The Boys and Girls Of Fall

As another day passes. The weather slowly but surely turns cold. As it does, a lot is left in the rear-view.

Sports at Big Sky happen to be a big part of this. With this changing of the sports season comes a lot of seniors’ last run at the sports they grew to love. Since only 7% of all high school athletes play any form of collegiate sports, it truly is their last stand.

Every senior has a different story to tell and each sport has different highs and lows. The one thing that remains the same throughout every year is the good ole’ Eagle Pride.

Eagle sports felt the definite highs and lows of the sports seasons and all seniors were along for the constant battle of high school sports.

Football

On the gridiron this year we fought hard and came down to the wire in a lot of games due to efficient defensive stands and up the gut running. The team had plenty of close games even with the toughest schedule in AA football. This year the team had several seniors on both sides of the ball with big performances.

Senior captain, Wyatt Shinn had several impressive games this past year. “My touchdown against Sentinel was probably my best moment this year. But to be honest the best part about this year has been the comradery I’ve felt with the team and especially the seniors.”

Even though moments like these were seen by every fan in the stadium there is another game being played within the overall contest. This is the battle in the trenches.

The O-line and D-line war that takes place every single down. Senior Christian Unger has fought this battle for four straight years in high school and takes a lot of pride in winning every down. “Playing the line can be a challenge, but the work I’ve put in during the offseason and the determination I’ve gained as a result makes it all worth it.”

As head coach Matt Johnson has often said, “Football games are won by blocking and tackling.” The Eagles know all too well that these games really come down to the simple fundamentals of it all.

Volleyball

Volleyball had a large class of seniors this year. However, not much height came along with those seniors. But that certainly didn’t stop the girls from shocking a lot of teams with their play this year.

The Lady Eagles played with a very “defensive” and “scrappy” style of play as described by many members of the team. What they didn’t have in height they visibly made up in heart. “Out of all the teams I’ve played with this has been the team I’ve been the closest, and it really makes playing that much easier,” says senior Katie Rolle.

After every play, each teammate was right there to pick the other one up and move onto the next point. Their defense was evident in how they played and made some tremendous rallies this past season.

Senior Mia Sandau had some incredible plays on defense this year. “I’ve had a really good time with all the girls this year and I think how close we are helping us to trust each other on defense.”

This class of girls will be remembered and missed certainly by their younger teammates. “They truly have shown us how to play the game right and that will help us moving forward for sure,” says Junior Emma Gee.

This fact really adds to their legacy as seniors and is really the goal of all upperclassman: to leave a lasting impression to these underclassmen so they can do well when their seniors are gone.

Girls Soccer

Girls soccer was a spectacle to behold this year. The team has struggled in recent years but this year was evidently very different. The Eagles had a record of 9-2-1 this year and they finished second in the state.

Led this year by a small class of seniors, the Eagles found a way to get it done through great leadership and even better teamwork. “I think why we’ve done so well this year is because of how much we care and play for one another,” says senior Cheyenne Cathey. “Instead of saying “Eagles,” we say “together”.”

It’s hard to explain without seeing, but the girls’ team flat out plays hard and fast, which allowed them to cruise to first place in the west, second in the west, this year. They also force 44 goals and allowed only 21.

Another senior, Kami Koster, adds to Cathey’s comments on teamwork and also says “It doesn’t matter what the score is, we keep fighting the whole game.”

Boys Soccer

Boys soccer struggled this year but their spirits were not deterred in their efforts to get a dub. It may have been the end of the line for soccer for the boys in their career but instilled in the seniors this year was certainly a lot of character and a will to strive to be better. To learn how to struggle and fight to keep going was what they gained this year. Which is what high school sports are all about.

XC

The long haul of Cross Country (XC) this year was the summation of four years of work for a lot of seniors.

Senior Sean Stineford had plenty of top-ranking performances this year and in doing so led by example to the underclassmen of runners how to stay dedicated to the cause. He had a time of 16:45 for his SR and placed first at the Butte Invitational.

On the girl’s side of senior running was the two identical faces of Big Sky girls cross country, Makenna and Maddie Edwards. Makenna missed a good chunk of the season due to unfortunate injury but still placed high in the meets she ran and had an SR of 19:53. Maddie had an eventful season with placing in the top ten in four meets with an SR of 19:26.

Even with the track coming up soon and running distance will still be an option this spring, there is still something about Cross Country that will be missed.

All these seniors know that they will continue to love and live these fall sports long after they’re done playing them at the high school level. Even though most athletes move onto the next sports season, the triumphs and downfalls that come with fall sports will be all too fresh in their minds. Though the specific moments of the last four years of high school will be forgotten eventually, the memories and lessons learned in these sports will always hold a place close to the heart of these athletes.

Football senior Zane Holland says it best. “I’ll always have those memories and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”