Reflecting back

By Brylie Behrens, Rylee List, and Sophia Sperry 

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Discipline. This was a common theme during the fall sports season for the Coon Rapids-Bayard football, volleyball, and cheer squads. While it’s always easy to become lost in the noise of the crowd or lost in the noise of the hustle and bustle associated with each season, the fall athletes remained focused on making this year one of the most successful.

 

This year, the football season was marked with a homecoming win against Ar-We-Va, a back-and-forth win against Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton, and a near win against a tough CAM Cougars squad. The Crusaders even made a playoff appearance against Clarksville on Oct. 24 and were just narrowly defeated. CR-B volleyball rolled through their schedule with over 20 wins and key tournament victories, including the Rolling Valley Conference tournament championship. They are now eager to play in the regional semifinal on Monday, Oct. 27, against West Bend-Mallard. The football cheer squad was stronger than ever in numbers with veteran leaders and new members who made an impact in their first year. 

 

“Whether it’s being pushed in drills or having a great game plan for us every week, our coaches pushed us to be the best team and athletes we could be,” said Griffin Mohr, a freshman football player. “We held each other accountable and just kept trusting in one another.”

 

Amelia Eddy, a junior volleyball player, agrees with Mohr about the importance of trusting one another. 

 

“The team always worked well with each other and that led to us having success,” Eddy said. “We went into every game with the mindset that everyone was going to do their part.”

 

Katie Wiskus and Izzy Reiling were the senior captains for this year’s football cheer team.

 

“I specifically remember my first game since becoming captain and all of the girls on my squad were helping me and willing to listen, which helped soothe my nerves and made the game run very smoothly,” Wiskus said. “We stayed focused and were always willing to try new things, like stunts and cheers, to help better our program.”

 

“We worked so well together and that helped us to always get better and learn more about each other,” Reiling added. “We continued to learn and finished out this season with a positive attitude.”

 

Whether it’s the deep trust in the football and volleyball teams or the complete team aspect of the cheer squad, fall athletes grew leaps and bounds this season and their focus led to great success.​