Each year a new class of seniors rise to be leaders and good people in and out of the classroom. One of those places these students display these core skills is on the field or court.
Senior athletes work for years up to this point in their journey, and they all get a special night when they get recognized by their coaches and families.
There are many special moments to this night, and this night also serves the purpose to reflect on old memories from previous years.
“My favorite memory ever from soccer is any memory I made while meeting new people on different teams and making friends from other schools,” said senior Mylie Herr. “My favorite memory from the last four years is probably my freshman year when my older cousin was a senior and I got to be with her every day after school for two hours and cheer her on while she played. We were probably the closest ever during that time.”
Herr has played soccer for 13 years and said she was most looking forward to celebrating this final season with all her friends and her teammates, as well as eating some really delicious food.
She also scored her first ever and only high school soccer goal on a header which made this night very memorable.
“My favorite memory all four years is getting the chance to do a sport with my sister. In the past four years my favorite memory is just getting to compete with really talented athletes that are able to push me farther,” said senior Elizabeth Wanner. Wanner has run cross country since seventh grade.
“Even though I’ve only been with the team for a short time, there have been so many memories I could call my favorites. If I had to pick one though I would say getting our gold ribbon for our cheer evaluation at camp this summer,” said senior Lindsay Garber. This is Garber’s first year on the cheer squad, and she was most looking forward to continuing the cheer tradition of going up in a stunt on senior night.
Each player has special memories that they will always hold in their hearts, and for senior Noah Rakestraw, playing football with his brother will be one of his. Rakestraw has played football for 10 years.
Senior Cullen Pauling has played soccer for all four of his high school years, and he was most looking forward to walking out with his parents, as well as being with his friends and teammates during his senior night.
“My favorite part of senior night was receiving the beautiful hand-picked flower bouquets from my coach,” said senior Ali Ravert.
Ravert has played tennis for seven years, and she was most looking forward to the snacks after senior night.
Each senior reflects on their season in a different way when it comes to a close.
“I have improved as a teammate and player, the hard teachings of coach Ed leading me to improve and start varsity this year,” said Pauling, while Rakestraw said the he would describe all the past seasons of his sport as “the best days of my life.”
“… I definitely have seen progress in my sport, but I will say that singles wasn’t for me, and I’m okay with that. I have learned that doubles is my forte,” said Ravert, while Wanner said, “I would say that the past four years have definitely been a learning experience. I have learned how to pace myself better and learn to push myself harder than I thought I ever could have.”
“In the six months that I’ve been cheering, I have made so much progress! I’ve bonded with all of the girls, the coaches, and was finally consistent with my stunts. I’m out for right now because I’ll be getting surgery on my ankle soon, but I’m excited to work hard and hopefully be better for our winter activities,” said Garber.
The way a student grows up over the years is an amazing experience for those around them to witness, but it’s more special to see the people they become.
“I would describe my years of soccer as a rollercoaster. There were times when I felt very connected with this sport and there were times when I was stuck and didn’t know what I was doing, but I always found myself again. If you had asked me 10 years ago where I hoped I’d be by now, I’d say right here, starting every game with 10 of my friends as a senior captain. Its been a great four years,” said Herr.
Featured photo (at top): Football, cheer, and band seniors pose for a group photo on their senior night. This photo was taken on Warrior’s home turf and was provided by sophomore Isaac Earlandson
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