Highlighting our late-season top performances
By IsaBella McCall and Eliza Allen, Sports Writers
As winter sports begin to wrap up regular season contests and enter the post-season, there’s a lot to be excited about. And while we enjoy the challenge of only highlighting two athletes per week, we also like the freedom to expand our “kudos” when the time is right. Our athletes are truly hitting their strides (some puns intended), and we wanted to showcase some of our top performers over the last two weeks of competitions.
The Wrestling Team placed 3rd at Regionals and qualified eight individual wrestlers for the Class A Championships, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 15 in Lewiston.
The senior captains put on an outstanding show. Richie Simpson (190 lbs) and Isaiah Phillips (126 lbs) were Class A South Regional Champions. James Chaplick (144 lbs) and Canton Hill (215) placed second. Simpson earned his 100th win, while Hill earned his 150th win. Also worth noting, senior Alden Treadwell (285) has been doing incredibly well despite competing in a much higher weight class.
“Our captains have been the keystone of our success this year,” says Coach Smitty. “I have been blow away by their leadership on and off the mats. They have really worked to create a family in our wrestling room. The most important thing they have done for us is to achieve a climate and culture for the team that facilitates hard work, but also inspires positive mindset and overcomes obstacles. What they have done for the atmosphere of our team will have an impact for years to come.”
Freshman Mattea Peters has been a standout on the track in her rookie season. Peters won the JR 400m race this weekend, placing 1st at SMAA’s with a time of 1:03.13 (her best time this season).
She then placed 9th overall in the SMAA’s JR 200m race with a 28.69; her best time all season in the 200m was a 28.65. Her top time in the 55m race is a 8.21 seconds.
“Mattea has worked extremely hard all season and placed 1st in several events, and always finished in the top 5 of her individual races,” said Coach Kiley. “We discovered her talent for the 400m race late in the season, since she has begun competing in the 400m she has won every 400m race she has competed in. She has been a crucial athlete for our team when competing in individual events and competing in team relays.”
The Varsity Cheer team scored 5th in their regional competition last weekend, qualifying for states on Saturday, Feb 8., in Augusta, where they placed in the top 10.
Coach Wade says, “We had States this past weekend and [the cheer team] was top ten.” Additionally, Coach Wade said, “[The cheer team] got our stunts hit and we added upgrades so we did more challenging stunts this week.”
And finally, we wanted to highlight the success of the jumpers on the Indoor Track Team.
Top performances from the Southwestern meet were predominantly in field events, including:
- High Jump- Isaac Pelletier, 3rd
- Triple Jump- Logan Glidden, 4th
- Long Jump- Logan Glidden, 7th
And, while sophomore Lily Peters didn’t make the podium at Southwesterns, she’s been jumping consistently well in Long and Triple jump events. Rhylen Avery also qualified for jumps, but scratched due to injury.
Congratulations to ALL our athletes who continue to represent the Spartans!
The Spartan Times 