the season is to have the team improve at the fundamentals. He is also looking to improve his leadership qualities on the team.

Coach Allen wants the boys to continue to increase their knowledge, skill, and love for the game. The volleyball team is hoping for great student sections at their games, especially against the big rival schools.

Tennis:

Despite the weather, tennis tryouts went very well according to the varsity coach, Mr. Duncan. The team lost some talented seniors, but added many new players. Coach Duncan is looking to juniors Matt Hagan and Patrick Nelson to lead the team this year. Both players possess skills that make them stand out on the team.

“Matt Hagan has played varsity the last two years. He played varsity as a freshman and now he is a junior, so he is obviously a very good player. I expect him to be a leader on the team, as well as Patrick Nelson. Nelson played varsity last year. He has continued to improved over. It is easy to see when you watch him play, so I expect him to come in and take a leadership role,” said Coach Duncan.

Nelson is really exited for the season. He wants to improve himself as a player and also help the underclassmen to improve.

Coach Duncan’s goals for the season are to help the boys better themselves in all of their matches and help them grow as a team as they chase down another AAA Conference title.

Good luck to all the athletes participating in a spring sport this year. It is sure to be a great and successful season for all teams. Be sure to attend some of the games, meets, and matches to help cheer on our Crusaders.